| Lake
Texoma Fishing Report
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Water pool level: 617.89, normal annual
pool level is 617 feet.
Water temperature: 85 degrees. Water
clarity: clear.
Generating Schedule: one unit 6 AM till
10 AM and 1PM to 5PM
Today was comfortable early then became
hot and humid with light and variable wind. The extended forecast
is for lows in the 80s and highs in the high 90s. There is a slight chance
of afternoon thunderstorms Wednesday.
The stripers are moving fast in the 85 degree water. The best place
to catch stripers is hard to tell from day to day. They are surfacing
early all over the lake. The best places to start would either be
behind the islands, out from Soldiers Creek Marina, on the Oklahoma Flats
near Washita Point or from the dam to Eisenhower Marina to Grandpappy Point.
You can find fish close to just about anywhere you launch your boat.
Striper Swipers, Zara Spooks, Pencil Poppers or burning silver spoons or
slabs across the surface will all catch fish. When you find the stripers
suspended in 50 to 80 feet of water 4” sassy shads work well on the larger
fish. I had my best luck using the glo body on a 1.5 ounce head.
Dip about one inch of the tail in garlic chartreuse dye. Don’t fish the
sassy like you would in the fall along the bottom. Cast out as far
as you can and peel out line until the lure hits bottom. Use a medium
to fast retrieve. After several cast you will figure out how far
to let the lure sink and how fast to retrieve it. The depth the fish
are holding in and the speed of your drift make a difference in how you
fish the sassy shad. The whole idea is to drop your lure below the
fish and retrieve it at an angle up through the suspended silversides.
Catching fresh live shad can be a problem. We are netting them in
20 feet of water and also in 2 feet of water in the grass. It takes
a lot of shad to fish in 85 degree water. They will only stay alive
about 5 or 10 minutes when you drop them down 30 to 50 feet deep.
As always, I am catching more of the bigger stripers on live bait.
The problem is that with the 20” limit of only two 20” or longer stripers
per person, I am releasing a lot of fish. I suppose it is a good
problem to have. It sure is fun reeling them in.
Now is the time to start planning your fall fishing trip. September,
October and November always book up fast. Call 1-888-846-5377 to
schedule a date for exciting fall fishing. We will be in Decatur,
Texas July 26th and 27th at the Game Hunter’s Outdoor Expo Hunting and
Fishing Show. If you are in that area come by the Decatur Civic Center
on US 380 to visit with us and schedule a fall fishing trip at a Show Discount.
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