[Cover Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash]

I’m always up for exploring new lakes, rivers and creeks.  Any excuse to fish is a good one for me.  The fun part is all the adventures you have along the way (occassionally, they are a little dangerous). Sometimes you have to try a few lakes before the adventures set in. So, I had occasion to explore the banks of Shell Lake (near Sand Springs) recently and tried different things there three days in a row (about 3 to 5 hours each visit).  It was a fine lake and I caught fish, but not too much excitement or outdoor adventure. My only real complaint is that Shell Lake requires a $2.00 contribution to a little box every time you go (despite your current Oklahoma fishing license).

 It was easy to catch fish from the banks… use live worms and catch sunfish and baby bass all day long.  But, I wanted to catch bigger bass, so I kept trying different lures designed for bigger bass.  I finally caught one Large Mouth Bass the last day that was about 15 inches long (not much, but at least it was keeper size). 

I suspect Shell Lake could produce some good bass if you were in a fishing canoe or small Jon boat, but from the banks, your odds of catching a big bass are somewhat limited as there is only so much area that is accessible to walk up to.  Still, if you have a younger one with you, you can nearly guarantee a catch with live worms and small hooks. On the other hand, I saw a lot of water snakes.  I don’t believe any were poisonous, but they were there (and they are there at any lake you visit in Oklahoma – and most southern and Midwest states too).

            Just a week or so later, I was encouraged to explore Bixhoma Lake and decided to give that a try.  That’s where things got interesting. Now Bixhoma requires a special permit from the City of Bixby to fish there (your Oklahoma fishing license is not good enough there either – see a pattern forming).  So, I had to make a trip to the Bixby City Hall (online permits coming soon – says their website… I hope so) which meant I couldn’t go out early as the City Hall didn’t open until 8 am.  I had a few errands that day, but swung by on a Friday about noon and bought the permit (good for a year for $15).  Since I had a little time, I ran by the lake (another 15 minutes south) and thought I’d fish for an hour before it got too hot for effective bank fishing. 

            The lake was pretty, but I’m no judge as I love them all.  If there’s a large body of water and fish in it, I think it’s home and that it’s beautiful.  There is very good bank access and a couple of docks.  I fished immediately off a spot where I could tell canoes were being launched from.  There were grasses growing in the water to provide hiding places for bass.  That first spot was an area with a lot of small sunfish and baby bass, so after they stripped my worms a few times (and wouldn’t bite any crankbaits) I went back to the car to switch some things and planned on checking out the dock on the south side of the lake.

            While I was at the car putting on a fresh worm and considering on switching out a lure on the other rod (I always use two at a minimum), a young couple with a large dog pulled up in a dark colored SUV (I think it was an older Bronco).  The young lady was cute and kept asking me questions about fishing and the lake (my first time there, but I guess I looked like the elder statesman of the lake to her).  The guy (could have been husband, boyfriend or brother) also wanted to tell me all about their new canoe and how this was their first time out with it. 

            The lady asked me about snakes and I made the mistake of just answering without prefacing it.  “Yes there are snakes here and you do need to watch for them.”  I realized my mistake as she immediately told her partner that she wouldn’t be taking the canoe out and would just stay by the car.  I felt horrible, so I immediately went into damage control on behalf of the poor dude whose day I’d just made more difficult.  I explained to her briefly how safe she’d be in the canoe and how she could avoid encounters on the water if she just watched carefully and paddled away.  In fact, as her day turned out, she would have been safer staying in the canoe.

            I then proceeded to fish along the bank and headed to the dock.  I guess she accepted my advice because she went on out for a brief time on the lake by herself and then paddled back for the guy to take a turn.  I didn’t tell her that while on the dock, I saw a fairly large water snake that noticed me and expressed his displeasure. I pointed at it and told it to leave.  They get the point and leave for me pretty well.

As she was paddling back, two younger girls showed up in their own canoe and the three females engaged in girl talk about how cute one of the swimsuits looked on one of the two new girls. The original lady then started to walk her large dog around the gravel road running along the lake.

            Two things happened about the same time.  I caught a small sunfish off the docks and the lady with the dog got knocked over by said dog and hit her head and elbow on rocks along the roads edge.  I heard her fall, but then she laughed and talked to the two girls so I thought she was ok.  She was not.

            I came off the dock to check on her and found one of the two new girls holding her dog and the other girl holding her upright as she was bleeding badly from the arm and elbow.  I sped up and opened my car to get tissues, towels and a first aid kit.  I ran to the injured young lady and could see that she was not able to stand on her own.  The young girl was holding her upright and she was babbling nonsense. I had hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and a first aid kit, so I was ready to help. I quickly wiped her clean of the blood and then ran to signal for her guy companion to come back in from the lake. 

He came quickly and took her arm on the left side to walk her to their vehicle.  I knew that was not enough and took her arm on the right side which the guy soon realized was needed as she was not even close to supporting her own weight as we walked her to the car.  She started saying things like “that’s not my car” or “my car is over there”, but it wasn’t.  We got her in the correct vehicle and the bleeding started up again.  I wiped her down while the guy was grabbing some of their things.  Then I got a large bandage from the first aid kit and gave it to him to put on her.

He thanked me and went about tending to her when I realized the young girls were still nearby taking care of the lady’s dog.  So, I fetched that and brought it to the guy as well.  I was going to leave at this point, but as I backed my car out I saw the guy struggling with the canoe.  They’d unloaded it together and I realized though they’re not that heavy, they are awkward, and he needed a hand with that as well. So, I stopped the car and helped him load it also.  I told him I’d say a prayer for them (they needed it).

I went back to Bixhoma a few days later and caught a decent bass, found a bunch of baby frogs and got chigger bites that lasted about a week.  Next time, I’ll take a hoe for the snakes and bug repellant for the chiggers.   Still, I think I can recommend Bixhoma, it’s certainly provided plenty of adventure for me.

Moral of this story: Always have an emergency supply kit in the car and don’t let your big dog knock you over on cement roadways.

EPILOGUE: if anyone knows the couple, please have them reach out me to tell me how they’re doing.

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The next story in this series is yet to be written, so why not try: Tales from Kentucky #2: One More Time or The Alligator Snapping Turtle of Jenks?

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