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Best Boating and Fishing Songs

Discover Boating just released a top 10 list of the best boating songs based on votes on its Facebook page.
I have three on my Ipod, including the top song, Knee Deep by the Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet.
The rest of the top 10 in order were Redneck Yacht Club by Craig Morgan; Pontoon by Little Big Town; Come Sail Away by Styx; Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills and Nash;
A Pirate Looks at Forty by Jimmy Buffett (which last year was voted the best boating song); Son of a Son of Sailor, also by the king Parrothead; Sailing by Christopher Cross; Water by Brad Paisley; and Soul of a Sailor by Kenny Chesney.
I blog about this because it also gives me the opportunity to rehash one of my favorite columns from years ago, my top 10 fishing songs. The column was published four years ago but I still get an occasional email from a reader suggesting a tune that I should have included.
At the time my top 10 was this:
1. The Five Pound Bass by Robert Earl Keen
2. I’m Going to Miss Her by Brad Paisley
3. Fishin’ Blues by Taj Mahal
4. The Crawdad Song (numerous artists but I like the Burl Ives version)
5. The Fishing Hole: Theme to the Andy Griffith Show by Andy Griffith
6. Fisherman by Casey Ashley
7. Gone Fishing, duet by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong
8. Beer, Bait and Ammo by Kevin Fowler
9. Fishing in the Dark by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
10. Catfish John by Alison Kraus
Since then, I would revise my top 10 to include Trace Adkins’ “Just Fishin’’ and a song I heard recently on Outlaw Country’s satellite radio. It’s called “Big Whiskers” by Otis Gibbs. It’s about a giant flathead catfish “that ate 10-pound bass and gobbled ducks down.” I would like to see someone try to noodle that fish.

 

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Outdoors Chat with Ed Godfrey: Live from H&H Shooting Sports Complex

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This week’s Oklahoma fishing report

 

Here is this week’s fishing report as compiled by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

CENTRAL
Arcadia: July 16. Elevation 1/4 ft. below normal, water 88 and semi-clear. All fishing fair. Report submitted by Linnie Mason, gate attendant.
Arcadia: July 15. Elevation below normal. Catfish good on liver and punch bait in the shallows and transitional areas. Crappie fair early and late. Report submitted by Chance Whiteley, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County.
Hefner: July 17. Elevation below normal and dropping, water 85-90 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on deep diving crankbaits and jigs at 8-15 ft. along rocky shorelines. Smallmouth bass slow on deep diving crankbaits and jigs at 8-15 ft. along rocky shorelines. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on Gay Blades and grubs at 4-6 ft. along the west side. Channel catfish good on punch bait at 2-10 ft. along rocky shorelines. Blue catfish fair on cut bait at 10-20 ft. along rocky shorelines. Crappie slow on jigs and road runners at 12-20 ft. along the dam. Walleye fair trolling crankbaits at 8-14 ft. and drifting night crawlers at 12-20 ft. along long points and the dam. Sunfish and bluegill fair on worms. Report submitted by Lucky Lure Tackle.
Overholser: July 15. Elevation normal, water murky. Catfish slow on stinkbait and worms early and late. Striped bass hybrids slow on minnows and worms early and late. Report submitted by David Rempe, game warden stationed in Oklahoma and Canadian counties.
NORTHEAST
Bell Cow: July 15. Elevation below normal, water 91 and clear. Bass fair on plastic baits. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Chandler: July 15. Elevation below normal, water 91 and clear. Bass fair on jigs and plastic baits. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Eucha: July 17. Elevation 4 ft. below normal, water 85 and dingy. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around brush and structure at 10-12 ft. Largemouth bass fair on plastic worms at night. Bluegill good on crickets and worms around grass beds. Catfish fair on cut shad. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa.
Ft. Gibson: July 15. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 89 and clear. White bass good on white rooster tails and small crankbaits at 5-15 ft. around the windy points. Largemouth bass good on deep crankbaits and plastic worms at 10-15 ft. in brush piles. Catfish good on trotlines baited with whole shad or sunfish at 15-25 ft. Report submitted by Rick Stafford in Wagoner.
Greenleaf: July 16. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, bill baits and jig-and-worm along shorelines, creek channels, brush structure and rocky points. Catfish good on fresh cut bait and liver on bottom. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs in green, yellow and red along fishing docks and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
Keystone: July 15. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water 86 and clear. Largemouth bass fair to good on soft plastic baits at 5-8 ft. along structure, rocky points and below docks early and late. White bass fair to good on trolling crankbaits, grubs and rooster tails along the surface around points. Striped bass slow to fair on live shad at 26 ft. along the north side of the Hwy 412 Bridge in the evenings. Catfish fair on cut bait, shad and live bait on juglines and rod-and-reel. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs along timber. Flathead catfish good noodling. Report submitted by Dwight Luther, game warden stationed in Creek County.
Lower Illinois: July 16. Elevation normal, water 54 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on topwater lures all along the river. White bass fair on jigs and spinnerbaits at 1-2 ft. all along the river. Striped bass good on live shad at 1-3 ft. at the mouth of the river. Channel catfish excellent on cut bait on bottom all along the river. Crappie fair on jigs and spinnerbaits at 1-3 ft. all along the river. Trout excellent fly fishing the surface, on rooster tails at 1-2 ft. and on Power Bait on bottom at the dam, Watts and Marval’s. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.
Spavinaw: July 17. Elevation slightly below normal, water 84 and dingy. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at dam and brush shelters. Catfish fair on cut shad. Largemouth bass fair on buzz baits and plastic worms along deep shoreline and shady areas. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa.
Tenkiller: July 16. Elevation 3 1/2 ft. below normal, water high 80s and clear. Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits and soft plastics early mornings and evenings. Catfish fair on stinkbait at 20-25 ft. or drifting minnows or worms at 10-20 ft. White bass fair north or south of Cookson around the islands or flats evenings. Report by Monte Brooks, Cookson Village Resort.
Webbers Falls: July 16. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water murky. Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and buzz baits along riprap, brush structure and mudflats with brush. Catfish good on fresh cut bait and liver drifting on bottom and along mudflats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs in black and purple around bridges and brush structure.
NORTHWEST
Canton: July 14. Elevation 7 ft. below normal. White bass and striped bass hybrids good drifting shad and slabs near drop-offs. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in Blaine County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: July 14. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 86-90 and clear to stained in areas. Thermocline is at 21 ft. Algae present on the calm days. Bass being caught on Chug Bugs early morning and on crankbaits, shaky-head worms, drop-shot and jigging spoons the rest of day. Crappie being caught on chartreuse/white jigs off marked brush piles and off the docks early. White bass being caught on topwater when chasing shad and jigging spoons on the main creek channel drop-off in mid lake area. Channel catfish being caught on dough bait over baited holes. Sunfish being caught on fly rods popping bugs late evening. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
Bell Cow: July 15. Elevation below normal, water 91 and clear. Bass fair on plastic baits. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Eufaula: July 15. Elevation 2 ft. below normal, water clear. Largemouth bass fair around deeper points and deeper rocky areas. White bass good on topwater plugs and slab spoons along flats early and late. Blue catfish fair drifting fresh shad along deep flats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs under bridges, along riprap and rocky areas. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.
Hugo: July 14. Elevation below normal, water 85. Crappie fair on minnows along the river channel. Largemouth bass and white bass fair trolling crankbaits above the Hwy 93 Bridge. Blue and channel catfish fair on trotlines baited with sunfish and goldfish. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw and Bryan counties.
Konawa: July 15. Elevation normal, water 94 and clear. Largemouth bass good on topwater lures at 5-10 ft. along coves and weed beds early and late. Channel catfish good on shad at 10 ft. along the south cove. Report submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.
Lower Mountain Fork: July 15. Zone I continues to be really good. The Evening Hole good on grasshoppers and hexagenias in the late afternoon and evening. Spillway Creek good on pheasant tail nymphs and wooly buggers. Zone II good early and late in the day as well as all day when it’s cloudy. Try pheasant tails, soft hackles, and white streamers. Hexagenias are hatching near sundown. Report submitted by Jesse King, Three Rivers Fly Shop.
McGee Creek: July 14. Elevation three inches below normal, water 87 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on Carolina-rigged soft plastic baits, H & H spinnerbaits at 2-12 ft. and fair on shad colored topwater lures in schooling bass in open water early and late. Crappie fair to good on minnows 10-18 ft. over cedar brush piles. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County.
Murray: July 16. Elevation 4-5 ft. below normal, water 86 and clear. Largemouth bass good on soft plastic baits, worms, Slugos, topwater lures and spooks early, late evening and at night. White bass fair on topwater lures when schooling late evening. Channel catfish good on minnows, stinkbait and chicken liver. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 15-20 ft. around pumps and rocky piles. Report submitted by Jeremy Brothers, game warden stationed in Carter County.
Pine Creek: July 15. Elevation below normal, water clear. Bass fair on Baby Brush Hogs near brush and snags. Spotted bass slow to fair being caught on white grubs and small white spinnerbaits around brush. Crappie good on minnows around brush piles. Catfish fair on cut shad or liver. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
Robert S. Kerr: July 16. Largemouth and spotted bass good on spinnerbaits and buzz baits and on swim baits and crankbaits at 2-10 ft. around banks and grass beds; early mornings best. White bass fair on minnows under bridges. Channel and blue catfish excellent on trotlines and juglines baited with cut bait in 12-20 ft. close to creek and river channels. Flathead catfish good on live bait 9-14 ft. in the lake and up the Canadian River. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Haskell County.
Sardis: July 13. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 83. White bass fair trolling at 9-14 ft. Channel and blue catfish good on cut bait and dead minnows. Flathead catfish good on live bait. Crappie fair at 9-18 ft. Walleye fair trolling at 14-16 ft. Report submitted by Dane Polk, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County.
Texoma: July 15. Elevation 2 1/3 ft. below normal, water 85 and clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass good on plastic combination baits, crankbaits and surface lures at 5-15 ft. in the creeks. Striped and white bass good on sassy shad, slabs, surface lures and live bait at 10-30 ft. in the river channels. Channel and blue catfish good on live bait, worms and stinkbait at 10-20 ft. from the Washita River to Platter Flats. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs at 5-20 ft. in underwater brush and around the fish attractors. Sunfish good on worms, shrimp and small tube jigs at 5-10 ft. around the fishing docks. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.
Wister: July 15. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water murky. Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and buzz baits early and late. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs and good on white/chartreuse tail grubs. Catfish fair on juglines and trotlines baited with cut bait and liver. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.
SOUTHWEST
Altus-Lugert: July 14. Elevation 24 ft. below normal and falling slowly. Fishing is improving slightly. Striped bass hybrids and walleye being caught on minnows. Catfish slow on juglines. Report submitted by Sue Hokanson.
Ft. Cobb: July 18. Elevation 2 ft. below normal, water 82 and murky. Crappie fair on minnows late evening and early mornings around marina and boat slips. Catfish good on juglines baited with cut shad, hotdogs off the points mainly at night. Saugeye fair on slabs late evening. Striped bass hybrids good on rattletraps along the dam late. Largemouth bass fair on rubber worms, Hula Poppers and rattletraps around brush piles early morning. Report submitted by Sgt. Kevin Bean, park ranger at Ft. Cobb State Park.
Tom Steed: July 16. Elevation 5 ft. below normal, water 76 and murky. Catfish fair on juglines baited with shad and cut bait. Report submitted by David Smith, game warden stationed in Kiowa County.

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Smith and Wesson gun to highlight Expo

On Thursday, the annual H&H Shooting Sports Expo will open at the H&H Shooting Sports Complex in Oklahoma City.
Representatives from more than 100 firearms and archery manufacturers will be at the store near I-40 and Meridian to display their product line during the three-day event from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Customers can pay $3 to take demo guns and shoot them on the store’s indoor range.
Tim Shoopman of the H&H Shooting Sports Complex believes the main attraction this year will be the Smith & Wesson table where former United States Practical Shooting Association champion J. Michael Plaxco will be showing off the military and police line of Smith and Wesson firearms, including the M&P Shield.
“Smith & Wesson’s new M&P9 Shield now joins the growing crop of palm-size, slim-and-trim single-stack 9mms that have been appearing on the handgun market at a rapid rate over the past two years,” Shoopman said. “It is the lightest and smallest 9mm personal-defense auto Smith and Wesson has yet offered: only six inches long, 4½ inches high, less than an inch thick and weighing just 19 ounces.
“Based on the duty-proven full-size Smith and Wesson design, it will undoubtedly take a prominent place in the concealed carry world. Moreover, the new Shield is also available chambered in .40 S&W. Same size, same weight, same design. The only difference between the M&P9 Shield and the M&P40 Shield, in fact, is that the magazines for the M&P40 Shield hold one less round than the M&P9 Shield magazines.”
The M&P9 Shield comes with one semi-staggered flat-base seven-round magazine and one extended-base eight-round mag. The M&P40 Shield comes with one six-rounder and one seven-round magazine.

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Fishing Report

Here is this week’s fishing report as compiled by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

CENTRAL
Arcadia: July 8. Elevation below normal. Channel catfish fair on chicken liver and punch bait early and late. Crappie slow in cooler areas in deep water and at dark. Report submitted by Chance Whiteley, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County.
Hefner: July 9. Elevation below normal, water 83-88 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on soft plastics and spinnerbaits at 6-15 ft. along rocky shorelines. Smallmouth bass slow on soft plastics and spinnerbaits at 6-15 ft. along rocky shorelines. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair trolling crankbaits at 8-14 ft. along rocky shorelines. Channel catfish good on punch bait and cut bait at 10-20 ft. along rocky shorelines. Blue catfish fair on punchbait and cut bait at 10-20 ft. along rocky shorelines. Crappie slow on minnows and jigs at 12-20 ft. around the dam. Walleye fair trolling crankbaits at 8-14 ft. and drifting night crawlers at 10-14 ft. along windy shorelines and long points. Sunfish and bluegill fair on worms. Report submitted by Lucky Lure Tackle.
Overholser: July 9. Elevation below normal, water murky. Catfish slow on cut bait and fair on shad and stinkbait after dark. Striped bass hybrids slow on minnows on the east side of lake early morning. Report by David Rempe, game warden stationed in Oklahoma and Canadian counties.
Wes Watkins: July 9. Elevation 5 ft. below normal, water 85-91 and clear. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at timber clearing line late at night. Channel catfish good on worms at 4-6 ft. late at night. Report submitted by Mike France, game warden stationed in Pottawatomie County.
NORTHEAST
Bell Cow: July 10. Elevation normal, water 90 and murky. Crappie fair on minnows on bottom. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Carl Blackwell: July 9. Elevation 7 ft. below normal, water 80 and murky. Catfish good on all baits. Saugeye good trolling crankbaits. Report submitted by Jon Cunningham, game warden stationed in Payne County.
Chandler: July 10. Elevation normal, water 90 and murky. Crappie fair on minnows. Report submitted by Gary Emmons, game warden stationed in Lincoln County.
Copan: July 9. Elevation normal, water mid-80s and clearing. Crappie slow on minnows and jigs at 3-5 ft. from boats around the lake as well as from the new fishing dock at Copan Point. Catfish fair on cut shad, sunfish and worms below the dam. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Eucha: July 10. Elevation 3 1/4 ft. below normal, water 85 and dingy. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 10-12 ft. around brush and structure. Bluegill good on crickets and worms around grass beds. Largemouth bass fair on deep diving crankbaits. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa.
Ft. Gibson: July 7. Elevation normal, water 84 and clear. White bass good on white rooster tails trolling the windy points. Largemouth bass good on plastic worms and crankbaits at 10-15 ft. Catfish fair on juglines and trotlines baited with whole sunfish and shad at 15-25 ft. Report submitted by Rick Stafford in Wagoner.
Grand: July 8. Elevation normal, water high 80s. Bass good on jigs and worms at 5-10 ft. White bass good trolling islands and above Sailboat Bridge. Catfish good on fresh cut bait on juglines and drifting above Sailboat Bridge. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 15-25 ft. below docks and around brush. Report submitted by Kody Moore, game warden stationed in Delaware County.
Greenleaf: July 10. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water clear. Largemouth bass good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits along shorelines, brush structure and rocky points. Catfish fair on fresh cut bait and liver near the spillway and upper end creek channels. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around fishing docks and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
Hulah: July 9. Elevation normal, water clearing. Crappie slow on minnows and jigs at 6-8 ft. Catfish fair on cut shad and worms below the dam. Report submitted by Joe Alexander, game warden stationed in Washington County.
Kaw: July 10. Elevation normal, water 85 and clear. White bass good on crankbaits. Blue catfish good on fresh cut bait in the upper end. Report submitted by Larry Green, game warden stationed in Osage County.
Keystone: July 10. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water 87. White bass good trolling at 10 ft. Striped bass good trolling at 10-20 ft. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 15 ft. Report submitted by Karlin Bailey, game warden stationed in Creek County.
Lower Illinois: July 9. Elevation normal, water 48 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on topwater lures in the coves. White bass good on jigs and spinnerbaits at 1-2 ft. all along the river. Striped bass fair on live bait at 1-2 ft. at the mouth of the river. Channel catfish excellent on cut bait on bottom all along the river. Crappie fair on jigs at 1-2 ft. all along the river. Trout excellent fly fishing the surface, on rooster tails at 1-2 ft. and on rooster tails at 1-2 ft. and on Power Bait on bottom from the dam to Gore Landing. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.
Oologah: July 9. Elevation normal, water 70s and muddy. Blue catfish fair on juglines baited with shad at 10-15 ft. White bass fair trolling shad colored crankbaits at 10-12 ft. on flats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 10-12 ft. around standing timber. Largemouth bass fair on soft plastics at 5-8 ft. White bass fair on jigs below the dam. Blue catfish fair on shad below the dam. Report submitted by Brek Henry, game warden stationed in Rogers County.
Sooner: July 9. White bass and striped bass hybrids fair on slabs and live shad. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs along Hwy 15 and off the large boat ramp. Report submitted by Doug Gottschalk, game warden stationed in Noble County.
Spavinaw: July 10. Elevation slightly below normal, water 85 and dingy. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around the dam area. Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits. Report submitted by Dwight Moore, City of Tulsa.
Tenkiller: July 9. Elevation 3 ft. below normal, water 86 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on topwater lures and soft plastics early morning and evening. Crappie fair on minnows in docks. White bass fair on jigs or spinning lures near Standing Rock in evenings. Report by Monte Brooks, Cookson Village Resort.
Webbers Falls: July 10. Elevation 1 ft. below normal, water murky. Largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits, buzz baits and jerk baits along riprap, brush structure and creek channels. Catfish good on fresh cut bait and liver on bottom and mudflats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around bridges and brush structure. Report submitted by Lark Wilson, game warden stationed in Muskogee County.
NORTHWEST
Canton: July 7. Elevation 7 ft. below normal, water clear. White bass and striped bass hybrids good drifting shad and slabs and trolling crankbaits near drop-offs. Channel catfish fair drifting shad along north shore. Report submitted by Mark Walker, game warden stationed in Blaine County.
SOUTHEAST
Arbuckle: July 7. Elevation 2/3 ft. below normal, water 86 and clear mid-lake and stained up the arms. Thermocline is at 21 ft. Algae still present especially on calm days. Bass being caught on topwater lures early morning and on shaky heads, drop-shot and deep diving crankbaits during the rest of day. Crappie being caught on chartreuse/white jigs on deeper brush piles and off the docks early morning. White bass being caught jigging spoons chasing shad on top, also near drop-offs of points and ledges. Channel catfish being caught on baited holes with dough baits. Report submitted by Jack Melton.
Broken Bow: July 9. Elevation below normal, water clear. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass good on soft plastics around structure early and late. Catfish fair on juglines and trotlines baited with cut bait. Crappie good on minnows and jigs in the upper end around structure. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
Eufaula: July 8. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. below normal, water clear. Largemouth bass fair on plastic baits and crankbaits around deep points and deeper rocky areas. White bass good on topwater lures and slab spoons early and late. Blue catfish fair on fresh shad drifting the deep flats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs around standing timber, under bridges and along riprap. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.
Hugo: July 8. Elevation 2 1/2 ft. below normal, water 82. Crappie fair along the river channel next to stumps and standing timber. Catfish fair on trotlines baited with goldfish and cut bait. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw and Bryan counties.
Konawa: July 9. Elevation normal, water 95 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on topwater lures and plastic worms at 5-8 ft. along weed beds early and late. Channel catfish fair on shad at 10 ft. in the south cove. Report submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.
Lower Mountain Fork River: July 8. In spite of triple digit temperatures, fishing has been good inside the park boundaries on a variety of flies including size 12 grasshoppers and medium size dry flies like size 14-16 sulphurs and parachute Adams. Also good nymph fishing with size 16-18 flashback pheasant tails. Zones 2 and 3 have had some water temperature problems and fishing has been slow to fair. Olive wooly buggers size 10-12 have been good producers when water temperatures are cool. Report submitted by Jesse King, Owner/Operator Three Rivers Fly Shop.
McGee Creek: July 8. Elevation normal, water 86 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on Carolina-rigged soft plastic baits, H & H spinnerbaits at 2-12 ft. and fair on shad colored topwater lures in schooling bass in open water early and late. Crappie fair to good on minnows at 8-12 ft. over cedar brush piles. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County.
Murray: July 9. Elevation 4 ft. below normal, water clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass good early morning, late evening and at night. White bass good on topwater lures when schooling early and late. Channel catfish good on stinkbait, minnows, jigs and chicken liver. Report submitted by Jeremy Brothers, game warden stationed in Carter County.
Pine Creek: July 8. Elevation extremely low, water clear. Bass slow to fair on Baby Brush Hogs at 8 ft. near structure. Crappie fair to good on jigs in brush. Catfish fair on chicken liver and blood bait. White bass good on topwater lures while schooling in open water up the river channel in mornings and evenings. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.
Robert S. Kerr: July 9. Largemouth and spotted bass good on spinnerbaits, buzz baits, swim baits and crankbaits at 2-10 ft. around banks and grass beds. White bass fair on minnows under bridges. Channel and blue catfish excellent on trotlines and juglines baited with cut bait at 12-20 ft. close to creek and river channels. Flathead catfish good on live bait 9-14 ft. in the lake and up the Canadian River. Report submitted by Allen Couch, game warden stationed in Haskell County.
Sardis: July 7. Elevation normal, water 83. Largemouth bass fair to good on 10-inch worms, spinnerbaits and buzz baits. White bass fair trolling. Channel and blue catfish good trolling. Crappie good at 9-14 ft. Walleye fair trolling crankbaits. Report submitted by Dane Polk, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County.
Texoma: July 8. Elevation 2 ft. below normal, water 86 and clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass good on surface lures, plastic worms and spinnerbaits at 5-20 ft. in the coves and around the drop-offs. Striped and white bass good on surface lures, live bait, sassy shad and slabs at 5-30 ft. from Alberta Creek to Caney Creek. Channel and blue catfish good on live bait, worms and stinkbait at 10-20 ft. from the Washita River to Platter Flats. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs and small lures at 5-15 ft. around underwater brush and fish attractors. Sunfish good on small tube jigs, worms and shrimp at 5-15 ft. around riprap and the fishing docks. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.
Wister: July 8. Elevation 1/2 ft. below normal, water murky. Largemouth bass fair on 10-12 inch black worms, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and topwater lures and buzz baits early and late. Crappie fair on jigs, white tail grubs and minnows. Catfish fair to good on juglines baited with cut shad, sunfish and liver and excellent on night crawlers. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.
SOUTHWEST
Waurika: July 8. Elevation 7 ft. below normal, water murky to muddy. Channel and blue catfish fair on grasshoppers, worms, stinkbait and cut shad early morning, evening and at night and slow to fair on juglines and trotlines baited with grasshoppers, worms, stinkbait, cut shad and sunfish. Report submitted by Vince Mesis, game warden stationed in Cotton County.

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A last minute plea for Camp Cavett

Camp Cavett needs your help.
If you are not familiar with Camp Cavett, it is a wonderful summer camp on Lake Texoma for children who have life threatening and chronic illnesses.
Every year the camp provides two fishing trips for the kids. On Thursday, there will be a striper fishing trip and on Saturday there will be a fishing derby for kids. At least that is what is planned.
The camp desperately needs people who have boats who would be willing to volunteer take some of the kids fishing either or both days. So far, the camp only has 18 to 20 boats lined up and there are 140 kids in the camp.
For some kids, it will be their only chance to go fishing this year. And sadly for some, it might be their last chance.
The following is a story my colleague Bryan Painter did last year on the camp and the importance of the fishing trips. The situation is the same and the need is just as great this year as last.
If you can help either day, please call Gary Scarberry at (405) 570-3304 or email Gene Gilliland at ggillokla@aol.com

Morgan Thompson would put her head back as the bass boat dashed across Lake Texoma.
The rush of air would curl her thin brownish-blond hair over to one side and the spray of water would cool the child’s skin.
When the driver of the boat located a good spot in a cove and brought the craft to a stop, she’d pop up and wanted to be the first to grab the bait. Others may have thought the feel of a wiggling worm or a flopping minnow to be gross. Not this child. These were just a few of the things she loved about fishing during Camp Cavett.
Morgan was blind.
Diagnosed with a brain tumor at 2½ years old, she lost her vision. This sweet little girl who loved bait and bass, and stripers, died in 2009 at age 10. But “she had a really good life for the short time that we had her,” Morgan’s mother Angela Copley, of Moore, said.
Some of Morgan’s best days came while fishing at Camp Cavett.
On Thursday, fishing guides and boaters from the Lake Texoma area will take children from Camp Cavett out on Striper Day. On Saturday, members of the North Oklahoma City Bassmasters Club will lead their annual fish-for- anything derby for children from the camp. In both cases, but especially Saturday, more boats are needed for about 150 children accompanied by nurses/camp counselors.
Just how important are these two days?
“They’d take us out real early in the morning, and Morgan would be tired so she’d lay back and just feel the wind blowing through her hair,” Copley said of her daughter. “She just loved it.”
Danny Cavett, chaplain at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, is the man after whom the Cavett Kids Foundation based at OU Medical Center, is named. The foundation’s mission is to provide five camps — including Camp Cavett and Kamp Kidney — and other events and programs for outpatient children from The Children’s Hospital who have life-threatening and chronic illnesses.
“It’s important for the kids because even if they don’t catch a fish, they get two chances, Thursday and Saturday, to see fish being caught,” Cavett said. “They get to see kids having a success that they don’t usually get.”
This is the 14th year Gene Gilliland, of the North Oklahoma City Bassmasters Club, has been involved, helping to recruit boats. It’s been a challenge in all but three of the past 13 years to get enough boats to take all the children out on the lake at once. So what they’ve had to do is split the camp-goers into two groups with one fishing from the bank while the other goes out on the boats. Then at midmorning they switch.
“The problem with that is, especially in the hot summer, a lot of times the really good fishing is early in the morning,” Gilliland said. “That second wave of fishermen sometimes didn’t get to experience much in the way of good fishing.
“It takes about 60 to 75 boats so that all of the kids can be out on the lake fishing at the same time.”
Gilliland recalled a story from a winter afternoon a few years back. He and some other guys were working a booth at the Oklahoma City Tackle Show, recruiting boaters for Camp Cavett, when a mother stopped by.
“She was telling us all about how her son had just loved the experience,” Gilliland said, “She said he talked about it continuously right up until the day that he died.
“That just grabbed us.”
Gary Scarberry, a fishing guide at Catfish Bay Marina at Lake Texoma, helps coordinates boats for Striper Day, and they need about 35 to 40 of the guide boats or boats that can carry a lot of people. Each year volunteers include members of a group called “Six Old Geezers,” mostly retired individuals who live around the lake and fish all the time.
There will be years that he sees a child he’s taken out on the lake before, and then there will be the tough years.
“Sometimes when I ask about them and how they’re doing, I’ll find out they’ve passed,” he said. “We go fishing every day, so we take things for granted, but it’s a trip of a lifetime for those kids.”
It certainly was for Morgan.

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Shooting at chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams

 

Jim Fields of Warr Acres is a world champion shooter. His specialty is metallic silhouette shooting with a handgun.
He is a member of the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association which starting Friday through July 20 will have its world championship shoot to the Oklahoma City Gun Club, located three miles north of Arcadia on Anderson Road and Sorghum Mill Road.
More than 100 shooters from the United States, Canada, Australia and Brazil have entered. Fields is the pistol silhouette division chairman at the OKC Gun Club, one of the largest in the country with 1,800 members and almost 500 acres.
There are three disciplines of handgun metallic silhouette shooting: air guns, .22 small bore and big bore. Shooters fire at metallic silhouette animal targets from varying distances in a timed event competition.
From this point on, let me allow Jim to explain the sport. He is the expert.
“On past occasions when firing at paper targets with one of the big magnums, I’ve felt a sense of massive over-kill. Even football-sized rocks seemed like flimsy targets for the smashing thunderbolts delivered from such guns as the .44 & .357 magnums,” Fields said.
“The subject is academic now. Since 1976 there’s been an exciting game in Oklahoma City, as well as around the world, a game called handgun metallic silhouette competition – an exhilarating shooting sport that has involved big-bore handguns that fire on half-inch steel targets ranging from 50 meters out to a distance of 200 meters.
“Yes, I said 200 meters. That’s two football fields plus two end-zones with a handgun. Now for those of you who don’t like the recoil of a big-bore handgun or youngsters and ladies just starting their shooting careers, a .22 rimfire course of fire is available, and I suggest you start with this discipline before jumping into the big-bore game. We even have air handgun competitions shot in our state-of-the art clubhouse in air-conditioned comfort.
“The big-bore course of fire is ten steel chickens at 50 meters, ten steel pigs at 100 meters, ten steel turkeys at 150 meters & ten bighorn rams at 200 meters.
“The .22 rimfire course of fire is 10 chickens at 25 yards, 10 pigs at 50 yards, 10 turkeys at 75 yards & 10 big-horn rams at 100 yards. This is an excellent shooting discipline for youngsters as well as adults. Both of these disciplines, both big-bore & small-bore, are shot in a two-minute time frame.
“Even minor success the first time out will bring instant gratification. And you can hardly wait until the next match rolls around. There is something about the game that appeals to whatever latent instincts there is in a man or woman who wants action whenever the trigger is pulled.
“There is no reloading involved in .22 rimfire silhouette competition. Go to your local sporting goods store, buy a couple boxes of long-rifle ammo or take your favorite .22 handgun and head for the range. Enjoy one of the most fun-filled afternoons you’ve ever experienced.
“There are several .22 rimfire handguns on the market now that are very competitive in silhouette competition, including the TC Contender single-shot and the Browning Buckmark semi-automatic. There are several categories you can compete in with these guns.
“In the freestyle division it’s your choice. There are several positions that have been tried over the years and the most popular one would be the Credemore, which requires laying on your back and placing the handgun on the side of your leg.
“I shot in this position for more than 20 years. However around eight years ago I developed a new prone position laying on your belly and extending the handgun over your wrist. This position has become very popular among the local as well as out-of-state shooters and is known as the Fields Flop. It is very effective in both the scope category as well as the open-sight category.
“There are several different categories of competition, including scope as well as open sight. The world championships at the OKC Gun Club will be an 80-round match. In the big bore classes, shooters will be be firing 20 chicken targets at 50 meters, 20 pigs at 100 meters, 20 turkeys at 150 meters and 20 big horn rams at 200 meters. The .22 smallbore handguns are shot at shorter distances of 25, 50, 75 and 100 yards.
“Here is a taste of what silhouette competition is all about. You level down on a turkey at 150 yards. A low hit will take the leg out from under the steel bird with a gratifying CLANG! A hit high on the back of the second turkey sends it tumbling wildly end over end.
“A fore and aft hit on the next two will send them spinning wildly. You now are in the last bank of rams with no misses in the match so far. Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 go end over end. Thirty-nine targets down and one to go.
“You look over your left shoulder and 50 people are waiting for you to screw up. You look at your timer. It shows you have 30 seconds left and you look down the gun barrel at the last ram. He looks like he’s on a pogo stick. With a bang and clang, you have just shot your first perfect 40×40 score: 10 chickens, 10 pigs, 10 turkeys and 10 rams. That is metallic silhouette shooting with a handgun.”
Spectators are welcome at the IMHSA world championships. For more information, call Fields at 203-1268.

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Shooting on the prairie

The shooting sports are one of the most popular pastimes in Oklahoma and this weekend in western Oklahoma some of the best long range rifle shooters will be competing for prizes.
The Oklahoma Practical Precision Shooters “Heat Stroke Open” will be held Saturday and Sunday in Hammon and Cheyenne.
Shooters from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Arizona are expected to be shooting on the western Oklahoma prairie this weekend. Competitors will be shooting targets with 30-caliber and under centerfire rifles at distances up to 1,200 yards.
“Everybody just shoots what they bring,” said Joey Thompson of Hammon, secretary of the Oklahoma Practical Precision Shooters club. “It’s really a sport that has grown quite a bit in the last couple of years and starting to get quite a bit of money involved in it.”
Gun and ammo companies have donated merchandise for prizes for the Heat Stroke Open. Half the contestants will shoot near Hammon and the other half near Cheyenne on Saturday and then switch locations on Sunday.
An awards ceremony will be held at the Clarion Hotel in Elk City on Sunday night.
The Oklahoma Practical Precision Shooters hold a monthly match but this weekend’s event is one of the club’s major shoots.
“This is probably the biggest one we have ever put on,” Thompson said.
The club formed in May of 2011 and has about 100 members from across the state and Texas, he said. Several live in the Oklahoma City area and the club is looking to buy land for a range near Oklahoma City, he said.
“Most of us guys out here in western Oklahoma actually own some land where we can go shoot,” he said.
There is a national precision rifle series and next year’s “Heat Stroke Open” might be included in that series, Thompson said.
“One of the biggest clubs in the country (for precision rifle shooting) is out in California and there are several big matches out there,” he said. “I actually just got back from Shreveport and been to Albuquerque in the last couple of months (for matches).”
Registration is closed for this weekend’s match. To learn more about the Oklahoma Practical Precision Shooters, check out the club’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/318198588213946/

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Noodling on TV

 

If you missed the Okie Noodling Tournament in Pauls Valley last month (where the winning flathead weighed 70 pounds) or attended but still have a craving to see more monster flatheads, you can join the party at the Rock-A-Way Tavern this month in Guthrie where they will be filming the second season of “Mudcats.”
Debuting on the History Channel earlier this year, “Mudcats” is a television show that follows a group of Oklahoma men and women who have passion for noodling.

It’s not to be confused with “Hillbilly Handfishin,” a different Oklahoma noodling show on Animal Planet, although one of the stars of Mudcats, Scooter Bivins of Temple, is the brother of Skipper Bivins, the star of Hillbilly Handfishin.
The makers of Mudcats have created their own tournament, called the Okie Noodling Invitational – where the subjects of the show compete as teams against each other. Camera crews will be filming the noodlers in action and then interviewing them at the Rock-A-Way Tavern in Guthrie, 7802 S. Sooner Road, where the weigh-ins will be held.

Unlike the Okie Noodling Tournament in Pauls Valley, this noodling competition is a closed set. The tournament is not open to the public, just the celebrity noodlers who will be competing for a grand prize of $10,000 for the biggest fish of the tourney.
But you could still find your way on the show by showing up as a spectator July 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 29 and 31 at the Rock-A-Way Tavern. A $2,000 prize will be given away each tournament day for the biggest fish of the day.
“Whoever is there will be on TV,” said Maxine Duncan, owner of the Rock-A-Way Tavern, a bar that was built in 1932 by a federal marshal and his prisoners.

The noodlers will bring their flatheads to the bar beginning at 4 p.m. on the days of the tournament. An official weigh-in will follow at about 6 p.m.  The creator of Mudcats is Bradley Beesley, the filmmaker whose original “Okie Noodling” documentary gave birth to the Okie Noodling tournament and created a media frenzy about noodling.

A Japanese film crew is in Oklahoma this week to film a noodling segment for an extreme sports show in Japan.  Beesley said Mudcats will not return to the History Channel for the second season but will appear on another network that he cannot disclose yet. The show had an audience of 3.2 million viewers in its first season, he said.

The noodling cast members for season two of Mudcats are Bivins and his partner Nate Williams; Lee McFarlin of Stillwater and his daughter, Misty, as partner; Teddy Good of Walters and teammate Winston Walters; Don “Cat Daddy” Brewer of Canadian and his partner, Dennis Williams; and Marion Kincaid of Peru, Kan., and his teammate Mark Shall.

 

 

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