ollie

It may be a crappy report or a good one when I get back, but I'll post one nonetheless.

I'm hoping to get into them when I go down to Texoma next month. They are a blast to catch!

I had heard it was fairly shallow and a lot of timber I thought. I have hooked onto a couple of wipers down on Grand while fishing for whites and man they can fight hard! That is what I am looking for down there. I know I am going to keep an eye out for gulls as well.

Headed over to Texoma to visit with family that will be coming up from southern Texas. Going to stay at a VRBO on the lake or I should say a block away from the lake. Either way access will be easy enough. I hear the striper bit is pretty good in the fall down there but have no idea where to begin other than where we will be. I will probably bring the yak along so I can go out when the wife wants to hit the flea market booths. Anyone fish Texoma before? If so how would you describe it? Might actually hire a guide this time around. I have never used a guide before and never thought I really needed one until now. Only because the lake is pretty good sized from what I remember when I did see it several years back. We are staying over by Juniper Point if that helps. Thanks

I tie hair jigs all the time and never use a whip finisher. Was shown something different that works for me.

I will add something to this. Most of my better days catching browns have been on nasty, rainy, snowing, sleeting days or very overcast days! I have caught them on sunny days, but not as much by far.

Sounds like a good time although I wouldn't have expected it to be that crowded. Kind of glad I didn't go now. I wouldn't have liked having to huff it a country mile just to get there! lol Sounds like it was more of a people watching adventure than anything else. Of course, free food brings out the masses.

There seems to be some confusion here. The Ruger works just fine. It is the High Standard Double Nine that won't extract shells.

So, here's the deal. I inherited a Ruger Mark III that has been barely shot. I don't want the gun and am debating on what to do with it. I could trade it in for a different 22 or another gun that I might want more. I already have a 22 revolver my mom gave me a few years back. I don't want to get rid of it simple because it was my grandfathers before he died, and it was passed down. Mind you, the gun is difficult in that it doesn't want to extract shells. Either way, I will keep that gun. I have LOTS of ammo for the 22 as well. As in well over 3000 rounds that was basically inherited as well. Again though, that ammo won't extract from the cylinder of the revolver so if I don't get another 22 I will have to sell all that ammo. I am thinking about getting a shotgun since I don't have one anymore. Oh, the decisions to make! lol I like 22s, but I rarely ever hunt with one so I'm not sure I really need another one. The shotgun could be used as home defense or hunting if I go that route. If I decide to sell the ammo, I will put it on here first.

I am in the boat of, I want to go and every year I find an excuse not to go. I'm sure I would enjoy it though. Love me some good squirrel cooked right. Mom used to fry it up and smoother it in gravy. Tasted like good fried chicken to this youngster at that age!

Talked with a guy who hunted at Talbot conservation area and said it was a mad house on opening day. Said they got there about a couple hours early and by sunup they had a dozen people only like 25 yards away from them and people kept coming into the field. Doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me. At least where they were at.

Yep, had them before and it definitely felt like chiggers. I thought that was what it was, but no, it was those mites. I have only encounter them once or twice, but not sure which is worse, the mites or the chiggers. I didn't have it spread like you did, but they sure itched!

tjm, although Arkansas is about the same in price, there is no comparison when it comes to the facilities and how they are maintained. Like I said earlier, if OK would actually DO something about the conditions of their ramps, restrooms, etc. I probably wouldn't mind it so much.

If you fish or hunt in Oklahoma, after July the prices went up quite a bit. I am seriously considering not getting one next year. Out of state fishing went up to $81 dollars and a single day went up to $26. Hunting for deer alone will set you back around $500 or something crazy like that. I know a lot of other states charge a fortune for out of state use, but I never considered Oklahoma to be that great when it came to some of their facilities. As it is already, if you want to use some of their state parks you have to pay an additional $10 a day just to park there and use them. I personally don't see where any of that money is being used for improvement. I am on a couple of websites that I see many people who live in Oklahoma bashing them because they aren't doing any maintenance like they should be. Twin Bridges for one isn't any better than it was before they implemented the higher cost. If I knew for sure the improvements were being made and my money was going to help that I might consider buying another one, but I just don't see that happening right now. Done with the rant. Off my soapbox now.

Well, that is reassuring to know!

Great pics and story to go along with it. I have always wondered though, is Deckers really all that uptight with fly fishing purist? I only ask because I have heard stories. I am a jig fisherman for trout, but the first time I rolled up to Mclellan's on the Northfork below the dam I got some evil stink eye from the fly fisherman! lol Then even more when I started catching fish. lol Although I never experienced it when I was out there fishing the Roaring Fork over by Glenwood Springs.

AGFC plans Lake Wilhelmina renovation • Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Apparently they are draining the lake and said there would be no restrictions on size or creel limits. I guess better than the other alternative which would probably see them die anyways.

Well, that stretch of water won't fish worth a crap for a long time now.

Well, you are wrong on that one. At least I knew of someone that did well on SS after they retired. My dead MIL was bringing in over 2K a month on hers. Everything she had was already paid for in full, so she did alright. The caveat of that though, was that she was drawing on like 2-3 dead husbands that made good money while they were alive. That is the only person I have ever seen that had that much coming in every month.

Yep, about there myself. I will wait until 65 at least so I can get the Medicare. My mother-in-law passed away back in the spring and thankfully she left us some nice CDs and Walmart stock that has added up pretty nice. My wife wanted to sell all of them until I talked her out of it and told her to put it away for when we retire. I know one thing, I'm not too proud to ask for any discounts available to me right now! lol

Never paid for a fillet knife ever. I guess when people find out I'm a C&R guy they send me one thinking I will convert? Seriously though, I do have several I have never used, but just hung on to them.

I bought my first yak back in 2002 and back then you didn't see any other yaks on the stream. Only canoes around here at least. I thoroughly enjoyed that as much as I could! The only place around here back then to get one was at Pak Rat down in Fayetteville. I put some good money down on that Pamlico 100 so back then they were kind of out of reach for the casual floater, price wise as well. So yes, having that cheap option now is making it more affordable for most people to get out on the river. I really thought after the pandemic I would see more boats for sale, but I really didn't. I think those people held on to them since they didn't put much into them. Oh, the evolution of creek fishing. Now I have to share more with others. lol I don't want to share!!

Buzz and I went a couple of weeks ago on Shoal. Didn't do that great, but like you, we managed to squeak out a few descent ones and a bunch of dinks. We didn't think it fished as well as years past, but that was only one trip. I do know that creek is seeing a LOT more fishing pressure on it in the last 5 years compared to years past. More shuttle opportunities for boaters than in years past. Glad you had a good day out there.

Always nice for the state to pay your fishing license! That's also a good day of catching smallies it sounds like.

My bet is with Wrench on this one. It will be in that freezer forever. I had a friend catch a PB of his and a pretty big bass at over 8# from a local lake around here. He was bragging about how he caught and so on and then he showed me the bass all wrapped up in saran wrap telling me he was going to have it mounted after he got paid. A year later that fish was still in the freezer, and I know for a fact he never got it mounted. I also know he never ate it as well. What a waste IMO.