Black Bass caught with spin cast reel and rod on The Grand Lakes of the Cherokees.
The guide was Tony Coatney. I enjoyed my four hours with him. He is a very knowledgeable bass fisherman.
My story. Several months before making our trip to Missouri and other states in the neighborhood, I went online looking for a bass fishing guide on the Grnd Lakes of the Cherokees in the NE corner of Oklahoma. I contacted by e-mail a Dempsey Guide service. In a few days I had a response. So a date was set. His wife did not ask for a down payment. Months went by without contact, so I called. A few days later I got a return call and the time was set for six in the morning on the 20th of July. He would pick me up at the marina at the resort I would be staying at (World Mark, or the former Shangri La). Still no requirement of a down payment which is the usual modus operendi of guides. Jane and I arrived at the resort and checked in the day before the fishing adventure was to begin. Since there was no marina at the World Mark Resort as there was on the Lake of the Ozarks where we stayed in Missouri the night before, I decided I had better do some scouting so that I am at the right place at six in the morning. I get information that the marina is about a half mile away. I visit there and talk with the owner of the marina. He tells me that Dempsey is not welcomed at this marina and that I should be hiring Tony. He also tells me that Dempsey is not a bass fishng guide, but a paddle fish guide. He calls Tony immediately and puts me on the phone with him. Am I feeling like I have walked into a territorial fight here? uh huh! Tony says Dempsey is not to pick up clients at this marina and that he knows he is not suppose to do so. I called Dempsey, but as usual, he doesn't pick up. I eft a message that I was canceling the trip. I arrange to go with Tony Coatney who charges $50 less and is reputed to be the best guide on the lake. He even had his own TV show for eight years I found out later. Go to his website: http://www.grandfishingwithtonycoatney.com/
While visiting Tony's website click on his picture section and you will find a picture he took and posted of me with the bass I caught. Pretty cool!
We started the morning fishing for sand bass. I caught a few. Hooked a big catfish that I broke off. Tony was cathing more, and bigger sand bass than I and he caught five or six nice size crappie that went about a foot long. They have to be ten inches to be legal in Oklahoma. Ha. We would hardly ever keep any here in Idaho with that rule.
Oh, yeah. It was seriously hot in Oklahoma. Tulsa had heat indexes of 106 while we were there. A few days it was even higher. We were about an hour and half drive from Tulsa. The temps were in the mid-nineties and the humidity was in the mid to high nineties. That is some kind of hot for a Western boy. We spent a lot of time in the condo or the air conditioned car. I did tour the Cherokee Museum while there. It was a good experience. Jane passed on that adventure.
Later,
Papa Coyote
