I setup over the new hump/brushpile right at dark. The storms stayed north of me. The wind was light out of the SE. I dropped the starfire in, baited a couple of rods and used a jig tipped with minnow on a third. Within 5 minutes I had a small 4" crappie. An hour later, I had caught 2 more the same size, or the same fish 3 times. I gave it another 45 minutes for the light to draw in more baitfish. The wind started pickiing up, and it was so slow, I decided to fish the standing timber where I had been catching them during the day in 8' to 13' of water. Nothin. I fish the side of the creek channel that is over 17' deep just 20' off the bank. Nothin. I went back into the trees to check out some of the more shallow areas, just maybe some have moved shallow for the night. Nothin. I fish some of the tree tops, right off the main creek channel....nothin.
Now, I am 3 miles from my favorite brushpile that I access by putting in at a much closer ramp. I decide to Graph the 4 cuts out closer to the main lake. Plenty of deep water, close to shallow. I came across two very steep banks that went to 20' in no time. I did not locate one single brushpile in the area of 4 major cuts. As I put in before dark, the shad were working the channel just off these cuts very heavy. I passed through them going to the "hump". The surface activity was heavy for other species of fish as well. I wonder if the reason no one has placed brush in those cuts, is because the standing timber is so abundant further up the creek. I was fishing Talala Creek. According the Todd Huckabee, Eufaula Professional Guide, he has stated while fishing lake Oologah, there should be no need to fish anywhere other than Talala Creek. He has written numerous articles on Crappie. His approach is different than what one would expect after years of fishing for Crappie. I have a friend that recently went out with Todd, and he told me that it completely changed the way he fished. http://www.toddhuckabee.com/
Click the "Press" tab at the top of the page. Here's more...
http://www.lurenet.com/Articles/crappiebaits
http://espn.go.com/outdoors/tv/s/g_f...JH_040501.html
http://www.zebco.com/catalog/huckabee.html

I agree with that statement during spawn for sure, but trying to find them on a mid summer night was totally different. I am sure, had I fished the same area first light, I could have found some fairly nice fish by "doodlesocking" the standing timber. I have been catching fish there for the past 4 days straight.
All in all, I am going to have to rethink my night time approach, and try again. Those that remember, it took me about 6 weeks to begin finding the fish on this lake during the day.
Time to read Rangos Nightstalking article again...
Good Fishin to all,
Reaper