Lake Texoma

Flows in the Red and Washita Rivers make Texoma one of the few freshwater lakes in the United States with a self-sustaining, landlocked population of striped bass. A dozen other Texas lakes support striped bass fisheries; however, routine stocking is required to maintain those populations. Striped bass were first introduced in Lake Texoma by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1965. Natural reproduction was first documented in 1974.

While Texoma has little aquatic vegetation, it does offer cover in structures such as rocks/boulders, standing timber, submerged stump beds, channels, rocky bluffs, sandy flats, and rip-rap along Denison Dam and elsewhere. Of the 580 miles of shoreline, there are approximately 9 miles of rip-rap, and 50 miles of standing timber. The remainder is cut banks, sandy beaches, rocky shoreline, and bluffs.

Channel catfish are taken near the mouths of creeks after a rain, especially in spring and fall. In late spring and early summer, they are found around rocky shores and areas of rip-rap. Best baits are shrimp, blood bait, cut bait, dough bait, and shad gizzards. In summer, try drift-fishing shrimp across flats. Sunfish and large minnows also pay off here.

Two-thirds of Lake Texoma lies in Oklahoma. Anglers with Texas licenses may fish in the Texas portions of the reservoir, or purchase a Lake Texoma license ($12) to fish the entire lake. Special bag and size limits are in effect for several fish species on Lake Texoma. Anglers should also be aware of rules in effect here to prevent the spread of exotic invasive species. Boats, livewells, and bait buckets must be drained of all water before leaving the area. In the Red River downstream, from the Texoma dam to the Arkansas state line, it is unlawful to transport live, nongame fishes from this stretch of river to any other water body. Nongame fishes may be collected and used for bait within these waters. For more details, see Possession and Transport of Exotic Aquatic Species. The following length and bag limits apply to the entire lake: During May, alligator gar may not be taken within the boundaries of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge or the portion of the lake from the US 377 bridge (Willis Bridge) upstream to the IH 35 bridge. For striped bass and hybrid striped bass, the daily bag limit is 10 fish in any combination. Possession limit is 20 fish. There is no minimum length, but only 2 fish 20" or longer can be retained each day. Culling is prohibited. White bass have no minimum length limit and a daily bag of 25 fish. For blue and channel catfish, minimum length is 12" and daily bag is 15 fish. Only one blue catfish 30 inches or longer may be retained each day. For flathead catfish, the minimum is 20" with a bag limit of 5/day. Black and white crappie have a 10" minimum length and a combined daily bag of 37 fish. The possession limit is 50. For walleye, minimum length is 18" and daily bag is 5 fish. Check current TPWD regulations before your trip.