It’s always interesting to see what these professional anglers uncover on any body of water, especially a new one like Lake Oahe. Steve Bowman and I spent several hours on the water with local bass fishing guide Shane Cowan yesterday. He may be the most interested observer of all.
Cowan grew up in this area and has been guiding for over 30 years. He’s fished various B.A.S.S. events in different parts of the country. Cowan is one of the few bass guides on Oahe, as the emphasis here is on walleye.
When it comes to bass, all you hear about is the trophy smallmouth fishing, and justifiably so. But Alton Jones had an intriguing observation after three days of practice on Oahe.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone won it on largemouth here,” Jones said. “I didn’t do it much, but what I saw was good enough that I wish I’d done it more.”
Upon hearing that comment, one local angler told me, “I’ll be surprised if a largemouth is weighed-in during this tournament.”
It’s something to keep an eye on.