Fishing Report
 

March 9, 2004
Water pool level: 614.57, normal annual pool level is 617 feet.
Water temperature: 54 degrees.  Water clarity: stained.
Generating Schedule: Noon till 5:00 PM

Sunrise was 6:25 AM and sunset will be 6:40 PM.  The morning started out nice with the temperature nearly 60 degrees at 7:00 AM and a light wind.  As the morning progressed the wind blew harder and the temperature rose to the lower 70’s. The forecast for the rest of the week is partly cloudy skies with highs in the 70’s and 80’s and lows in the 60’s.

The Golden Algae has killed many shad, some gar, carp and buffalo along with a few crappies.  No numbers of bass, catfish or stripers have been reported killed.  Following is a copy of part of the KXII-TV channel 12, Sherman news story.  “3-18-04 Officials from the Texas Wildlife and Game commission say tourists should not be scared of golden algae in Lake Texoma. Biologists took to the water on Thursday to study the fish kill that's spread to the main body of the lake. Hundreds of thousands of fish have died but most of those are bait fish - the same fish that biologists say can re-produce in a short time. They still say as temperatures increase the problem with golden algae will decrease. But the large number of fish washing up on the shore still has those who depend on the lake worried.”  Fishing is as good as or better than it was a year ago.  The algae should be gone in a month or so.  Please don’t be afraid to visit Lake Texoma.  There is no health problem for humans, birds or animals.  If you would like to read more on the Alga go to Parks and Wildlife’s website. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/hab/ga/

Spring break weather was great for the children to fish.  We fished parents and their children everyday for the last two weeks.  The fish were biting and the kids had huge smiles on their faces.  Some of the young anglers caught large stripers and the parents had the fish mounted for an everlasting memory.  You can see pictures of the children and their catch at
http://home.texoma.net/~tinker/fishpics04/fishpics03.html.

I hope you got your boat, trailer and fishing gear ready for spring fishing.  Limits of stripers are being caught on Gladiators, sassy shad and cohos from the banks out to about eighteen feet of water.  Live bait is also producing limits in 25 to 50 feet of water.

Remember this from my last report, “No one wants to pull the boat out of storage for the first time of the year and get two miles down the road and “BOOOM”, a flat trailer tire”. A friend of mine, Stacey, out at Abilene Trailer Sells read my article and sent me his suggestions for trailer care.  He wrote: “Good advice to your boaters.  You might also mention that safety chains are required for all bumper pull trailers, and the DPS is writing those tickets too.  One thing we recommend to seasonal boaters is to repack their wheel bearings at the end of each season.  When you park your boat in the fall, run by a shop and have the hubs removed ALL the old grease cleaned out of the hubs & bearings check the race/bearings and repack with good grade marine grease.  Then reinstall with a new double lip seal.  Doing this in the fall serves two purposes:  First you beat the spring rush, but the second is most critical.  If a boat trailer sits without moving for 2 or 3 months, the moisture in the hub tends to separate from the grease and "sit" in the same spot for several months.  That starts a rust spot on the bearing and/or race which is the beginning of the end, bearing failure.  Also, don't depend on buddy bearings, you can pump all the new fresh grease in a hub you want, but if you don't clean out the contaminants, you haven't done much.”

Thanks Stacey for the extra advice

Since my last report on March 9, the lake has risen another two feet and the water temperature has warmed two more degrees.  Spring is here.  Right now the inflow of muddy water from recent rains on the two huge watersheds is pushing the fish towards the main body of the lake.  The fish are very healthy, heavy and easy to catch.  Start at the mud lines and go back toward the clear water.  Check for birds working the banks over flipping shad.  This is a sure sign the stripers are feeding in the shallows.  The stripers will come out of the deeper water of the river channels to feed on shad in the twenty to forty feet water.  If no shad or birds are to be seen, rely on your fish sonar to locate schools of shad and feeding stripers from the edge of the rivers toward the shore.  
 

Four, five or six fishermen can fish in one boat Monday thru Thursday for only $95.00 per fishermen. You are welcome to stay overnight with Tinker FREE.

This discounted special is good for weekdays only with availability.  It cannot be used together or with any other discount, promotion, gift certificate or previously scheduled trip. Tinker’s Striper Guide Service reserves the right to change or cancel this special at any time. 

To see pictures of these catches and other fish caught this month by our customers, click on the following link. http://home.texoma.net/~tinker/fishpics04/fishpics03.html

Go to http://www.tinker.net, to read testimonials sent in by our customers and see pictures of the fish they caught over the last year.  Links to both are on the right side of my home page.