There are many different types of fisherman across Southwest Oklahoma. Some like to throw out the stinkiest bunch of gunk they can buy hoping for a meaty catfish, others prefer to troll jigs for clean tasting stripers and hybrids. Some fish for bass, and even fewer for crappie, but most will tell you... the humble smallmouth is the biggest fight you can find in Oklahoma lakes.

Let that sink in. It's a bold statement. I can remember pulling an almost eleven pound hybrid out of Lake Luggert in my youth. Even with those heavy trolling rods and strong braided line, it was not an easy fish to land. But I suppose the spirit of a fish is somewhat circumstantial. A big crappie on an ultra-lite rig will put up quite a fight too.

Smallmouth bass have a reputation for being really hard fighters. Little slabs of thick muscle that want nothing more than to dive for the safety of deep water. Maybe one of these days I'll convince my pops to tow the boat down for some of that action, but until then, I'll take their word for it.

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