Guys,
Just wanted to post a little report from trip last night. Left out of highport went say a 1/4 mile North at about 5:30 were the only boat out there until right before dark. We sat on a school of stripers for about an hour or so and caught over 20" fish non stop. We kept our 4 fish which were all over 10lbs. My father -in-law had never been able to get on stripers like this. Picture a 58 year old man acting like a kid with a brand new toy. We were throwing storm wild eye shads fishing with a steady retreive. Then we hit the lights after it got dark and can I say wow. I am not sure how many fish we caught but we caught a bunch. This time of year is awesome.

Great job Tim! I'm amazed the night fishing is still going strong. After talking with a couple guys that were up there this weekend, it sounded like Saturday was tough. It's been a while since I've been to Texoma. I'm looking forward to smacking them again.

It should be good until the females decide to make there run. Last night the females were plum full of eggs and they were begeing to turn a greenish color which I think means they are getting close just waiting on something. I think maybe the Golden Algae that is in river maybe keeping from running up in force. I have heard that they have already made there way up in the washita aRiver pretty good. I know a lot of guys like to go up in the river and catch those giant sows. The night fishing under the lights should be good for a few weeks after the time change.

Why would you want to keep four 10+ pound fish when they're full of roe?

Do you keep the bass you catch too, especially if you pull them off a bed?

Not an attack Tim, I just don't get the logic behind it, and would be interested in your explanation.

mark
www.texomasportfishing.com

I am allowed 2 over 20" and I kept to over 20" and Farthe Inlaw kept his 2 over 20". I rarely ever keep anything. My Father-in-law wanted to keep some fish so we did. There are so many Stripers in Texoma I doubt I can hurt there population. Were was your outcry this past fall when thousands of fish were dying because of lack of forage and yes there length would have put them all over 20". I have thrown back many 15lb + stripers and catfish. I hate having to clean them and then do something with the carcuss. Do you get bent when somone keeps a crappie full of eggs. When you take your trip out are you going to make them release there big fish. As long as people stay with-in there legal limit I say nothing. Striper reproduce much more successfully than Bass. If I had caught a striper that was in the 20lb range that fish would have been released because then you are starting to get into the ideal size of a striper for reproduction according to fisheries Biologist. When they Take brood stock from below the dam they target 19 to 22 pound females and 7 to 9 pound males. That what I was told while talking to the Biologist I believe was Bruce Hysmith when they were getting brood stock for the hatchery. Do you consider a 10 pound fish a trophy. When I say 10+ they were 10 something they were twins only one was over 11lbs. Like I said before I rarely keep any fish of any kind I enjoy catching and only keep fish when my dad or father -in-law want some. We never caught an under last night the people out there in striper style boat were catching them just as fast and keeping everything they caught and yes they were all over 20". The boats showed up a little before dark. I even started to call the Game warden but they left and drove back west when the fish stopped biting before we went to lights. I kept a measuring board on deck for easy measuring. I am very resoucre minded. I have said things before about stripers needing to be thinned out but those comments were misgudied and foolish. I love catching stripers and I am willing to help anyone catch them. I did not go out there and keep 70 fish full of eggs I kept 4. Bass do not reproduce near as many eggs and do not have near the survival rate. If I could go and catch 70 to 80 bass a day in the 10lb range I am sure keeping 4 would not hurt. I do understand your question and the logic behind it becuase you do make a living guideing I think. So you are extremely intune on whats happening with stripers. I ask though do you quit Guideing this time of year or do any guides not guide this time of year. This response in no way is an attack but just a detailed response with a few added questions. I seriously doubt I keep more than 20 stripers a year.

Well said, Mr. Cline.

I can;t believe that mark1 even questioned Mr. Cline on 4 stripers.

I asked for an explanation for keeping four ten pound breeders... some reasoning... some logic... nothing more.

Do you really think there is some in there somewhere?

mark
www.texomasportfishing.com

Mark,
Give me your logic for not keeping them. Do you have any data to support not keeping them. Have you done any scientific reasearch. I e-mailed Bruce HYsmith with your question I hope his logic will satisfy you. I have no idea what he will respond. I asked him what affect keeping 4 10pound fish this time of year would have on the population of stripers in Texoma and what was behind the logic in allowing people to keep breeders this time of year.

I guess you missed the part were I asked you if you turn down guide trips while the Stripers have eggs, I have never seen a guide turn down a trip in the spring for Stripers. I have never seen a guide with the except of Capt. Steve ever make anyone throw back big stripers. What is logic in questioning me on 4 fish why not question your fellow guides to. You turned a post were I was trying to tell people about were and how they can catch some into totally another issue.

Hey guys, Mark was simply making the point that, at Texoma, we should be keeping the 'unders' for food and releasing the 'overs' for trophy and spawning potential. He was not attacking Tim, but rather using the post to illustrate the 'conventional wisdom' of which stripers to keep on Texoma.

If Tim did not catch any unders, and he wanted to keep a legal limit of overs for the table, he was well within his rights to do so.

Asking Bruce if keeping 4 overs will hurt the spawn is a waste of his time, the answer is obvious. However, if everybody that fishes Texoma always kept 2 overs on every trip, then I think the answer to the question of that hurting the population is obvious as well.

I'll keep whatever I want to keep, as long as it's legal.
So if you have a favorite smallmouth you call Spot, and he lives under your boathouse, and you feed him everyday, and talk to him,you better hide him. Because if I see him and catch him, and he weighs 7lbs, he may just end up on my wall.
The same goes for the first 25lb.striper I catch.

As for Capt Steve forcing his client to release overs, I would think these pictures are in direct conflict with that statement - http://www.txfishingguide.com/striper-pictures-page.htm and http://www.txfishingguide.com/trophy-striper-pictures-page.htm

Dang! Now I'm gonna get one of those emails again.

Now see, there are a couple in that series of photos that I would have mounted. No doubt about it.
Now I'm not slamming guides, God must love them cause there are so many, especially J.D. and Mark, who do wonderful things for good causes. BUT, we all know who takes the most stripers on Texoma, and that is the Guides.

(Lake Texoma Fishing Guide Capt. Steve Barnes is a licensed and insured full time fishing guide. We can handle any size group and always work hard to put you on fish. Lake Texoma is famous for the quantity of striper and we also catch good numbers of fish in the 10-20LB range. We offer quality fishing trips at a competitive rate.

What We Furnish:
23-28 ft fully outfitted and well maintained fully insured boat.
Licensed Guide
All "quality" fishing tackle, bait and life jackets. You need NO fishing equipment!
We fillet and bag your catch

Rates:

Half Day:$275.00 for 2 plus $75.00 for each additional
person up to 10.
Full Day: Dec-March Only
$375.00 for 2 plus $75.00 for each additional
person up to 10
For groups of more than 10 I can provide additional boats and guides.
All Striper (over 10 pounds) are RELEASED!
Trophy fish can be weighed measured and photographed for fiberglass reproduction.
Guaranteed Catch (May-Dec.)

What You Need to Bring:

Food and drinks in up to a 90 qt. cooler.( no glass containers)

Lake Texoma Fishing License (available anywhere were TX or OK license are sold)

Warm Clothing in cold weather & Rain gear (for rain and boat spray in windy conditions)

Life jackets for any young children)

This is straight from his web site. I am sure he keeps some because they were hooked deep or just floated. Some of those pics are old. If I was with CApt. Steve they would have been released. Like I have said before I do not keep many stripers at all because it is usally a waste of time because I do not fish for the small ones. These four fish me and my father-in-law kept were probably my first striper I have kept in a couple of years.

I ask again Capnjoe and MArk do you turn down trips in the spring to protect breeders and do you make your clients release their overs?

Mark - What's the logic in questioning an individual fisherman's fishing ethics? You should direct your questions at the TPWD. They have a staff of marine biologists that can address your concerns and if your concerns are valid, then maybe they will be considered for new limit restrictions.

You say that you're not attacking Tim, yet you question if he keeps (black ?) bass too. You obviously have a strong opinion of what fishermen should and shouldn't keep. Here's my opinion - All fishermen should keep their catch as long as they are planning to eat it, it is legally harvested and that fisherman is ok with the ethics of doing so. Under these circumstances, the fisherman shouldn't be questioned about his actions by other fishermen/guides.

Joe - Even if Tim did catch some unders, he is still within his right to keep a limit of overs.