Fishing Report
 

The official bird of the United States, the American Bald Eagle, is starting its return to Lake Texoma.  They will show up in greater numbers as the weather begins to get colder.  Watching our national bird in the wild is an experience you will never forget.  The great value is the opportunity for people to see a bald eagle close and feeding on fish from the waters of the lake and river.  Bring your camera and get some wonderful pictures of this great bird.

When the winter blues set in this year, it's time to plan a trip to Lake Texoma for the yearly return of the Bald Eagle.  The first eagle has been spotted already!  Each year from now through February, Lake Texoma serves as host to many Bald Eagles making their annual southern migration from Canada to the unfrozen waters of the south.  A symbol of freedom and strength, and once on the brink of extinction, the Bald Eagles regularly awe fishermen on Lake Texoma and the Red River below Denison Dam on crisp, clear winter mornings.  These magnificent birds of prey gather along the wooded bluffs of Lake Texoma to spend the winter. The large trees are prime sites for perching and roosting.  The waters of the lake and river remain unfrozen, fish is plentiful and old-growth trees provide prime sites for perching and roosting. Residents and visitors alike look to the skies to watch the eagles, easily identified by the white feathers of their heads and tails and their immense wingspans.

If you would like a guided tour, several guide services offer professional 2 to 3 hour Bald Eagle watching tours on Lake Texoma and the Red River. 

November 12, 2004.  Water pool level is 617.55.  The normal annual pool level is 617 feet.  Water temperature is 69 degrees. Water clarity is clear to two feet.  The generating schedule is one unit 4:00 pm till 9:00 pm.  Sunrise was 6:56 am and sunset will be 5:25 pm. There are 11 hours and 21 minutes of visible light during the day. The moon will be full on November 26th. The temperature was 41 degrees at 7:00 am. The high for yesterday was 51 degrees. Texoma’s forecast for the next five days is for lows in the 40s and highs in the 50s with a 5 to 10 mph ENE wind. There is a slight chance of showers starting at noon on Saturday.  The water temperature has dropped three degrees and the lake level has come up two feet in the last twelve days. 

Stripers feed great when the lake is cooling and on the rise.  If the forecast is correct for west Texas and Oklahoma, the lake's watershed should be getting enough precipitation to keep the lake on the rise for at least another week. Get out your cold and wet weather gear for the early bite in the morning.  During fall weather, non-forecasted light rains and fog happen frequently in the mornings.  Remember, the warm afternoons produce a lot of stripers this time of the year.  Always wear layers of clothing, insulated boots and have wet weather gear available in case of showers.  If the wind is high, a hooded rain suit makes a great wind barrier.  Don't let the cold weather keep you off the lake.  When you are catching fish as fast as you can at this time of the year, you will never notice the cool weather.  Afternoons have been super for both striper and catfish.  Many of our anglers prefer afternoons when the temperature is much more pleasant than early in the morning.  For the last week it has made no difference whether you went out fishing in the morning or afternoon.  Some of the larger stripers have been caught during the afternoon trips.  You will be on the lake late when fishing an afternoon trip.  Make plans to stay overnight in our free guestrooms and enjoy the new game room.  We have enlarged the game room and added indoor washer boards and comfortable sofas to sit and watch TV, along with a long bar with coffee pots, microwave and plenty of room to fix snacks.

With the help of the feeding gulls, finding the fish is relatively easy.  Fishing under the birds isn't as easy as it might seem.  Look for the direction the birds are headed as they dive and feed.  Then move up ahead of them and wait or drift back with the wind.  While there are generally some fish behind them most will be under or just ahead of the flock.  Don't run through the birds or crowd in when other anglers are fishing the feeding birds.  This will scatter the shad.  The birds will leave and the stripers will chase the scattered shad.

Stay alert and always practice safe boating and respect the other fishermen while having a fun-filled day on Lake Texoma.

To see pictures of our customers catch during November click 
link. http://home.texoma.net/~tinker/fishpics04/fishpics11.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.