Live Bait Striper Fishing on Lake Texoma
Live Bait Striper Fishing on Lake Texoma is not as easy as Guide Marty Zamora makes it look! If Live Bait Striper Fishing Lake Texoma was easy, there would be more guides than anglers and the lake would be fished out in a year! Lake Texoma Fishing Guide Marty Zamora will break down what anglers will need to enjoy success live bait fishing for Striper in Pottsboro Texas and beyond!
Live Bait Striper Fishing on Lake Texoma-Equipment List
A Bait Tank Built for Guides: We use Sunshine Bait Tanks and most serious anglers do too on Lake Texoma!
A Good Cast Net: We buy most of our cast nets at WalMart and keep an 8 foot-1oz-3/16 mesh on our boat. Losing nets is part of live bait fishing Lake Texoma so make sure you carry 2-3 at all times. Please check your local rules and regulations on Cast Nets before you hit Lake Texoma
A Good Alarm Clock: Live Bait hunting on Texoma can be very difficult, so get up early and hot those marina lights!
Circle Hooks: Hooks are a preference from angler to angler or guide to guide, but we like circle hooks and will offer more information on them in this blog post.
Live Bait Striper Fishing on Lake Texoma-More Equipment
A Quality Anchor and 200 feet of rope: We anchor and drift live bait for Striper on Lake Texoma at different times of the year. If your anchor is not overrated for your boat you will not catch Striper.
Splasher Blade and Trolling Motor: Most of the Lake Texoma Fishing Guides use a splasher blade and small trolling motor on the back of their boats. The sound attracts Striper and holds them near your boat.
A Drift Sock: A controlled drift is very important when you are live bait fishing for Striper on Lake Texoma. Too fast and your bait presentation will fish too high over the Striped Bass.
Rod Holders: Once again rod holders are a personal preference from guide to guide, but they help inexperienced anglers catch more Striper.
Proper Rods, Reels, and Line: You will want a rod with a soft tip. A heavy fast action rod will not let your circle hooks perform. A level wind reel with a clicker alarm and 20-pound monofilament line round out your gear!
Quick Tips-Live Bait Striper Fishing Lake Texoma
The weekend warrior live-bait striper angler on Lake Texoma will find it hard to locate shad! Most Professional Guides on Lake Texoma have a difficult time finding shad, and when they do it’s a big-time secret! Here are some quick tips to help you find, and keep your bait alive.
Look for shad early in the morning before the sun comes up under the lights at marinas. Our shad hunting starts as early as 3 AM during the summer. Look for lights over the water, boat lights, and dock lights next to deeper drop-offs!
Use your trolling motor to move into position. Your big motor will spook shad and make the school scatter! Let the boat drift back after you throw the cast net.
Control the water temperature in your bait tank with block ice. Minimize the stress of shad! If the surface temperature in 60 degrees, try to keep your water cooler than that!
Use a defoamer and bait keeper in your bait tanks water.
DO NOT OVERLOAD YOUR BAIT TANK!
Rock Salt is great, use it in your bait tank.
Live wells on your boat are not a good place to keep shad alive!
Hook your bait through the nostril holes on the beak of the shad.
Drop your bait slowly over the school of Striper you are fishing for. A shock in water temperature will kill your bait!
Try to use the lightest egg sinker when you are fishing to let your bait look natural.
Lake Texoma Live Bait Striper Rig
The live-bait Striper rig for Lake Texoma is very simple and straightforward. We use 14 to 20-pound monofilament fishing line, Egg Sinkers, a Heavy Swivel, and circle hooks. We like to use a bead below the egg sinker to make sure our knot does not get worn down from the weight sliding up and down our leader. If the water gets really clear on Texoma we use a fluorocarbon leader, but this rarely happens. Make sure you use enough weight to keep your shad in the face of Striper. The colder the water the less Striper will move to your bait. Nose hook and tail hook some baits to see if this makes a difference. If you are anchored clean your tank filter out and drop dead bait in the water to keep Striper near your boat!
About the Author & Lake Texoma Fishing Guide Marty Zamora
Marty Zamora owns Captain Marty’s Guide Service and Texoma-Fishing.com. A full-time Lake Texoma Striper Fishing Guide since 1984 and a live-bait fishing Guru! Captain Marty targets White Bass and Striper year-round on Lake Texoma and guides Duck Hunting Trips in the winter. For more information please follow Lake Texoma Fishing Guide Marty Zamora.
