Water Safety Tips Wearing a Life Jacket Can Save Your Life To ensure you survive unexpected slips or falls overboard, wear your life jacket because it buys you time to be rescued. It only takes an adult an average of 60 seconds to drown and on average it takes 10 minutes for a strong swimmer to put on a life jacket after entering the water.

In back-to-back games Thursday evening, the Rattan RAMS put up 29 points against the Soper Red Bears last week while preventing any runs from crossing home plate. Rattan won the first game 16-0 with Seth Springfield on the hill tossing a no-hitter.

The hottest days of summer are here and water temperatures across the state’s lakes are rising quickly. When water temperatures begin to stabilize in the 80s, catching fish on rod and reel can become increasingly challenging, especially for sought after game fish, during daylight hours. Now is the perfect time to bust out the lesser used, but no-less effective, methods of take to put supper on the table! Not to mention, these methods of take often produce trophy-sized fish.

HUGO LADY BUFFALO NADALIE BOWDEN scoops up a ground ball hit to the outfield in recent action against Rock Creek, and throws the ball to second base. Backing Bowden up in center field is Alley Ivy. Hugo News Photo / Stan Stamper

Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) proposes changes in Title 800, the administrative rules that govern hunting, fishing and Wildlife Department operations. This year, the Wildlife Department’s Fisheries Division is proposing a rule change allowing anglers to keep smaller, more abundant largemouth and smallmouth bass, while limiting the harvest of larger bass. The proposal aims to remove the 14-inch minimum length limit from lakes and reservoirs, and would allow anglers to keep only one bass greater than 16 inches daily. If approved, biologists anticipate a positive impact on the overall quality of Oklahoma’s black bass populations.

Hugo Lake Recreation Fishing and Hunting The lake area offers excellent hunting opportunities with more than 25,000 acres of land available to the hunter. Bow hunting is permitted in and around most of the park areas.

The white bass is a fan favorite of springtime anglers. These prolific spawning fish make their annual migration runs in the thousands giving anglers the opportunity to catch fish in bulk. White bass require very basic fishing equipment making them an easy target for anglers of all experience levels!

Hugo: Elevation normal, water 66 and murky. White bass good on jigs, minnows and small lures below the dam, along creek channels and river channel. Blue, channel and flathead catfish good on chicken liver, cut bait, dough bait, live bait, punch bait, shad, stinkbait and sunfish below the dam, along channels, creek channels, main lake, river channel, shorelines and standing timber. Crappie excellent on jigs and minnows below the dam, around brush structure, channels, creek channels, main lake, river channel, shorelines and standing timer. Report submitted by Andrew Potter, game warden stationed in Choctaw County.

HUGO — A two-RBI single in the fourth by Hugo’s Trystunn Fleeks, put the Hugo Buffaloes on top of the Idabel Warriors Friday on their home field at Shull-Bywaters Park. Fleeks was joined by Landon Lemmons in blasting two hits apiece for the Buffaloes to lead Hugo’s hitters.

Ashton Barnett: “He’s been here four years, and he’s kind of our spark plug. He’s our lead off, he’s a center fielder, and he’s just a great talent. When he’s on, he’s one of the best in southeast Oklahoma, I believe, and he’s helped us quite a bit. He’s gotten on base quite a bit.”