Lake Texoma Striped Bass Fishing
Striped bass are the fourth most preferred species among licensed Texas anglers. It is estimated that the economic impact of striper fishing in the Lake Texoma area alone totals well in excess of $20 million. Striper are often caught using artificial lures and live bait that imitate small fish, such as silver spoons.
Deep running lures are also be effective, and live cut bait as well. In Texas, stripers in excess of 50 pounds have been landed. Although specimens exceeding 100 pounds have been caught in saltwater, to date a 67.5-pounder was the largest individual reported from inland waters.
Striped Bass Fishing On Lake Texoma
Striped bass is the largest member of the sea bass family, often called “temperate” or “true” bass to distinguish it from species such as largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass. These bass are actually members of the sunfish family Centrarchidae. Although Morone is of unknown derivation, saxatilis is Latin meaning “dwelling among rocks.”
As with other true bass species, the dorsal fin is clearly separated into spiny and soft-rayed portions. Striped bass are very silvery, have shading to olive-green on the back and white on the belly, with seven or eight uninterrupted horizontal stripes on each side of the body. Younger fish may resemble white bass, and striped bass have two distinct tooth patches on the back of the tongue. Striped bass have two sharp points on each gill cover, and white bass have one.
US Striped Bass Distribution
Striper are a coastal species that moves far upstream during spawning migrations in coastal rivers. Striped bass’ native range is along the Atlantic coast east of the Appalachian Mountains from New Brunswick south to Florida and west into Louisiana.
The species has been introduced at scattered locations throughout the central US. There have also been introductions as far west as the Colorado River in Arizona, and at various sites in California. Even though the striped bass isn’t native to Texas, the species has been stocked in a number of reservoirs, Lake Texoma being the biggest.
