Help a newbie get (back) into fishing.

[poopgiggle]

Years ago dad and I would catch perch (catfish if we were lucky) at the lake by his trap club, and every once in a blue moon my grandpa would take me with him when he would go after walleye or muskies. This was all in the Chicago or Detroit areas.

Summer just started for me and I've decided I want to start fishing again. What do people catch in Oklahoma? What's good to eat? Am I gonna have to drive out to somewhere like Lake Keystone or can I just go down to the Arkansas River by Riverside? Also if anyone has any suggestions on decent rods & reels for someone starting out on a budget I'd appreciate that. I think I'm good to go with technique; I remember how to cast and I can probably still entice a bass to take a stab at a crankbait.

Also I want to let everyone here know how lucky they are to live in a place where you can buy live bait at Wal-Mart and drive a little ways to fish. Even if I were starving I wouldn't eat anything I caught from the Chicago river.

 

[RidgeHunter]

There's quite a wide variety of fishing around Tulsa, even more if you're willing to drive a bit.

-The Arkansas along riverside is fishable, though I've never fished it. My old neighbor used to do quite well on Stripers around Zink Dam; he caught some very decent fish there. Also lots of sand bass, or so I'm told. There are areas accessible to wading there as well. I know nothing of how to fish there, just that lots of people do and they can be pretty successful. I would not eat anything from that river, but that's just me...

OAF has some info on it in their little Ark River section:
http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showforum=123

-Many many towns around Oklahoma have municipal lakes for their water supply, etc. Little lakes that are often good places for bass and sunfish. Great places for a kayak, canoe, little boat, or just hoofing it along the shoreline. Sapulpa, Okmulgee, Beggs...just about any old town in Oklahoma. Pull up Google Maps and look for little blue spots, chances are it's a small lake that holds some fish. These lakes often require a permit from the town, usually cheap.

-Then you have your tailrace fisheries below just about every major dam in Oklahoma. Buncha dudes lined up in a small area throwing big baits at big fish with big rods. These guys can be characters, convicts, and cliquish. But they catch big feesh. If you're feeling adventurous you can try to join their ranks.

-Then you can get into the trout fishing we have here...or head east a couple hours and be into all kinds of awesome trout fishing in the Ozarks. The Ozarks are a fisherman's paradise. Lots of clean, cold water. Lots of trout. Lots of stream smallmouth.

The variety of fishing available in and around NE Oklahoma is so wide, my main advice to a newb would be to narrow it down to a style that interests you most, then seek advice on it, then go forth and prosper. You can catch sunfish on an ultralight, or catfish bigger than children on a surf rod...and everything in between. You can even use that sunfish to catch the catfish for a circle of life type deal.

 

[dennishoddy]

Well, crap, RH you covered almost everything I was gonna post.
Poopgiggle, Identify the water your wanting to fish, and we might be more specific. There are people on this forum that have fished almost every body of water in OK, and don't have a problem helping somebody get into the fish.

 

[poopgiggle]

Poopgiggle, Identify the water your wanting to fish, and we might be more specific. There are people on this forum that have fished almost every body of water in OK, and don't have a problem helping somebody get into the fish.

For day-to-day, something in/near Tulsa like the Arkansas river. I would be willing to drive out about 2 hours or so for special occasions but not as a regular thing. Gas costs $monkeybux these days.

I'm also interested in stuff I can eat. I know I love catfish and perch but I can make almost anything taste good with enough sriracha.

I'm trying to be as specific as I can but I'm sort of out of my depth beyond tying a palomar knot. I feel like a new gun person saying, "I WANT TO START SHOOTING BUT I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GUNS SHOULD I GET A DESERT EAGLE?"

 

[vvvvvvv]

Also if anyone has any suggestions on decent rods & reels for someone starting out on a budget I'd appreciate that.

My dad has been training me well on buying reels.

If you look hard enough, Black Max reels can be had for $15-$20 in great condition in many pawn shops. I got two of them - one that looked as though it had never been used, and another that just needed a little lube. He also got me a Shimano in great condition for $35 that at the time was going for $140 used on Ebay. I'll have to look at which model it is again. I left my rods and reels in the boat by accident when we got back from our trip.

He also swears by Lightning Rods. They're not too badly priced ($35 normal, $25 on sale at Academy), and they've served him well. I don't fish much... maybe 6-8 times a year (hoping to have time to go more), but something that I've learned is its nice to have at least two setups - a heavy action rod with a braided line (like Spyderwire) for things like plastic worms so you can feel everything, and a lighter action rod with monofilament for things like top water where you want a little bit of a shock absorber from the strike.

It took a while to get the backlash on baitcasters under control, but I absolutely love using them. Now I'm to the point where I generally only get backlash when I forget to adjust it when changing to a lighter lure. If you're ambidextrous like me, I highly recommend training with both hands. A) casting left handed and reeling right can get a buzzbait or crankbait started as soon as it contacts the water, and B) if you're ever in a boat, your boat mates will love it, and C) you can choose which way you want to cast around an obstacle.

 

[mr ed]

Go to the wildlife dept website and download a list. There are about 20 stormwater ponds in neighborhoods all over town that the wildlife dept stocks. They even list what type fish they are stocked with. Some are better than others. My guess the ones further south have less fishing pressure, but who knows. I've only been to 2 and it was super windy both times.
Didn't catch anything but saw others that did.

a few are
21st street next to southerland lumber
11th and mingo turn south at light
6th and mingo
one off the BA at garnett behind the social security office. you can see it from the BA
51st and Hudson -northeast corner of Lafortune park
O'brien park -off Edison about 1200 west edison

 

[Pugsley]

Most of the stormwater ponds have some sort of fish in them. I don't know if I would eat them, but it can be fun when time is limited and/or you're taking smaller kids fishing.

Here is a list of the Wildlife Dept stocked ponds in Tulsa:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/tulsaurbanfisheries.htm

 

[Garand]

The problem with the local Tulsa Ponds is all the people with buckets sitting around the banks leaving with everything they catch. I wish the city/parks enforced some sort of slot so those of us that just do catch/release have something to catch.

 

[Droberts]

dunno if this has been posted yet or not, but just get on 71st st & head toward broken arrow. it dead ends in a barge lock. blue cat heaven. my wife's dad pulled a 60lbs flathead out of there years ago. plenty of blues in the 10-20lbs range.

super easy to get to. great fishing in the heat of the summer.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...44147&sspn=0.106441,0.154324&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13