Lake Texoma Fishery and History

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The mighty Striped Bass is the king kong of fish in Lake Texoma. Known for its strong fight and big size, they are what Texoma such a unique fishery. Originally a saltwater fish, biologists in the mid 20th century discovered the Striped Bass could live in fresh water as well. Soon after they were breeding  and introducing them to freshwater lakes across the country. What makes Lake Texoma so unique, is that it is one of only two where the Striped Bass can naturally reproduce. Due to the fact there are two rivers (Washita River and Red River)  emptying into the lake and the high salinity content the Red River brings to the lake, the Striped Bass are able to reproduce naturally, going up river once a year to breed and deposit eggs. Most other lakes, they have to be stocked and can not naturally reproduce. Fishing techniques vary for Striper but the most reliable way is to use live shad. If you have a bait tank worthy of keeping shad alive, you can pretty much catch Striper any time of the year with live shad. Otherwise, lures are a great choice too. The sassy shad is our personal favorite, with chartreuse flake being the preferred color along with white and glow. 3-5" soft plastics of most any variety in white glow or chartreuse are reliable favorites. Bucktail jigs are also a good choice. Fishing off humps, submerged structure, points, underwater features, inlets, flats etc etc, depending on the time of year, will bring good results. Just remember, don't fish if you are not marking any on your fish finder. Downriggins is a popular choice as well, and can result in large fish and good fun for kids, older adults or people who don't like casting and retrieving. Slabs are also a good option during the summer time and can be casted and retrieved, or simply dropped down and jigged. Once again, white or chartreuse with little feathers are your best bet. 

Blue Catfish are perhaps the biggest species of fish you will find in the lake. Flathead Cat's get pretty big too but nothing comes close to the lake record Blue which came in at 121.5 pounds and caught by Cody Mullenix. Being a catfish they will eat just about anything, but Blue Catfish actually prefer shad over anything else. Cut shad is hard to beat for bait pretty much year round. The Santee cooper rig is a great choice for this application. 

Channel catfish are the blue cats little cousin. Tasty to eat, but not quite as good as the blues in terms of fillet and meat quality. Channel catfish can be caught using almost anything, including hot dogs, chicken wings, shad, stink bait, worms. chicken liver, or any other thing you can pretty much think of. On Texoma we like to stick to catching Blue Catfish if possible but will not turn down a nice Channel given the opportunity!

Lobster of the lake! Crappie are perhaps the best eating freshwater fish you can catch in Lake Texoma. They can be caught using minnows or small jigs around docks or submerged structure. 

The Largemouth bass is prevalent on Lake Texoma and they can be found around docks, submerged structure and points. among other places. Lake Texoma hosts numerous bass tournaments every year and is known for its phenomenal fishery. 

Smallmouth Bass, although not as big as their Largemouth cousins, are one of the more beautiful fish species you will catch on Lake Texoma. Often found around rocky shorelines they are a nice treat to catch.