Fishing for your heart’s content

While we’re on the subject of outdoors, it’s a good time of year to grab your fishing pole and head to one of the area lakes and ponds.

The City of Oklahoma City requires a fishing permit if you’re 16 or older and younger than 61. The Oklahoma Wildlife Department has a good roundup of locations where you can fish close to home.

In Oklahoma City, start with the city’s three urban reservoirs, Lake Hefner, Lake Draper and Lake Overholser. The City of OKC also has designated other ponds as “Close to Home” fishing waters: Dolese Youth Park Pond, NW 50 and Meridian; Crystal Lake, 6625 SW 15;  Edwards Park Fishing Lake, 1515 N Bryant; Kids’ Lake, 3200 W Wilshire; Kitchen Lake, 5501 SE 119; Route 66 Park Bonds, 3350 W Overholser Drive; Southlakes Park Ponds, 4302 SW 119; waters within the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge, NW 51 and Stinchcomb Road; Zook Lake, 2101 NE 50 and the Oklahoma River downstream from NW 10.

If you don’t know how, or if you want to branch out into fly fishing, stop by Oklahoma City’s Bass Pro Shop, 200 Bass Pro Drive, and ask about free fishing clinics the store offers at area lakes.