By John Kilgore
Phoenix Outdoor columnist
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I feel truly fortunate to have been chosen to write the weekly outdoor column for the Phoenix. Hopefully you will find the articles informative, useful, and entertaining with an opportunity for you, the reader, to respond with your thoughts and opinions to agree, disagree or submit a photo from that special outdoor experience.
I certainly will never claim to have that magic bullet, golden hook, nor sure-fire mojo magic some people seem to possess but the good Lord has given me well over 40 years of trial and error outdoor triumphs, miscues, great friends and a lifetime of special memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
With all of that being said, the dog days of summer are upon us and the heat is enough to make only one venture out early, late, or plan an after-dark fishing trip.
We in eastern Oklahoma are blessed with an abundance of lakes, ponds, and streams at our doorstep that offer a wide variety of species for fisherman of all types. Black, Spotted, and Smallmouth bass are extremely popular with the latter imported variety thriving in lakes such as Tenkiller and Eufaula.
Topwater action can be good not only early and late but under the right conditions, I have caught large blacks in the middle of the day when it’s 100-plus degrees, bright sunshine, and not a breath of wind – go figure!
More conventional techniques include plastic worms, creature and spinner baits, shallow or deep diving crankbaits fished around shaded shoreline cover, ditches, depressions, ledges, rock and brushpiles and countless other off shore objects.
Many of the required gear and new sonar imaging equipment such as the Lowrance Structure Scan or the Hummingbird side imaging locators can assist you in finding shallow or deep water structures that might normally go unseen to the naked eye. The downside to these units is the cost, which can run anywhere from $500 to $2,500 or more.
Another summertime fishing activity that draws many people is striper fishing. A location for these hand-pulling, runaway freight trains is the lower Illinois River near Gore.
One of the contrasts that striper fishing has with bass fishing is that the hotter the weather, the better for stripers. Trout stocked in the Illinois River draw stripers like a magnet. There are a number of striper guides whom specialize in striper fishing.
Someone to call for information on guided striper fishing would be Dave’s Bait and Tackle in Gore at 489-2424. Dave mentioned striper guide, Delmer Shoults, 773-5213. The summertime months can seem challenging, but they can also be very productive and fun.
John Kilgore's outdoor column runs Fridays in the Phoenix. To reach him with news or comments, call (918) 348-9431 or e-mail him at jkilgoreoutdoors@yahoo.com.
