While smallmouth bass were once Broken Bow’s top draw, trophy largemouths have claimed the starring role in recent years. (Photo courtesy of Bryce Archey)
August 12, 2024
By Wesley Littlefield
For years, I’ve fished for stocked trout in Beavers Bend State Park, just below the dam on the Mountain Fork River in southeastern Oklahoma. But on one recent trip to Broken Bow Lake, an impoundment of Mountain Fork, I was looking to pick fights with more sporting residents—the big old bass that call the reservoir home. Sitting in the foothills of the Kiamichi Mountains, only three hours from Dallas, Broken Bow offers anglers breathtaking views of the Ouachita National Forest and 14,000 acres of deep, crystal-clear waters with plenty of fish.
The lake was created in 1970 for hydroelectric purposes, which means it fluctuates more than most in the Sooner State, presenting a unique challenge that draws countless bass anglers from near and far.
“I know I’m biased, but I believe Broken Bow is the best multi-species fishery in the state,” claims Bryce Archey, owner of Broken Bow Lake Guide Service, who’d recently bragged to me about the bass available.
Quality smallies remain plentiful enough to provide visiting anglers with an exciting one-two punch. (Photo courtesy of Austin Rose) DUAL TARGETS For a long time, Broken Bow was a renowned smallmouth fishery. Some say the glory days of the lake’s brown bass fishery are behind us, and studies by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation seem to support the claim. But researchers use electroshocking for their fish counts, and smallmouths are often too deep to be affected by the method and go uncounted.
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Archey tells me the average size of smallies is down in recent years, but he’s seen their numbers bouncing back since the lake’s slot limit was removed. He also says there’s a ton of 2- to 3-pound largemouths now, along with some giants—a combination that provides excellent prospects for a productive fishing day.
Some of Archey’s clients have brought several double-digit bass to the boat in the last few years, and he believes there could be Florida-strain largemouths as big as 16 or 18 pounds hiding in the lake’s flooded timber.
Local trophy-bass guide Austin Rose agrees that giant largemouths are now the bigger draw. “I believe the next Oklahoma state record for largemouth bass will come out of Broken Bow Lake,” he says. “I saw multiple double-digit fish brought in last year during tournaments.”
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Four of Oklahoma’s 20 biggest largemouths on record have been caught in Broken Brow, and Archey thinks two other Broken Bow fish would rank in the top 25.
Under the right conditions, folks who wish to focus on Broken Bow’s smallies can have a field day with the scrappy brown bass. (Photo courtesy of Bryce Archey) TOP BASS HAVENS Whether you’re after smallies or largemouths, March through May, when water temps range between 58 and 74 degrees, is the best time to get after them on this lake. That’s when the bass are spawning and relating to the sandy pea-gravel shoreline in 1 to 12 feet of water. The rest of the year can be inconsistent because the water fluctuates so often, says Archey.
“One day, we’ll catch 20 to 30 fish and the next we have to really work for them,” he says. “These fish are roamers for much of the year because they have easy access to deep water.”
Mid-lake and the northern end are where the best largemouth action takes place in the summer. During spring, don’t overlook some of the southern creek arms that run east and west. Those areas will warm faster than other parts of the lake.
“Most guys like running up to the north end, where the water has a little more color and is shallower. But I like the challenge of fishing Broken Bow’s southeast end,” says Archey, who enjoys chasing smallies.
TALKING STRATEGY My bass trip to Broken Bow was in January—not ideal, but not even the cold that morning was going to deter me from trying to catch a mix of bronzebacks and bucketmouths. I launched my kayak at the free Beavers Bend Marina boat ramp, where a local angler quickly pointed out that I was on the wrong side of the lake for smallmouths. Rose had previously mentioned that the east side is best for brown bass, but he added that some of the western islands do hold smallies, too, and I was after a mixed bag anyway.
As I exited the marina, I mainly fished areas with steep, chunk-rock banks that quickly dropped from 5 to 60 feet in depth, slowly hopping along a Berkley Agent E. I hadn’t been fishing more than 10 minutes when my rod loaded up. I set the hook and a moment later brought to hand a healthy 2-pound largemouth. I tried replicating the pattern in similar areas for a while, but after only getting a couple small nibbles, it was time to switch my presentation. I tied on an Alabama Rig and began casting at a school of fish I’d located with my fish finder.
I knew that some of the biggest bass are caught during winter, when they’re packing on the pounds for the spawn. During that time, A-rigs and giant swimbaits see plenty of action as anglers try for the biggest bites. Nevertheless, Archey prefers a different approach.
“One mistake I see many anglers make at Broken Bow is using lures that are too big. When I grab my spinning reel and lures, many clients ask if we’ll be crappie fishing. But once they reel in a couple of bass, they become believers.”
The crystal-clear waters call for downsizing your gear, and Archey opts mostly for small swimbaits throughout the spring, along with Ned rigs, drop-shots and shaky heads fished on spinning gear, a strategy that’s paid off to the tune of multiple 10-pound-plus largemouths. He and Rose also like Texas-rigged flukes, Carolina rigs, crankbaits (both mentioned Spro’s Rock Crawler) and topwaters at various times of the year.
At 14,000 acres and featuring numerous arms, Broken Bow offers anglers an incredible amount of water to explore. (Shutterstock image) MIXED BAG After trying several other lures, including a spoon that got a couple of follows but no solid takes, I decided to head back to the ramp to get out of the wind, which had picked up considerably and was blowing a cold mist bound to have me soaked in no time.
On my way, I noticed that the forest that was flooded when the dam was built remains standing. It showed clearly at 60 to 100 feet on my fish-finder screen. I talked to Archey about it and he believes that many bass head to such deep standing timber when conditions are less than favorable, which can make pinpointing both smallies and largemouths harder on calm, sunny days.
I had overcast and windy conditions in my favor and eventually managed a couple of smallies, yet no more largemouths. After seeing the photos that Archey and Rose were kind enough to provide, however, I’m eager to get back down to Broken Bow this summer for a chance to tangle with some of Oklahoma’s finest bucketmouths and a mess of hard-fighting smallies, which in this lake can grow to a more-than-respectable 5 pounds.
TRIP PLANNING Lodging and guide options for a Broken Bow bass bonanza. Broken Bow Lake map The great thing about Broken Bow Lake is its accessibility. With hundreds of rental cabins and several campgrounds around the lake, including Beavers Bend State Park, lodging abounds. Beavers Bend Marina lets you launch for free, but there are other places to get on the water on both ends of the lake, including ramps at Carson’s Creek, Deer Drive and Lakeview Lodge.
If you’re looking for a guide, consider Bryce Archey of Broken Bow Lake Guide Service (brokenbowlakeguide.com ) and Austin Rose (479-234-7466), both of whom I found incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. If they’re booked, try Jonathan Bowling of BigFoot Bass Guide (bigfootbassguide.com ), another top local who consistently catches some big bass.
This article was featured in the June-July 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
