Lake Texoma Fishing Report :: Big Fish on Structure!
Posted on January 28, 2025Here on Lake Texoma, winter time structure fishing is in full swing and it is one of my favorite times to fish. February is when the big fish are more concentrated on the structure pattern making them easier to track down and target. Having the lake all to ourselves is a huge bonus too as there is never any competition for the best fishing spots. Also, when you are the only boat on the lake, if you pay just a little attention, you can sink a little deeper into nature. I love winter fishing and now is the time to come!
We have already had an awesome winter thus far, fish have been stacked on structure and has made for some easy fishing, some days we can put a limit in the boat in around an hours time, opening up our trip to go in search of new territory to find a big fish. Most of the fish we have been catching, as is more typical of January have been good fat box fish and some just over 20”. Though we have caught a few nice fish over 10lbs. It has not been consistent just yet. Typically, that changes in February when the the big fish come out of the deep water and move onto the shallower structure as they search out warmer water. The days are starting to get just a little longer and we have most of the coldest weather behind us now which means the shallow areas are going to slowly begin to start warming back up providing a comfort zone for these big fish to concentrate. Some years I can find them on the same spots and they will be there day after day, allowing me to bring in at least one fish over 10lbs each trip. Other years they roam a little more, I'll find them here one day and the next day they are somewhere else, it just depends what mood they are in. February is when I catch some of my biggest fish of the year. Our biggest fish last year came in on February 13th and weighed in at just under 19lbs.
Structure is one of my favorite ways to catch fish and I love teaching people how to do it. There is a bit more skill involved in finding the fish and setting up the boat up right to present to the fish in just the right way to make them bite. The structure we are talking about is like a ledge, stump bed, creek channel, rock bed, etc... structure on structure seems to be the best locations, like a stump bed on a ledge. Once I find these spots that hold fish, they tend to be there day after day and I can mark it on my gps. That means I can move around the lake and target these GPS locations, setting up to drift over them without spooking them with the motor and casting our swim baits for the best presentation. I do a lot of educational trips where people are focused on learning this skill. I'm happy to teach and share with you all that I know during our time together. If this is something you are interested in, make sure to let me know that's one of your goals and I'll do my best to make sure that you leave with more knowledge and confidence at targeting these fish and being successful in doing it yourself.
Though fishing is excellent and we catch some of the biggest fish of the year, winter can be a harder time to catch clients. To help fill my books I have been focusing more on open boat trips. This is where the trip is open to anyone who wants to join for $150/person. This makes it easy for those that don't have anyone else that can come with them, to join up together and share the cost of the trip. These trips are more work for me as I'm answering questions and coordinating with each person on the trip as opposed to a private charter where I'm relaying all of the information to just one person on the trip. In the summertime when my books are full I don't have the time to coordinate these trips but the winter allows me a lot more time and flexibility so I tend to focus more on organizing these trips. I have really enjoyed them, having a boat of people that don't know each other, I learn more about everyone than I do on my private charters and I really enjoy connecting with people. I have an open boat trip scheduled this Friday Jan. 31 and another one coming up next Wednesday Feb. 5. If you would like to join one of these trips or you would like to organize a different open boat trip on a different date, give me a call and we will get you setup. I also have this Saturday and Sunday open if anyone is interested in coming out to enjoy some beautiful weather. It looks like we are past the cold and we have some great weather coming up, making it the perfect time to get on the water. You can book your trip online at www.stripersinc.com or give me a call or text at (903)815-1609 and we will get you setup over the phone. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be looking forward to fishing with you.
Your Lake Texoma Fishing Guide,
Brian Prichard
(903)815-1609
