One of Oklahoma’s biggest lakes, Broken Bow Lake, has stunning waters that are crystal pure. The highest depth it can reach is 185 feet, and its surface area is 14,000 acres. Visitors can drop by for kayak rentals or go fishing in this lake.
Thanks to clear water, you may catch various unique fish here. So, what kind of fish are in Broken Bow Lake? This article will recommend common fish species!
Let’s read!
What Kind Of Fish Are In Broken Bow Lake?
If you plan to visit Broken Bow Lake for fishing, let’s check the following list!
Hybrid Striped Bass
These creatures appreciate clear, cool, and deep waters with the same characteristics as the environment where striped bass live.
The bodies of striped bass crosses are horizontally compressed, silver in tone, and feature shattered, black horizontal lines.
These fish develop relatively quickly. They can grow up to 18 to 20 pounds at eight.
This species loves moving into schools. They prefer to hunt minnows, shad, insects, and crustaceans.
Largemouth Bass
You can find largemouth bass in shallow waters with vegetation in Broken Bow Lake.
The bodies of largemouth bass are thick and olive green with black splotches down the sides and the back.
These aquatic creatures are carnivores. They mainly eat crayfish and smaller fish. However, they may stop eating or consume less in cold months.
These fish may averagely reach 13 inches long and weigh under 5 pounds.
Spotted Bass
These creatures love clear waters. That’s why they are relatively abundant in Broken Bow Lake.
You often see these fish in deeper waters with rocky bases and sharply sloping sides.
The back of these fish is olive green with a pale belly and silvery sides. They range from 0.5 to 3.5 pounds and 10 to 17 inches in size on average.
This species also features a small tooth mark on its tongue, helping it consume insects, smaller fish, and crayfish.
Smallmouth Bass
This species lives in the same water areas as largemouth bass in Broken Bow Lake.
These fish are olive green. Their body has vertical lines on the sides. They may grow up to 12 to 18 inches long and weigh about 1 to 4 pounds.
You may be confused between smallmouth bass and largemouth bass, but their more petite mouth makes it easy to distinguish them.
Although these creatures are relatively small, they have a diverse diet, like largemouth bass.
White Bass
These fish love swimming in open and large water areas with low turbidity in Broken Bow Lake.
These creatures are white silvery with 6 to 8 dark stripes horizontally across the body.
White bass resembles largemouth bass because they both have underbite mouths, but their close relative is the striped bass.
These fish have medium sizes. They may grow around 12 to 14 inches long and have an average weight of 2 pounds.
White bass fish are highly aggressive when feeding. They often hunt in schools. Their diets may include perch, gizzard shad, or other smaller fish.
Flathead Catfish
These fish are common in deeper water areas with woody and rocky coverings in Broken Bow Lake.
Flathead catfish may be relatively large. Their body is mottled brown with an underbite and a square tail.
Flatheads feature barbs on their pectoral and dorsal fins to poke anyone that startles them.
This species averagely develops around 20 to 30 inches long and may weigh more than 100 pounds.
These creatures are often fierce carnivores. They usually hunt various fish species like shad, drum, and some catfish.
Channel Catfish
These fish are among the abundant catfish varieties in the US, especially in rivers and lakes around Oklahoma.
You can see channel catfish swimming near the shoreline or covered areas of Broken Bow Lake.
Like other catfish, these creatures feature barbels on their lower and upper jaw but without scales.
However, you can distinguish these fish due to their deeply arched tails, silvery bodies, and overbites.
Channel catfish usually grow up to 10 to 20 inches and have an average weight of 2 to 10 pounds.
These catfish typically eat a lot of food. They often use their buds-covered barbels to detect foods such as fishes, snakes, snails, insects, and aquatic plants.
White Crappie
These white crappies may not be native to Broken Bow Lake because they prefer to live in turbid water areas. However, you may see them in cold months.
The bodies of these creatures are compressed with a silvery white belly and silvery olive back.
Their body’s sides feature black vertical bands. Also, their gill coverings have spines.
White crappies typically grow up to 9 to 10 inches and weigh around two pounds when fully developed.
The main diet of this species may include smaller fish such as shad or minnows and insects.
Black Crappie
In Broken Bow Lake, you can see black crappies in clear waters with immersed coverings.
The bodies of these fish are compressed with a dark green back and black mottling on the sides.
You can distinguish black crappies from white ones thanks to their spines on dorsal fins. For instance, while the white type only has 5 to 6 spines, black features 7 to 8.
These fish show sexual dimorphism, so you may notice males are darker and larger than females.
Black crappies often have an average length of 8 to 12 inches and a weight of 0.25 to 1 pound.
These creatures are nocturnal, meaning they often hunt at night. Their main diets include insects, fish, and crustaceans.
Bluegill
Bluegills are extremely common and abundant in Oklahoma. You can see them in several water bodies in Broken Bow Lake.
These fish typically live in shallow water areas with vegetation in the lake when they are juveniles. However, when fully developed, they prefer deeper waters.
You can easily recognize bluegills due to their disk-shaped body, olive green back, orange-yellow belly, and black dots at their dorsal fin’s base.
These fish develop up to 7.5 inches long and have an average weight of 0.5 pounds when fully grown.
The mouths of Bluegills are small. Therefore, they often hunt and consume small prey like insects, snails, worms, or zooplankton.
Redear Sunfish
This species is common in warmer waters with moderate cover in Broken Bow Lake.
Their bodies are olive, green, or gray with vertical lines and dark dots. These sunfish often develop 12 inches and weigh less than 2 pounds.
These creatures are benthic eaters. When fully developed, they have strong jaws to feed on snails.
Walleye
The last species on this list is Walleye. These creatures are abundant near underwater ledges in Broken Bow Lake.
These fish may be brown or green with pale cream bellies and black horizontal lines. They may develop up to 11 pounds.
FAQs
Is Broken Bow Lake Good For Fishing?
The answer is yes! It’s a good place for fishing besides cabin rentals. The water is clear and clean, which is also fantastic for swimming.
Does Broken Bow Lake Have Catfish?
Yes! You can find some catfish species, such as Flathead or Channel catfish.
Are There Alligators In Broken Bow Lake?
The short answer is no! The water in this lake is not suitable for alligators to live in.
Do You Need A Fishing License In Broken Bow?
Yes! People aged 16 and older must get a fishing license before fishing in this lake.
Can You Fish Broken Bow Lake Without A Boat?
The answer is yes. This lake has some spots for fly fishing, meaning you can’t use a boat in these areas.
The Bottom Line
What kind of fish are in Broken Bow Lake? You can find various species here, such as Hybrid Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, White Bass, etc.
If you want a longer list, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you for reading!