BFL Okie Division ....Did somebody say ice hockey.

Posted by ken on March 8, 2014

BFL Okie Division ....Did somebody say ice hockey.

Who's idea was this anyway, I have not been on Grand since 1995 for a Bassmaster Central Open that Tommy Martin won, and I finished, well let's just say I finished. The intent was to come up last weekend and look around, however reports from Chris Jones (that's tall Chris) said that hockey games were breaking out all over the lake since it's frozen over. So I came in Thursday night. I'm staying in a house with Chris Torkleson, Chris Jones (tall Chris), Chris Jones (short Chris), Brent "Augustus McCrae" Haggard and fellow Texas Dicky Newberry. The 3 Chris's (yes very confusing) and Brent all range from good sticks to hammers on Grand. They all fished Thursday, no one had a single bite. We all fished Friday, no one had a single bite...no one we talked to had a bite. The water temp ranged from 36-39 degrees. Where do you start when you have not had a bite, and no one you know has had a bite...so the Elk river looked nice and I knew I would be protected from the wind. I'm fishing down a bank headed to a little point and a guy swings in and cuts me off and starts fishing the point. Immediately his coangler catches one about 2 lbs, which tells me two things, first Karma got the boater for cutting me off, but more importantly there are actually fish that might actually bite in this arm. Once I reached the guy that cut me off it obvious he's not going anywhere anytime soon, so I crank up to go a little further up the river. I run about a mile and there is a guy sitting in the middle of the river and not knowing for sure where I'm going I shut down to idle around him and notice that the water here is 39.8 degrees, almost 3 degrees warmer than a mile lower. So I go to the bank and pick up a Megabass jerk bait and an hour or so later I catch a 13 & 143/144th's inch fish. It's soooo close and with a little this and a little that I can make him touch. Into the box...points!!!! About then Chris McCall, another friend from Texas idles by, I wave him down (he's had same practice) and suggest there are fish in the area. I catch my second keeper of the day 30 yards from Chris, he does a little mental spin out, settles down and proceeds to give a clinic on the A-rig, winning the tournament going away. I am estatic with my points fish, get to the weigh in and no one knows the short fish penalty, so I decide to just weigh the 15 incher, come to find out not weighing the smaller one cost me a check, but I was afreaid a short fish might get my other one thrown out and not knowing the rules (I do now), I was simply not going to risk it. I think the final tally was 167 boaters and 167 co-anglers, 2 limits were caught and 58 guys weighed a fish. But points, my entire goal of coming up here is to make the top 40 and get to fish the regional at Rayburn, a solid start.