Quillback

BRANSON, Mo., April 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no April Fool's prank. Brent Long of Cornelius, N.C., weighed five bass worth 19 pounds, 14 ounces Sunday that gave him a four-day weight of 78 pounds, 13 ounces as well as his second championship trophy and $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Table Rock Lake presented by Kellogg's. Long's Sunday weight gave him a 7-ounce margin of victory in an exciting weigh-in that capped four days of competition with pros from all across the United States, Canada, Spain and Japan. Link to photo of pro winner Brent Long "I don't even remember winning the first one anymore," said Long, whose other FLW Tour victory came at Lake Guntersville in 2010. "Any time that you can come to a major national tournament and beat these guys ... it's unbelievable." "I really thought I had about 19 pounds," Long added. "I knew it was going to be really close." Long is coming off of a "disappointing" finish at Lake Hartwell, where he expected to do well because the lake is somewhat near his house. Long fished clear water at Hartwell and said he wishes he had chosen to fish dirty water during the event. Long's plan for the Table Rock event was solidified when he took a wrong turn and chose to travel to the lake by a different route. "When I came across the 86 bridge on my way in here and I saw that (the water) was real dirty, I said, 'That's where I'm going to be for four days,'" Long said. "I flipped shallow water. That's my strength and I stuck to it, and it paid off." Long said he fished an area aptly named Long Creek during the event. He chose to flip wood cover with a black and blue jig made by Earnest Langley (tipped with a Charlie's Chunk) or a Charlie's Worms Flippin' Bug. "It was fun," Long said. "I was catching quality fish. I was catching them as they moved up. I was fishing the steeper banks because they had been pulling water all week. I'm glad I don't have to fish tomorrow because the water's getting so low I don't have any more cover in the water and it's clearing up." Rookie pro Spencer Shuffield of Bismarck, Ark., posted a total weight of 78 pounds, 6 ounces to claim second place and $35,000 in his second event as a pro. The remaining top 10 pros finished the tournament in: 3rd: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 20 bass, 70-13, $30,000 4th: Clint Brownlee, Tifton, Ga., 20 bass, 67-6, $25,000 5th: Stacey King, Reeds Spring, Mo., 19 bass, 63-13, $20,500 6th: Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 20 bass, 62-9, $17,000 7th: Snickers pro Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 20 bass, 62-1, $16,000 8th: Rayovac pro Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., 17 bass, 61-11, $15,000 9th: Kyle Welcher, Opelika, Ala., 17 bass, 60-2, $14,500 10th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 19 bass, 56-5, $13,000

Looks like the 2nd brown is adipose clipped which I believe means it was stocked by AGFC as a fingerling. Can't tell on the first fish. But nevertheless, beautiful fish!

I'll be pulling for Kansas, there ain't something right about that Kentucky program, seems to be a temporary stopping ground for guys who want to get into the NBA as quickly as possible.

Mr. King is still #2, but sounds like he is losing confidence, maybe he's sandbagging? BRANSON, Mo. – Brent Long of Cornelius, N.C., has remained steady in his approach to fishing for three days against pros as they fish for a top cash award of up to $125,000 at the FLW Tour bass fishing tournament on Table Rock Lake. Long advanced to the top 10 as the No. 1 seed with a five-bass limit Saturday of 22-3, his best sack of the tournament. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 58-15, he now holds a 3-pound lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition. “I had a great day,” said Long, who has one FLW Tour win already on his resume. “I had a limit before 8:30. My second fish was the biggest fish I caught, and it was a little over 7 pounds. I fished with no pressure today because I caught them early. Each day I’m worried and say, ‘Am I going to catch them today? Am I going to catch five?’ But today they bit early and it just made it so much more relaxing for me.” Long said he’s flipping shallow wood in dirty water for pre-spawn fish. He said he caught 15 fish, 10 of which were keepers, during the course of the day. Long said he’s optimistic going into the final day of competition. “I feel good because most people’s weights are going down,” Long said. “Mine went up today. I’ve got a lot of confidence I can catch them tomorrow.” Stacey King of Reeds Spring, Mo., advanced to the final round of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 55-15. King said he’s using crankbaits on main lake points to target fish. “I’m not all that confident,” said the hometown favorite. “I think my fish are evaporating. I’m fishing a pre-spawn offshore pattern, and those fish are moving on in, and that’s what these guys are catching. “I’d have to get fortunate and get a couple of good bites to win,” King added. “But I’m going out to do the best I can.” Rounding out the top 10 pros and advancing to the final day of competition are: 3rd: Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., 15 bass, 55-14 4th: Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., 15 bass, 55-9 5th: Day 2 leader Kyle Welcher, Opelika, Ala., 14 bass, 53-11 6th: Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 15 bass, 49-8 7th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 49-7 8th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 49-0 9th: Clint Brownlee, Tifton, Ga., 15 bass, 48-14 10th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 15 bass, 47-4 Finishing in 11th through 20th are: 11th: Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 47-3, $12,500 12th: John Devere, Berea, Ky., 14 bass, 45-3, $12,500 13th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 15 bass, 45-2, $12,500 14th: Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 44-15, $12,500 15th: Tom Monsoor, LaCrosse, Wis., 15 bass, 44-0, $12,500 16th: Craig Dowling, Nashville, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-3, $12,000 17th: Day 1 leader Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., 12 bass, 41-15, $12,000 18th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 14 bass, 41-13, $12,000 19th: Christopher Brasher, Spring, Texas, 14 bass, 40-12, $12,000 20th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 12 bass, 38-1, $12,000 Overall there were 90 bass weighing 249 pounds, 10 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included 14 five-bass limits. Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify. Patrick Bone of Cleveland, Ga., won the co-angler division and $25,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces followed by Brock Bertrand of Fayetteville, Ark., in second place with nine bass weighing 27-5 worth $7,500. “I’ve said it a lot of times,” Bone said. “They could give away a box of doughnuts at a tournament and these guys would still work just as hard to win a box of doughnuts. The money’s good, but it’s (about) winning. “All of the blood, the sweat and the traveling … It’s awesome,” Bone continued. Bone credited his victory to Dobyns Rods and a Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hog and Tiger Tungsten weights. “I just kept my head down all week,” Bone said. “That’s what you have to do is keep your head down and grind it out.” Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are: 3rd: Nick Hensley, Cumming, Ga., 11 bass, 27-3, $5,000 4th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., 12 bass, 27-1, $4,000 5th: J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., 12 bass, 25-15, $3,000 6th: Steve Redwine, Blue Ash, Ohio, 12 bass, 25-4, $2,500 7th: Steven Meador, Bella Vista, Ark., 11 bass, 25-1, $2,000 8th: Chad Pipkens, Holt, Mich., 10 bass 24-8, $1,800 9th: Casey Martin, New Market, Ala., 10 bass, 24-6, $1,700 10th: Hector Delagarza, Rockwall, Texas, nine bass, 24-5, $1,600 Overall there were 46 bass weighing 99 pounds, 2 ounces caught by co-anglers Saturday. The catch included one five-bass limit. Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify. The top 10 pros will take off at 7 a.m. Sunday morning from Table Rock State Park Marina located at 380 State Park Marina Road in Branson. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 1101 Branson Hills Pkwy. in Branson beginning at 4 p.m.

Maybe, but I'm pretty cautious with my watering and use mulch. As I understand things you want to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.

"Party mixer" - Good one Bill!

Yeah the heat has been bad the last couple of years. I hope this really warm spring is not a sign of another long hot summer.

Stacey King now in 2nd place. BRANSON, Mo. – The pressure mounted Friday at the FLW Tour Major on Table Rock Lake as a full field of pros continued their four-day battle for a top cash award of up to $125,000. But nobody told Friday’s rookie pro leader that professional bass fishing was supposed to be difficult. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., took the lead after weighing a five-bass limit for a massive 24 pounds, 8 ounces. Welcher’s two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces gives him a 2-pound, 4-ounce lead heading into the third day of the tournament. “This is so far beyond my expectations,” said Welcher, who is fishing in only his second FLW Tour event. “It’s overwhelming. There’s 159 of the best (pros) behind me and I just had the good fortune to inch them out after day 2. “I’ve been recording “FLW” TV on my DVR since I was 10 years old,” Welcher added. “It’s amazing to be leading this thing. I’m not trying to ignore that I’m leading this, but leading after the fourth day is what really matters.” Welcher, who took Thursday’s big bass honors with a 7-6 giant, said his day began slowly Friday and his co-angler boated the first fish of the day, a 6-pound, 2-ounce lunker, after Welcher had made only four casts. Welcher went two or three hours without a 15-inch keeper fish. At 1 p.m. Welcher caught his first 5-pounder of the day. More quality fish followed after that. “I think the fish are moving up still where I’m fishing,” Welcher said. “As soon as the wind died down, the water warmed up a bit more and the fish came straight to the bank and started eating.” Despite his inexperience at the Tour level, Welcher displayed confidence in his abilities and his shot at a FLW Tour title. “I’m more confident in my area today than I was yesterday,” Welcher said. “I feel like my area’s actually improving. Tomorrow I’m going to go out and stay in that right area with an open mind and eventually the fish will tell me where they’re at, how they’re positioned and maybe I can string together another good sack.” Veteran pro Stacey King of Reeds Spring, Mo., is in the No. 2 spot with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 42-0. Rounding out the top 20 pros that will fish Saturday on Table Rock Lake are: 3rd: Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., 10 bass, 40-4 4th: Day 1 leader Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., 10 bass, 37-15 5th: Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., 10 bass, 37-7 6th: Brent Long, Cornelius, N.C., 10 bass, 36-12 7th: John Devere, Berea, Ky., 10 bass, 35-14 8th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 10 bass, 35-8 9th: Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 34-14 10th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 33-14 11th: Clint Brownlee, Tifton, Ga., 10 bass, 33-14 12th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 33-14 13th: Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-4 14th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 10 bass, 33-3 15th: Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 33-3 16th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 10 bass, 32-6 17th: Craig Dowling, Nashville, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-3 18th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 32-1 19th: Christopher Brasher, Spring, Texas, 10 bass, 32-0 20th: Tom Monsoor, LaCrosse, Wis., 10 bass, 31-14 King won the day’s big bass award with a fish weighing 8-0 on the pro side to win $500. Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify. Patrick Bone of Cleveland, Ga., leads the co-angler division with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 23 pounds, 10 ounces, followed by Brock Bertrand of Fayetteville, Ark., in second place with seven bass weighing 22-15. Rounding out the top 20 co-anglers are: 3rd: Hector Delagarza, Rockwall, Texas, eight bass, 22-3 4th: Steven Meador, Bella Vista, Ark., nine bass, 21-4 5th: Tom Spangler, Corryton, Tenn., eight bass, 20-12 6th: J.R. Wright Truckee, Calif., nine bass, 19-15 7th: Kevin Spooner, Vero Beach, Fla., seven bass, 19-4 8th: Steve Redwine, Blue Ash, Ohio, six bass, 18-14 9th: Max Wilson, Everton, Mo., seven bass, 18-14 10th: Mark Shelton, Fayetteville, Ark., six bass, 18-1 11th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., seven bass, 17-8 12th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., eight bass, 17-2 13th: Chad Pipkens, Holt, Mich., seven bass 17-1 14th: Kevin Gordon, Aiken, S.C., seven bass, 16-15 15th: Nick Hensley, Cumming, Ga., seven bass, 16-14 16th: J.B. King, Byrdstown, Tenn., eight bass, 16-11 17th: Casey Martin, New Market, Ala., six bass, 15-13 18th: Jeff Sprague, Forney, Texas, seven bass, 15-10 19th: Derek Yamamoto, Boulder City, Nev., five bass, 15-9 20th: Mike Helton, Jeffersonville, Ind., six bass, 15-9 Bob Pender of Mission, Kan., won the day’s big bass award with a fish weighing 7-3 in the co-angler division to win $250. Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify. Anglers will take off from Table Rock State Park Marina located at 380 State Park Marina Road in Branson at 7 a.m. each morning. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at the Walmart located at 1101 Branson Hills Pkwy. in Branson beginning at 4 p.m.

Please allow me to intoduce myself I'm a man of wealth and taste.. (Sorry, I could not resist)

Planted the Snow peas yesterday and set out a cherry tomato in a container. Doesn't look like any frost in the long range forecast, so what the heck. Anyone have any ideas on a good way to add calcium to the soil? Seems every year, beginning about late July, I have problems with tomatos splitting just before they get ripe, or sometimes get blossom end rot. I'm told adding calcium can help, but can't find any in the garden stores. Does adding lime add calcium?

Don't know how these guys do it, but some pretty impressive bags. Stacey King is in the hunt. BRANSON, Mo. – Professional bass anglers began their four-day bass fishing tournament for a top cash award of up to $125,000 on Thursday at Table Rock Lake. Just a few short weeks after an incredible event on Lake Hartwell, the pros were eyeing Table Rock and anticipating a sight-fishing event for bedding bass. So the fact that Blake Nick of Adger, Ala., who weighed a five bass limit for 21 pounds, 4 ounces, led the tournament after the first day of competition may have raised some eyebrows. Nick now holds a slim 3-ounce lead over OFF! Pro Terry Bolton of Paducah, Ky., who caught five bass weighing 21-1. “I’m horrible at sight fishing,” Nick said. “I saw them doing their thing during practice, and on the last day of practice I had just had enough of it and went and tried to find my own thing I could do. I’m not looking at them at all. “I fished a lot of stuff today,” Nick added, who said he focused on isolated structure as part of his plan of attack. “I started out this morning with a 4-pounder on my first cast.” Nick said he had a limit in the boat by 8:30 and covered a lot of water throughout the day to hit 15 to 20 places. He said his better fish came after noon when the wind picked up. “There are so many chunky 15-inchers in this lake it’s all about getting the good bites,” Nick said. “And who knows when they’re going to come? I’m expecting to catch fish, but I know how it goes. “My places are reloading every day,” Nick added. “These fish have not spawned yet. These are pre-spawn fish.” Nick said he was surprised he was leading the tournament. “I went and found some fish on beds,” Nick said. “If worse comes to worse, I’ll go do that. I really don’t want to because I’m awful at it. Somebody could come in tomorrow with 25 pounds by sight fishing. These guys are so good at it. We fish with the best sight fishermen in the world, and I’m sure one of them is going to load the boat tomorrow.” Rounding out the top 10 pros after day one on Table Rock Lake are: 3rd: Clint Brownlee, Tifton, Ga., five bass, 20-1 4th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 20-0 5th: Kyle Welcher, Opelika, Ala., five bass, 19-12 6th: Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., five bass, 19-8 7th: Todd Hollowell, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 19-6 8th: David Wolak, Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 19-5 9th: Brent Long, Cornelius, N.C., five bass, 19-4 10th: Stacey King, Reeds Spring, Mo., five bass, 19-3 Welcher caught Thursday’s big bass weighing 7-6 on the pro side to win $500. Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify. Brock Bertrand of Fayetteville, Ark., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 19-2 followed by Derek Yamamoto of Boulder City, Nev., in second place with four bass weighing 13-9. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are: 3rd: Steve Redwine, Blue Ash, Ohio, five bass, 13-8 4th: Mike Helton, Jeffersonville, Ind., five bass, 13-7 5th: Chad Pipkens, Holt, Mich., five bass, 12-13 6th: Tom Spangler, Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 12-8 7th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 12-3 8th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., five bass, 11-13 8th: Jeff Sprague, Forney, Texas, five bass, 11-13 10th: Greg Knick, Ansonia, Ohio, three bass, 11-3 Earl Campbell of Springfield, Mo., caught Thursday’s big bass weighing 7-14 in the co-angler division to win $250. Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify. Anglers will take off from Table Rock State Park Marina located at 380 State Park Marina Road in Branson at 7 a.m. each morning. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at Table Rock State Park Marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at the Walmart located at 1101 Branson Hills Pkwy. in Branson beginning at 4 p.m. Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at the Walmart on Saturday and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

Forgot to mention, that there is a lot of pressure on the BV lakes right now, weekend will probably be crazy. Bring your own brushpile!

I was out yesterday on Windsor, there was an early topwater bite, I caught some twitching an SR5 Shad Rap on top. That ended quickly, so I tried the jig (3/8 oz) black, that worked for me last week and could not get a bite on it. I did catch a few around beds fishing a whacky rigged Senko, and a few on a c-rig lizard. Nothing over 15". Lots of small males on beds, didn't see any big gals, but with this warm weather they should be up soon also. Water temp iwas 64 yesterday. Haven't tried the fin, but might be worth a shot early if this topwater bite continues. I'm not a dedicated bream fisherman, but I have caught them doing the split shot thing, what works for me is to use an Eagle Claw long shank, thin wire hook, and hook the redworm one time through the collar. Don't wad the worm up on the hook, throw it out and slowly hop it back to the boat once it hits bottom. The bream have moved shallow BTW, saw a couple of guys working a cove bank with crickets and they were hauling in the redears.

Fished one of the smaller community lakes today, bass are on the beds. And not just one or two, looks like peak spawn time already.

I'm annoyed with BPS because they're having this big online sale, but the stuff I want (usually lures in specific colors) are out of stock. So I end up moseying over to another online tackle seller to buy. I can't stand it when tackle companies have sales, but when you go to buy it's out of stock. But I do enjoy going to the Springfield store a couple of times a year and checking stuff out.

You should have caught it, put it in a rod tube, and shipped it to F&F! Tell him you're sending him a Loomis GLX that you didn't want anymore, LOL. Great photos BTW.

Yeah ab, lots of wrapped rigs in the parking lot, practicing for next weeks FLW I believe. Of course that means next weekend pressure again.

Thanks for the report, Champ. I know if it's tough for you and Donna then it is tough! But you can't beat the weather and the scenery. I was up by Baxter looking at a boat today, driving over on 86, some great views out there, air was really clear. Redbuds, Dogwoods starting to bloom, great time to be out in the Ozarks!

A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Angler lands new Oklahoma state record largemouth bass A new Oklahoma state record largemouth bass was caught Friday, March 23, at Cedar Lake in southeast Oklahoma. The fish weighed 14 lbs. 12.3 oz. and was caught by Poteau angler Benny Williams, Jr. while on a camping trip at the 78-acre LeFlore Co. lake. Williams caught the bass at 11 a.m. on a ¼ oz. Striker King jig. This fish measured 26 inches in length and 22 3/8 inches in girth. Williams' fish breaks a state record held since 1999 when William Cross caught a 14-lb. 11.52-oz. bass from Broken Bow Lake. "Catching the state record largemouth bass in Oklahoma is a big deal and catching a fish this large is a big deal," said Barry Bolton, chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "It speaks to the quality of fishing we have in Oklahoma and also to the anglers who get out there and fish for them. We congratulate him on his great catch." The last two state record largemouth bass as well as several from the state's Top 20 Largemouth Bass List have been caught in the southern and southeast regions of the state. Fish are cold-blooded, so their metabolisms work faster in warmer conditions and they grow more rapidly. Lakes in the southeast region of the state tend to warm up earlier and cool off later in the year than in other regions, which affords these fish a longer growing season. According to Gene Gilliland, assistant chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department, Cedar Lake has been known to produce big largemouth bass for anglers in recent years - not only because of its southeastern location, but also because it has a history of receiving Florida strain largemouth bass through the state's stocking program. "They grow pretty fast down in that part of the state," Gilliland said. "Cedar Lake has produced several double-digit fish in the last five years." Anglers who believe they may have hooked a record fish must weigh the fish on an Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture certified scale, and a Wildlife Department employee must verify the weight. For a complete list of record fish and the procedures for certifying a state record, consult the current "Oklahoma Fishing Guide" or log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

Nope different people. Sorry about the small font, didn't copy over too well, I'll see if I can copy it again and increase the font size.

I stopped by Lake Ann yesterday and yes it is almost full, couple of rigs in the parking lot, so it will get fished. I'm going to wait a few days to let the fish adjust to the change in water level and give it a shot. Fished Windsor yesterday morning, found a decent jig bite, but luck was not with me as I lost 2 big fish, one that looked to be in the 5-6 lb. range that jumped and tossed the jig (I hate it when that happens) and another that I never saw that I could not get out from under the boat, it found some structure, hung me up and broke off. Very frustrating, slapped the water with my rod a few times after that one.

Let's hope it's legit... March 23, 2012 A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Angler lands new Oklahoma state record largemouth bass A new Oklahoma state record largemouth bass was caught Friday, March 23, at Cedar Lake in southeast Oklahoma. The fish weighed 14 lbs. 12.3 oz. and was caught by Poteau angler Benny Williams, Jr. while on a camping trip at the 78-acre LeFlore Co. lake. Williams caught the bass at 11 a.m. on a ¼ oz. Striker King jig. This fish measured 26 inches in length and 22 3/8 inches in girth. Williams' fish breaks a state record held since 1999 when William Cross caught a 14-lb. 11.52-oz. bass from Broken Bow Lake. "Catching the state record largemouth bass in Oklahoma is a big deal and catching a fish this large is a big deal," said Barry Bolton, chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "It speaks to the quality of fishing we have in Oklahoma and also to the anglers who get out there and fish for them. We congratulate him on his great catch." The last two state record largemouth bass as well as several from the state's Top 20 Largemouth Bass List have been caught in the southern and southeast regions of the state. Fish are cold-blooded, so their metabolisms work faster in warmer conditions and they grow more rapidly. Lakes in the southeast region of the state tend to warm up earlier and cool off later in the year than in other regions, which affords these fish a longer growing season. According to Gene Gilliland, assistant chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department, Cedar Lake has been known to produce big largemouth bass for anglers in recent years - not only because of its southeastern location, but also because it has a history of receiving Florida strain largemouth bass through the state's stocking program. "They grow pretty fast down in that part of the state," Gilliland said. "Cedar Lake has produced several double-digit fish in the last five years." Anglers who believe they may have hooked a record fish must weigh the fish on an Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture certified scale, and a Wildlife Department employee must verify the weight. For a complete list of record fish and the procedures for certifying a state record, consult the current "Oklahoma Fishing Guide" or log on to wildlifedepartment.com.

I'd go with white for stained water and silver or gold for clear.

There are crappie in that lake, I was thnking that without the normal spring pressure it could be good crappie fishing this spring. But I got an email from the POA stating that they are letting Ann fill up with the latest rain and it is now almost full, so it will get fished. Never had much luck with cranks myself, I usually drag plastics or jigs. I caught a 17" crappie (released it) on Avalon this winter on a jerkbait. I think that if a good crappie fisherman worked the brushpiles hard he could catch a few, not saying a lot, but might get a few nice ones. As far as slime, yeah Windsor is not too bad, Avalon is not bad either. I fished Avalon yesterday morning for a few hours until the rain hit, caught about a dozen bass, but all small 10-14" fish. Using a Zoom lizard.

Water's up almost 4 feet - good thing we did not get as much rain as predicted.