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Lund 16.5 Rebel XS (no longer made) with a Garmin Force 57" shaft. Those who installed were more accustomed to bass sleds that need less shaft.

Just before noon today the sky was overcast and predicted to stay that way. The wind was light. I decided to go to the lake. You know what happened on my drive up there, right? With the sun, the big boats came out. I fished one chunk rock point and two small rock points with trees. I stayed in 35 to forty foot water and threw to the 25 to 35 foot fish I scoped. I used a pbj Neko rigged Zinker Z, and I used a Keitech on one of Bo's 1/4 ounce jig heads. I had one Neko bite. I turned its head but did not hook up. I had one Keitech bite that came after I jerked the swimmer off branches about 25 feet down. That one I got in. Maybe two pounds. By then I was tired of the constant up and down and got off the water about 3:30. Side note and tip: The Garmin tm head was coming out of the water on the big swells. I had 5 or so inches I could lower it without crimping the wires spiraled around the shaft. You cannot reach the adjustment ring very easily while the motor is down. I pulled the motor most of the way up. I unscrewed the adjustment ring and went too far. When the ring came off the threads, there was a clunk. I adjusted the depth of the head and began to screw the ring back on the threads. It would not go. Upon examination, I discovered the shaft was not aligned well within the threaded collar. To screw the ring back on, I needed to have everything perfectly aligned. This was difficult with only two hands while standing in two foot swells from the big boats. I motored back to the marina and ducked into a protected stall and tied up. I pulled the head up as far as I could and was able to align the socket, shaft and collar. I could then slide the shaft down to the depth I wanted and tighten the collar. Moral of the story - do NOT unscrew the the stop collar so far as to take it off the threads and do the change depth control in a protected stall.

I build my own rods and use the best components I can. My advice on rods would not be relevant. I was a complete Shimano fan until I had two E series Curados crap out on me in the same year. Right after that I was flush one Spring and bought a Garcia MGX. Fantastic light bait reel. I currently fish it on my Ned rod. Now days, who can afford one? The last three or four reels I have bought have been Lews. I have been completely satisfied. I suggest you buy whatever they make in the price range you wish to spend.

Fried okra.

https://www.facebook.com/TAGSLA/

My won't eat list has three things at present. Calves liver, bananas, and sea cucumber.

Pulled pork, home made BBQ sauce, horseradish cole slaw!

After the thermocline breaks, they tend to suspend in tree tops to ambush bait fish. Trolling cranks is my preferred method to deal with that, but you can swim a Keitech as well. Use a NuTech jig to minimize the hang ups. By late fall, switch to a light jig with minimal skirt and tip it with a minnow.

Pork shoulder roast, around 3 pounds. 180 to 220 degrees, with hickory, 14 hours. No wrap, just smoke.

This time of year is the most difficult. What the others have said is good stuff. This time of year I would focus on the thermocline on the outside bends, just at the fall off into the channel. Think vertical spoons. In the next 4 to 6 weeks the thermocline breaks and everything changes.

For the first month or two, drop beef, chicken, and pork off the menu. Fish and cheese should be your meal base. Include natural grains, veg, and legumes to fill you as you begin to rely upon EVOO for your fat. Tomatoes and citrus will become tour friends. Any questions or issues, pm. You go guy.

A groups of us old farts are having an outdoor, socially distanced, grill and potluck this evening. I am bringing the flat top and the salad.

The protein is Mediterranean seabass preserved in olive oil and salt. Delicious !

I fished this creek today along the channel break. I used a neko rig. I discovered it is excellent for fishing timber; as good as a Texas rig. What I did not discover were fish. It was a hard day.

I use the same baits I use for ned rigs. Don't really need an O ring for them.

Nav tips related to water levels. 915 and below, learn where the channel runs and stay in it. Of particular danger are an island on the left as you head up river before the first bend, right after that bend a large flat on the left and then the channel veers to the other side just before the Beaver campground. Going down river, the first lookout comes immediately. From the mouth of Haddock Creek, the channel runs to the docks on the other side of the lake. It turns to go downstream right at those docks. When the water is low stay in that channel. To the right of it shallows up. Farther down river just below Stubblefield Branch a long flat extends clear out to the channel which is on the right side. Opposite the mouth of the Roaring River, beware the hidden sand bar on the opposite side.

My wife and I started second careers as teachers in 2002. We lived on Table Rock Drive up on the bluff that over looks the marina. We retired in May 2019 and returned to Tulsa and family. My boat is on Skiatook Lake now. So far it hasn't measured up.

Not crazy. Obscene. I gave up fishing in the afternoons during the week and all weekend/holiday days years ago.

Oh my. What broad canvas to paint. 910 and below, do not go above Houseman, (even that will be difficult) and beware anything out of the channel until you reach Eagle Rock. What you will find is riverine. At 930, the max, you can reach Spider Creek and anything below that is "lake." Between those two numbers, what you find is subtle. Many good spots for both bass and walleye. I have posted about the community holes for walleye at the timber near HI and Eagle Rock. The HI cove (Leatherwood), Haddock Creek, and Stubblefield Branch you need to learn on your own. At the right time and in the right season you can catch bass and walleye. All are intensive study and no one should share because they are micro fisheries. If you read my past posts, you will find many "localized" reports for that area. I know it sounds selfish, but that end of the lake is small. It cannot stand a how to and where to map. You need to learn on your own. It will be worth it. My largest walleyes were 13.25 and 10. My largest largemouth was 8.5. My best 5 bass string was just under 20. Not bragging, but suggesting the time will be worth it. Just know the time you spend will be worth it. I will give you a little tease. Just out of HI marine go down lake. Across the lake from Haddock Creek there is a flat with an island. In the right season, at the right water level, and at the right time, and with the right top water, I have caught multiple 5+ pound bass. Good luck.

I drive a 16.5 foot Lund. I know the feeling.

Chili 4 ways - beans, pasta, cheese, onions.

Chicken braise tonight.

I like the dinner plans but do not like the rest. I hope the test is negative.

By way of example, take Sauvigon Blanc, made from a grape from Loire, France. Once you try one from Marlborough, New Zealand, you will realize the rest of the world does not make it correctly. Kim Crawford, Villa Maria, Noblio, Cloudy Bay, Oyster Bay and Starborough are all commonly available (even at Sam's). For Chenin Blanc, go South African. Vouvray (same grape as Chenin Blanc), stick to Loire. The US has become the best at cab sav, but the prices will kill you. The Aussies do it nearly as well at 1/3 the cost. As for Shiraz and Granache, Aussie all the way. IMHO. I won't touch Chardonnay, the variations are all over the map. Crisp? Vanilla? Buttery? Find your preference and read up. In the end, there are only two kinds of wine. The ones you like and the ones you do not. 😃

Flat top char of yellow squash, corn and marinated shrimp. Good stuff.