Overview
Copan Lake is a roughly 4,850-acre reservoir on the Little Caney River in Washington County, about two miles west of Copan and nine miles north of Bartlesville near the Kansas line. It was placed in useful operation in 1983 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, water supply, water quality, recreation, and fish and wildlife. The project also helps protect communities along the Little Caney and Verdigris drainage.
The lake has about 51 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth near 34 feet, with an average depth of only about 9 feet. Shallow flats, timber, and the old river channel dominate the basin, and a levee system also protects the town of Caney, Kansas, from Little Caney flooding. The shallow, snaggy character rewards careful navigation and creates abundant warmwater fish habitat.
Copan supports warmwater fishing for bass, crappie, catfish, and sunfish, with fisheries managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Corps recreation areas and public boat ramps provide access north of Bartlesville, and the lake draws regional day-use boaters and anglers from northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas.
Water levels are managed by the Corps around a conservation pool of 710 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29), with the flood-control pool extending to 732 feet. Elevations respond to Little Caney / Verdigris basin runoff, so checking current levels helps with navigation on the shallow flats and with fishing and ramp use whenever the project is storing floodwater.
Current Conditions
Copan Lake is currently 0.22 feet below full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.20 ft
- 30-day changeDown 0.85 ft
- Drought conditionsModerate Drought
- Active advisories1 active (Notice)
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Copan Lake is a 4,850-acre reservoir on the Little Caney River managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.