Creek fishing for Smallmouth last weekend... (pictures)

[Landonhog]

My dad and I went to one of our favorite little creeks last weekend... (home for the holiday weekend)  This is Sallisaw Creek, which is obviously nearby the town of Sallisaw OK...  (about an hour from my folks house)
This is probably my overall favorite place to fish...  Mostly due to the extensive amount of great memories I have of wading with my dad ever since I was old enough to drag a tube float...  We don't catch any big fish, but we always catch a bunch, and we always have plenty to eat.  We typically don't keep any of the smallmouth, only the largemouth and kentuckys...  The smallmouth just don't seem to survive on the stringer...

Here's a few pics from that morning.  (I took more than I normally would, but I thought you guys might appreciate them)  Plus as my dad gets older, I keep trying to let him get out from behind the camera.  (he's been there his entire life, taking photos of me)


Just getting started...  About 6:30... 
(ps. that little blue ice chest (empty) would somehow disappear that day.  Some people??)








Here's a couple nice sized Cottonmouths....  I didn't see them until I was hung up on the bottom, right in front of that root pile...  No kidding, I looked up and they were about 18" above my head... I was in my tube, and couldn't touch...  It made for a nice slow retreat... (taking pictures of course)




Only one was there on the way back...  Pretty decent size...  (oh, to have a firearm!)
















From the water to the plate... 
That evening:
Let's see... We've got the fried fish, hush puppies, fried okra, garden tomatoes, cucumber salad, baked potatoes, and a little iced tea...  Doesn't get any better...  Man, I love visiting the folks... (especially when the garden is ripe)


Yep, that's Texas Pete...  I'm usually a Louisiana guy, but that's what they had at the house...

[SultanofSwine]

Looks like a great day with a tasty finish.

[Mr. Hogback075]

Looks like a great day with a tasty finish.

What he said.........(minus the cottonmouths)!

Truthfully tho, i'd be ok seeing those, but the first big spider web that wrapped around me would get me all boogered up for the rest of the day.

[SultanofSwine]

I freakin hate those big ginormous banana spider webs that I seem unable to miss as I walk through the woods looking everywhere except where I am walking

[Landonhog]

It was a good one...  I'm headed to the Buffalo the 23rd through the 30th, and I'll be sure to post plenty of pics...

[southeasthog]

Great pics Landon! But you might catch some flak from some of those diehard bass fishermen for eating the bass. They sure do fillet good don't they?

[pioneerhog]

Looks like a helluva time. Good to see pics of your trip, I usually wade and my wife won't let me take the camera, which I am kinda glad of because I would probably drown it. Wadeing for Brownies is one of my favorite fishing to do. I usually don't catch real big ones but I catch a s&^t load of them. I catch and release since I don't eat bass so I am more worried about the number of fish I catch rather than the size. On the cottonmouth deal though, A little over a week ago I went to the Caddo River wading for brownies. I got to this one hole, fairly long and a little over waste deep, I hadn't been fishing this hole long when I look to my right and a big 3-4 foot cottonmouth is about 2-3 foot from me. This hole was real murky and I couldn't see very far below the surface and this was the 3rd snake I had seen so I decided this part of the river wasn't for me. Needless to say I started back to my rig and went on up stream a pretty good ways, I also saw another cottonmouth, about the same size, on the way out.

[Landonhog]

Awsome pics!  Only one of the snakes was there when you waded back...kinda makes you want to watch where you're stepping.  What were you using?  Salt craws? River minnows?

Our all time favorite bait/lure for smallmouth in streams/rivers..........  (I don't mind telling you because they don't make this particular one anymore, and my dad has made BULK orders direct from the factory for any they had left)

Brand: Culprit 4.5" soft plastic jerkbait.
Color:  Arkansas Shiner
First they stopped making the right color, then discontiued the model... They have something very similar, but we haven't had similar success...  We're now experimenting with some of the new PB - Gulp soft jerkbaits...

We use the jerkbait at all times and mix in a spin frog (smaller jig 'n' pig) or a 4" power worm (texas rig and blue fleck or purple).

Back when I was a kid...  3" smoke grub, small crawdad crankbait, chartruse 3" tube jigs, small floating rapalas, tiny torpedos....etc...  A few others but these have all been our 'bread and butter' since I can remember...

[Landonhog]

Looks like a helluva time. Good to see pics of your trip, I usually wade and my wife won't let me take the camera, which I am kinda glad of because I would probably drown it. Wadeing for Brownies is one of my favorite fishing to do. I usually don't catch real big ones but I catch a s&^t load of them. I catch and release since I don't eat bass so I am more worried about the number of fish I catch rather than the size. On the cottonmouth deal though, A little over a week ago I went to the Caddo River wading for brownies. I got to this one hole, fairly long and a little over waste deep, I hadn't been fishing this hole long when I look to my right and a big 3-4 foot cottonmouth is about 2-3 foot from me. This hole was real murky and I couldn't see very far below the surface and this was the 3rd snake I had seen so I decided this part of the river wasn't for me. Needless to say I started back to my rig and went on up stream a pretty good ways, I also saw another cottonmouth, about the same size, on the way out.

If you're looking for a good fishing/hunting camera...  I just got this one not too long ago, after quite a bit of research...  I've really enjoyed it thus far...  Only had it for a few months...
Digital and waterproof.
http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/digital_camera--Optio_W10/reqID--7399568/subsection--optio

If you don't want digital...  This is the camera I replaced with the new one I just mentioned...  Absolutely no complaints, but I just needed a digital...  This camera has taken most of the hunting photos of mine, that you may have seen posted...  Great waterproof camera...
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=143&modelid=7265

Here's a shot I took the other day, just testing it out...  (the pentax)
There's also one of a smallmouth up top...

[PulledPork]

great pics, especially those under water!


Pulled out...

[Landonhog]

Since I lost my camera...I'm in need and the Pentax looks like one that would fit my needs.  Did you buy yours off that web site?  Or where can I get the best deal?

I purchased mine at the Camera Gallery in Tulsa....  I'm not sure if they have the best deals, but it's a place my Dad used for years.  Good service....especially when your trying to decide.  They'll help you find exactly what you need, and if they don't have it; they'll order it for you.  I'm assuming Tulsa is probably not very handy for you though...  I think I paid around $300, plus another $50 or so; on a chip... 

I forgot to mention earlier, but you can also take short videos...  Depending on quality, chip size, etc, you can take at least 5 minutes of video...  Pretty neat.

[noprayerfornutt]

Great pics.  That meal looks delicious.  However, I would have been out of there at the first sight of them cottonmouths.

[HOGLUVIN]

Great pics.  That meal looks delicious.  However, I would have been out of there at the first sight of them cottonmouths.

Id still be cleaning up the darn.

[Mr. Hogback075]

I freakin hate those big ginormous banana spider webs that I seem unable to miss as I walk through the woods looking everywhere except where I am walking

the webs are bad enough...but what gets me is that while your doing the crazy "chicken w/ head cut off" dance, you know that spider is attached somewhere bouncing around.

and after doing this for 4 or 5 minutes, then striping down to your undies, making damn sure you don't have that biga$$ spider under your shirt, all the deer in the area you are scouting are long gone never to return to that one spot where they saw the crazy human. 

dern spiders always screw up my deer seasons....

[Landonhog]

Just picked up a Pentax W10...wont have to worry about it falling in the river at the boat ramp.  Thanks Landonhog.

Hey, great!  Hope you enjoy it like I have!  Two of my fellow duck hunting/fishing buddies also just bought this camera...
I don't think I've even scratched the surface on all the capabilities, I guess I should open up that manual...   :razorback:


Here's another link for the optio...
http://www.h20camera.com/home