I haven't written much on Lake Texoma striper fishing lately because, honestly, the fishing has been significantly less than excellent in the first 90 days of 2011. While I normally don't target the striped bass on my outings to the lake, I do, however, encounter most of the striper guides at the service station or boat ramp. The entire consensus from the guides is that the fishing is quite inconsistent. Schools of fish is going to be situated in an area 1 day and be gone the next. Nevertheless the fishery is improving on a weekly basis as spring warms the water and the cold blooded animals begin to boost their metabolism.
Although spring and summer are more popular times to fish, winter months months typically see trophy-sized fish extracted from the lake. Unfortunately last winter, this simply wasn't the case. For whatever reason Texoma has not produced the numbers of fish in the past three to five months so it became well-known for in the last few decades.
Mother Nature might just be the blame. February 2010 was certainly one of our coldest months on record and damaged the threadfin shad population (the main forage for striped bass) because water temperatures stayed below 40 degrees for a 2-3 week period Lake Texoma Fishing Guides . With a restricted supply of nutrients and an exceptionally hot summer in 2010, Texoma striped bass took a hit. Low oxygen levels and stifling surface temperatures last August combined with the lack of bait fish produced a die away from a significant percentage of the striper population.
Fortunately for the Texoma fishing industry, that brings in $25 million annually to the region, the lake is recovering at a fast pace. Through stocking efforts from the Texas Parks and Wildlife and Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, the shad population has completely rebounded. In accordance with Texoma Guide JD Lyle, catching bait is as easy as it has been around years. 1 or 2 throws with a casting net early in the morning will produce enough shad for a whole day on the water. Since stocking striped bass in Lake Texoma in 1965, the lake has become world-renowned as an inland striped bass destination. That is mainly as a result of lake being certainly one of only three lakes in the nation where striped bass can handle reproducing. There is still an enormous population of striped bass in the lake and every one of the guides that I spoke with expect an excellent spring and summer.
Last weekend's report from Stripers Inc. Guide, Brian Prichard, had his customers catching their limit on both Friday and Saturday. The bait fishing bite is slow at the moment so he and his clients have been using 5 inch Sassy Shads in glow color. The fish are found on shallow structure in five to ten feet of water. The guide commented that should you weren't fishing the Sassy Shad making it possible to get "hung up" on the bottom on every cast, you weren't getting bit. Sunday was dangerously too windy so the guide canceled his trip.
If you are going out to fish Lake Texoma, ensure that you check the elements report for wind speed and direction. We have had winds in the 40 to 50 mph range within the past week which can easily capsize a fishing boat. If it's planning to be too windy, stay home, do some chores and fish another day. It's not worth the risk.
If you are without use of a vessel, the Red River behind Denison Dam could be excellent for striper. The very best time for you to go is when the Corp of Engineers are generating electricity and the water is moving.
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