The great thing about smallmouth bass fishing is that you can find aggressive, quality, fun fish in most areas of the country and the streams and rivers can be accessed in a number of ways. Whether it be by a canoe, jon boat, jet boat or wading.
The Glover River in Oklahoma sounds like a classic smallmouth habitat and according to the author, is one of the best in the state. Find a location near you that matches this description and chances are, you’ll find bronzebacks there too.
Fly fishing: the Glover River for smallmouth
The Glover River flows for its entire length in McCurtain County. It is formed by the confluence of its East Fork, 22.4 miles (36.0 km) long, and its West Fork, 21.3 miles (34.3 km) long; both forks rise near the northern boundary of McCurtain County. It joins the Little River 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southeast of Wright City. Original source
The Glover River is an excellent fly fishing stream. The Glover River is considered by many to be the best small-mouth stream in Oklahoma.
This stream is best fished from canoe or flat bottom John boat. The float is not an easy float due to several factors. The most important consideration is water flow levels. During many of the summer months, portaging is necessary over the rock ledges. When the river is at a more normal level, most of the rapids can be run although care must be taken when passing through them.
This river should not be float fished during periods of high water. Rapid flooding occurs due to the steep sides of the stream in the middle/upper reaches. Flash flooding has caused several deaths of people who were using the river during high water times. It has been recommended that because of it’s isolation and character, the Glover should not be floated with fewer than three boats unless those on the river are very familiar with its features and with its changing characteristics. Click here to visit the original source of this post
The Glover River, a wonderful river that races down out of the rocky hills in eastern Oklahoma, has a fast current and strong smallmouth . Dubbed “the Last Wild River in Oklahoma” the Glover carves a picturesque canyon through the Honobia-Three Rivers WMA without the help of man. There are no dams or man-made structures on the entire river (except for a couple of cement road crossings). It also has a certain strain of smallmouth, the Neosho strain.
Smallmouth love crawfish. They also eat minnows. One of my favorite things about fishing a river is watching minnows dart and jump on the surface being chased by smallmouths. On the Glover, Steve Brigman had done enough research (fishing) to find that a grub/spinner combination worked wonders on tempting the OK smallies.
With a gold blade and a pumpkinseed grub, the bait looked great in clear water. You could bounce it down a shelf like a crawfish or rip it through the current to mimic bait fish. Smallmouth don’t like as much current as trout, so narrowing down where to toss you lure, or reading the water, is easier when fishing for smallies. They are going to like deep pools, they will like the lee side of rocks and boulders, they will like the shade, but most of all they will like where the bait is. Original story here
Remember to always practice catch and release whether you are fishing the Glover River or most anywhere else. Buy your fish at the store to eat (or eat catfish, lol)!
