Lake Texoma Striper Fishing Blog

I love watching the season's change. I enjoy all of the changes that come with it, it gives a variety and newness to life but at the same time it brings the comfort of nostalgic repetition. Each year is similar but slightly different and unique so you never know what to expect around the corner as the fractal spiral of the seasons continue to turn. With fishing it is much the same. There are certain patterns throughout the seasons that you depend upon and look for as the right conditions approach for the time of the year. Each pattern is better some years and less productive others. One of my favorite patterns is the fall topwater bite and I find I'm like a kid at Christmas waiting for it to happen. This is when the big fish move into the shallows where they can be caught on topwater and on the fly, there is nothing better than seeing big fish exploding on your fly or surface plug and start stripping drag. In late August when we get a break in the heat, I'll start trying the shallows for this pattern to begin but it may not be until late September or early October before the bite really kicks off. This year we had some incredible days fishing this pattern while other days were slower but that is typical. We may have just a few days left to be able to catch these big fish on the surface or it may be already over.

Another pattern to watch for is the birds feeding. Anglers learn to watch the birds throughout the year to help to point them where the fish are. At different times of the year the there will be different species of birds around to help out. During the cooler months of spring and fall, sea gulls will be present in large numbers whereas during the summer the gulls take their leave and hand over their territory to the egrets and herons. Right now, we are just entering into the best time of the year to chase after the birds, the seagulls have now arrived in large numbers and after this last cold front the water is finally cool enough for the fish to begin more aggressively feeding. The fish are grouping up into large feeding frenzies and working shad up to the surface which enable the seagulls to catch the shad from the air. A big flock of birds working over a feeding frenzy of fish can be seen for miles on a clear sunny day which provides a big advantage of finding out where the fish are.

With the end of topwater season, I cut all of the topwaters off of my spinning rods and tie on glow in the dark 1 ½ oz. sassy shad swim baits which we will fish along with slabs and dead stick baits for the rest of the year. Casting swim baits under the birds started happening in early October but the bite is just now really turning on. I really love this pattern, next to the fly, casting swimbaits are my favorite way to catch fish. November can be one of the most productive months of the year as far as numbers and aggressively feeding fish. We will be chasing these birds with slabs and sassy shad from now through the end of December.  This is also a great time of year to hook up on the fly under the bird, so all of you fly fishermen out there get ready!

As the cold of winter sets in around the first of January, the metabolism of the fish slows down and so do their aggressive feeding frenzies. Accordingly, the birds don't have as many schools of fish working shad to the surface so they become a less reliable method of finding fish. Without the need to feed as often, the fish will settle onto structure rather than roaming the lake looking for food which triggers our winter structure fishing bite to begin. This is absolutely the most reliable time of year to go out and catch a big fish. Last winter I had a 2 month stretch where I caught at least one fish over 10lbs on every trip. On the best days, we would catch 4-5 double digit fish with the biggest nearing the 20lb mark. Catching these big fish is my favorite, I love chasing them and I love being out on the lake in the cold of winter where at times there is no one else out there but you and the birds. If you have been wanting to go out and target big fish, this time of the year, from the last part of December to around the first part of March is the time to come.

The fish are biting like crazy right now and with the children back in school and deer season opening back up, the lake is a lot less crowded. Which makes for the perfect time to come and enjoy the nice weather. If you come during the week, we may even have it all to ourselves. Now is the perfect time to come out and enjoy some beautiful fall weather and catch some fish. You can book your trip online at www.stripersinc.com or give me a call at (903)815-1609 and I'll get you setup over the phone. I'll be looking forward to fishing with you!

Your Lake Texoma Striper Fishing Guide,
Brian Prichard

Stripers Inc.

www.stripersinc.com