Just got in from Lake Texoma yesterday after 5 days. Interesting fact number obe...Texoma has crabs in it I never knew even existed! Low and behold, one jugline weight we used was a faucet fitting. Every yime we ran that jug, you could knock a crab out of it. What are these crabs called? Thought numbet two...no shad yo be found anywhere...thousands of 3" stripers in the shallows that look like schools of shad...how will all these thousands and thousands of baby sttipers affect the ecosystem? They are eating all the spawn hatch fry like popcorn at a movie theater. And the final question, how do the crabs and zebra mussels affect the overall health of Texoma? Do the crabs pose a threat lije yhe zebra mussels? And before anyone says there is no shad shortage on Lake Texoma...then why did every bkue and channel cat we caught on juglines have zebra mussels only in their digestive tracts, yet no shad in their stomachs? Fire away....open discussion!!

Went to a bait shop down by the dam after finding no shad at burns run east, platter flats, caught 6 shad at lakeside....he had an interesting theory. He said there are 377 guides on the lake and not all are licensed. He is old school. He says guides are a leading contributor to zebra mussels being spread because they catch shad at Lewisville, Ray Roberts, Lake Arlington, Joe Pool, etc...and keep them alive in huge bait tanks to bring to Texoma because they can't find large enough numbers on Texoma sometimes. He told me he would sell me all the minnows or black salties I wanted to buy, but that the stripers would not touch them. His prophesy held true...anchored in between two boats and they were catching stripers at the rate of about one a minute. All we caught on the minnows were small catfish. So...question is...is there a shad shortage at Texoma due to the winter kill last year and all the thousands and thousands of small stripers eating the new shad fry before they can grow? Any truth to the fact that zebra mussels are being spread due to people not washing their boats who fish Texoma frequently to make the holy dollar to catch 20 striper while charging 300-500 a trip for clients? Not a knock on guides at all...people have to suppirt their families...just asking the tough questions...

If a guide who lives in Oklahoma drives all the way to Lewisville to get shad I can see why he charges 500 for a trip. He will burn 150 in gas hauling the boat back and forth

The big stripes we have been catching are full of 4-6" shad. From Texoma.

The zebra mussels could lower the shad numbers significantly. The mussels eat the photo and zoo plankton which is the basis of the food chain. Shad is the next rung on the ladder. As far as schools of stripers, they will eat each other before they go hungry. Glad to hear the cats are eating the zebra mussels! All fish live in an environment that is simply eat till your eaten.

I wonder about zebra mussels too, how they are the reason that the great lakes are back, they are responsible for cleaning what once a dead fishery.
Many lakes up north are better with these zebra pests.
I for one welcome them to the brazos maybe the end to the golden algea.

Zebra mussels were in Texoma long Before Ray Roberts, Lewisville, etc

Zebra muscles started in Texoma from a boat from great lakes

Seriously...gimme a break

Shad kill was three years ago and now more shad than ever now...in fact prob too much..no guide is gong to lewisville to get shad...that is so old news...your bait shop guy sounds like an idiot..
If you think there is a shad shortage well...guess you can thnk what ya want...just funny how people come here for 5 days a year and make up conspiracy theories
Just cuz your cat fish ate mussels does not confirm a shad shortage...it just confirms that #1 there are zebra mussels ( not new news) and #2 they were hungry..
I don't know why I even respond to this, but its hearsay and in my opinion irresponsible to start rumors that aren't true so it kinda get my blood boiling

And as for all the small stripers ( again not new news) happens every year right after the spawn...they eat..they grow and then they get caught ..by guides who apperantly charge way too much

Don't candy coat it Jeff!

Alright who woke JD from his nap?

Yea what JD said and I will add that Texoma is in the best shape it has been in since the flood of 07. Catching bait every day and fishing is as good as it gets.

long read, but short on substances...

All spring I ran into massive schools of 8-12 inch stripers. They ran me out of coves where I was crappie fishing because you could not keep a line in the water. I'd pull them up on both poles three at a time. I figure these massive numbers of 3 inchers are the new crop and will terrorize me next year. Texoma makes its own stripers, as they spawn readily in the lake. This is probably why TPWD has the special rules on stripers at Texoma (2 over 20 inches with ten total no min length) At PK, they need to be 18 inches and limit of 5. There's no shortage of stripers at Texoma. Have you noticed the pics from the guides showing dead fish laid out? Those guys would be pushing catch and release if there was an issue.

The good news is that the good Lord figured out how many shad he needs per striper and worked all that out. Most fish have massive numbers of fry and Shad have huge spawns. Last week I saw huge shad balls down by the dam where I fish. I bet you are correct that the stripers eat everything that moves that they can fit in their mouth, but That's probably why you see the TPWD using Hybrid's in the smaller lakes, as big fish like stripers need allot of range and forage.

Zebra mussles are great in my opinion. I love to fish crystal clear water and that's what they make. I fish lake murray in Ok in late summer and you can see dozens of big channel cats munching away at zebra mussels in the crystal clear water. I guess they just like them.

I don't know about fresh water crabs in Texoma. Never see them.

Texoma is the best lake in Texas. I've posted pics all year of big smallmouth and some nice stripers and crappie I've caught up there this year. I never get skunked at that lake and I am hardly an expert lake fisherman, as I've only fished in lakes for the last two years. I have a pathetic small boat without a bow mount trolling motor and am forced to troll. I do not see how anyone can fish texoma and not catch fish.

Nothing wrong with Texoma other than I don't fish there enough.

So if people can collect welfare does that mean most are making to much money? Dude Texoma probably has 20 lbs of shad for every pound of "fish". Im sorry but think a little. I can catch bait all day, at noon. The first two years I had my boat I couldn't. But dang they don't run at your net. Fishing is a learning experience, take what you learned not catching bait and apply it on how to. Do I like the fact that there is so many guides, well I used to think they drained the lake. Well now im 31 and 16 years later ive realized they don't make a dent. With or with out them Texoma is awesome and they are a drop in the bucket. They fished hard enough to charge people. They bypass your lack of bait catching.