Hats off to the Corps of Engineers for the great job of controlling the flood waters, this year. With record rains for the year area lakes were pushed to extreme levels. We are so lucky we didn’t have the same problems other parts of the country experienced. Lake residents are ever so glad to get back into the docks. Hopefully, this fall will provide some great fishing. Fingers are crossed.

The Corps Web sites reports Fort Gibson’s lake level near 6 feet above normal. I’ve seen several lake customers finally fishing in their docks safely. Many are finally catching catfish and small crappie. Not big numbers, but they are catching fish. Minnows or jigs have been used to catch a few small crappie. Remember on the lake, crappie need to be 10 inches before they can be taken home for supper. Anglers using worms, cut shad or a prepared “stink” bait are taking home nice catfish.

All the gates are open, and turbines are generating at Fort Gibson Dam. I have never seen the likes of the amount of spoonbills below the dam. There are so many spoonbill, some are jumping out of the water. What causes them to jump out of the water? Some biologists think the jumping action removes any parasites or any other cling-on bugs that may be attached to the outside of their skin.

Who knows for sure why this happens. One thing for sure, there are plenty of spoonbills to be snagged at the dam.

Anglers are using fresh shad to catch stringers of blue catfish. A weighted 10-inch slip cork is floated inside the turbines is one choice of fishing. Other anglers are tightlining, (sinker in bottom of the line with one or two hooks above the sinker), with cut shad against the short wall near the turbines. Catfish in the 5- to 10-pound rage are common. Seems the other catfishermen, fishing on the west side of the dam for flathead, have seen a decline in action. The female flatheads are on the “nest.” Action will start again once the flathead finish their yearly spawn. The spawn should be finished in a couple of weeks.

As the temperature and humidity start to rise, so does the mortality rate of minnows. The hot weather is no friend to minnows. Cool is the word.

Cool container, cool water, makes for cool minnows. A temperature change of 5 degrees can or will kill minnows. Suntan lotions, oils, gasoline and other foreign matter on your fingers and hands will shorten the life of minnows. I suggest freezing small containers of water. When you go fishing put the containers in your bucket before you get the minnows. The container will hold the water from contaminating the minnows with chlorine. Store-bought ice has small amounts of chlorine and other chemicals that could kill minnows if the water is not treated before minnows are put in the water.

Never use chlorine bleach to clean a minnow container. If any residue from the chlorine is left behind, when finished cleaning, the dried chemicals will kill the minnows once the dried chemicals dissolve in the water. I recommend using vinegar in cleaning minnow buckets, live wells or any other container used to transport minnows. Vinegar will not harm the environment or the minnows.

When outdoors fishing, working the garden or mowing the yard, the heat can cause severe health problems if you’re not careful.

Take or drink plenty of water or energy drinks to replenish any fluids expelled from the heat.

Bottom line: Don’t get too HOT!

Till next time, good luck and good fishing.