BROKEN BOW, Okla. — Anyone looking at last year’s Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine event on Broken Bow better do so with caution. To say things have changed is an understatement.
“Oh, it’s totally opposite from what we all saw last year,” says Roger Hughes, who won that Okie Division derby.
That should make for a wide-open event when Broken Bow hosts the third Okie Division event of the year on Saturday.
What to expect
It’s amazing how things can change in a year.
Hughes and the rest of the field launched in 2025 on an unseasonably flooded Broken Bow. That opened up a number of patterns, most notably flipping bushes and the river bite.
This year, the former will be pretty much nonexistent, and the latter an angler better do at their own peril considering the unseasonably low water levels.
“That river is going to be treacherous to get around,” Hughes warned. “The low water has a lot of trees showing themselves, but also a lot just under the water a guy won’t be able to see. So, anyone heading up there better really know what they’re doing or be going slow and really paying attention to their maps.”
So, that’s what’s changed. But what hasn’t is the quality of the fishing.
Just like last year, Hughes expects the action to be phenomenal, with limits being easy to come by as the fish are a month postspawn and fattening up. The key will be catching those kickers.
“Everyone is going to catch fish, because the quantity of fish in the lake is so good,” Hughes said. “The quality bites are tough, but someone caught a 13-pounder recently. So, the lake has some big fish in it.”
Needless to say, the kickers will be largemouth. But all three species will be in play, especially offshore, where they’ll either be setting up on structure or roaming under bait balls. Schooling fish represent a huge pattern this time of year – and with it, both topwaters and forward-facing sonar. So, figuring out how to navigate the FFS window time constraints could be important.
Baits to bring
Will there be fish caught shallow? Of course. But Hughes figures anyone going for the win will do so offshore.
Thus, jighead minnows and glide baits should be popular for use with forward-facing sonar, while football jigs and Carolina rigs can produce without the technology.
In addition, Broken Bow is famous for its schooling topwater bite. So, it’s best to have one (or a handful) ready at all times.
“It’s a really random bite, but that schooling bite is renowned here,” Hughes said. “I’ve caught 50 fish in an afternoon all on topwaters when you get the schooling bite dialed in.”
What will it take?
In a lake with double-digit fish, anything is possible. However, Hughes expects getting over the 15-pound mark will have someone well positioned to earn a check. And he wouldn’t be surprised if someone catches one or two kickers to get close to 20 pounds for the victory.
“One kicker can move you up so far,” Hughes said. “Last year, when I won, I caught one close to 7 pounds. That ended up being the difference.”