Skiatook Lake 1, rps 0

[rps]

I went out from Crosstimbers Marina at 6:15 this morning. Considering that the drive from my place to the boat is about 45 minutes, that wasn't bad. I can learn how to adjust the alarm.

The picture was taken just outside the marina buoys. It illustrates several things. First, you will notice that people are building very nice places with views of the lake. Next notice the dead trees in the water. The lake has been very high for long enough to kill some species. Last, please note the steep rock banks. This lake was built at the confluence of several creeks upstream from the Arkansas and Verdigris Rivers. Its primary purpose is flood control to protect parts of Tulsa uncontrolled by Keystone dam and to protect the upper end of the Kerr-McClellan waterway that runs from the Mississippi River to the Verdigris River.

Because of the location of the dam, there are few areas where the lake inundated flood plain. The land flooded sits in the Osage reservation North and EAST of Tulsa. in the midst of a plateau crisscrossed with small creeks and land so rough there was very little farming. Historically the land was tall grass prairie and then later cattle land.

So what does that mean? I found no long sand and gravel flats. Wherever I fished a bottom bait, I felt rock. The channels, typically, are the bottom of V shapes.

I did find several underwater humps and ridges. I found large areas of flooded brush and timber not visible from the surface.

I also discovered that the lake has zero private docks. There are only two marinas, both huge and primarily full of pleasure craft. Large pleasure craft. Large, expensive pleasure craft.

The water surface temps were 84 -85 degrees. The visibility was about six feet away from the banks. The wind was blowing around 20 miles per hour and funneling down the coves and fingers in random directions.

I had one small fish swat at a redfin early, and one semi bite on a jig and craw. That was it. Obviously I need to learn this lake, but several things cause me to be optimistic. Until 10:00 AM, I saw only two boats and the underwater terrain tells me that when I find fish other than Spring spinner bait fishing in the timber, they will be clumped up together.

[navery]

Not that you asked,  but if I was fishing that lake, the red spots are the most hybrid and striper looking places that stand out to me. I usually look for places like these when fishing new water and usually find them. You will know for sure if you see boats on these spots near sunrise and sunset. I would start out in 35 fow and graph up into 14 fow looking for marks. 

Good luck and let me know if you see anything like my graph pic at any of these spots. 

[rps]

3 hours ago, navery said:

Not that you asked,  but if I was fishing that lake, the red spots are the most hybrid and striper looking places that stand out to me. I usually look for places like these when fishing new water and usually find them. You will know for sure if you see boats on these spots near sunrise and sunset. I would start out in 35 fow and graph up into 14 fow looking for marks. 

Good luck and let me know if you see anything like my graph pic at any of these spots. 

Not your first rodeo, right? I found that structure but not those fish lines.

[navery]

Right now on Truman, I am having better success finding them late afternoon suspended, with them moving into 20-25 ft right at sunset. 

[rps]

On 7/17/2019 at 10:05 PM, navery said:

Right now on Truman, I am having better success finding them late afternoon suspended, with them moving into 20-25 ft right at sunset. 

thank you. I will try that pattern next week