Lake Ponca Fishing
Roughly 778-acre reservoir spread over Kay County.
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Lake Ponca, minus the fluff
The national hydrography outline of Lake Ponca covers about 778 acres in Kay County. Management falls to Ponca City. Some anglers shorten it to Ponca, Lake. Fuel and food are nearest in Ponca City, roughly 2 miles out.
It carries ODWC regulations of its own. It belongs to the ODWC Northeast Region.
Acres from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline. ODWC Where To Fish page, wildlifedepartment.com, read November 3, 2026. Census 2023 places.
Facilities and notes at Lake Ponca
- Campgrounds ODWC listsKaw USACE
- ADA fishing accessODWC includes it among ADA fishing access sites
- Lake map: OWRB lake map in PDF formOklahoma Water Resources Board
These lines repeat the ODWC Where To Fish entry for Lake Ponca without edits.
ODWC Where To Fish page, wildlifedepartment.com, read November 3, 2026. OWRB lake map PDF.
Which fish swim in Lake Ponca
These fish are the ones an ODWC source ties to Lake Ponca; other species swim there too.
ODWC Where To Fish page (Fish Species of Interest), ODWC stocking reports 2024-2025 and the ODWC record table; read November 3, 2026.
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You will not find Lake Ponca on the USACE ramp map; the nearest ones follow.
Neighbour launches that also reach Lake Ponca
- Mcfadden Cove Campground Boat Ramp on Kaw LakeKaw Lake, 6 miles southeast
- Sandy Park Boat Ramp on Kaw LakeKaw Lake, 7 miles southeast
- Coon Creek Boat Ramp on Kaw LakeKaw Lake, 7 miles northeast
- Osage Cove Western Boat Ramp on Kaw LakeKaw Lake, 8 miles east
- Osage Cove Southern Boat Ramp on Kaw LakeKaw Lake, 8 miles east
- Noc Cove Boat Ramp on Kaw LakeKaw Lake, 8 miles east
USACE Tulsa District recreation features (boat ramp layer, inventory year 2021), read November 3, 2026; USACE Tulsa District recreation features (fishing feature layer), read November 3, 2026.
Stocking report rows for Lake Ponca
| Year | Species as printed | Number | Size (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hybrid Sunfish | 220 | 7+ |
| 2025 | Saugeye | 16,100 | 1.5 |
| 2024 | Hybrid Sunfish | 146 | 7 |
| 2024 | Hybrid Sunfish | 146 | 7 |
| 2024 | Saugeye | 16,162 | 1.2 |
These are the Lake Ponca lines in the last two ODWC stocking reports.
ODWC Fisheries Division Public Stocking Reports 2024 and 2025 (2025 report, 2024 report), species abbreviations as printed (LMB = largemouth bass), read November 3, 2026.
Oklahoma limits on Lake Ponca
| Species | Daily limit | Size limit |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth and/or Smallmouth Bass | 6 (combined) | 1 (one) over 16 inches |
| Spotted Bass | no daily limit | no size limit |
| Channel and/or Blue Catfish | 15 (combined) | Only 1 Blue Catfish over 30 inches |
| Flathead Catfish | 5 | no size limit |
| White and/or Black Crappie | 37 (combined) | no size limit |
| Striped Bass | 5 (except Lake Texoma) | no size limit |
| Striped Bass Hybrids | 20 | Only 5 fish over 20 inches |
| White Bass | no daily limit | no size limit |
| Trout | See trout regulations | no size limit |
| Walleye, Sauger and/or Saugeye | 6 (combined) | 14 inch minimum |
| Paddlefish | See paddlefish regulation | no size limit |
| Alligator Gar | 1 | no size limit |
These ODWC statewide rows govern Lake Ponca unless an area rule below changes them.
ODWC special regulations printed for Lake Ponca
- Daily/size LimitsWalleye, sauger and saugeye: six combined per day/18-inch minimum.
- MethodsAllowed.
- Methodsrod and reel only.
Area Specific Fishing Regulations on the ODWC page, as printed, wildlifedepartment.com, read November 3, 2026.
Anglers 18 and older carry an Oklahoma fishing license ($31 annual for residents, $81 for nonresidents in 2026).
Limits as printed on the ODWC statewide daily and size limits page (2026-2027 Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting Regulations (ODWC); PDF), read November 3, 2026. ODWC License Options and Fees, read November 3, 2026.
How Lake Ponca compares with its neighbours
Biggest in the table: Kaw Lake, roughly 23,610 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Max depth (ft) | Corps ramps | Piers and areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ponca | 778 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Kaw Lake | 8 miles northeast | 23,610 | 74 | 14 | 2 |
| Fairfax City Lake | 19 miles southeast | 111 | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| Sooner Lake | 22 miles south | 5,400 | 74 | 0 | 0 |
| Pawnee Lake | 29 miles southeast | 310 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Bluestem Lake | 34 miles east | 865 | 57 | 0 | 0 |
ODWC Where To Fish pages (acres, depth) or NHD outlines; USACE Tulsa District ramp and fishing layers; read November 3, 2026.
Short haul from Lake Ponca
Impounded water a county or two from Lake Ponca
- Kaw Lake8 miles northeast
- Fairfax City Lake19 miles southeast
- Sooner Lake22 miles south
- Pawnee Lake29 miles southeast
- Bluestem Lake34 miles east
ODWC bait stops for Lake Ponca
- Walmart Supercenter (Ponca City)1101 E Prospect Ave, Ponca City, OK 74601, (580) 762-0395
- Lakeview Campground, Boat Storage, Bait Shop & Store8865 Lake Rd, Ponca City, OK 74604, (580) 765-2219
- Grit & Grace Outdoors712 E 7th St, Newkirk, OK 74647, (580) 362-1016
- Bubba's Outdoor Sports515 W Doolin Ave, Blackwell, OK 74631, (580) 262-2275
- Lake McMurtry West Bait Shop30285 Bronco Curve, Stillwater, OK 74075, (405) 747-8085
- Academy (Stillwater)2409 N Perkins Rd, Stillwater, OK 74075, (405) 742-6010
- Cowboy Corner at Lake Carl Blackwell11000 Oklahoma 51 West, Stillwater, OK 74074, (405) 743-1977
- Walmart Supercenter (Stillwater)4545 W 6th Ave, Stillwater, OK 74074, (405) 707-0744
Grab a dozen shiners before Lake Ponca
- Lakeview Campground, Boat Storage, Bait Shop & Storebait and tackle shop, Ponca City, 5 miles
- Black Jacks Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Newkirk, 10 miles
- Pioneer Cove Marinamarina, Kaw City, 10 miles
- Bubba's Outdoor Sportsbait and tackle shop, Blackwell, 15 miles
- Boat Housemarina, Ponca City
- McFadden Cove Marinamarina, Ponca City
Oklahoma towns close to Lake Ponca
- Ponca City2 miles
- Newkirk10 miles
- Blackwell15 miles
Lake Ponca split up by county line
- Kay Countyseat: Newkirk
Bait & Tackle Nearby on the ODWC page, wildlifedepartment.com, read November 3, 2026.
Piscifun gear a Sooner State angler might carry to Lake Ponca
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Sorting out the Lake Ponca fish by photo
Photo: robposse, CC BY 2.0
Photo: schizoform, CC BY 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Lake Ponca, asked by Sooner anglers
Which Oklahoma county holds Lake Ponca?
It lies inside Kay County, about 2 miles from Ponca City.
How large is Lake Ponca on the ODWC page?
Roughly 778 acres on the NHD outline.
Can I pull a bass boat to Lake Ponca?
No mapped ramp sits on it; the closest is Mcfadden Cove Campground Boat Ramp on Kaw Lake, about 6 miles away.
What bites at Lake Ponca?
Look for largemouth bass, spotted bass, white crappie, black crappie, channel catfish, saugeye and striped hybrid bass.
Which Oklahoma rules apply on Lake Ponca?
Largemouth and/or Smallmouth Bass: 6 (combined) a day; size rule 1 (one) over 16 inches. An ODWC area rule applies here too.
Which ODWC license covers Lake Ponca?
Anglers 18 and older carry an Oklahoma fishing license ($31 annual for residents, $81 for nonresidents in 2026).
Can a lawn-chair angler work the shore of Lake Ponca?
ODWC marks ADA access here and notes: see the ODWC page.
Which Oklahoma store outfits a Lake Ponca trip?
ODWC pairs it with Walmart Supercenter (Ponca City) at 1101 E Prospect Ave, Ponca City, OK 74601.
Which spelling does ODWC use for Lake Ponca?
Same lake; Ponca, Lake is the other name.
Steer the pickup toward Lake Ponca
Read the limits, then choose the ramp closest to your spot.