OkiePapist

Truest statement in this whole damned thread.

I have no KastKing stuff except their braided line, which has been fantastic for me. I do have the Piscifun Alloy M and it took all of 1 minute to dial in and it bombs the casts, is light, and has pulled them in for me. Ironically, I have in on a rod worth double the price of the reel. Piscifun has some good stuff though. I have their backpack and pliers and they are fantastic.

I've just gotten back into fishing, but I started with the good ol' Zebby 33. I moved to a Shimano spinning reel with the QuickFireII on it. Now though, I started with a Lew's LFS. That reel is fantastic for the $99 and a great starting reel, though I also have a Piscifun Alloy M that is a monster as well and great for the on sale $72 I paid. That said, I have settled on Shimano for my reels. I have an SLX and Curado DC and a Stradic FL for spinning now. I couldn't be happier with them and looking at the Curado BFS to do some finesse bait casting. Lew's makes a great reel and frankly availability and the DC system won me over. Sure, I have non-DC reels, but I have to say, when it is windy out, and my guardian angel as my witness, here in OK we get some wind, it is nice to have the extra protection.

Funny you ask this. I'm about to ask the same thing for just across the border in South Carolina. If you decide not to us a guide. Beside rod/reel, for bass, you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with the following: Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Soft Plastics (creature baits, stick baits (senkos), fluke) Spinnerbaits Swim jig I'd leave it at that. You can catch bass on these dang near anywhere in the US. April should be a fire month as well. Also, you will need to get a non-resident fishing license which you can either buy online or at a WalMart or other sporting goods store. Other than that, a pair of pliers and a good knife are good to have. Cheers mate and good fishing.

I'll add a story as well, though mine isn't fishing related. I used to travel a lot, (240 segments a year), and at the time was still a smoker as was sitting in the DFW A Terminal Admirals Club enjoying a drink and a smoke while working. I don't remember exactly how it started but this old guy started up a conversation with me. I wasn't in the mood as I was doing some work and really just wanted to tune out, but I obliged him. He told me he was going to Indy for the 500 to represent at Veterans organization. He started telling me a fanciful story from his time in Vietnam, but I really started to this this guy was full of bull based upon the story he was telling me. It was quite fanciful and he was like Rambo in a way. Not braggart about it, but it was interesting. I relayed that my cousin was the highest ranking Marine killing in the Beirut in 1983. He inquired his name and goes on to tell me he met him while in special operations and advised on security there. Now I really thought this guy is full of it, but he was nice to talk to so we continued. The conversation ended when he had to leave. He got up and said he appreciated the chat. He reached out and said "I want you to have this" and handed me something and we wished each other well. When I looked at it briefly I recognized it as a challenge coin, but had to get back to some work. About 10 minutes later, I finally got the opportunity to look at it. Imagine my surprise when I saw the metal, recognized what was on it, and realized that this guy wasn't full of horse hockey, but really undersold himself. I had the true privilege of sitting down and enjoying a smoke and drink with an absolute American hero. His name was Staff Sargent Jon R. Cavaiani. I met him in May of 2013, just over a year before he passed. May God have mercy on his soul. Please take a minute to read about this hero. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_R._Cavaiani

I was skeptical of the wacky rig, but then you threw in that 29th exclamation point and I was fully convinced. The 28 before it didn't, but the 29th was the one that did it. It made a much better argument than the previous 28!

Well Cody, nobody knows I guess.

I don't live up there, though I did grow up there. I have the same question here in OK. I'm sure I can learn from any answers you might get.

My newest baby. I love this reel.

I'm hearing great things about the Upper Illinois River in Oklahoma for smallies. Just learning myself about the SM, always focused on LM.

I have fished out at Keystone at the state park with success. I have also been working my way through ponds. I have had success at my neighborhood ponds and a couple in Owasso area. Google Earth is your friend.

I'm just getting back into the sport, from when all we used was mono. I have one reel, Lew's LFS Speed Spool, that is straight FC. Everything else I own is mono with an FC leader or straight braid. I love how well I feel the bite and how well braid casts and doesn't backlash. I love FC for its invisibility. I hate working with FC though. Once I run out of FC, i'll likely just run mono leaders.

Thanks all

I live on a golf course in the Tulsa, OK area. On my hole there is a nice little pond I like to fish. Today is going to be a scorcher with a high of 97, but tomorrow's high is 78 with some rain tonight. Decided it could be a good day. I thought top water, but what was slaying them was a ZMan Chatter bait with a RageTail as a trailer. Caught a 2 and a 2.5 pounder on this guy.

No, but Oklahoma before 1907 was Indian Territory so I'm sure either the Cherokee or Muskogee Creek gave it the name.