Ya have to take these tournament results with a grain of salt. These weekly jackpot results can really distort the data. For years I’ve noticed the weekly results of the T-Bird Wednesday night jackpot. Mostly these guys fish their own brush piles and/or they have the lake patterned from a lot of time on the water. Its pretty common reasoning that if you don’t have your own brush in the lake then its gonna be tough to compete. They are also experts on the lake. Their results aren’t indicative of what should be expected by someone fishing the lake occasionally. I’m not even sure they should be representative of the fish population. But if the biologists think its useful then they surely trump my view.

The same could be said for Wes Watkins. I don’t believe that is one of the best bass lakes in Oklahoma.

I have another thought on these results that even tournaments on lakes like Grand Lake have to be tempered. Fishermen like Allen Head and Gary Carrier can go catch a 25# bag on that lake anytime when its not the spawn. They do that cause they live in Grove and spend a ton of time putting brush in the lake. They are almost unbeatable on Grand. Anything they do on Grand should be kicked out of the data as 98% of the fishermen going to Grand aren’t going to have their success. That’s not to say Grand is not a great lake. Its just an example of how tournament data can be skewed.

I have another thought also. The more I think about using tournament results , it seems the more I wonder.

The recent major BASS tournament on Dardenelle was won from an area that could be stocked by local fishermen. Get on Google Maps and find the area Mark Menendez was fishing and you will see that it’s a perfect area to transplant fish. Local fishermen catch fish and take them there to release. The egress for the fish is very limited and its most likely they will stay there and become permanent resident fish. I bet the local jackpot fishermen use that consistently.

I see partially inundated farm ponds barely connected to the main lake on many Oklahoma lakes. A local could take fish to those ponds during the week over a period of time and build his own private hole. Then it becomes part of the tournament data used to judge the quality of the fishing in the lake.

Again, I think ya take these results with a huge grain of salt.

The bass tournament data is certainly subjective, but it’s better than nothing. For one, the reporting is voluntarily and some years the state Wildlife Department doesn’t received enough reports from a lake to consider it in the rankings. A better gauge is probably to look at several years and see which lakes are consistently in the top 10. Annual reports since 2001 are posted on http://www.wildlifedepartment.com. If I had to choose the best bass lake in the state right now, it would have to be Arbuckle, simply because of all of the big fish that have come out of there the past two years. Many would pick Grand simply for the numbers.

These bass tournaments should be completely banned! These local bass clubs eventually kill most of the bass they weigh in. It doesn’t matter if they are released alive or not, they eventually die in a matter of days or even hours. Hauling them around in a live well all day long is extremely traumatic, no matter what anyone says. Tournaments are completely ruining the sport for the average weekend angler, the fisherman that IMMEDIATELY release EVERY fish caught. The State of Oklahoma should also take immediate action to end the practice of all the Texas bass clubs stampeding our lakes, Broken Box, Sardis, Mcgee Creek, Murray, etc. When Texas bass clubs are allowed to bring in fifty boats every weekend to rape our best lakes it is a crime against the people of Oklahoma, as well as against the bass population. Anytime an Oklahoma resident has to wait an hour at a boat ramp because of Texans and then has trouble finding fishing locations because of them something needs to be done. Most tournament anglers are completely rude and think that just because they are in a tournament it give them the right to take over the lakes. They are constantly pulling their big bass rigs right in front of other fisherman and taking over other peoples fishing spots. They run up and down the lakes at 50 or 60 miles an hour and have no care whatsoever for people trying to fish in smaller boats, sometimes swamping them without any sense whatsoever. I’ve personally had over a dozen of these tournament fisherman try to buy a big bass from me that they saw me catch while on an Oklahoma lake. These people are dishonest, unethical and are completely rude to other fisherman, and are ruining our lakes for the generation fisherman to come. BAN all tournament fishing and give the sport back to the people that deserve it.

I think all bank fishermen should be banned from our lakes. They do nothing but leave their trash on the bank. Every time I go to the lake, I see empty worm containers, old hook packaging, cans, bottles, you name it. Bank fishermen can’t fish without trashing up the shoreline. Ban them now and forever.

I also think catfishermen should be banned. Not only do they mostly fish from the bank and leave their trash, but those with boats set out trot lines. Trot lines take up a fishing spot on a lake for 24/7 . They occupy that spot because I can’t cast my bait without getting caught up in their trot lines. And their trashy bottles from their jug lines litter up the lake and make it look trashy. They don’t own the lake, but they think its theirs to do what they wish.

Crappie fishermen should be banned from the lake. They also leave their trash on the bank, they dump their minnow buckets in the lake and spread invasive fish species, and when I go to launch my boat they are jig fishing from the courtesy dock, even though it says ” no fishing from dock ” . They get in my way, so thus, they should be banned from the lake.

Hybrid and stripers should not be stocked in our lakes cause they eat up all the baitfish. And many hybrid and striper fishermen fish from the bank and leave their trash behind. They think they own the lake and can put whatever specie of fish in the lake they want to fish for, they are arrogant, and for that alone, they should be banned from fishing.

I think walleye fishing should be allowed. I like walleyes, they are good to eat.

And if anyone reading this takes it seriously and doesn’t recognize the sarcasm in response to Pat’s post, then those people should be banned from fishing also. They not smart enough to be accountable with a fishing pole.

Methinks Pat is awful jealous of tournament fishermen.

Methinks tabasco is a moron, probably thinks he is a “professional” fisherman just because he catches a limit of 2 pounders in one of the local tournaments. I hate bass tournaments, because of what they do the fisheries as well as the fact that most of their entrants are absolute morons, have absolutely no ethics and care nothing whatsoever about anyone else trying to fish the same body of water. A bunch of Bill Dance wannabes, that seem to think that they are somebody just because they can enter a tournament. Most of these guys know very little about bass fishing, but can consistently catch a bunch of small fish, which is all it takes to win most of these local tournaments. Of course the fish die after the weighin, but they don’t care in the least, they might get their name in the paper! Personally, I target large bass and have boated and released dozens over ten pounds, immediately and without harm, unlike the tourney guys that drag their pathetic little fish around in a livewell all day long.

Not long ago I witnessed a weigin at Lake Murray, the “winner” weighed in a five bass limit weighing almost 12 pounds! That morning my 12 year old fishing partner and I had caught and released 9 bass over 5 pounds, with two being between 9 and 10 pounds each. Of course we also caught dozens of “tournament” type fish and released them unharmed also.

I do however agree that people need to deposit their trash in receptacles or carry it out with them if trash cans are not provided, which for some reason they aren’t at most lakes. I also agree that people should not be fishing from docks that are marked “no fishing.” I don’t care for trot lines, but unlike tabasco I can avoid them without any trouble. Perhaps if he learned how to cast he could avoid them also. If he would like casting lessons my 12 year old son could be available to teach him, as he can put most any bait within six inches of any target he wants under any conditions. Of course everyone should know that they should never dump invasive species from a “minnow” bucket, but most think for some reason they are feeding the fish and don’t realize they are hurting the fishery. If the wildlife department sees fit to stock stripers or hybrids in a lake there’s not much we can do about it, although in some instances it does hurt the bass population usually it is good for the overall fishery and provides different species for those inclined to target them.

Bank fisherman, catfisherman, trotliners, jugliners and most “real” fisherman are generally courteous and likeable people, these local tournament anglers are not. Buzzing up and down the lake from spot to spot at breakneck speed trying with all their might to land a few small fish, so that they can get their name in the paper, and generally ruining everyone else’s time on the water.

Why would I ever be jealous of a bunch of arrogant nimrods that can’t hold a candle to my fishing abilities, try to buy fish from me and generally make complete idiots of themselves every time they hit the water? Ban the tournaments or at least make these “clubs” pay huge fees to the state wildlife department to make up for all the harm they do to the fisheries as well as the all the decent people on the lakes. It is however usually hilarious to watch one their weighins. These idiots get so excited over a bunch of little bitty fish that most “real” fisherman would rather not have to catch in the first place.

I sincerly hope you someday get your name in the paper tabasco, and maybe even a picture with that huge stringer of itty bitty “tournament” fish.

Hello every one, I’m tourist in the lake Hudson in Oklahoma, would you like to show me where I can rent the boat ? what’s special in there ?

Thanks
good times
ROSSI ( plz, call BILL 918-434-2916)

I have to tell you, I fished Hudson once and didn’t have very good luck. Let me begin by saying that I fished a major Tulsa metropolitan bass club for a few years so I pretty much fished all the major reservoirs in NE Oklahoma with the exception of Oologah? Can someone please tell me why bass clubs stay away from Oologah? I still think that Skiatook is a hidden gem for such a small lake. It’s a mini-Tenkiller. Speaking of Tenkiller, let me tell you, while I’ve never landed a largemouth larger than six pounds from this truly immaculate place on earth, I’ve filled the boat with a plethora of three and four pounders on occassion. Tenkiller is a real hit and miss lake, and you’re always getting snagged up with drum that make you think you’ve connected with the next state record. I’m not certain whether the 13-16 inch slot is helping lakes like Tenkiller, Arbuckle and Skiatook. I know like Jimmy Houston predicted, Tenkiller has a lot of spots in it. I think the big problem with Tenkiller is that it’s a very old lake without a lot of cover to support the habitat. But then I digress, look at Grand! You’d be hard pressed to find a laydown on this glorious lake, but still it produces a fine bass fishery. I suppose all the artificial man made structure has a great deal to do with that, along with the introduction of Florida Bass and enough shallow water to support that species. I agree with Pat! I think fishing should remain a hobby and not a sport. Fish kill from tournaments is tremendous, especially in the warmer months. That said, I’m not against keeping a couple fish to clean and eat. I have mixed emotions about this because I’ve kept fish and I’ve let fish go. I think what needs to happen is catch, picture, weight and release. There may come a time in big time bass tournaments where it’s a camera man/official in the back seat of the boat with the angler who snaps a photo and weighs the fish and enters the weight on his I-pad or whatever with the top five weights scoring a total for tournament weigh-in. I’m serious, everyone involved in the sport needs to do better in preserving our fisheries.

Might also alleviate the cheating, because believe me, there’s still a lot of that going on in bass tournaments!

Really, I’d like to know something though! I think of myself as an outstanding fisherman with spinnerbaits, jigs and plastics, but I always hear these guys in tournaments bragging about how they caught their fish with jerk baits, and it makes me feel like a jerk. Now I will admit I’ve had some moderate success with Yo Zuri jerk baits, but I’m talking about these guys who “claim” to have caught their fish with a variety of weighted down jerk baits. You know these baits are balance delicately. You’d pretty much have to know what you were doing to get them to run right and keep them from sinking to the bottom if you filled them with lead. The other thing is the plastic jerk baits! I mean they just don’t sink fast enough for me! Almost have to fish them like a worm. The less you do with them the better. I can’t fish that way!