Oologah Tournament Postponed until Jan. 5th

After visiting with EB and Ranger 09, the Oologah tournament is being postponed until Jan. 5th. They are calling for 15-25 mph winds on Saturday and that is treacherous on Oologah. Another thing compounding the isuue is due to the low lake level, several ramps are closed. This eliminates being able to unload at Talala Creek, Blue Creek, Allens Point, or East side. The wind then makes fishing any of these areas impossible because you have to run across the lake to get to them. If the lake was normal we could unload and fish one area then load back up and fish another area. Right now it is either Spencer Creek or the dam area to unload at then you would have to cross the main lake to get to any of the other areas.

Ranger, EB, and I fished up here yesterday in 10-20 mph winds and were VERY limited to where we could fish. We put in at Winganon ramp and fished some in Spencer creek then had to load up and drive all the way to the dam to unload due to the wind not allowing us to get out on the main lake. Gonna be worse Saturday than yesterday. We just had a drowning up here last month due to wind and it is not worth taking the risk.

We are going to shoot for Jan. 5th but that will also depend on weather and lake conditions. Hope to see several of you on the 5th.

Odie

As we all sit and discussed the Tournamnet Schudule and made plans for the 2012-13 Okie CDC Trail, we all decided at the Classic Meeting and Fish Fry that under no circumstance would we fish a winter time tournament and not air to the side of safety and caution for all involved. After fishing yesterday with Doug and Brian prefishing for Saturdays Oologah Tournament I became very aware of the bad shape the lake was in as far as water levels and ramp access. Only 1 ramp that I am aware of is open on the North end at Spencer Creek and we trailored to RedBud to fish the South end later in the day and thats atleast a 30 minute drive from Spencer so that makes it even more non user freindly. We were able to catch fish in most places we fished but with winds only in the 15 to 20mph range we were awfully limited where we could fish. The 3' rollers and white caps we were not able to hit any main lake piles or ledges which made for a tough day as far as fishability. So with that said Doug I commend you for the decision to postpone til Jan.5, 2013..Hope all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year with family and friends......Ranger

I agree with the this decision 100%, if you have ever tried to fish Oologah with 25 mph winds then you understand, not to mention the low lake levels. Doug and Mark are die hards like me and we struggled dealing with less wind yesterday. As for the fishing, we caught fish yesterday on several brushpiles. Hopefully we have a sunny light and variable wind type of day on Jan 5th. See everyone then! EB

As always...Safety First. I understand and respect the choice to move to the 5th. Gives me more time to get on oologah and mark some piles. See you guys on the 5th.

Odie, et al, good decision. High wind and low water level on any lake is a bad deal. I think ya all made a good decision. Hopefully Jan will be more calm!

Very smart decision guys. Oologah get's dangerous in those winds when the water is up I couldn't imagine trying it right now.

I will be heading to Oolagah tomorrow morning and fishing the slips at Redbud marina, What do you guys think the weatheir that is coming in tomorrow will do to the fishing this weekend?

Either make em bite or turn em off..lol..take your choice.. I can tell you there was about 10 cars and trucks in the parking lot and fisherman fishing the slips yesterday. One thing is certain you can't catch em if your not fishin........Ranger

what are the rules for fishing the slips do you have to rent one or can you just go fish?

Good call guys, it sure isn't worth getting someone hurt. If you fish Oologah, you know it don't play on windy days.

I don't expect the lake to return to normal until the first big spring rains, then it will be around 7' above normal.

The slips at Redbud are private. You can only fish there if you're with one of the slip owners (renters) They will definitely run you off if you're a new face and aren't with a slip owner.

This is the best news ever for me. I have not fished a day since the Ft. Gibson tournament in the summer! Everyday has been spent either at work or remodeling a little house in Sapulpa my wife and I bought. Should be mostly finished and moved in by end of next weekend. TC can attest I have had withdraws like a crack addict. So I will be in for this tournament now if I can convince TC that I haven't forgot how to catch fish.

Yesterday on Oologah, Kevin (Whisperer) and I saw a rescue boat head out to rescue a man and woman stuck in shallow water. They were over on the east side between Spencer and Winganon. I went back down there to check and they finally got them unstuck about 1900. So even though the wind was the key factor for cancelling the tournament, low water has to be considered also. There are numerous places on Oologah right now where you can get stuck and lots of exposed trees that aren't normally visable. That also means there are probably several more trees that are just under the water, so be very careful. I know the lake pretty well and am not crazy about running around right now even with zero wind. Unless something happens over the next few weeks the Oologah tournament may need to be reconsidered.

Odie