---My most productive lure at Sooner has been a 2oz Slim Slab. I prefer some mix of chartruse and white,
but sometimes the ghost minnow color is the ticket. If there is no sign of bird or surface activity I will start by the fence,
heaving the slab right into the white water. When it hits the water I, allow it to sink towards the bottom then start what
I call a pop and stop retrieve. Sometimes a hard long pop of the rod with a short pause is the ticket and sometimes it is
a series of small snaps with a long pause allowing the lure to sink back to the bottom is what they want. Regardless the retrieve
I usually only work the bait about half way back, then crank it on in and get the bait back to the strike zone.
--When birds are working or fish are hitting the top I will employee the same bait but with a bucktail trailer
on the treble hook. I also like to make a slight bend in the slab to make it kind of bannana curved. This allows for a slower
fall and I am able to keep the bait up in the strike zone with a quick, eratic retrieve. A high speed baitcasting reel and
a stiff rod of at least 7 foot is ideal for this technique. The key sometimes is to allow the slab to pop out of the
water and let fall back for a foot or so then repeat. This is an exciting way to catch these fish as the strike will just
about rip the rod out of your arms.
--A method to catch these fish if nothing seems to be producing is slow rolling sassy shads, wild eyes or
bucktails. I like at least an ounce of lead to keep my bait close to the bottom in the current. Just cast it out, let
her sink to the bottom and crank it in slow. Try reeling as slow as you can then go slower. Sometimes the bite is very light,
so as soon as you fell something
different set the hook.
-- Another way to catch fish at the discharge is with ghost minnow or silversides. These are often stacked
in the shallow water and can be caught with a cast net with a mesh size of 1/4 inch. You can rig these on a slip float, carolina
rig or my most productive a 1/8th ounce wide gap jig head. I like to cast up current and bounce the jig through the rocks.
This techinque will catch about anything that swims. I have landed crappie, saugeye, largemouth, catfish, and all the linesiders
with this technique. If the water gets a little murky, which is rare at sooner, use an orange or chartruse jig head to increase
your strikes.
