Why harvesting is important...

Sep 11 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
483

Reservation Number : 29707
Property Name : Indian Hollow Ranch
Reservation Date : 09/10/2021 PM - 09/11/2021 PM
Total Fish/Sizes : Lost Count, was over 90 if that means anything
Lures Used : Sqbill, TRIG, Spook, Crank, Poor Man's Carolina

Made the trek up to Indian Hollow in near Boswell, OK for an evening and a day of fishing.  I had spoken with Steve about El Salto and mentioned I was headed up to Indian Hollow. He noted that the lake has alot of small fish and he was right.  If you took my bottom 70 fish, I’m guessing I might have cracked 35lbs, but that is a big ‘might’.  This is why harvesting  is really really important.  If you don’t reach enough big fish that can self cull the lake, you get a terrible amount of these poor runts that are 4-5 years old with big eyes and large mouths.  I caught many, but I can’t say I was proud of it or that much skill was involved. 

  1. Water temp was 84 the first evening, 80 the next morning. 5 foot+ visibility, no wind the first night, good wind the next day.  Fair amount of milfoil out to 10 feet, some snotgrass on the top of the mats, but not terrible in outer weedline. 
  2. I started with the main lake points and actually had a slow go of it – mostly throwing a speedworm just trying to locate the fish.  I worked my way around the back of the lake to the main lake in 20 foot of water where it is in yellow on the map I have in the pictures.  I started throwing a sqbill on top of the milfoil to search and immediately started catching fish on multiple successive casts. I did this for a while till I got tired of it. 
  3. I threw a frog intermittently and caught a fish in holes in the mat, but missed more than I caught as the fish had a hard time in general getting around on it. 
  4. I tried a swimbait but ended up with 10 dollars of tailless kaitechs, so I stopped. 
  5. Got very little on a spook and popr which was suprising considering the clarity.  
  6. I noticed that there was a thermocline at about 15 feet that first evening (was at 20 he next day with the wind). So I started throwing a deeper crank to that depth to get under the small ones to get something of repute. It worked and I was able to manage a few decent fish.
  7. I’m guessing I ended up with 35 or so that first evening. I’ll take it. 
  8. Next day I fished from 7:30 till 2:30.  Thermocline had moved down and I wasn’t finding quite as many fish on the sqbill.  Crank still produced, but the fish seemed to be a bit deeper, so I started throwing a TRIG using a red, blue flake worm – easily my favorite color in clear water with a slight green stain.  Tried a green magic with similair results. 
  9. Unfortunately, the smaller fish were following it on the way up and on the drop – new game plan. 
  10. Started to throw a poor man’s carolina – pegged the weight with about a 3 foot leader and threw a fluke/creature bait on with a bit more girth to it. 
  11. Caught my best fish that way working in the pink zones on the map.  There was some timber, grass, and an intermediate area surrounded by deeper water with access to the bank – was a good transition zone that produced a TON of fish.  
  12. I did try and work in the shallower arms of the lake but the grass is heavy, I needed a bigger motor to get throught he grass to punch, so I used a frog, and managed a couple, but nothing great.  
  13. I caught the second most fish in a 10 hour period or so that I’ve ever caught at a place not named El Salto,. so that’s something. 
  14. Harvest your fish please.  I think if a bunch of us got together and fished this lake a weekend and pulled out 500 or so, it would really help right this lake.  Or maybe I’m just bad and couldn’t find the good fish. 

Sep 11 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
483

Only a portion of the pictures uploaded, but the map is there with the zones, picture of the cline, and a couple of the fish with baits used for reference.  I need to figure out how to reduce the size without having to manually do it picture by picture so I can fit more in. 

Sep 12 2021

Charles McCallum

Fingerling

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
57

That's a whole lot of dinks.  Great report Joshua. Is there a place to stay near by?

Sep 12 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
483

Originaly Posted By Charles McCallum

That's a whole lot of dinks.  Great report Joshua. Is there a place to stay near by?

There is a cabin on the property not sure if you can reserve it.  I stayed 30 min away at Choctaw in grant as needed good internet to so some work that night.  There are a couple of towns nearby and an earlier report referenced a place to stay in Boswell. And yes, it was alot of dinks.  

Sep 12 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
483

Originaly Posted By Joshua Massoud

There is a cabin on the property not sure if you can reserve it.  I stayed 30 min away at Choctaw in grant as needed good internet to so some work that night.  There are a couple of towns nearby and an earlier report referenced a place to stay in Boswell. And yes, it was alot of dinks.  

I’d also add, that I am extremely grateful to be able to fish such a beautiful property and the conditions were stellar,  a lake that size is tough to manage and get to an equilibrium – all I’m suggesting is that it does need harvest, like all lakes, and please do your part – don’t throw those dinks back in.  

Sep 12 2021

Dale Stagg

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
126

Originaly Posted By Joshua Massoud

I’d also add, that I am extremely grateful to be able to fish such a beautiful property and the conditions were stellar,  a lake that size is tough to manage and get to an equilibrium – all I’m suggesting is that it does need harvest, like all lakes, and please do your part – don’t throw those dinks back in.  

Great report Joshua!

Sep 12 2021

TRI VO

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
190

Great stuff Joshua! I could bring my family up there fishing and help cull. It should be a good place for the small one to catch fish. Tie her on a small chatterbait and go to town.

Sep 13 2021

Steve Alexander

Admin

Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1124

Joshua,

This has to be a nominee for fishing report of the year. Thanks for being so thorough! 

Steve