What Makes Lake Texoma The Striper Capital of the World
What Makes Lake Texoma The Striper Capital of the World? Texas has some good Striper fisheries, but only one lake has the “stuff” to be Worldly! You can make arguments for Lake Tawakoni or Lake Whitney, but Lake Texoma is king of the hill in Texas! So what are the key attributes that make Lake Texoma World Class, quality striper and big numbers! You can travel to Arkansas or Tennesee and catch bigger striper, but not in large numbers.
Room to Roam for Lake Texoma Striped Bass
Lake Texoma spans roughly 89,000 surface acres with lots of deep water and structure for Striper to prosper. Don’t forget an epic population of healthy threadfin and gizzard shad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! The Lake Texoma Striper population has been self-sustaining since the mid-1960s, now that’s world class. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife stocked Striper in Texoma in the 1960s and the first spawns were recorded in the 1970s! Only 11 other lakes can make this claim in the USA. What Makes lake Texoma the Striper Capital of the World?:
Top 3 Reasons
1. Self-sustaining Striper Population since the 1970s
2. A large lake with a huge shad population
3. Quality Striper of 10 plus pounds and huge numbers of “Box Fish”
What is the Striper Limit on Lake Texoma?
A Striper Fishing Trip on Lake Texoma with Guide Marty Zamora can produce two Striper over 20 inches and eight Striper under 20 inches. It is not uncommon for the two “Over” Striper to be 10 plus pounds depending on the season. A group of 5 Anglers can legally harvest 10 Striper over 20 inches and 40 Striped Bass under 20 inches. Lake Texoma remains world class with a very liberal harvest rate. March is a great month to join the “Ten Pound Striper Club”!
One is Good, Two are Better-Red River and Washita River
Striped Bass can live in fresh and saltwater, but spawning requirements are very precise! Lakes that don’t meet the explicit spawning environment for Striper can be maintained by hatchery stocking and TPWD produce several million per year. This number is chump change compared to the natural reproduction that occurs on Lake Texoma each Spring. The Red and Washita Rivers are big, free-flowing, and have plenty of rock croppings with a current. These two rivers allow Striper to depart Lake Texoma and roam as many as 80 miles upstream to spawn!
Let It Rain-Current A Must for Successful Striper Spawn on Lake Texoma
Lake Texoma has the ideal setting for Striper to spawn, but without Spring Showers to create current, the spawn will suffer. Striper eggs need current to suspend the buoyant eggs in the water column until they hatch! Striper eggs hatch in 30 to 70 hours and without current to hold them afloat, they fall to the bottom and die. When we get a good flood rain end of March or the first part of April the Striper Spawn is great. No rain in April is bad news for Lake Texoma Striper Anglers. Banner Striper Spawns in 2015 and 2016 have Lake Texoma fishing great!
Best Time to Striper Fish on Lake Texoma
Some of these seasons will overlap, but this will give anglers a general idea of the Lake Texoma Striper Fishing Seasons. Lake Texoma World Class Striper fishing is year round and we never put the boat up. for more information please follow Lake Texoma Fishing Guide Marty Zamora.
Spring Lake Texoma Striper Season-March to May
March is pre-spawn big fish on the rocks month and a lot of fun for the artificial lure anglers. We will also catch big pre-spawn Striper drifting live bait in shallow water. Once the water temperatures on Lake Texoma reach 70 degrees it’s game on! May is great. April can get a bit tough with all the fish up the rivers spawning, but we still catch our limits.
Summer Lake Texoma Striper Season-June to August
June and July are our busiest seasons and for good reason! Summer Striper Fishing on Lake Texoma is great. We catch Striper on Live-Bait and Lures all summer long. Lake Texoma is a great place for a Staycation with the family and a multiday Striper Fishing Trip with Guide Marty Zamora. August can get a little hot and fishing will slow a bit, but we still put Striper in the net.
Fall Lake Texoma Striper Season-September to November
September is top-water plug month and the action is fantastic on 5-inch topwater lures casting to the sandy shores of Lake Texoma! If you like to catch 10-pound plus Striper in two feet of water on topwater lures, come see us in September! We love to topwater Striper Fish Texoma! October……EPIC! The seagulls return for the winter and the fall feeding frenzy starts before a long cold winter! Big Fish and Big Numbers in October! If you have only one month to Striper Fish Lake Texoma, make it October!
Winter Lake Texoma Striper Season-December to February
The Winter Striper Season means Deadsticking time on Lake Texoma. Yes, it gets cold, but we catch our biggest fish of the season each winter deadsticking soft plastic flukes. You may not catch the big numbers, but you can hang a 15 plus pound, Striped Bass!
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.