Fishing for stripers at Lake Texoma

Striper Express guide David Escamilla, whom I first fished with almost 30 years ago, who in fishing circles is known as “Lil” Dave, eased the throttle back on the big Falcon guide boat and pointed to a gently sloping shoreline about 50 yards away.

“I wish there was a little more wind but the wind we have is from the south and will be concentrating bait against this north shore. I don’t expect we will catch a lot of fish on topwaters because of the slack wind but hopefully we will connect with a few big fish that will stretch our line before we head out to put some fresh shad in the bait tank for some red hot live bait fishing,” said Dave.

“There is nothing like seeing a big striper blow up on your topwater plug, not get hooked and then come right back to devour the bait. It’s stuff fishing memories are made,” said Dave as he passes rods rigged with jumbo-size topwater plugs to Damien Antoine and I.

The technique we were fishing is known as “blind casting” and years of fishing experience and knowledge of the haunts of the big fish are keys to success. Seldom does this technique produce large numbers of stripers but it is a tried and true method of boating some line-sizzling brutes during the first hour or so of daylight and even longer if there is cloud cover. This is a tried and true fall big fish pattern. When the cold weather sets in these same big rogue stripers can be landed on big jigs and soft plastic trailers.

Damien‘s brother Kyle from Douglasville, Georgia, had won a two-day fishing trip for two with Striper Express through a magazine promotion. Damien was held over at an airport with a flight delay on this first morning of fishing. Brother Damien represented the team well and when he hooked the biggest striper of the day on topwater during the first few minutes of daylight, I knew another striper fisherman was “hooked” on Texoma and the awesome striper fishing the lake offers.

There was absolutely no clue we were in a trophy striper hotspot as we began our first cast of the morning, just as the sun was appearing on the eastern horizon. No birds were visible to lead the way to the action and no stripers breaking the surface chasing shad, just the ripples of water caused by a light south wind.

“Cast as far out as you can and retrieve the bait like this,” Dave instructed as he made a long cast and jerked the topwater plug hard a couple times, which really churned up the water. He then cranked the reel quickly to take up the slack line and repeated the process. The erratic surface action mimics a baitfish on the surface and triggers the dinner bell for nearby stripers that hear it ringing. There is no tap-tap on the lure indicating a strike as when fishing sub surface. No, when a striper, especially a big one, decides to grab his breakfast on the surface, he does so with much gusto.

It’s not uncommon to see the plug fly a couple feet into the air on the striper’s initial strike. The intention is to kill or cripple the baitfish and if the first attempt is not successful, a quick second strike is often the norm. The strike will also be accompanied with a slap of the fish’s tail in its attempt to stun the prey.

One of the most challenging things with topwater fishing is to remain calm when you see that topwater explosion. One of two things will happen. The fish will hook itself with the force of its strike or the force of the water being pushed ahead of the fast-moving fish will simply push the plug up and away from the fish’s mouth. If the line does not load up and indicate there is a big fish pulling on the other end, it will go slack. Experienced anglers will let it set motionless for a few seconds in anticipation for the second strike when the striper is likely to inhale the bait. I believe this to be the most challenging aspect of fishing.

Adrenaline is pumping and the brain is saying, “Hey buddy, that fish just tried to steal my lure. It’s time to rear back on the rod and get it back. The striper has rendered its prey motionless with a savage strike and slap of its tail; it’s now time to return and chow down.”

Whether the hook up comes on the initial strike or when the big striper returns to consume its prey, it’s important to have the reel’s drag set fairly light. If the drag is cranked down too tight, a big striper is likely to either pull the hook out or break the line of that initial run when he feels the hook and heads for the other side of the lake.

The key to success is letting the bend of the rod and the reel’s drag system do its work to tire the fish. After several strong runs, if everything goes just right the fish will still have enough strength for a last strong run but you will hopefully have it boat side. Lots of fish are lost at this point by lack of experience using a landing net. Make sure and use enough net. These big stripers aren’t crappie or white bass. They require a net at least two feet in diameter. 

Never, ever try to put the net behind a striper moving alongside the boat. He will have plenty of fight left and it’s a good bet he will try to outrun the net. Rather, place the net into the water ahead of the fish and as it approaches, it will basically swim into the net.

This was Damien’s first time to fish for stripers but he has caught lots of big redfish along the Louisiana coast nor far from his home. After landing the first striper of the morning, which turned out to be the big fish of the day, he commented that these line-sided brutes will give redfish a run for their money in the pulling department. That’s saying something. Big bull reds are known for their line-sizzling runs and brute strength.

How fortunate we are to live within driving distance of such as great fishery as Lake Texoma. I’ve been fishing these striper rich waters several times a year for close to 40 years, many of the trips with Bill Carey dating back four decades ago when he began his Striper Express Guide Service. My next trip is scheduled for December when the fish will be on a good jig bite.

Oh yes, after catching a few jumbo-size stripers on top waters, Lil’ Dave threw his cast net twice, caught a thankful of frisky shad and we proceeded to limit out on eater fish under 20 inches!

 

Listen to Luke’s radio show which becomes podcast each week, “Catfish Radio with Luke Clayton and Friends” wherever you find your podcasts.