I’ll be spending a few days at the end of the month on Mountain Fork River in Oklahoma. It’s supposed to be a great place to catch small mouth bass.
I need some help. I’m not a fisherman. What equipment do I need to buy and what lures should I use. And can I fish from the bank? In short, what the hell do I do? ha
Here you go:
http://www.orvis.com/fishing_report.aspx?locationid=7378
If you haven’t fly fished before, this is your chance. You can fly fish for bass as well as trout.
Get a light to ultra light rod...A small reel that has a gear ratio of 5:1...^ lb test line... It’s a river, so use 1/16th oz. Roostertail spinners that are dark in color with a gold blade... Most baitfish in rivers are goldish to brown in color...In lakes, you’d use a silver spinner because they baitfish in lakes are mostly silver...
That was 6 lb test line...
read this as well:
http://www.flyfishoklahoma.com/mountain-fork/
And yes, you can fish from the bank...
If the stream or river is flowing, cast your spinner either upstream or at a 45 degree angle upstream...Remember...fish are looking for food coming downstream at them...they face upstream in the current...
Forget lures! Try throwing sticks of dynamite into the water while standing directly on the shore - or maybe even while sitting in your parked car. Don't trouble yourself about getting a fishing license - you're a sportsman! If any nosey game warden should appear and question your activities, mouth off to him! Oh, and better get liquored up, first!
Follow my advice, and I guarantee you an unforgettable vacation experience in Oklahoma!
Regards,
Small mouth bass from a river are THE BEST! Lots of fight in them. We would use the lightest line (4 to 6 lbs) and lightest rods possible casting a small “Mister Twister” - little yellow rubber thing with the wiggly tail and a flasher. They eat crawdads - so that is a good color too. Cast up and across the river, get next to the rocks and into the backwater behind the big rock.
Get your tackle once you are down there at a local shop - they’ll know what works.
Try a Senko. It’s “idiot” proof.
If that fails, throw a spinner bait.
Smallmouth Bass love Helgramites. They live under rocks in the creeks. But as far as tackle a nice six foot spinning reel with six pound line and some inline spinners such as Rooster Tails or Mepps Aglia should get you started. I could spend all day discussing this but these are just the basics. LOL. You can fish from bank. If it is shallow, wade in the shallow and throw into the deep pools.
I have a lot of experience fishing smallmouth in the Ouachitas and I will tell you that the streams in AR are better fishing than the ones in OK. The Cossatot is the best but there are places on the Little Missouri that are good.
The first thing you need to do is look at the USGS river guages on the river that intend to fish(found on the internet). Tropical storm Bill probably has the river running high which will kill the fishing.
As some suggested, inline spinner baits always work well. Mepps and Panther Martins are the highest quality. The Rooster tail is a cheapy that often malfunctions(won't spin). Floating/diving crank baits 2-3 inches long work very well and can be twitched as well. But they have to be shallow running because you will be fishing shallow water.
It is best to wade fish them as boats/canoes spook the fish. If needed, use a boat as transportation down river, but fish on foot. Wear light weight pants made of polyester that don't hold a lot of water and wear good booths made of synthetics. Thick soles will protect your feet. Be careful because the bottom of those rivers are slicker than owl shit; don't walk on flat rocks. Also be careful because the cottonmouths are aggressive.
The best seasons are Feb 15- April 1 and Oct 15-Dec 15. Its gets damn hot down on those rocky rivers in May, June, july, Aug, and Sept.
Catch and release.
“What equipment do I need to buy and what lures should I use.”
Sticks of dynamite work very well.
Smallmouths in Missouri in very clear streams are fun to catch on fly rods with trout lures, or leadhead maribou jigs on spinning reel rods. Try different colors, for me, brown or black , white, and varied shades of green, covers different light conditions and work just fine. Haven’t had much luck with red or pink.