Large mouth bass fishing tips from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Largemouth bass are ambush predators that like to hide in brush, rock piles, grass or any other type of structure that provides good cover. Casting live bait or artificial lures and flies toward these types of areas will yield the best results. Keep your lure or bait small in size, less than 3-inches.
Top Bait
Natural/live bait can be drifted below a bobber or fished off the bottom with weight. Small- to medium-sized bait holding hooks and 1/16th up to 1/4th ounce weights are ideal tackle.
Top Lures
Small artificial lures, less than 3' and no more than 1/8th ounce, are ideal tackle for catching eater-size bass. Soft plastics in natural colors paired with a 1/0 offset hook or 1/32nd up to 1/8th ounce jighead are a great starting point. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and top water lures are also effective. If the water is muddy or cloudy try white, black, red or chartreuse colors. In normal or clear water stick to earth tones like green pumpkin, watermelon, orange, blue, brown, or purple. Top Flies
Dry flies are great in the summer and fall months. Terrestrial bugs, poppers and dragon flies are all effective, especially in the morning and evening hours. Stripping bead or jighead flies in shades of green, brown, black, orange or purple are great when cast parallel with the shoreline, particularly where there are weed-lines, rocky and/or woody structure.
Cleaning Tips
While many people enjoy fishing for sport, many others catch fish to use as food. Fish has always been an important part of the diet. And being able to clean and cook a fish that you caught is great, especially for those who enjoy the taste of fish!
When cleaning your fish, filleting means cutting out the meat of the fish without the bones. Larger fish, like largemouth bass, catfish, striped bass and walleye, are usually filleted. A filleted fish has its skin and all of its bones removed before cooking.
Fillet knives have a long, thin blade that’s very sharp and specifically designed for filleting fish. To work properly, the knife must be really sharp. If you have any slime on your hands or the fillet knife handle, wash it off to prevent slipping.
Tip: When learning how to fillet a fish, you can also wear metalor rubber-mesh fish-cleaning gloves to protect your hands.
Cooking tips:
Cooking is the next-to-last step in finishing a great fishing trip. Below is a simple recipe for cooking your fish fillet.
Pan Frying Fish Pan frying is a popular way to cook fish, and it is the quickest and easiest way to cook your catch at your campsite, at the park or on shore.