Titan

Hey Luke, welcome aboard! I wish I could help you but I'm not very familiar with the Tulsa area. Good luck!

I really enjoy the MLF/BPT format. I enjoy hearing the pro's comments and watching their techniques. The skill they display is impressive. It's competitive fishing of a different sort. Watching a weigh-in at a BASS or FLW event is fine but it doesn't really help me to become a better fisherman. Also, I'm a huge fan of the MLF "weigh and release" philosophy.

I've had the same experience! Flipping/pitching got boring for me at times. I've forced myself to keep going, concentrating on learning to feel the jig contacting the cover, hitting small spots (on the first try) and pitching cover or spots that I would normally skip over. I've learned a ton from it.

I bought a Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW with the 115 Mercury Pro XS fourstroke 4 months ago. I bought it new from the nearby Basspro shop. Love the boat. I got it home and took it straight to my home lake. Fished all evening with no problems. The next day, Saturday, I returned to the lake and it wouldn't turn over (battery was dead). I noticed then that the gauge lights didn't turn off when I turned the boat off. I called Basspro and spoke to the shop folks. They had me check a few things to make sure it wasn't operator error but eventually told me I would need to bring it back. It's about a one hour drive so I was a little irritated. Of course, I worked myself into being completely P.O'd by the time I arrived. The Service Manager was waiting on me when I arrived. He met me outside and had me back the boat into one of the work bays. The mechanic on duty immediately climbed into my boat and began checking things out. The manager suggested I go do some shopping while they checked it out. I returned to the service department about 30 minutes later and the boat was fixed. The mechanic explained that the ignition switch wiring had been installed incorrectly at the factory. He fixed the wiring and installed a NEW battery in 30 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised by the service I received. Not only did they fix the issue, but installed a new battery. When I purchased the boat, I got a ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR gift card for BPS as well. Overall, I'm very happy with the boat and satisfied with the customer service. I've had zero problems with the boat after that and I use it 3-4 times a week.

Take one type of lure with you on the lake. Spinnerbait, crankbait, worm, jig it doesn't really matter. Spend the day learning to catch bass on that lure. Use your electronics to locate likely spots that hold bass. Stop and fish those spots with the lure type you've chosen for that day. Whether you catch fish or not, you've learned something. Most lures (except top water) can be fished in different depths and cover types. Learn to use the lure you chose for that day in each depth and type of cover. Have a learning experience out of the lake. Sometimes that doesn't translate to a "catching" experience but what you'll learn is invaluable.

My vote is live bait. I've caught bass on live bait after failing to catch them on a lure several times. I believe a bass (or any fish for that matter) will choose to eat a live bait over a lure in most instances. There are always exceptions of course. The question is whether or not live bait is necessary to catch fish. The obvious answer is no, and lures are much more convenient, faster and allow an angler to cover water.

My best results on my home lake has been flipping/pitching jigs BEHIND the weed line after a heavy rain and the far backs of the creeks. Buzzbaits early but very shallow.

Ditto....

I tie direct to both.

Yep, all the time. Works great!

Love Academy! Great selection and the prices usually seem to be better. They have some good sales during the year as well.

Used a lot of the Ozark Trail baits. They work well and catch fish. I'm actually fairly impressed with them.

If you're still fishing from the bank my choices would be a few buzzbaits and a popper or two (fall shallow water), weedless jigs (for later when the temps drop and fishing that heavy cover), a hard jerk bait or two (cold and shallow)and some spinnerbaits. I've also caught a few on a Johnson Silver Minnow Weedless spoon from the bank in the fall/winter.

I really agree with this. I would suggest, when you fish these, to lift the bait off the bottom a short distance, then keep your rod tip up and concentrate on feeling and watching the line as the bait sinks. MUCH easier to learn to detect strikes this way compared to dragging. Also, I would be pitching that bait into every piece of heavy cover I could find. Oftentimes, the bass will hit the bait and take off with it. Watch your line, when it starts moving, set the hook.

I've found a really good alternative. Harbor Freight sells super glue gel. I had some on hand the other day and thought I'd give it a try. I glued in a couple weed-guards, waited a day and tested them with pliers. I couldn't pull the guards out with the pliers, even to the point of destroying the guards themselves. It's inexpensive and works great. You get ten tubes for $3.74. I just squeeze a small amount onto a paper plate, dip the guard in the glue and insert it into the jig-head. It's not messy like regular super glue.

I'm always looking for new lakes to fish, and typically have only one day for the trip. I live near Shawnee Oklahoma and thought I would make a list of lakes within an hour's drive that are considered good to very good bass lakes. I'm hoping others will post their opinions as well. I'm listing them in order from best (#1) to worst. Trying to stay in the East Central part of the state. #1 This is a tough one but I've settled on Sportsmans lake near Seminole. The lake has a fair amount of standing timber on points and the backs of creeks. Vegetation covers the vast majority of the shoreline, though the depths near the shore are typically deeper than normal with sharp drops into deeper water. Rocks and submerged grass are also present. The South side of the lake is rocky with steep drops to deeper water. There is some standing timber on these rocky shorelines. The water is fairly clear with 2 foot visibility in some areas. I've seen several 35-40 pound, five fish stringers caught in this lake. My personal best came from here. #2 Okemah. This lake has seen a resurgence in the last couple years. My understanding is an oil spill decimated this lake several years ago, but, I've been told it has bounced back now. It's in Okemah Oklahoma. There is some standing timber and rock structure. The last time I was there, the water was pretty dingy with low visibility. I don't recall any vegetation but I could be wrong. #3 Wes Watkins. This is another lake that has seen a comeback recently. Apparently it suffered from the large-mouth bass virus several years ago but has recovered. Wes Watkins is located in Mcloud Oklahoma. A lot of standing timber with fairly clear water. No vegetation to speak of. #4 Bell Cow. Bell Cow is located in Chandler. Again, a large amount of standing timber. The water can get very stained at times. Some rock structure and some vegetation. #5 Prague Lake. TONS of standing timber, in fact, there's so much that the lake is a "no wake" lake. The shoreline is covered in milfoil and there is substantial submerged milfoil. The water is on the clear side with 2 foot visibility common. These are my top five. I welcome any comments, corrections or suggestions. If I'm over-looking something, jump in and tell us about it.

I had the same dilemma a few months back. I started out looking at all the Humminbird units but finally settled on Lowrance. I bought an Elite Ti2 9 for the console ($1,000) and a new Elite Ti2 7 for the front ($600). The units have wireless networking and many other features. I've been very impressed with the sonar/downscan/sidescan quality. I did have to download and install the latest upgrade but it was a fairly simple process. I'm a BIG fan of Cmap Genesis. I've found the more I use it, the more I like it. I've had a blast "mapping" my home lakes.

I used a paperclip. Heated it up and it melted the hardened paint out of the eye. No problem! Thanks for all the replies. Typo. Just a typo.... Or typographical error if you prefer.

I started around 1975, as a kid. I made hundreds, if not thousands of jigs for striper fishing. All white or Chartreuse, with marabou feathers. A friend taught me to tie them in a way the thread wouldn't show. I've since forgotten how to do it, sadly. I've always made Arky type jigs, spinnerbaits and an occasional sinker. It's always been enjoyable. It add's something extra to a fishing trip when you catch fish with baits you've made yourself. It's an accomplishment thing for me. I also enjoy giving baits to friends and family.

I have the exact same issue. I'll try out your suggestion. Thanks for the tip.

Catching a bass 8 pounds or more. Catching a blue cat over 40 pounds. Catching a crappie over 2.5 pounds. Catching a Northern pike. Fishing the lakes/rivers of Canada.

Thanks all. I'll give it a try.

I'm using Pro Tec powder paint. I dipped my jigs and cleaned out the eyes of the hooks. I hung them in the oven as per the directions. When I took them out, about half had paint covering the eye. Do you guys know a good way to remove this (now hardened) paint out of the eye? Also, what can I do to avoid this in the future? Thanks for the help. Love the forum!

I used some Gorilla two part epoxy. Tested it with pliers and seems to hold very well.