#32: Oklahoma Invites Us In!

We then moved on to Oklahoma, where the state fish is the White Bass (aka Sand Bass). After around we found that we had come a little early for the best time of year, but that we might be able to get on some early runners. We fished around some dams and creeks, and saw a few people out on boats catching them, but no one from shore was getting much at all.

We did a news piece with reporter Sawyer Buccy that ran on Fox stations in both Tulsa and Oklahoma city. At the end of the segment she mentioned that we might need some help....and wow, did Oklahomans come out to help! We had people reaching out to us from all over the state, offering up local tips, knowledge, food and lodging. A few even offered to take us out fishing on their boats with them. We were overwhelmed by the hospitality.

A local fisherman, Levi Lemon, said he would take us out and try to get us on some white bass on Keystone Lake. Unfortunately we didn’t actually catch any while out with him, but we had so many people reaching out and offering advice on lures and great locations. We went to one of spots in a little creek that runs into Keystone Lake, and managed to get on a good school of White Bass. We caught seven or eight all together, some decent sized ones as well.

That night, we stayed with some awesome people in Tulsa. The owners of Integrity Transportation had a house on their grounds where two of their employees lived, and they offered us a place to sleep and a meal, which was much appreciated. We had some hilarious conversations with the owners, who were very well traveled and easily beat us in the story department.

The next morning, we went over to Fort Gibson Lake, where Spoonbill guide Bob Scoggins had offered to take us out fishing. Neither of us had ever caught a Spoonbill before. We trolled four lines behind the boat, attempting to snag these weird-looking, filter-feeder fish. Even though the weather was windy and rainy, we still managed four huge Spoonbills, a nice sized Gar, and a pretty big Carp. He was a great guy, and really knew what he was doing, putting us on fish even when they were few and far between in rough conditions.

Oklahoma’s hospitality was incredible, and we can't be thankful enough for it!