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Well, I just got into the sport. I mean just got in...I'm 22 and haven't fished since I was 9. My boyfriend now thinks he's the luckiest man alive becuse he has a girl that likes cars and fishing. Unfortunately he hasn't fished since boy scouts, so my usual resource for macho things is dead.
So far I've been twice, once to Lake Hefner and once to Lake Thunderbird (Oklahoma). Haven't caugt a thing. Using pretty standard stuff - decent graphite rod, bobber, weight, good carbon fiber hook, various bait. So far I've tried live worms, rubber tadpole looking things (grey w/ silver glitter), rubber tubes (look kind of like an octopus), and jigs. Also all colors of grubs. I know there are fish biting because I watched the guys next to me catch pretty good sized fish one right after another, and saw fish bite the surface of the water quite a bit too.
I've read that it's good crappie season around here right now.
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[cool] Welcome to BFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will use a spinning rod with 6# test and cast and retrieve a blakemore roadrunner. I have caught some nice crappie fishing like that or use a bobber with a jig tied to it. I have used a jig with a minnow on it with the tube. I like the southern pro stinger tube and the southern pro jigheads. Hope that helps you some
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Hi and Welcome to our forum. We are glad to have you here and hope you are able to learn as much as you can with us.
The only test on the information that you aquire here is.....to catch some fish and give us a nice report.
Please feel free to visit your state board as well. It is a litte farther down the column.
I'm sure you will still get more response here so feel freel to post here too. I think we have a lot more people watching this board so you have a good chance at getting some local answers too.[cool]
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OK thanks. I will try all of that. I was going to go again with my boyfriend, but it was his mom's birthday and he had to go out to dinner with her...that old bag ruins everything! I went by myself to see if I'd have any luck and didn't catch anything. Time to change it up.
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Hey there maleficent, and welcome to the BFT message boards!
Crappie are in full swing accross the US for the most part. They really dig structure, and in a lot of cases, deep structure. I've caught very few crappie from the bank, unless it's around the pillers of a dock. Crappie also dig bridges and submerged brush. With that said, you may find it difficult to target crappie from the bank, but it's not impossible. The first thing i'd do is try to find a dock or bridge. Crappie love small, live minnows; which you should be able to purchase at any local bait and tackle store. Those bait and tackle stores are also a great resource of info in reference to where to find the crappie.
Jigs also work very well. I prefer the chartruess colored jigs. You can work them slowly along the shadows of a dock or along the pillers.
You may also find some channel cats along the bank of the lake. Pretty much any type of rig will work with a 3/0 or so hook baited with chicken liver. If it's possible, try and find out where the deeper holes are and get your bait there. Cat's like deep holes and structure.
Bank structure should hold bass. If you don't fancy casting a lure, buy some medium sized live minnows and cast them out close to the structure on a bobber. (make sure that's legal in your area first) Nothing says lovin' to a bass like live bait. [cool]
Any more info you have would be great. Maybe a picture of the area you're fishing. Try to find out specifics on the lake and maybe we can get a little better info. Good Luck!!!!!
Bryan D.
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[black][size 3]Tarpon4me you hit on just about everything she will need except.................maybe.................A FLY LOL[laugh][/size][/black]
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LOL, sorry flygoddess, it won't happen again. [  ]
But you're the goddess of the fly, what would you recommend for bank fishing from a lake? I'm thinking that all she has to expect is bream and bass.
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[black][size 3]A fish is a fish, they all eat Bugs![laugh][/size][/black]
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Let me ask you this. Do they make a "compact" fly rod and reel combo? When I say compact, I mean something shorter than the average fly rod, maybe 7' or less. Something for tight quarters and close range casting to 30' out or less. Something like that would be wicked effective when the bass and bream are top water feeding later on in the year.
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Ok I will keep that in mind. Last night I tried some submerged stumps, but no luck. Was using a chartruse grub w/ spinner. Could be that water was not deep enough, but I saw at least one fish bite the surface. At Lake Hefner up north there is a fishing pier so maybe when I head up there this weekend I'll try that. What times of day are best for fishing in a fairly muddy lake?
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[black][size 3]Actually I have fly rods from 5'3" and up. I like my 7' for those close areas.[/size][/black]
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[inline "American Fork 4 1 07 004.jpg"]
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This time of year it's really a toss up, as far as time of day. In the heat of the year, early morning and late afternoon seem to produce the best fishing conditions. Over cast days are great, even with a little drizzle. (not hard rain)
This time of year, with the cooler air and water temps, the fish's strike zone is alot smaller and the fish react less agressively. If you're going to use lures, select ones that keep the bait in the strike zone(right in thier face) longer. Something that suspends in the water and can be worked slowly. This way when you twitch your bait, you can pause, and your lure will pause with you, right in the face of the fish. Get it right in there, force them to make a "territorial" strike if they're not hungry.
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That's really cool. Awesome picture flygoddess! That's exactly what i'm talking about, close in with lots of structure. (minus the current) [  ]
I haven't decided on a definate choice for my fly rig yet, but that will help out with my choice.
It won't be long though. I'm really excited about getting a fly outfit. Between you, steve, and ted; i've got everything I need to get going. It's going to be a great experiance and a much needed addition to my arsonel and tactics. [cool]
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[black][size 3]I used my new 7' 4wt Tea Stick and it was a blast, and with the fact that it is a bamboo, I like the idea of glass on the smaller rods. You can feel everything.[/size][/black]
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Hey Bryan, all you need now is a float tube of some type. Then we can help you trick it out too. Don't worry though. The wiring is much easier on a float tube than it is on your boat.[cool]
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LOL, I hope so. But, I don't need a microwave and a tv on mine like you've got on yours. [shocked] Sorry, I wasn't suppose to tell everyone about your new upgrades. [ ]
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That's OK. I guess you were the last one to know that I got a new Plasma/DVD combo. I couldn't beat the price for a 42inch with DVD for under 2grand. It mounts up nice on my new tube.[cool]
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Here's the story. I went every day this week. The first three days I didn't catch anything.
On Wednesday, I decided that I needed to look for another spot, as the people next to me were not having any luck, and I didn't see many fish biting the surface. I drove around on little back roads and assessed/threw my line in at a few spots. Thunderbird has 50 some miles of shoreline, so this took a while. Finally, I came to a spot called guess what, fisherman's point. I immediately noticed the difference. First, the water was calm. I could also see evidence of a brush pile, as there were some twigs visible, and I could see evidence that people had gotten stuck and cut their lines. It was also more of a point, and I could see lots of fish coming to the surface for bugs. I threw my line in a few times, and had no luck. I was using grubs of assorted colors, feeder fish and worms. I noticed that a guy a few hundred yards away was doing pretty well, and decided that maybe it was time to talk to some locals. He was using a chartruse beetle spin with crappie nibbles on the tip of the hook. He showed me how to tie a slip knot and where to place the bobber/weights on the line. I casted off in the same spot, and our lines were just a few feet apart. Still, he continued to catch quite a few and I caught nothing. He left, and I continued to try at that same spot. An houir later, two other guys showed up, and I could see that they were doing pretty well. They also seemed pretty friendly, so I went down to see what they were up to. They were using live minnows. They also offered some advice,and gave me a few minnows. I used the same bait, put my line in the same spot,worked it in the same way, and caught nothing. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to go to confession and absolve myself of some horrible sin that I'd unwittingly committed, but I returned on Thursday, armed with minnows and a beetle spin.
I also had no luck to start out with on Thursday. However, the first guy that I'd met on Wednesday was there, so I went over to say hello and fished in the same spot. At first I still didn't catch anything while Roger reeled them in, but then they just started biting. I came home with a whole mess of crappy. All of them were caught on minnows - I tried the bettle spin to no avail. I fried them up and it was really good - I know why they are so sought after.
Today I decided to go back and see if the whole thing had been a fluke. I still was not catching anything, but noticed that a guy on the dock was doing well. I went and asked if I could share the dock with him, and soon enough was bringing them in. I also came home today with a good catch. I also got to know the guy today, Gene. He was about 60, retired, and spends much of his time fishing. Reminds me of my dad, except for the fishing part; my whole family thinks that my new hobby is crazy.
So, lessons learned: patience and more patience, how to tie slip knots, where to place bobber and weights, how to cast, where to cast, what makes a good spot, and finally, that most anglers are nice! Haven't met a single person there that isn't. I'm sure I'll see them all again, and have a good time.
Also, learning how to clean a fish was...interesting. It's a good thing I had a decent catch last night, because if not I would have had a pretty puny dinner with all the mistakes I made and as little meat as I managed to pull off at first.
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Congrats on the Crappies. You are right though. Patience and persistence do pay off.
Crappie are not the easiest fish to target but once you find out how deep they are and what kind of cover they are hiding in, it's game on.[cool]
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I'm a college student, and I'm one of the lucky ones whose parents support them. I found out, however, that next year I will need to take care of my own food. I've decided to keep the good ones every time I go and take them home to eat. I'll either save the meat or eat it now and save the money. Fishing will still be a hobby, but now I have other motives as well! Considering how much I spent intially it's really not that economical, but now that I have it all bought (for now) I may as well get something out of it.
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