If you’re not keeping a fishing log you need to start.  Hal keeps one going back years and it helps him remember water levels and places and baits that worked.  His has been extremely helpful to  his fishing success. I finally started keeping one in 2007 and already it has helped me this year. Mine is simple and contains the date, water temperature, water level, bait used, good spots, number of fish caught, fish weights over 3 pounds, and any other pertinent info.  That info is on the small pad in the photo. The pad is a write-in-rain that will not  smear the pencil marks if it gets wet. If you click to enlarge the photo you can see the hash marks used to keep up with the number of fish caught and how the info is arranged. I just happened to take the photo of the best day I’ve had this year as far as numbers are concerned.  Coincidence ?

I have word of some good trips. Mickey and the Skinny Lawyer caught around 15 or so on Ferguson on the DT-6 and worms, some in the 3 pound area. Taff and crew caught 40 there too.  They used DT-6s, DB3s, Spinnerbaits, and worms. Again 3 pounds was the FOD.

I went to Lake Ferguson today and had a G fish day as I caught 3 gar, 2 goggle eye and a “grinner” along with the 28 bass. The only one I didn’t catch was a goo.  The bass were caught on a DT-6 to start but I switched to a worm until number 10 and then a rattletrap caught the rest. It was a rattletrap that I found in Enid when I pulled up a log with my “gitter” that I was snagged on. Put some new hooks on it and made a good bait out of it.  It’s in the first photo. The second photo is of one of those big Lake Ferguson gar.  You will notice my DT-6 in his mouth.  Like a good dentist, I deadened him a little with my cut off hoe handle before removing my bait from his snout. When I was cleaning one of the fish I kept, I noticed some worm looking things in one of the fishes’ innards. None in the flesh. Looks like some sort of parasite. They are in the third photo.

Richard and I had a good day at Beaverdam today. We caught 13 bass, a catfish, a goo, and a crappie.  FOD was 3 1/2.  We caught  them all on a worm. Richard 8, me 5, and he was showing me the spots too.  A fun day of fishing with the Beaverdam master.  Photo is of me with the FOD.   My  home made paddletail  worms did fine.

In Mickey’s own words.  He caught none Sunday in the teeth of the storm but an average of 35 fish for the last two trips is not too shoddy.

Mickey just called to report on  his trip to Ferguson. He caught 70 bass, 67 in the same spot. They were in the 1 to 3 pound range. Caught them on a DT-6. He said his thumb looked like hamburger meat.

No, not my thumb now, but I’m wounded on three fingers and a palm after yesterday. After getting stuck several times by DT-6 hooks, I finally started using my grabber to hold them while removing the hooks. The picture was after two days of fishing where I caught 20 that weighed 107 pounds (two years ago). Caught them on a Ribbit topwater frog, so I could stick my thumb in their mouths “safely”. Those two days were one of the highwater marks of my fishing career.

I was going to go to Tunica to fish with Richard today but the weatherman scared me into postponing the trip till Tuesday.   When I got up this morning there was no rain so rather than wasting a day, I went to Ferguson. Of course I went straight to the place where I left off yesterday. The DT-6 started off burning them up. The lake had fallen and they were out a little more but were there chasing shad and biting almost every cast. I had caught 40 by 9:40. Most were on the DT-6 pictured but some of the later ones were on a worm and a few on a DT-10. The first photo is of the DT-6 I’ve caught them on the last two days and the second is one of the schooling size bass I caught. Notice the firetail smellyworm hanging out of his mouth. Ended up with 47. If yesterday was good today had to be great.

I went to the South end to start this morning but the falling water has moved them from my spots. Working my way up the lake, I finally caught a few. Finally at 12 noon I found the honey hole and started catching them on every cast almost. 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds. There were some pole fishermen (that’s being generous) that saw me pulling them out and couldn’t stand it. They got out their casting rods and proceeded to come over and fish in the spot, almost getting over the fish. I asked them twice, nicely, not to get over the fish and the second time the man in the front got nasty and showed his true color. Maybe it was because they didn’t catch a fish the whole time. He made some mention that it shouldn’t matter since I was throwing them back anyway. Just to gig him a little I caught a 4 1/2 ( the FOD) and threw it back too on his side of the boat. I told him to smile as I took his picture. The fellow in the back of the boat seemed embarrassed and never said a word. Ended up with 21 bass and a catfish. And yes, caught most on a DT-6.

Mickey told me this afternoon , he and Ed King went to Ferguson and caught 12, most on a DT-6. The size was better than it has been. The largest 5 were between 3-2 and 3-5. Most were caught in one spot. As the water comes down the fish are having to come out of the trees and are congregating on the sandy spots. I may have to take back the last sentence in “Take a number part two”.