Hey what's up guys and gals?

I'm finally back from school and I've been itching to take the kayak out and catch some fish. I got out yesterday and caught some pretty nice largies but I really want to get up to Texoma for some stripers/smallmouth. Does anybody have any tips on what to look for and how to catch these fish? Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks,
Brendan

Not an expert but since no replies I'll share some info that might help. The water towards the dam is extremely clear, i.e. 10' visibility it seems. Judging by the fish eggs I noticed in algae around the banks the threadfin shad are still spawning. There are smaller stripers towards the dam but not sure if the big girls have shown up? Fish are at any depth right now, no thermocline yet. Water temp on the main water was in the upper 60's and in the 70's back in the coves and sloughs. So my guess is your best odds are to fish coves around the main lake at the crack of dawn. It still seems too early for predictable top water blowups?

I think the big post spawn fish run smack into the dam usually sometime in June.

Thanks guys!

When the larger fish that spawned upriver hit the dam, you can whack them right there just off the bank by the boat ramp by the dam. Clousers on a sink tip line have worked well for me in the past. I'd start looking for that to happen in maybe a couple weeks - although it could be a little later in June. When it goes off, I've found that you'll get at least a solid week of stupid awesome fishing right there in that area.

How deep are you fishing for them? I don't have a sink tip line but I do have some polyleader that I use down at the jetties by my school. How rough is the water by the dam? I've got a kayak that I want to take up there.

Fished top water there from my kayak and caught a few but bite stops as the sun hits the water. Your Poly leaders should be sufficient.

Not too deep - typically in that top few feet of the water column. I'm mostly using the sink tip to keep the fly pulling horizontal as I strip it. Like mentioned above, your poly leader will work fine, and they'll hit surface flies, too.


As for the chop, it's anybody's guess. It all depends on the wind. Texoma can get pretty rough at times, but if the wind isn't howling, conditions are fine. Early June mornings are generally pretty tame.

Awesome, thanks again guys!