When it comes to the magical month of March

When it comes to the magical month of March, there’s simply not a better opportunity to catch that lunker of a lifetime. So, if you’re looking for a trophy and targeting the state’s most popular game fish, the largemouth bass, the time is fast approaching for your quest.

Smaller bodies of water, such as ponds, watersheds and small lakes, warm up faster and offer the best opportunity to get a jump on the season. On any body of water, the rocky, northwest banks are the areas that warm up first.

As a youngster, I was mesmerized by fishing for anything that swam. My great-grandfather said that I had the patience of Job. I thought it would be neat to gather a little springtime intel on the little, green fishy that creates so much excitement, generates millions of dollars, and that — just a guess— has ended its fair share of relationships.

On March 13, 2013, Dale Miller of Panama broke the state record with a 14 pound, 13.7 ounce bass at 67-acre Cedar Lake in Leflore County. The fish measured 26 1/8 inches in length and 23 inches in girth. In second place in the record books is the March 29, 2019 bass weighing 14 pounds and 13 ounces which was caught by Gary Cox on Broken Bow Lake. The third place record largemouth bass was taken on March 23, 2012 when angler Benny Williams, Jr. of Poteau landed a 14 pound, 12.3 ounce, again at Cedar Lake. The most recent addition to the top 20 list of largemouth bass catches came February 28, 2022 when Trevor Yates landed a 14 pound, 5.76 ounce fish that gave him 8th place. It was caught in the Lake of the Arbuckles.

The top four record largemouth bass, as well as several from the state’s top 20 list, have been caught in the southern and southeastern regions of the state. Lakes in that region tend to warm up earlier and cool off later in the year than other regions, which affords these fish a longer growing season.

Sooner Lake, north of Stillwater, and Lake Konawa, in the center of Oklahoma, are also always good bets this time of year. This is the time big females leave their deep water sanctuaries in search of shallow, hard-bottomed, protected areas nearer shore to nest. In clear lakes, the bass tend to spawn a little deeper.

Prepare now because it is almost the time to reel in a new state record. My number one go-to lure at this time of year is the jig and pig—-and lots of patience.

Reach John Kilgore at jkilgoreoutdoors@yahoo.com.