SPOTTED BASS
Micropterus punctulatus
Common in both the Arkansas and Red River systems, spotted bass prefer clear lakes and streams in Eastern Oklahoma. Although important game fish in Oklahoma, spotted bass have not been widely cultured or stocked.

Spotted bass inhabit flowing streams in Eastern Oklahoma and are more tolerant of slow, warm, turbid water than smallmouths are. In lakes, spotted bass generally are found in deeper water. They prefer rocky-bottomed areas as well as locations with steeply sloping sides.

Crayfish and immature insects make up the bulk of their diet. They also eat small fish such as bluegills.

Spawning takes place in the spring when water temperatures reach 63 to 68 degrees. Males clean out a nest on a gravel or rock bottom, usually near heavy cover. After the eggs are laid and fertilized, males guard the nest similar to largemouth bass, remaining with the fry until they are about a month old.

Now here’s where to catch them.

BROKEN BOW LAKE
This mountain lake nestled in the southeast’s rugged Ouachita National Forest -- a most scenic part of the state -- covers 14,200 acres. Framed by pine-studded banks, Broken Bow serves as a scenic backdrop for fishing and camping recreation at its finest. The average depth of this crystalline lake is 62-feet with some areas as deep as 200 feet.

Bryce Archey -- Broken Bow Lake Guide Service, (580) 494-6447 -- spends nearly 250 days on the lake each year -- experience that serves him well. “Broken Bow is a great bass lake,” he said. “With an awesome abundance of bass, the average-sized catch is smaller than most people believe. However, a few double-digit bass are caught each year, but not every day like some people believe.”

Broken Bow yielded a previous state-record largemouth, and is home to the current record -- a 14-pound, 11.52-ounce whopper caught by William Cross in 1999.

Amazingly, Archey has caught the bass trifecta in three consecutive casts. “Actually, I have done it once on three consecutive casts,” said Archey. “Most of the lake’s habitat holds all three species, so catching all three in one spot is common.”

Paul Balkenbush, an ODWC fisheries supervisor overseeing the lake, reported that public access is plentiful here, adding that bank-fishermen usually won’t do as well as do boaters. “In May, most of the lake’s bass have spawned, and are found in 15- to 20-foot depths,” he said. “The bass are in a post-spawn pattern, and, generally, largemouths will be caught around vegetation; smallmouths prefer rocky structure, while spots are in deeper water.”

Archey suggested that anglers key on the midlake area and south, naming Egypt, Walford, Cedar, Biggam, Otter, and Bee creeks as recognized May hotpots. He recommended working soft plastics, his favorite color being watermelon, and any natural color combination.

Anglers can expect the largemouths to weigh 2 1/2 pounds on average, while Archey’s best is a 9-pound, 1-ounce lunker. Smallmouths average 13 to 17 inches in length and weigh 2 to 2.8 pounds, with Archey’s best weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces. Spotted or “Kentucky” bass will average 14 to 16 inches in length and weigh 2 to 2 1/4 pounds, with Archey’s biggest tipping the scales at 4 pounds, 12 ounces.

According to Archey, most of the bass will have spawned in April, but a few late-spawning specimens are always caught on beds during the first two weeks in May.