This week, the Waurika High School Student Council recognized their middle school and high school “Good Character Award” winners. The award is given to one middle school and one high school student monthly on account of their good behavior. This award was started by the Student Council Officers with the help of two teachers,
Magen Allen and Janell Rochell. One can be nominated by teachers, faculty, or their peers by sending in a letter to the student council
8th Grader Bosten Smith was chosen for the January award in the middle school division. Her nomination was sent in with a letter describing her as, “kind to everyone, helpful, and positive.” The student council believes Smith exemplifies everything the character award stands for!
Isaac Gholson with Dalee BarrickBosten Smith with Dalee Barrick
Freshman Isaac Gholson received the character award for the high school division. His letter was sent in from a teacher. In the letter, the teacher explained Isaac’s class was given the opportunity to write a letter to one of their classmates complimenting them in order to gain bonus points. Instead, he wrote a card to everyone in his class so no one would feel left out.
Waurika has gifted athletes, scholars, and more. But we also have kind, compassionate students. This award is meant to recognize that and applaud it.
Caitlyn Ramsey (left) was named the 2018 National Miniature Hereford Breeders
Association princess. Caitlyn Ramsey’s parents are Casey and Ruslyn Ramsey.
Caitlyn Ramsey, a 5th grader from Waurika was named the 2018 National Miniature Hereford Breeders Association princess. To compete, Caitlyn had to submit an application along with her resume, answer an essay question and send a head and shoulder picture of herself. She, along with 6 other girls were then judged on their submissions by 2 non Mini Hereford breeders and 1 Mini Hereford breeder. To be a princess you must be between the ages of 10 and 14 and have Miniature Hereford cattle in your name as well as attend/show at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO. and Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals which will be held this year in Kearney, NE. The Miniature Hereford Breeders Association has always had a queen, but this year the queen coordinator added the princess title. “There are many young kids showing this breed and it’s time they were represented along with the older kids. By having a princess, it shows the younger girls that they too are leaders and someone to look up too.” Caitlyn along with queen Sarah Potter of Silverton, OR were crowned Jan. 20th in Denver at the annual MHBA banquet. Congratulations Caitlyn!
As I write this Tuesday morning I wonder how many of you got much sleep last night? Thank goodness our little corner of Oklahoma was spared any severe weather and our prayers go out to those suffering with tornado and flood damage throughout the state!
The fishing reports I’ve gotten from Lake Waurika have been great on the north area, especially around the island, despite the high water levels. I know Houston Scott and Slade Cathey have been slaying the crappie and bass the last few weeks on their ponds.
On another note, please remember that the Farmer’s Market will take place this weekend after being cancelled last Saturday because of weather! Come out and support our local folks.
I happened on an interesting article last week about turtles and tortoises I think you will find informative.
A tortoise is a turtle but a turtle is not necessarily a tortoise. Confusing isn’t it?
The tongue twister of the relationship between turtles and tortoises is the same as those two boxy geometric shapes we learned in elementary school. A tortoise is a turtle just like a square is a rectangle, but a turtle is not a tortoise just like a rectangle is not always a square.
“Turtle” is a broad term that can refer to any reptile with a shell. However, the classification can be further broken down into types of turtles. Confusingly, a turtle is a type of turtle. Tortoises and terrapins are the other two kinds of turtles.
Tortoise or Turtle
If you look at the larger picture, all turtles are reptiles with a shell, and therefore all tortoises are turtles–in the broadest sense of the word. However, in the smaller scope of things, when you divide the larger category into three different types, you see that a turtle is not necessarily a tortoise or even a turtle, because it can be a terrapin instead.
Are you confused yet? Let’s leave our vocabulary lesson behind for now and dive right into the science of things. In order to have divisions of these reptiles, they have to have different characteristics.
Distinguishing attributes of the feet, shell and habitat help to tell these reptiles apart. The most obvious distinction is where they live. Tortoises live on land. Turtles can live in water or land, with some species being almost solely aquatic.
No doubt about this one!
As terrestrial individuals, tortoises adapted flat feet to more easily traverse the landscape. For life in the water, turtles have at least some degree of webbing between their toes–even full-fledged flippers in the most aquatic individuals.
Box turtles spend a lot of time on land and so are often mistaken for tortoises. But, they have slightly webbed feet, making them turtles!
The last difference between turtles and tortoises is shell shape. Because turtles spend time in the water, their shells are flatter for stream-lined swimming. A tortoise has more of a dome shape to its shell. As Box turtles spend most of their life on land, their shells look more like an Aldabra tortoise than a red-eared slider.
To clarify things even further, the tortoise shell pattern seen on sunglasses is not actually made from tortoises. It was made from turtles–the hawksbill sea turtle, specifically. Nowadays, the species is protected and so that material is just plastic.
Common red-eared turtle!
The shape of a turtle’s body with regard to its feet and shell can offer understanding of its habitat. It also helps you classify if it is indeed a turtle or a tortoise! To simplify-they are all TURTLES!
Don’t forget the Farmer’s Market this weekend and certainly keep in mind those that have gone before us and our Veterans who gave it all!
In the meantime get out and enjoy our great Oklahoma outdoors!
Kristina Torres is a Waurika Native who has lived here all her life and has a vested interest in the success of Waurika. She feels the city is going in a good direction and doesn’t want it to lose any momentum. She says Waurika is a beautiful town. “We have a great community that has always been supportive of one another.
Torres graduated from Waurika in 2007 as class valedictorian.
She began her college education at the University of Oklahoma and later transferred to the University of Central Oklahoman located in Edmond.
She began working for the Waurika Ambulance Service in 2016. Torres is a paramedic, a vocation inspired by her mom.
Torres is very active within the community. Currently she is helping coach Girls on the Run. Recently she spoke at the Wish Task Force Career Fair held for Waurika students. As part of the task force she is very active in helping adults achieve career success.
Her goal is to do what it takes to help Waurika grow and prosper. She wants to see more activities for children, young people and senior adults. She says she is eager hear citizen’s concerns, and issues.
Being a first responder, Torres wants to see the Fire Department and emergency services have all the resources they need to keep local citizens safe.
She also wants to improve the cities infrastructure along with the continued efforts to improve Waurika’s parks.
Jerry Wallace
Jerry Wallace
Jerry Wallace started life in Love county and moved to Addington when he was in the seventh grade. Wallace says he was raised by the “best mother in the world”. She raised eleven kids in her family. All six boys ended up with Master’s Degrees. Wallace graduated high school from Addington and went on the earn a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University out of Hunstville, Texas. Before that he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociology from Central State University.
“I believe I’m qualified to deal with people and listen to people. That’s what I want to do, listen to the people of this town. I’ve dedicated lots of work to the city. I’ve cleaned up the property of many of the houses they have torn down. I’ve mowed the ditches along the streets for them. I love to work and I love to help people.”
Over the past 18 years he has been a part of the Baptist Disaster Team. They go all over the country to assist with cleaning up and helping those who have experienced a catastrophe (flood, tornado, hurricane, etc). Last year he was deployed 12 times and this year he has already been deployed twice. It’s purely a labor of love. It’s completely voluntary. He says his reward is simply helping people.
He retired in 1980 from the Drug Enforcement Administration. He had served 12 years overseas in various countries including Iran.
He was working in Iran when the embassy was overtaken and the hostage crisis began. During his years of service he traveled to 45 countries. “God has really blessed me,” he says.
Wallace says he was Mayor of Waurika for six years during the 1980s. Since then he has kept up with the goings on of Waurika.
He currently feels Waurika is spending too much money for a small town. As an example, he states he attended a city commissioner meeting where they were wanting to buy a $54,000.00 police car. When he asked if he could address the issue he says they would only allow him to speak for three minutes (Note: All citizens allowed to address the commissioners during citizen input are only given three minutes to speak.) Wallace, said, “I think that is horrendous when they do that. I feel like the council we have today thinks this city is their’s and the money they have is their’s. I see this as the people’s money. They keep taxing us. Every six months they raise the water rates.”
Referring back to the purchase of the police car he said he attempted to keep them from doing that because they could have purchased one $25,000.00 cheeper. He said they laughed at him.
He also cited the purchase of the new central air unit for the Presbyterian Church, which he says is only used one time per year yet they spent $12.000.00 on the unit. “I thought that was ridiculous,” he said.
Later, Wallace said the city “transferred a million dollars from a checking account to a CD and then raised the utility rates 2.5%. Wallace goes on to say that “the average income for the whole town is $36.000.00 per family.” He says the people in town can’t afford to pay the utility rates we have. Wallace says Waurika’s utility rates are the highest in the state according to his research. He says, “Comanche’s minimum utility bill is $36.00. Waurika’s is around $100.00.” Wallace said in Ryan the citizens get water and electric for around $100 per month.
“We’ve got to improve. We’ve got to have people in there who care about this town. They are the ones we serve. I just feel like if I don’t stand up for what I believe I won’t have a right to complain.”
“That’s why I am running for city council. I know I can’t do it by myself but maybe I can convince two other ones to go along with me. I just want to leave the town better than I found it.”
“The things that really get me is a year ago they bought five new pickups for the street, water and utility department. Our city limits only go a quarter mile south and a half mile east and a half mile west and people live two miles out on highway five. They sold pickups that were only 15 years old that people are still driving today hauling wood to Wichita Falls. We don’t have to have the best of everything here. It’s all about taxing the people of this town. I can’t see how anyone can pay a $130 -$140 utility bill to the city while living in the housing. That doesn’t include their electricity.”
“The City council thinks this town belongs to them and I can’t stand it. It’s not their town. We pay for everything they do.”
Wallace went on to discuss the ladder truck used by the Waurika Fire Department, “Having a ladder truck on the fire department for $200,000 that the people are having to pay for when we’ve used it two times in the last two years we’ve had it. One was to get a cat out of the tree and the other was in a parade. Do we need it? I don’t think the people need it. The only people who pay for it are property owners. It was a bond and the city council approved it. They can stop expenditures like that if they would just stop and think about the people. I feel for the poor people and feel for the people having financial trouble. I’m going to try to do something about it. I don’t know if one person can start it and get it going but we did in the 1980s. I’m still in good enough health to get in there and fight a good battle. I’ll be working for the people not for city council. I will not go along with anything that cost the people more.
Hopefully, the rains of this past weekend, which covered most of Oklahoma, offered some much needed relief to those who have been suffering from the horrific wildfires to our north!
The many hardworking ranchers in that area have lost nearly everything. Growing up in rural Jefferson County, fighting grass fires was a way of life. Back then most was done with cattle sprayers and wet tow sacks. But the fires that have been raging to our north have been devastating and the videos and pictures are heartbreaking. Continued prayers for the many affected.
This spring has certainly been cool and damp, and while many of you are wishing for temps in the 90s and up, I could put up with this at least ‘til fall! The fishing has been great, certainly in the ponds, and we have yet to have the hot days with lots of sunshine to drive the fish to deeper waters.
While fishing and camping are foremost on many minds this time of year, I know some of you are daydreaming of the fall-hunting season and already making plans.
Quail are making a comeback, but these days most bird hunters have given up their bird dogs and have limited access to quail country.
But it seems everyone has a place to hunt deer, hogs and varmints. With this in mind, it leads to the question; what means will we use to pursue our intended quarry? For most, the rifle comes to mind and certainly gun hunters outnumber all other forms. Bowhunting follows close behind and it happens to be my favorite method for deer hunting. Hunting with a bow, be it a recurve, longbow or compound, is a challenging sport to say the least and limits you to very close range.
But there is a form of hunting for any size game, big or small, that falls between rifle hunting and bowhunting. It happens to be handgun hunting. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s I read a lot of Elmer Keith’s articles (he promoted and helped develop the .357mag and 44mag). His intent was to develop a handgun round powerful enough to hunt big game. Handgun hunting was then in its infancy and at that time the 44 Magnum was the most powerful handgun round in production. That round certainly gained more fame from being used in the “Dirty Harry” movies. It was used by Clint Eastwood in a S&W Model 29! “Make My Day” became a buzzword.
Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag!
When I first started handgun hunting, I used primarily a Ruger 6” .357mag and a Ruger RedHawk in 44mag with a 7.5”barrel, both in stainless steel. I took deer, black bear, and hogs with these, out to 50 yards. While being limited to a shorter range, it’s amazing how quickly you adapt when being able to roam the hills with a handgun weighing 2lbs versus a rifle weighing up to10 lbs.
The sport of handgun hunting took a huge leap when Thompson-Center Arms brought out the “Contender”, a break-open, single-shot handgun with interchangeable barrels. The combinations were endless. I settled on a 14in barrel in .30 Herret caliber. You had to make the cases by fire forming 30-30 Winchester brass but the end result was amazing. You had a handgun that fired 140 grain spitzer bullet at 2775fps. That’s rifle ballistics!
This combination allowed me to take several antelope, mule deer and whitetail at ranges out to 275 yards.
My first mule deer killed with a hand gun.
In hunting revolvers currently in production, there are several modern (post-1980) revolver cartridges. Currently the most powerful production handgun round is the .500 Smith and Wesson Magnum. While firing a 350gr JHP bullet, it can exceed 3000 foot-pounds of energy, at nearly 2000fps. The “Big Smith” is followed by the .480 Ruger and .475 Linebaugh which also exceed the .454 Casull by a wide margin.
Handguns work for bears.
The only one of these I have fired is the .454 Casull and that was unpleasant to say the least!
For a beginning handgun hunter I would recommend starting with a .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum in either a Smith & Wesson or a Ruger revolver. The next step is practice, practice, practice, until you can keep your shots in an eight inch circle at the range you wish to shoot. Scopes are a great help with sighting and also add weight, which helps reduce recoil.
You don’t have to forsake the rifle, but this fall, consider strapping on that handgun and when that doe walks by at 20 yards, give it a try! It could add up to more venison chili this fall.
It’s just another way to enjoy our great Oklahoma outdoors!
As you read this you will be enjoying the first day of summer for 2018. If you don’t believe me spend some time outside this weekend! Next week is the “4th Of July” and many of you will be spending time at Waurika Lake!
I can’t imagine anyone in our area not knowing about “Waurika Lake” and I hope you realize what a gem it is. The lake was conceived primarily as a means of flood control and a large water reservoir. Locals began working on the plan for a lake in the fifties and sixties to control flooding of downtown and the surrounding area. It took a lot of hard work from my uncle, George Brown, Fred Richardson and others in the business community to finally see its completion in the early 1980s.
It has become a premier fishing lake, offering many species of gamefish including largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, walleye, sand bass and certainly hybrid striped bass! Folks come from long distances to try their luck at some of the best hybrid striper fishing to be had anywhere. If you want something to test your tackle then these hybrid stripers will certainly fit the bill!
Sunset from Waurika Lake!
The fact that the lake area is right in our backyard makes it much more special. The scenic irregular shoreline and gently sloping land to the water’s edge is an open invitation for outdoor family fun and relaxation. There are six recreation areas located around the lake that include such facilities as boat launching ramps, campgrounds, sanitary facilities, picnic tables and shelters. Boating and skiing enthusiasts will be pleased with the large areas of open water and the scenic shoreline. There are four large embankments and a number of smaller coves that make boating on the lake a real pleasure.
Visitors to Waurika Lake will find the dam structure an impressive site.A road runs across the top of the dam and access roads are located at each end. The lake is set in rolling prairies interspersed with croplands and timbered areas.Protection and blending with the natural environment was a primary concern in the design and construction of Waurika Lake. Trees, shrubs, and other desirable vegetation were left in their natural state in order to maintain the environment whenever possible.
In the beginning!
The Overlook and Wichita Ridge Pavilion are accessible to non-ambulatory persons and excellent places to view the scenery. The Kiowa II and Chisholm Trail day use areas, as well as several miles of paved roads and many primitive access points around the lake provide scenic areas and wildlife viewing from an automobile.
The lake offers many swimming opportunities for visitors. There are swim beaches located at the Kiowa Park I and Chisholm Trail camping areas that are open to campers and day users.Both of these areas have shower facilities.Boats are prohibited in these areas for the protection of the swimmers.
Walker Creek Trail is a 13-mile trail that can be used for hiking or horseback riding. The trailhead is located 5 1/2 miles north of the dam on Walker Creek.The trail winds along the creek over gently rolling hills and through wooded areas whichare abundant with wildlife. Spring and summer offer excellent opportunities to view native wildflowers. The trail is marked with fluorescent orange posts and mileage is indicated by metal mile marker posts.Water is available for horses at many points along the trail. Water for human consumption must be carried in. The trail is closed to hiking and riding during deer gun season.
Beaver Creek Trails are a series of interlocking dirt hiking trails that are accessible by non-ambulatory persons, weather permitting.These trails can be entered from the Project Office as well as from Moneka North and South.
As awesome as the Lake experience is, it is greatly enhanced by the fact that it has a full service marina located just past the west end of the dam in Kiowa Park II.
Eddie and Nan Reese purchased Waurika Lake Marina on September of 2000 and have continued to operated it today. They’ve put in a lot of hard work and certainly not without some tragedies along the way! The severe drought of a few years ago left them sitting on dry land for some time until the heavy rains of May 2015 finally broke the spell, as the lake rose rapidly. Things seemed to be getting back to normal with a lot of hard work until February 29, 2016 when they suffered a devastating fire to the retail area of the marina. There literally was nothing left, including all the merchandise and they had to completely rebuild that portion of the marina! Again, with hard work and perseverance, they were fully open on May 24, 2016, in time for Memorial Day!
Waurika Lake Walleye!
Next time you’re at the lake, stop in for a coke and a snack and say hi. Their hours of operation are- Closed Monday, Tuesday thru Thursday 7:30 to 2:00, Friday and Saturday 7:00 to 5:00, Sunday 7:00 to 2:00! The Crappie House is open seven days a week from 5:30am to 8:00pm.
They also have R.V. Hookups from $30 to $50 and three clean mobile home units for $80 to $100 a night! In addition they have 4 cabins for rent with kitchenette for $60 a night.
Kudos to Eddie and Nan Reese for their hard workand determination to continue to supply our lake with a much needed addition. Next time you are out fishing or just enjoying the lake, stop in and say hi, maybe pick up some minnows or tackle! Get out and enjoy your Lake Waurika!
Moore, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after learning about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for more than 70 years.
“Queen Elizabeth II lived an extraordinary life and displayed an unwavering sense of duty to her country. As the longest reigning monarch in modern history, she leaves behind an unparalleled legacy that extends numerous generations and 15 prime ministers. Her loss will be deeply felt not only by her loyal subjects but by countless admirers around the world. My prayers are with the Royal Family as they grieve the loss of a truly legendary matriarch and with our British friends as they mourn the loss of their much beloved Queen.”
Before church Sunday morning, I was visiting with a good friend when she mentioned an upcoming trip to the Beavers Bend area. Fishing is in the air! She and her family will be trying their fly fishing skills on the resident trout population-that sounds like fun to me! Regardless of the type of fish you pursue, now is the time to kick it into high gear. With temps this week in the mid 80s, the big bass will be cruising the shallows of your favorite waters. Just remember that those temps will also cause our local snake population to be moving around, also looking for a springtime snack! If you haven’t tried fly fishing, you are really missing out! It’s a sport that offers a journey for a lifetime. It can be as consuming as you wish it to be, but one thing is sure, you will always be learning something new. Add the element of tying your own flys/lures and you have a hobby for life! I’ve probably spent just as much time fly fishing on bass ponds in my life than I’ve spent traveling around chasing trout. Fishing farm ponds is where I originally found my love for fly fishing. Dave Whitlock is a well known fly fisherman and craftsman. He creates some of the most beautiful and effective flies for bass I have ever seen. He really opened the door to fly fishing for bass back in the 70s and 80s with his books on the subject.
The book that started it all for me.
My first outfit was crude at best with a $10 reel and a 9 foot fiberglass rod, that seemed to be as heavy as a shotgun. Heavy and cumbersome but it worked! With no fly fishing stores around, everything was mail order, but every time a package showed up it was like Christmas. Prior to that time my exposure to fly fishing was limited to articles in “Field & Stream”, “Outdoor Life” and other outdoor publications. I spent hours at the pond below our house, in the Valley Pasture, trying to fool the local bass and crappie populations. I wasn’t always successful but I was learning a sport that I have loved for nearly 50 years! Fly fishing for bass on ponds is a great way to get into the sport. There’s usually plenty of fish, and you always stand a good chance at catching them. One of the greatest things about ponds, in my opinion, is that most of them are small enough to fish their entirety from the bank. And the smaller the piece of water you’re fishing, the easier it is to locate fish. If you don’t agree, go out to a big public lake, and you’ll quickly understand what a bonus this is for an angler. The many hours I spent fly fishing bass ponds in my younger days, I learned a great deal. Below is a list of tips that I’d like to pass on in the hopes it will help others find success. It didn’t take me long fishing ponds to figure out the best method for consistently catching fish was casting my flies parallel to the banks of ponds. The reason it’s so effective is because it allows you to cover water systematically and thoroughly. When you cast parallel to the bank you can work your fly along the natural contours of the pond. Keeping your flies in similar water throughout your retrieve. Instead of spending your time casting out into deep water and working your flies back to you, start out casting your flies just off the bank, then slowly working your parallel casts outward into deeper water. Doing so, you’ll be able to locate where the majority of the fish are located and feeding, eliminate unproductive water and concentrate your efforts and first casts in the hot zones. Early spring, when the shallow waters warm quickly, this will work wonders!
No explanation needed.
Warm water species of fish are very similar to trout, in the fact that they spend most of their life span staying close to their food sources. The majority of the food found in ponds is located in close proximity to the banks. This is even more true when you’re fly fishing on ponds that lack lots of cover and structure. If you take the time to look along the banks, you’ll find bream and juvenile bass, newly hatched fry, frogs and tadpoles, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs and crayfish. All of these species use the banks, and it’s vegetation in and out of the water for cover and safety. If they venture out into open water, they know they’re sitting ducks for predators. Bass use two methods for foraging on their food sources. They either set up stationary in ambush spots close to cover or structure awaiting prey, or they stay on the move, slowly patrolling the waters where the majority of their food sources are located. The key here, is to have a strategy with your presentations. Don’t randomly cast your flies around the pond. Hopefully I have stirred some interest in fly fishing your local ponds, next week we will continue our look at this exciting sport! Meanwhile get out and enjoy your Oklahoma. Before church Sunday morning, I was visiting with a good friend when she mentioned an upcoming trip to the Beavers Bend area. Fishing is in the air! She and her family will be trying their fly fishing skills on the resident trout population-that sounds like fun to me! Regardless of the type of fish you pursue, now is the time to kick it into high gear. With temps this week in the mid 80s, the big bass will be cruising the shallows of your favorite waters. Just remember that those temps will also cause our local snake population to be moving around, also looking for a springtime snack! If you haven’t tried fly fishing, you are really missing out! It’s a sport that offers a journey for a lifetime. It can be as consuming as you wish it to be, but one thing is sure, you will always be learning something new. Add the element of tying your own flys/lures and you have a hobby for life! I’ve probably spent just as much time fly fishing on bass ponds in my life than I’ve spent traveling around chasing trout. Fishing farm ponds is where I originally found my love for fly fishing. Dave Whitlock is a well known fly fisherman and craftsman. He creates some of the most beautiful and effective flies for bass I have ever seen. He really opened the door to fly fishing for bass back in the 70s and 80s with his books on the subject. My first outfit was crude at best with a $10 reel and a 9 foot fiberglass rod, that seemed to be as heavy as a shotgun. Heavy and cumbersome but it worked! With no fly fishing stores around, everything was mail order, but every time a package showed up it was like Christmas. Prior to that time my exposure to fly fishing was limited to articles in “Field & Stream”, “Outdoor Life” and other outdoor publications. I spent hours at the pond below our house, in the Valley Pasture, trying to fool the local bass and crappie populations. I wasn’t always successful but I was learning a sport that I have loved for nearly 50 years! Fly fishing for bass on ponds is a great way to get into the sport. There’s usually plenty of fish, and you always stand a good chance at catching them. One of the greatest things about ponds, in my opinion, is that most of them are small enough to fish their entirety from the bank.
My grandson, Ryder – the future of fishing!
And the smaller the piece of water you’re fishing, the easier it is to locate fish. If you don’t agree, go out to a big public lake, and you’ll quickly understand what a bonus this is for an angler. The many hours I spent fly fishing bass ponds in my younger days, I learned a great deal. Below is a list of tips that I’d like to pass on in the hopes it will help others find success. It didn’t take me long fishing ponds to figure out the best method for consistently catching fish was casting my flies parallel to the banks of ponds. The reason it’s so effective is because it allows you to cover water systematically and thoroughly. When you cast parallel to the bank you can work your fly along the natural contours of the pond. Keeping your flies in similar water throughout your retrieve. Instead of spending your time casting out into deep water and working your flies back to you, start out casting your flies just off the bank, then slowly working your parallel casts outward into deeper water. Doing so, you’ll be able to locate where the majority of the fish are located and feeding, eliminate unproductive water and concentrate your efforts and first casts in the hot zones. Early spring, when the shallow waters warm quickly, this will work wonders! Warm water species of fish are very similar to trout, in the fact that they spend most of their life span staying close to their food sources. The majority of the food found in ponds is located in close proximity to the banks. This is even more true when you’re fly fishing on ponds that lack lots of cover and structure. If you take the time to look along the banks, you’ll find bream and juvenile bass, newly hatched fry, frogs and tadpoles, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs and crayfish. All of these species use the banks, and it’s vegetation in and out of the water for cover and safety. If they venture out into open water, they know they’re sitting ducks for predators. Bass use two methods for foraging on their food sources. They either set up stationary in ambush spots close to cover or structure awaiting prey, or they stay on the move, slowly patrolling the waters where the majority of their food sources are located. The key here, is to have a strategy with your presentations. Don’t randomly cast your flies around the pond. Hopefully I have stirred some interest in fly fishing your local ponds, next week we will continue our look at this exciting sport! Meanwhile get out and enjoy your Oklahoma.
Daylight savings time arrived this past weekend, and it signals my official start to “get ready for fishing season!” With the temps in the 60s and 70s in the afternoons and with plenty of sunshine to warm the shallows, the big bass will start cruising the shallows of your favorite spot.
My son in law Jeff Ross and Grady
The crappie bite and bass spawn is just around the corner we should all be smiling. It’s early spring—that funky time of year when the bass bite isn’t dead but it isn’t exactly on fire either. During the prespawn and spawning periods, when the water is still chilly, success with big bass has a lot to do with patience, being methodical in your presentation, and giving the fish a meal they can’t pass up no matter how lethargic they’re feeling. The beauty of early-spring bass fishing is that while bites may be fewer, you’re a lot more likely to connect with true trophies in the form of egg-laden females looking for some solid protein before taking to spawning beds, or heavy girls protecting their beds. If you struggle at this time of year—or don’t fish at all because you don’t think the bite is on—these tricks will help catch some big bass long before your favorite summer bite kicks into high gear.
A young Houston Scott.
During winter, fish often hole up in deep water with a soft bottom, and that holds true for both lakes and ponds. In the early season, you’ll find these fish in those same winter haunts before the water is warm enough to prompt them to move shallow to spawn. These bass can be glued so tightly to the bottom that you won’t even mark them on your sounder, and it’s not uncommon for fish to have mud streaks on their bellies when you catch them.
They tend to be lazy, so presenting a bait that takes minimal effort for them to eat is key. It also doesn’t hurt to choose a lure that will kick up puffs of mud as it moves, like a sculpin or crayfish, to help draw attention.
Soft-plastic tubes shine in this scenario. Where you can get away with a long cast over a prime location, sometimes simply letting the tube slowly drag on the bottom works best.
Houston is always ready!
Jerkbaits are one of my favorite early-season lures. When bass begin to transition from deep water to the shallows, these baits cover plenty of water, which is key because the bass are often cruising a large area. Jerkbaits prompt reaction strikes, which is why you’ll see many anglers working them as hard and fast as possible. It’s a great technique during warmer times of year, but in early spring, it pays to pause for a long time.
When my jerkbait first touches down, I’ll give it a few hard rips just to make it dive, but after that, I’ll let it sit for five to 10 seconds without doing a thing. A suspending jerkbait works best for this method, although a floating model that rises slowly can be just as effective. The initial movement often catches a fish’s attention, but this time of year, the bass may not swim over at 100 mph to crush the lure if you continue moving it. The long pause gives any fish attracted by the initial motion time to swim over for a look. Sometimes they’ll strike at the paused bait. Most of the time, however, I find that the hit comes during that first twitch right after the pause.
As the waters continue to warm, early mornings and late evenings are my favorite times to cast. I like to cast and retrieve a spinner bait over likely spawning areas. You might try slow retrieve of a slider type rig with a soft plastic trailer works great! While using short lifts and pauses through likely spawning areas. You watch your line carefully to detect any movement of a soft take.
There is nothing any more satisfying than to be on your favorite Oklahoma waters, watching the sun give us another glorious sunset, while you pause a moment to thank “Our Creator” just before you return that six pound bass back to it’s home!
Hope you had a great “4th of July” holiday and had a chance to celebrate the founding of our great nation! In doing so I also hope you had a chance to get on the water and enjoy a little fishing.
While out casting on your favorite body of water catching bass, crappie, catfish or whatever your quarry is, hopefully you didn’t encounter any snakeheads! What is a snakehead you ask? Well, I’m going to tell you more than you probably wanted to know about them.
Snakeheads (Family Channidae) are native to Africa and southern Asia. About 28 species have been identified. Equipped with a lung-like organ, these fish can gulp air and survive in waters with low dissolved oxygen levels. They can also live out of water for several days if they are kept moist. All snakeheads are aggressive predators and may eliminate other fish in waters they invade. They have even been known to bite humans who got too close to a guarded nest. The northern snakehead (Channa argus) is fairly cold tolerant, and could probably survive winters in many parts of the United States. This species also has the ability to cross land by wriggling or “walking” on its pectoral fins. Snakeheads have been imported to North America for the aquarium trade, and at one time were sold live in Asian-style fish markets. It’s thought that in some instances some of these live fish were released in waterways to reproduce as they are a sought after food source in Asia.
Native Bowfin
That was prior to the Snakehead being added to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in October 2002, which banned import and interstate transport without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.Snakeheads were sold in pet stores and in live food fish markets and some restaurants in several major U.S. cities, including Boston, New York, and St. Louis. Live specimens have been confiscated by authorities in Alabama, California, Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Washington where possession of live snakeheads is illegal. Some snakeheads living in natural waters of the U.S. may have been released by aquarium hobbyists or those hoping to establish a local food resource. Also, some cultures practice “prayer animal release”, a faith-based activity in which individuals purchase, then release, an animal (fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird) to earn merits with a deity.
You Don’t Want To Lip A Snakehead!
Snakeheads are a freshwater fish with little, if any, tolerance for saltwater. Within their native and introduced ranges, they live in small and large streams, canals, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and lakes. Many species can tolerate a wide range of pH, and one species living in Malaysia and parts of Indonesia prefers highly acid waters (pH 2.8-3.8). The northern snakehead and several other species prefer to live in somewhat dense aquatic vegetation where they feed and reproduce. Northern snakehead may tolerate a wide range of water temperatures and environmental conditions which contributes to their success as an invasive species.
During all stages of their life, snakeheads compete with native species for food and habitat. A major concern is that snakeheads may out-compete and eventually displace important native or other established predatory fish that share the same habitat.As adults, snakeheads can be voracious predators. Should snakeheads become established in North American ecosystems, their predatory behavior could also drastically disrupt food chain and ecological conditions, thus forever changing native aquatic systems by modifying the array of native species. This could be disastrous!
Northern Snakehead!
In the summer of 2002 and again in late spring 2004, Channa argus, the northern snakehead, generated national media attention when anglers caught these fish in a pond in Maryland and, more recently, in the Potomac River in Maryland and Virginia. Fisheries scientists consider snakeheads to be invasive species because they have the potential to threaten native fish, the recreational fishing industry, and aquatic ecosystems.
A mature northern snakehead female can carry as many as 50,000 eggs, although some will not develop and others will be eaten by insects and small fish following fertilization. Depending on water temperature, eggs can hatch in about 24-48 hours. The fish also can spawn several times a year.
Snakeheads are easy to identify with their large mouth-full of sharp teeth, a mottled appearance much like a snake and a dorsal fin that runs back to their tail. They have a slight resemblance to the native bowfin common in our southern states but they are not related.
Hopefully you never run into these creatures but you can search YouTube and pull up videos of people fishing for snakehead fish in the northeast.
But for now you don’t have to worry about swimming in Lake Waurika. Get out and enjoy our Oklahoma.
