1-2-20
Lake elevation 618.03
Temp 48-50
What is better than a fishing report? A Lake Texoma Fishing Guides-Winter Journal by Chris Carey! January fishing on Lake Texoma is right where it should be…big fish on structure & big schools in the creeks and river channels. Lots of fish have moved north and west in the pre-spawn staging cycle but still spread out in many areas. Still tons of seagulls to help as well hope for warmer weather do they hang around longer. The amount of bait in the big lake has the stripers super fat and healthy. In January I prefer fishing structures such as ditches, points, small flats and stump patches using flukes sassy shad and bucktail’s this time of year. Lots of fish being caught in the Deepwater dead sticking and live bait fishing as well.
1-4-20
Lake elevation 618.03
Temp 48-50
Water clarity clear to stained
Lake Texoma Fishing Guides-Winter Journal-Striper Patterns
January striper fishing out on big Lake Texoma is right where it should be…big fish on structure & big schools in the creeks and river channels. This is the month where they can move up in creeks and rivers. It is also the time the can pile up in deep water sometimes so thick it looks fake on the Humminbird. In all my time on the water year after year one thing that is for sure…the fish do what they want when they want! Things do tend to repeat but not on any kind of predictable schedule. Mid-month will be my 26th anniversary and I still remember being really nervous about taking the charter and what my dad “bill” said to go do…go throw yellow roadrunners up by slick em. Well, off we went and…we caught!!! It wasn’t a big numbers day but it was large fish up to 14 pounds with a pretty hefty average. Great first guide trip!
Best Time to Striper Fish Lake Texoma?
A question I get asked often is when is the best possible time to go and catch fish…whenever you possibly can! Okay, most of the time in the cold months I prefer to start fishing around nine or ten in the morning so we fish in the warmest part of the day. Even better if you can hit some majors and minors in the solunar table. The solunar table can be proved wrong especially in the warmer months due to metabolism but in the colder winter months, I pay a lot more attention to it. Good idea to be fishing during the major if you have one that day but a minor can also be very productive.
Hunting Schools of Striper on Lake Texoma
Big schools of striped bass have moved north and west in the lake doing their pre-spawn staging cycle but are still spread out in many areas. ANY spots on the lake can be holding some fish. Still, large flocks of seagulls to help locate fish as well and we all hope for warmer weather so they might hang around longer. The amount of bait in the big lake is ridiculous and has the stripers super fat and healthy.
In January I prefer finding big fish on underwater structures such as rock piles, ditches, points, small flats and stump patches using super flukes, sassy shad and bucktails. Rarely will I use a slab spoon this time of year. I use a lot of 1/2 ounce jig head weights in colder months. It allows you to move the bait “present” a whole lot slower as everything drastically slows down when the water dips down this cold like 50 degrees and on down. I’m always instructing “coaching” my clients to “fish” that lure. One example is when fishing stump patches and rock piles reel over the structure not thru it or…snagged!! There are times when a long slow steady crawling retrieve will out catch other techniques but More often than not it starts stops twitches cadences can really trigger vicious bites!
Lots of fish being caught in the Deepwater dead sticking and live bait fishing as well for Those anglers out there who prefer that style of vertical fishing
1-8-20
Lake elevation 617.79
Temp 48-50
Water clarity clear to stained
Big Striper on Structure-Lake Texoma-Fishing Guide Journal
January 2020 striper fishing out on big Lake Texoma is right where it should be…big fish on structure & big schools in the creeks and river channels. This is the month where they can move up in creeks and rivers. It is also the time the can pile up out in that deep water at times so thick it looks fake on the Humminbird. Some serious schools of striped bass will all stacked up in channels waiting for spawn time. In all of my time on the water year after year, one thing that is for sure…the fish do what they want when they want! Things do tend to repeat but not on any kind of predictable schedule or we would just write a book. The ability to recognize pattern changes and adapt quickly then capitalize on a bite are important. That is one statement an old school guide Garlin Taylor told me a long time ago and I took it to heart. Mid-month will be my 26th anniversary and I still remember being really nervous about taking my first charter and what my dad “Bill” said to go do…go throw sassy shad and yellow roadrunners up by slick em. Well, off we went and…we caught!!! It wasn’t a big numbers day but it was large fish up to 14 pounds with a pretty hefty average. Great outing I felt for my first guide trip! Subscribe to our RSS Feed and get all of the Lake Texoma Fishing Guides-Winter Journal direct to your email.
Striper Fish Lake Texoma Every Opportunity You Get
A question I get asked often is when is the best possible time to go and catch fish…well, whenever you possibly can of course. Okay more often than not in the cold months I prefer to start fishing later around nine or ten in the morning so we fish in the warmest part of the day. Weather can be all over the place but the water will always be cold in January. Getting cold at the end of the trip instead of the beginning makes for a more pleasurable outing. Trips can be Even better if you can hit a major and or minor in the solunar table. The solunar table isn’t always dead-on correct it can be proved wrong especially in the warmer months due to metabolism but in the colder winter months, I pay a lot more attention to it. Good idea to be fishing during the major if you have one that day but a minor can also be very productive and should not be overlooked.
Big schools of striped bass have moved north and west in the lake doing their pre-spawn staging cycle but are still spread out in many areas. ANY spots on the lake can be holding some fish. Still have large flocks of seagulls to help locate fish as well and we all hope for warmer weather so they might hang around longer. The amount of bait in the big lake is ridiculous and has the stripers super fat and healthy. There was a late shad spawn this fall for sure because I’ve never seen so many small threadfin this time of year.
Bucktail Jigs-Lake Texoma Fishing Guides-Winter Journal
In January I prefer searching and finding big fish on underwater structures such as rock piles, ditches, points, small flats and stump patches using super flukes, sassy shad and bucktails. Rarely will I use a slab spoon this time of year. It can be very effective but I use a lot of 1/2 ounce jig head weights in colder months. It allows you to move the bait “present” a whole lot slower and stay in the strike zone longer. In winter months everything drastically slows down when the water dips down this cold like 50 degrees and on down. I’m always instructing “coaching” my clients to “fish” that lure. One example that comes to mind is when fishing stump patches and rock piles reel over the structure not thru it or else…snagged!! There are also times when a long slow steady crawling retrieve will out catch other techniques but More often than not it some well-placed starts stops twitches cadences can really trigger vicious bites! Got to love these stripers!
Lots of fish being caught in the Deepwater dead sticking and live bait fishing as well for those anglers out there who prefer that style of vertical fishing. Lots of anglers thumping and dead sticking up some fish and even heard reports of anglers using their trolling motor to slow slow “stroll” sassy shad and flukes through those big schools of fish. For more information please follow Lake Texoma Fishing Guides Striper Express.
Great info, A pro-guide’s journal is too cool. Priceless info on technique. I am so proud of you. We all hold the same passion as when we started. This great Lake Texoma is the reason why.