The fourth tournament of the FLW Fishing TH-Marine BFL Okie series was originally scheduled to be on Fort Gibson, June 22nd. But, due to all the rain and flooding conditions we’ve had this spring, it had to be relocated to Broken Bow Lake. I had never fished Broken Bow before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, Broken Bow is much closer to home than any of the other lakes we’ve fished this season, (only about 2.5 hours) so I had the opportunity to get more practice in than I ever have before. I think this ultimately helped me do as well as I did in this tournament.
I came into this one knowing that I had to do well. I was below the 45 cut for regionals, and had a lot of ground to make up. With all the practice and the patterns I was able to put together, I had a pretty good feeling about it. But, as y’all know, just because you have a good practice doesn’t necessarily mean that those same fish are going to be there for you on tournament day. And to be honest, the pattern that I put together in practice the weekend before, was non-existent the weekend of the tournament. So I had to scramble and figure out what the bite was going to be on that day.
Broken Bow is a really deep lake, nothing like any of the lakes I’ve ever fished before in Texas. You can be sitting next to a bank and still be in 70 ft of water. I’m typically a shallow water fisherman, so this was a new challenge for me. I still stuck to what I’m comfortable with – cranking and jigging. I’ve come to learn that no matter what lake you’re on, it doesn’t pay to try and be good at something you’re not. If you’re more confidant fishing a crank bait, fish a crank bait. If you like to drop shot, throw a drop shot. Remember, one day is different than the next. The most important thing is being able to adapt and figure it out for yourself when it really counts.
Which is exactly what I did. I was boat #5 and had a limit by 7 am. My co-angler, Dalton French, was also able to get his limit and placed 8th to cash a check. I had a total weight of 10 lb 7 oz and placed 19th, cashing a check for the top Evinrude finisher. I am now sitting in 35 overall for points and need to continue to do well to stay inside that cut line.
For complete tournament results, visit: https://www.flwfishing.com/tournaments/2019-06-22-broken-bow
The next stop on our tour is the first weekend in September on Grand Lake, and I am excited for what’s to come.
Keep on Rippin’ y’all!
Texas Bass Angler