flyingmonkie

The frogs are pretty consistent about when they start their croaking, and it usually coincides with that magical time right around sundown. When I hear the frogs, I know it's gametime! Second best time of the day to fish. Also, a good indication that you've got about 15 or 20 minutes of light left

If the water level has risen much, the fish will move in shallower... and if it's rained enough to raise the water level, you'll probably have some extra color in the water too. I don't know much about the pond, but a swimbait wouldn't be my first choice. I'd be starting shallow and tight to cover with baits that are either noisy, or move alot of water. T-rigged creature baits and craws, a chartreuse spinnerbait with a single colorado blade, and a buzzbait would be my starting lineup. The higher/muddier the water, the shallower and tighter to cover. When this happens in my neck of the woods, I have good luck fishing parallel to the shoreline - it's hard to beat a buzzbait bite 1 ft off the bank.

Not many docks at Broken bow… the marina area and the boat ramps are about the only ones I know of. It's a pretty remote area… no houses on the water or anything like that. There is quite a bit of brush in the lake… and standing timber. If you don't have a good sonar, I'd check the OKWRB website for fish attracters. http://www.owrb.ok.gov/maps/viewers/BasicViewer/index.html?webmap=10419d240fee4ecda1560cf102af2432 If you're like me, it's an easy lake to get overwhelmed by (both in beauty, and how "fishy" everything looks). Use what you know about the conditions, study maps, and have a good strategy going into your trip. I'd pick a few areas and fish them diligently.

Ahhhhh… one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I'll be there the week after you but probably won't fish much, sadly, Broken Bow is full of big bass… It held the state record for a while. It's been very hard for me to fish… I think because I predominantly fish stained/shallow water, and BB is very clear and often fishes deep, especially in the summer. I don't have a ton of experience on the lake, but here goes. Water should be in the mid-70s when you're there… which should be good. Considering most of the fish should be post spawn, I'd avoid the main lake and treck up into the long, remote creek arms that the lake has so many of and look for areas adjacent to spawning grounds. I'd expect to find fish in the 10-15 foot range, but spend some time scouting and looking for baitfish. Graphing some baitfish balls should be a good indicator of the active depth. I'd focus on secondary points, and any brush structure you can find. Think cranks, plastics, spinner/chatter baits, A-rig, and jigs. If all else fails, stop by the Fast Lane on the north side of the town Broken Bow (on 259) and ask for Jerry (I think). He's hard to find… but if you bump into him, he's a wealth of knowledge - I went in for a bag of ice once and ended up talking to him for an hour. I've gone back several times looking for him, but he's usually fishing! If you've never been, you're in for a treat. Even if you get skunked. Broken Bow is an absolutely AMAZING place. If you ever question there being a "higher power", this place will set you straight. I'd love to hear how your trip goes. Tight lines!

Beats the hell out of ice!

Bend the electrode down on a used sparkplug and then hook a paperclip through it. Almost free plug knocker.

I put a fluke on a weighted T-Rig a few weeks ago when a fry-guarder ripped my beaver bait apart. He preceeded to rip the fluke apart too. I wouldn't consider it a go-to by any means, but if you're a confident T-rigger like I am, then it's an easy way to change up your presentation a bit. I could see it working well on a shakey-head too!

The area surrounding the ramp that our local bass tourney does weigh-in is off limits during the tourney for this very reason. I suspect this is pretty common across the country. When NOT in the tourney, the nearest dock is usually my first stop.

I'm pretty partial to the "ZERO" worms - I think they are made by Strike King... they have Greg Hackney on the package. Incredible action, and super stretchy. They have some crazy compounds in them and will deteriorate in heat, if mixed with other worms, or if you dip them in JJ's. But they catch a ton of fish - I buy them over GYCB.

There was a good study done on this at my local lake - it's a great quick read: http://www.seafwa.org/resource/dynamic/private/PDF/GILLILAND-144-149.pdf

It took me 20 years to catch my first (and only). My goal is to get a second in half that time. I took a guy from Nepal (who had never fished) with me one day after work, and he landed a 7lb within 5 minutes. I never took him again. Wa-oww... If i'm ever in SoCal, expect a PM from me.

Agreed. We're lucky enough to not have the asian carp invasion down here yet (I dread it), but we have tons of grass carp. When i see them in the area, especially during their spawn, I go elsewhere. Might be worth taking some live bait out and confirming that there's actually something there worth catching?

Dragging a C-Rig up a ledge at lake Tenkiller about a decade ago, caught a dozen quality LMB and smallies in about an hour. Caught good fish on my favorite lake, watched the sunrise, and enjoyed perfect weather. Not necessarily my most productive day, but was one of those rare perfect moments in time.

You caught a stoner! Next time, give 'em a little line and he might forget he's hooked.

There have been several studies done on the impact of lunar cycles, and there is data that suggests that more bigger fish are caught during certain moon phases. The theory is that feeding may be triggered by certain moon events, just like it can be triggered by a wide variety of other natural events. Does it impact fish? Sure. Does it's impact trump any other environmental factors? Doubtful. IMO: Lunar cycle is just ONE of the variables in our seemingly endless equation of fishing. Keep on calculating!

Heck yeah! Stay close to the bank - try to find low spots that didn't have water in them before but do now, fish will be coming up looking for worms/bugs.

Nice one! You can tell by the tail that she was guarding the nest. I've seen a couple other large females (8+) pulled off of beds the past few weeks. Jared Miller - local guy that fishes in the Elite series - has posted several pictures.

Man... I got really jealous reading everybody's responses. :/ I was there once. I've got a 1 yr old and pregnant wife at home, so my fishing time has taken a nose dive. I get 1-3 hours of bank fishing in each week, and then once a month I take an all-day boat trip. Working on squeezing in another boat trip. Not near enough, but family first. I don't want time to fly TOO fast, but I do look forward to MUCH more time on the water.

Here's a good post for anybody in your situation. Tight lines! http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

If I see it, I count it!

Definitely not a clear-water only bait. Pretty sure this was what he used to win on the Mississippi in 2013.

What kind of line are you using?

I try to put as many of the pieces of the puzzle together as possible (weather conditions, water conditions, time of year, sonar readings, etc.) to put myself where I think the bass SHOULD be, and then fish using techniques I think SHOULD work. I rarely focus on search baiting. It's a feast or famine strategy though.

The stuff you are losing your lures on is the stuff that the bass are attracted too! Don't avoid it! Do some quick research on the Texas Rig - it's one of the most popular bass techniques (and my personal favorite). Endless possibilities, easy to fish, and the gear is cheap enough that you don't get PO'd when you break a line. That being said, done right, you can fish a T-Rig in dead trees all day without losing it.

IMO, the more stuff you can bang your crank into, the better! Unless I'm targeting wood with square bills, then I'm trying to get my crank to drive into the bottom... in which case you'll want a crank designed to go deeper than the water you are fishing. PLOW BABY, PLOW!