BROKEN BOW, Okla. — Up lake, down lake. Shallow fish, deep fish. It doesn’t really matter. All options will be open for the May 10 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Okie Division event on Broken Bow.
Even better, all those options should produce plenty of limits. It’ll just be a matter of who can connect with a kicker.
This year, BFL anglers benefit from an expanded slate of Regionals, which minimizes travel costs and provides more opportunities to qualify for the $120,000 BFL All-American while fishing familiar, closer-to-home waters. Click here to find out more.
What to expect
There’s not a lot of gray area in local Chris Jones’ thoughts on the derby.
“It’s going to be a fish-athon!” the Oklahoma native said.
Even during normal conditions, Jones believes Broken Bow is one of the best fun-fishing lakes in the state, what with plenty of numbers and still a shot at a double-digit lunker. But with the water levels a couple feet high and flooding the bushes, he says almost every option is open for anglers to fish however they want and still catch a lot of bass.
“It’ll be pick your poison,” said Jones. “You’ll see anglers ‘Scoping on the lower end, some flipping bushes, some focusing on the shad spawn, some running up the river to throw a spinnerbait. Any way an angler wants to fish, they’ll be able to do so.”
That said, there are two key things Jones noted about the lake. First, despite all the techniques in play, the lake can fish small. Thus, finding something to yourself, regardless of tactic, could be tough.
The second is the importance of kickers.
“For whatever reason, postspawn, those big girls get hard to find,” Jones said. “There are a lot of 6- and 7-pounders in the lake, and even some double digits. But they get really hard to catch for awhile after the spawn.”
Baits to bring
With so many options, this is a tournament where an angler could bring the entire tackle arsenal and still not have enough. Thus, it might behoove competitors to focus on a specific technique or two.
Jones said a soft-plastic stickbait, be it wacky-rigged or on a Texas rig, will be a big player up shallow. In the stained water, spinnerbaits, vibrating jigs and buzzbaits will be big. In fact, all manner of topwaters could be winners, especially if the weather turns cloudy.
For those focusing on the shad spawn early, a white swim jig will be key, and minnow-style baits will obviously be needed for those using forward-facing sonar. Jones said he wouldn’t be surprised to see old-school offshore baits like Carolina rigs, football jigs and big crankbaits coming into play, too.
What will it take?
Limits will be plentiful, and Jones figures there will be a logjam of pros with 10-12 pounds for the day. However, one key kicker is going to be huge to get to the 17- to 18-pound mark he figures it will take to win.
Sign up to Fish 4 Free!
Every Phoenix Bass Fishing League angler fishing the fourth event in each division this season will receive an Abu Garcia gift pack valued at $230 for boaters and $180 for co-anglers – a value that exceeds the entry fee. It’s like Fishing 4 FREE! Plus, participants will receive a code for 25% off an order at AbuGarcia.com. Click here to sign up for the Abu Garcia Fishing 4 Free promotion, or call 270-252-1000 to take advantage of this offer. Anglers will receive their gift pack at the event.