Mayflies, snakes, and big bass in the bushes greet Carson at Grand Lake, OK
The parking lot at the highly popular Wolf Creek boat ramp on Grand Lake is partially flooded, and Vexus® pro Keith Carson of Florida couldn’t be happier. The shoreline willow trees and bushes have roughly three extra feet of water on them, and everything from mayflies to snakes and big bass appears equally as grateful as Carson for the newfound aquatic habitat.
Carson is pumped!
The Florida pro says he’s loving these conditions that have been tremendously rare or non-existent on previous trips he’s made here, and thoughts of pitching Berkley craws and creature baits all day are reason to be excited for Thursday’s first day of competition. Carson favors 40-pound Berkley X5 braided line for such jungle warfare and plans to spend most of his time in a couple of major creeks and bays, rather than run all over the 46,000-acre reservoir.
The biggest challenge?
Knowing that the Grand River Dam Authority will likely begin lowering reservoir levels pretty quickly, the 39- year old former commercial painter and UPS driver can only hope there will still be plenty of ‘flooded’ habitat by the derby’s conclusion, and that popular areas where he plans to fish don’t get hammered by other competitors.
What’s in the cooler of his aluminum Vexus® AVX 2100?
You’ll find few pros who harbor more unique food and drink items in their boat coolers than Carson, so we always have fun asking what he is carrying in the hold-ice-for-days cooler of his AVX 2100. This week is no exception. Homemade cookies, his favorite baker, Shaylee, made from flour she milled herself, bananas that carry zero superstition with Carson, and peach-flavored Fresca, his roommate Anthony Gagliardi got him hooked on, highlight the unique culinary lineup. This one will be a fun one to watch – they’ll be a lot of 2 to 5-pound largemouth caught, no doubt – and you can be certain Carson will be right up in Northeast Oklahoma’s aquatic jungle with all the other critters, occasionally eating a homemade cookie from Shaylee to fuel his excitement.
