What forage do stripers and hybirds feed on at Lake Palestine and the Neches River? I know there is shad in the lake, is it in the river, too? Based on the forage, I am trying to match their natural prey when buying lures. What color and pattern of lures should I focus on as an beginner?

If it's in the lake, and they release into the river, they will be there too.

threadfin and gizzard shad. also bluegills in that area.

So fish cam travel between the main lake and the Neches River?

You do realize how lakes are created right?

Yes, fish can travel back and forth from the Neches of Kickapoo to the main lake

Sure, upstream they can travel both ways. Downstream, it’s a one way street.

There are Shad, ghost minnows, red shiners, bluegill, crawfish, and a variety of other food sources in nearly every single lake and River in texas. Fish are not that picky, sandbass, striper, and yellow bass will eat about anything that swims if they can swallow it. Black Bass, catfish, and crappie are even more opportunistic, black bass will eat snakes, frogs, mice, birds, bugs, you name it, crappie and catfish are oftentimes caught eating grasshoppers when they’re plentiful, mayflies when they hatch, Shad when they Shad are schooled up, and we all know they will eat minnows. My recommendation is watch some videos on how to throw a castnet, get a 1/4” mesh cast net and toss it in shallow water and use what you catch (if legal of course). This is a great way for a beginner to learn and you can see what’s in the water. Guarantee you whatever you catch will work better than some store bought minnows, and it might help your chances over lures if you’re just starting out.

Do I need a special license to use a cast net?

No

There are no stripers in the Neches/ Lake Palestine area, It has been several years since hybrids have been stocked , so it is a declining fishery.

I have personally ask the area biologist to stock stripers in Lake Palestine , he does not think they would survive.

I would think shad would make up the vast majority of the diet of Hybrids.

Good luck

Mo

I was at the neches river a couple of weeks ago. I caught a undersized hybrid some people refer to them as strippers (they are not). LakePalestine does have hybrids in it and yes they travel up stream just like the sand bass.

We got a double stocking of hybrids last year and ran in to a school of them feasting on 2-3” shad at the mouth of saline creek this afternoon. We had 50+ in a little over an hour with a few white bass mixed in. Most were 10-14” so in another couple years they should be ready to put up a better fight. It didn’t matter what you put in front of them, they were eating it.

that is good to hear , I was not aware that we got stocked,

Mo

Their already following Martin around. In the creek I pray they make it back out. They are the size that will be kept, by most of those guys. Hard to distinguish. Till you touch one. Then there's a difference.