The lake came up last night and the bass were not as thick as they were the other day. They were in the shallow water and would not bite a DT-4 or rattletrap. A worm was what they wanted. Ended up with 13 bass and the FOD was 2 3/4. The bite seemed to be picking up around midday.  A very pleasant day on the lake.  The photo is of Finley and Rufus.

After the chance of rain had passed this morning, I made a break for the lake. It was forecast to fall 2.4 feet overnight but only fell 1.4.  The first couple of spots were dull, but at the third, it was happening on almost every cast.  I could see Mark Fratesi’s house from the spot. After about 15 fish, one took my DT-6 and after 10 or 12 more they got another one. I only had one left.  I caught a few on it but the water was so shallow the DT-4 got the call. They were liking it too, along with the rattletrap in even shallower water, 2 to 3 feet.  A lot of fish were hung and then got off and more than normal threw the hook on the jump. When one makes an  acrobatic jump and rattles the rattletrap when he shakes it out, you get your moneys worth right there.  A couple did a spectacular job of it today and I just had to sit back and laugh. Ended up catching 51 with the FOD at 3 lbs 2 oz. Fish were running larger with 2 1/2 pounds being the norm. The first photo is of one of the average sized fish today. The second and third are of a vice-grip like contraption, made in Jackson, sold at Cabelas, that saves your fingers when you land one with a mouth full of crankbait and hooks. The fourth photo is a “hold out the camera and hope” shot of me and the FOD. I need to learn how to smile.

A couple of photos from Haynes Whitney of washouts on Worthington caused by a combination of high water and the rains from Gustav.

Today I heard form John Eddleman who went to Coopers that was cloudy from the rain but not rising from the river. He fished around in some of his regular spots and caught 4. Then he saw some bass chasing shad and sat in one spot and caught 32 with a spinnerbait for a total of 36. I’d say that’s a good report.

Hardie and I went to Ferguson about 10 this morning and fished till 2.  The lake had risen 2.4 feet since yesterday and is still rising fast.  The BFL people were out there, probably 60 boats. I was almost glad the fish were not biting well because the BFLers would have cleaned out the whole lake. The rain has the upper lake almost muddy and there are large washes in a lot of places along the banks.  We managed to catch 6 bass and a large stripe.   DT-6 mostly.

I have not been fishing in the last week due to a dove hunt and the weather. The dove hunt (a limit of 15 with 21 shots) was great but opportunities to fish were slim. Could have fished on Nelson street coming out of Does, see picture.

If you’re not keeping a fishing log you need to start.  Hal keeps one going back years and it helps him remember water levels and places and baits that worked.  His has been extremely helpful to  his fishing success. I finally started keeping one in 2007 and already it has helped me this year. Mine is simple and contains the date, water temperature, water level, bait used, good spots, number of fish caught, fish weights over 3 pounds, and any other pertinent info.  That info is on the small pad in the photo. The pad is a write-in-rain that will not  smear the pencil marks if it gets wet. If you click to enlarge the photo you can see the hash marks used to keep up with the number of fish caught and how the info is arranged. I just happened to take the photo of the best day I’ve had this year as far as numbers are concerned.  Coincidence ?

I have word of some good trips. Mickey and the Skinny Lawyer caught around 15 or so on Ferguson on the DT-6 and worms, some in the 3 pound area. Taff and crew caught 40 there too.  They used DT-6s, DB3s, Spinnerbaits, and worms. Again 3 pounds was the FOD.

I went to Lake Ferguson today and had a G fish day as I caught 3 gar, 2 goggle eye and a “grinner” along with the 28 bass. The only one I didn’t catch was a goo.  The bass were caught on a DT-6 to start but I switched to a worm until number 10 and then a rattletrap caught the rest. It was a rattletrap that I found in Enid when I pulled up a log with my “gitter” that I was snagged on. Put some new hooks on it and made a good bait out of it.  It’s in the first photo. The second photo is of one of those big Lake Ferguson gar.  You will notice my DT-6 in his mouth.  Like a good dentist, I deadened him a little with my cut off hoe handle before removing my bait from his snout. When I was cleaning one of the fish I kept, I noticed some worm looking things in one of the fishes’ innards. None in the flesh. Looks like some sort of parasite. They are in the third photo.

Richard and I had a good day at Beaverdam today. We caught 13 bass, a catfish, a goo, and a crappie.  FOD was 3 1/2.  We caught  them all on a worm. Richard 8, me 5, and he was showing me the spots too.  A fun day of fishing with the Beaverdam master.  Photo is of me with the FOD.   My  home made paddletail  worms did fine.