If you fish Eufaula on a windy day (and, to be honest, Oklahoma has very few days without a breeze), concentrate on the long rocky points that line the lake. These rocky spots are ideal pre-spawn habitat where bass suspend and feed on baitfish. If you watch your fish locator, you’ll find balls of shad congregated near the windy points -- and you can bet the boat that the bass are nearby.

One of the finest professional anglers I’ve ever fished with, Todd Huckabee possesses a knowledge of Eufaula that amazes me. On the lake can be found spots specifically and obviously appropriate for whatever variety of bass you’re after, he asserted.

“If I wanted to catch a trophy largemouth, I would fish the shallow areas of Longtown, Hospital Cove, Brooken Cove, Belle Starr or Porum,” he offered. “I would definitely use a Booyah Glow Blade spinnerbait in chartreuse color. And if I wanted to catch spotted bass I would fish the clearest water I could find, like Longtown, and fish near brushpiles or boat docks using a 4-inch Yum Dinger in pumpkin/chartreuse colors. For trophy smallmouths I would fish a Smithwick Rogue from Standing Rock to the dam.”

LAKE MURRAY
Pro angler Jeff Kriet grew up on Lake Murray, previously worked as a guide there, and now spends a significant amount of time plying its waters. He regards it as an excellent lake in May, during which he’s caught some of his largest bass. “Murray is infested with smallmouth bass,” he said. “I have caught several there over 6 pounds, and you can catch some nice largemouths there as well.”

Kriet’s favorite tactic in May involves fishing a jerkbait near the middle of the lake. He also fishes rocky points, using crawdad-colored crankbaits that run 6 to 8 feet deep. Some days he has his best success by throwing a 1/4-ounce double-tailed, skirted grub by Kinami around secondary points; he’s found that the fish generally are in 3 to 10 feet of water. His favorite colors are watermelon or green pumpkin.

“The lake is absolutely full of 1- to 2-pound smallmouth bass,” Kriet asserted. “You can literally catch and release 50 or more a day.”

Bob Myers, another lake expert, fishes Murray often. According to him, the average Murray smallmouth will weigh 1 1/2 pounds. Like Kriet, he noted that the lake has some huge smallmouths. He advised anglers to try the Three Fingers area, Marietta Landing, and the Quarter Mile Dock area.

Myers prefers to use relatively light line in the 10- to 12-pound-test range, and to cast brown jig-and-pig combinations in waters 15 feet deep and shallower. “Although I catch a lot of smallmouths on a jig, I caught my best one on a root beer and chartreuse Bandit crankbait,” he said.

Anglers wanting to target spotted bass should concentrate on the deep-water areas around boat docks and long rocky points. Best baits are football-head jigs in peanut butter-and-jelly colors, and pumpkin.

ARBUCKLE LAKE
A beautiful clear-water lake nestled in the Arbuckle Mountains just north of Ardmore, this is a southern lake that Kriet spends a fair amount of time fishing. The avid angler is quite fond of this bass factory, regarding it as one of the state’s best springtime spots for catching a 10-pound bass.