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Not all crappie-lovin' fishermen and women have boats. So maybe a fishing report
for the Oologah lake, specifically geared to bank fishing might be helpful to some.
I happen to be one of the boatless ones for now, but that doesn't stop me from
loving the sport and good eats of fishing the Oologah lake... from the banks.
Bring on any bank fishing reports or comments you have. They will be welcomed here.
Checked out Spencer Creek, Winganon Eastside Ramp, and the little creek north and west of Alluwe today.
It was windy and cold. When the fish bite good, I don't even notice. But today, was deader than a hammer.
Nothing was biting. No crappie, no catfish, no bass........ a couple of tiny bluegills we tossed back.
That's my bank fishing report for today. Hope the next few days improve. Good luck to all.
I don't think I will ever fish out of a boat again after Saturday's tourney. I hate constant motion (it was really windy all day) and confinement of being in a boat for 7+ hours.
If you fish from the bank, you simply put your gear back in your vehicle and go home, no boat to mess with. I've found plenty of places to fish from the bank and often set out my lawnchair so I can relax while fishing.
I'll fish from a pontoon boat in the future, but "no mas" when it comes to regular boats.
Bank fishing works well for me too. But the hardest thing about it, is finding the right spot from the bank,
where the fish can be located. Somewhat of a challenge in itself sometimes. But do-able for those persistent
fishing fans. All the more reason for us bank fishermen to help each other find those good places and be an
encouragement to each other. Especially when it looks like the only ones catching anything...are the boaters.
It takes a lot of sport and know how for the guys with boats to know what they are doing out on the waters.
They strive to have a good time and remain safe while battling wind and choppy waters, wakes from other boaters,
and are a long way from the nearest bathroom... or even a dense bush, most of the time. haha
We on the banks do the same, with equal dedication. We fight the ticks and chiggers, while trying to maintain
secure footing on rocks, slippery banks, and sometimes steep banks. Getting smacked in the face with branches
and watching for snakes..and scratching our poison Ivy rashes. All the while, hoping someone will invent a fish locator that can be used from the banks. But yet, we go back relentlessly, in search of the thrill we all get
when we get a fish on line. Life is Good !
It's often humorous some days, while sitting on the bank, I'm throwing out as far as I can.... to get my line out
to where the boats are. At the same time, they are tied up, just a few yards out from the bank.... trying to throw
their lines up as close to the bank as possible. As long as everyone uses proper fishing etiquite and doesn't cross
the other's boundries..... it's all good. Whether from a boat or from the bank, Fishing Rocks ! ! !
C'mon you bank fishermen ! Pitch in and help this thread keep going. Share techniques and your great catches
here. Brag a little and bring on a few good ole fish stories of bank fishing.
You can cover alot of water from certain area's bank fishing if you work at it. We take 2 back packs and sometimes folding chairs and head out. We love to bank fish in spring and fall, summertime though we need a boat, I'm thinking of a one of the mini pontoons.
Here's a bank report for you. As I launched my boat last Thursday evening at Redbud, there was a lady standing on the side of boat ramp fishing with minnows and a cork 3 to 4 feet out just to the side of the ramp. I watched her catch 2 slabs while I launched my boat. She was on the side opposite the dock.
Good luck!
Thanks guys for the replies. That's what makes a good forum...
I think things were just starting to heat up for bank fishing on Thurs. before that rain and cold moved in.
I hope we will still have time to get in on the spawn when it warms up in the coming days.
Keep the reports coming ! As soon as the first report comes in that the crappie are back in the shallows close
to the banks........ I'm headed that way, with a bucket of minnows and an empty fish basket !
Fishing off the dock in hawthorn cove has been good for some people I know.Oolagah is my home lake,fished it for 30yrs.Now i live in OKC and miss fishing Oolagah badly. I have been fishing in a float tube this spring having more fun and catching crappie and not having to put gas in my bass boat.Good luck at OOlagah!
Stinkfinger just got into a good mess of them yesterday! And he's not done yet.
I fish both boat and bank, but have found myself bank fishin quite a bit this year. There's not lots of accessible bank fishing spots on Oologah, and when a fisherman finds one he's not to open to share info. Lol! The spencer bluff can be fruitful certain times of the year, but I don't mess with it during spring. The more you are open to walking the more spots you'll find. I've been catching good amounts from the bank since feb...you just have to put in the time to find the bank fishing spots.
Good luck!
Yep, I believe there are plenty to be caught from the banks...... it's just the 'time to find them' that is
in short supply. Wish we all had more time to spend fishing.
Just received my Senior Citizen License in the mail today, and I plan on doing a lot of fishing from the bank this summer.
Come to think of it, I made a trip to the "bank" yesterday so I could buy some new tackle.
Hit the banks at Spencer creek today to see if I could reproduce the results I had last week. I started off with a 1/8th flr orange jig head with a blk/chrt 1.5 inch beavertail 1 foot beneath a cork. My first fish was a 10 incher and it came within 5 feet of the bank. The bite was slower than it was last week and the lake level was down about a foot. Fished from 9 till 10:30 and only had three 10 to 11 inch males. I was casting parallel to the shore in about 12 to 18 inches of water and working the jig back slowly. Wind wasn't heavy enough most of the time to float my setup back to me.
Around 10:30, it was like someone had flipped a switch on. Started catching big males and BIGGER females in a foot to foot and half water. Then between 11:30 and noon, they just shut down. Ended the day with 14 with all but three over 12". Never did catch one deeper than 18" even though I spent an hour or so trying.
Lots of fun and home in time for a nap!!!
Made it out myself this afternoon, and bank fished the spencer creek area. Fished from 2:30-6:30 and ended up with 17 good fish with two females over 14in. Very similar to OkieDon I caught some working a cork shallow to the bank, and I also caught some pitching my jig and letting it fall back to me. There were 3 guys minnow fishing who were about to wrap up and offered me the remainder or their minnows. I gladly accepted and caught the majority of my fish on rosie reds. I caught a mix of males and females, but the females I caught are on their last drop.
Went out and bank fished the spencer creek area on 5/16 with the wife, and ended up with 13 nice fish. Those females eggs were bloody but still firm. I caught them fishing out from the bank in about 6 fow, with my cork set at 3ft. The males were right up on the bank around a old log I had found submerged.
OkieDon I believe I saw you bank fishing spencer creek last week. I was across the cove from you. I ended up doing pretty good that day. I believe I had around 20 good males w/ a few females.
I would like to remind the bank fishermen that anywhere there is riprap, there is a good place to bank fish. Footing is usually not real stable, but there are plenty of big rocks to sit on and when the spawn is on, it can be an outstanding place to fish. Good luck to everyone!
Good Golly ! I figured they would be biting yesterday, but didn't have a chance to go. The sun was out
and it was a beautiful day. So glad to hear you guys took advantage of it and caught some good 'uns.
Keep those reports comin' ! Post us some pictures if you got any.
Thanks bighook for the tips about fishing the ripraps. That's some good stuff to know. All those tips help
some of us less experienced ones to have a good time too. No better fun than going fishin'.... and actually
catching some ! ! !
Here are some pic's of the fish I caught yesterday (5/17). The two biggest were 14 1/4in - 1lb11oz.
goodjob and report crappie guru nice mess of fish
Crappieguru, I believe you found 'em ! That's a good looking mess of fish. Thanks for posting the picture.
Hey Crappie Guru, I was there on Wed. I believe. I was in a green Chevy p/u. Stop by and say hi if you see me again. Love meeting people from the board!
BTW, those are some nice slabs! Most of what I caught last week were males but this week, most are females. I guess they're getting toward the end of their spawn on Oologah...
Real nice mess of fish Guru, thanks for sharing with a picture.Thumbs Up
In case you didn't know...Hummingbird makes a fish finder for bank fisherman. I have one, used it a few times..usually forget about it though. Do most of my fishing from boat nowadays.
SmartCast Series :: Humminbird
Is there any good bank access to Talala creek? Somewhere where an elderly couple wanting to minnow fish could get to?
Yes, you can park in the boat ramp lot, or drive down to the lake if there is anywhere to park down by the ramp. There are stumps near the ramp to the north and to the east, there is plenty of bank access. During the spawn, there are a lot of people there at times.Quote:
Originally Posted by minman
For the last two days, I've been hitting the Blue Creek, Redbud Bay and Spencer Creek areas fishing from the bank.
On Wednesday, I started about 8 a.m. using an orange 1/8th oz jig with a 1.5 inch black/pink beavertail fished below a cork. I set the jig anywhere from 6 inches to 18 inches below the cork depending on where I fished. Picked up some 10 to 12" fish at Spencer.
The rain came and when the lightening started getting close, I went and got in the pickup. About 45 minutes later it was still raining so I decided to drive around and went to Clermont park. But there were Rogers County Road crew vehicles blocking the entrance. Seemed they all parked so they could sit in their vehicles and chit chat while it rained!
Then hit Blue Creek. Caught some nice females around the boat ramp and across from it including two 14" females.
Then it was off to Redbud around 1 on my way home. Picked up the last 5 fish that I needed to fill out my limit there around the rocks. I was back home and in my napping chair by 3!
Thursday 5-19
What a difference a day makes!
The wind was howling this morning! I hit the same areas that I hit yesterday but only managed 11 fish by 2 p.m. The only good thing is that one of them from Blue Creek was 14.5"! My best so far this year!
I threw the kitchen sink at them today but they just didn't seem to want to kill it like they did yesterday. I really think the bigger waves created by the heavy winds made it so they jigs were jumping all over the place making it difficult for the Crappie to nab them. Most bites were very lite today, with most just barely pulling the cork under.
It amazes me how many fish I caught near the boat ramps. You'd think it would scare the fish, but apparently not that much!
Hopefully this rain coming in won't mess the water up. Looks like it's getting about right!
Here's a few of the big females from Wed. 7 from 13.5 to 14.25.
Attachment 62351
Caught these fish this evening from 830-930 16" deep about 5 foot from a boat ramp. WOW
Attachment 62352
Woot woot ! You guys done good ! Keep them good reports commin ! ! ! !
I haven't had time to go for the last week....... you guys are killin me ! haha
Maybe the wife & me can make it out tomorrow !
Did get up to Spencer Creek this evening. A few were biting, but a little slow. Came home with 4, 2 of those were
given to us by another fisherman.
Tomorrow is another day..........we'll see how it goes then.
Looks like things have cooled down for the bank fishermen on crappie. The rain probably fouled up the spawn.
Anyone still catching any from the banks now ? Give us a report and let us know. We like to fish around
Spencer Creek, so if anything is happening there, we would sure like to hear your good news.
Do they do any good with bass or catfish at Spencer once the crappie quit ?
Should be about time to start catching channels off the rocks at winganon
Bottom line fishin buddy has a side finder feature which tells you how far the fish are from the bank, but doesn't tell you how deep. I have used it mostly for catfish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiefishing Guy
You reply to a thread that's over 3 years old? I no understand.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigskyfisherman
Reaper,
I was trying to be helpful, thinking (without thinking) that Crappiefishing Guy might see it. As soon as I posted it, I realized that a pm would be more effective. I blame my faulty thinking on my Halfzeimer's.
Halfzeimers, love it.