Cattfish

If your not really worried about what type of fish you catch and just want them to catch something, I take my kids to Thunderbird enter off highway 9 at the hourse stable go down the hill you will pass the nature center on the left then on the left after the nature center but before you get to the boat ramps there is a turn in for a parking area with restrooms, as you are facing the restrooms, to the left is a trail that takes you down to a fishing dock, drop a line in the center of the dock with worm, minnow, seet corn ect.. and the kids will get something, I have used vaious lures outside of the dock and picked up bass (mostly a cheep plastic swim bait from wally world) I have seen a 3 lb bass pulled out iof there and have pulled a 2lb out myself along with catfish, bluegill, crappie just no luck with saugeye yet. Everytime we go we have pulled something out and usualy enough panfish for a good (family of 4) little fish fry.

Thanks guys it was good to catch one even if it was on the smaller side, Goes to show either I got lucky or I am starting to do something right hope it the starting to do something right part but still having fun learning and getting out and thowing lures in and retrieving is relaxing and intersting to see how each react to diffrent retrieves.

Went out to Lake Thunderbird yesterday with wife a friend of hers her daughter our daughter and her friend, choose Thunderbird because there is a fishing dock that the kids are just about garenteed to catch some fish (mostly smaller blue gill crappie ect..) I had tossed out a crawdad lure in about 10 ft of water and was going to let it sit before starting the retive so I grabed my cheepie rod and baitcaster (still setup with the line that came with it) and told my daugther to pick a lure for me, she grabed a cheap walmart soft swim I tied it on and was messing around with a slow fast retrive got it about 2 feet from the dock and about 3 feet deep (dock sits on about 5 ft of water when lake is full) and got hit but did not see what it was so wife saying the whole time "your just getting caught up on something" I keep trying by casting out about 20 foot then slow / fast retrieve then bird nest on about the 4th cast cleared it and started retrive it hit again I set the hook and got a 15 inch 2 lb bass (was not expecting to get anything big due to heat so was mostly experimenting and practicing cast and retrive). Got it up to the dock I had hooked it in the side of the mouth about 1/2 an inch in when reaching to get the hook out it flopped broke the line hit the deck and knocked the hook out easist hook removel ever, It was not the bigest on the board here but being my first and also not expecting it I am proud of it. My fishing in the past had alway been for trout cattfish and panfish with standared worms, corn or liver so switching over to lure and learing retrives and what works for this area has been "interesting" most of the time going has been for me to pratice casting and retrive and see how diffrent lure act still fun and relaxing for me. Wish I had my camera with me but another day now I know I can get them it only gets better from here...

Well thanks all for the welcome, Saturday took the boat to Lake Arcadia had starter problems so dropped the boat off at home then went down to Lake Thunderbird because we have had a few hits there and they have decent covered fishing piers. Did not get any bass but my son did catch his first few fish, they may have been small and are not bass (first is crappiesecond is a bluegill) but it did revive his interest in fishing... now every day when I get home from work his first question is can we go fishing.. (not my best photos all I had with me was my phone not my good cameras)

Well some basic background, I started fishing when I was to young to remember and fished all over the U.S. then went into the military and served overseas mostly now I am back an living in Oklahoma City, the wife and kids (12 yr boy and 13 yr girl) and I have started to get back into fishing but the shore fishing here has been less than productive for fish, but great for family time. Picked up a 79 chaparral with 115 johson, trolling motor and fish finder for $850 and now have it ready for the lake I plan on hitting Lake Arcadia this weekend and hope to get something. All the bodies of water here have been low up till now and other than seeing a few jump now and then and getting a few nibble we really have not landed anything closes was about a 20 inch saugeye at Lake Thunderbird last weekend got it to about 15 feet of the fishing pier when it spit out the lure but it was close enough that it re-energized everyone and got thier interest going again. Do not know if it is the lures / bait we are using or just not a lot of fish in the areas we have hit ( live between Lake Overhoser and Lake Hefner with many smaller city lakes nearby) Hope that with the fish finder to assist in locating some we can entice them bite but plan on having fun reguardless to me it is more about family time which I have missed alot of then actually catching anything. I also hope to hit more of the lake around Oklahoma this summer as time allows.

My wife got me a baitcaster in april and some of what I learn is use at least a 1/2 to 5/8 lure or plug to start with (something easy to see as it flys through the air), set your tension to where the spool stops when the lure hits the ground then tighten the tension know about 1/8 to 1/4 turn more do not cast into the wind. Also keep your thumb on the spool very lightly feathering as it spools out and tighting down when it hits the water to slow / stop the spool keep your eye on the lure and feel the line you can feel when the spool is going faster than the line and that is when you feather to slow the spool down. I used a cheap 12lb test (h20 from acadamy if I remember right) starting because I knew I would be getting bird nests and may have to cut the line. My first few attempts were pathetic to say the least but as I got the feathering and stopping / slowing the spool down my distance and accuracy greatly improved I still get bird nests every so often usually when I am paying attention and I am able to use lighter lures and cast into the wind when I have to (Oklahoma is big on the wind).