Big Striper caught by happy client of Texoma Trips
Freshwater stripers in Lake Texoma primarily feed on shad, although at different times of the year, stripers can be caught on top water lures and even jigs. In the Spring and Summer months, when water temperatures rise between 60° and 70° F, threadfin shad are near the surface. This is an ideal time to fish for stripers using top water lures. There is nothing like the explosion of a big striper exploding under a top water lure in the Summer – nor the thrill of reeling in a big striper caught on a top water lure.
Once the water temperature exceeds 70° F, typically in the hottest part of the Summer, both shad and stripers seek deeper, cooler water. This is when we typically switch to fishing with live bait (shad). Shad and shiners are both used, but shad are preferred – and we always catch our own shad for all our guided trips.
A key to success in fishing with live bait is keeping the bait fresh and changing it often. Another key is to remember that stripers are not always in the same place. They follow the shad, and the shad move around. Find the shad and you find the stripers. This is why you hire professional guides like me and Texoma Trips.
As water temperatures start to plummet in the Fall, stripers can again be caught on top-water lures at Lake Texoma. As with saltwater striper fishing, early mornings and evenings are the best time to stripers on Lake Texoma.