Lake Texoma
Quick Links: Fishing Regulations | Angling Opportunities | Cover & Structure | Tips & Tactics
Lake Characteristics
Location: A Red River impoundment on the
Texas-Oklahoma border northwest of Sherman-Denison, west of
US 75
Surface area: 74,686 acres
Maximum depth: 100 feet
Impounded: 1944
Water Conditions
Current
Lake Level
Conservation Pool Elevation: 615 to 619 ft. msl
Fluctuation: 5-8 feet annually
Normal Clarity: Moderate to clear
Reservoir Controlling Authority
US
Army Corps of Engineers
Drawer A
Denison, Texas 75020
(903) 465-4990
Aquatic Vegetation
Not abundant, but there are some stands of water willow, American lotus, floating heart, and bushy pondweed
Predominant Fish Species
- Blue & channel catfish
- White & striped bass
- Largemouth bass
- Spotted bass
- Smallmouth bass
- Black & white crappie
- Bluegill
Lake Records
Current
Fishing Report
Stocking History
Lake Maps
Available from local chambers of commerce, the Lake Texoma Association, and most North Texas fishing tackle stores
Fishing Regulations
Two-thirds of this lake 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. The following length and bag limits apply to the entire lake:
- Guadalupe and spotted bass have a minimum length of 14". Combined bag limit for Guadalupe, spotted, largemouth and smallmouth bass is 5 fish/day.
- For striped bass and hybrid striped bass, the combined daily bagand possession limit is 10. There is no minimum length, but only 2 fish 20" or longer can be retained each day. Culling of striped and hybrid striped bass is prohibited.
- White bass have no minimum length and a daily bag of 25 fish.
- For blue and channel catfish, minimum length is 12" and daily bag is 15 fish.
- 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.
Angling Opportunities
Free-flowing current in the Red River makes Texoma one of the few lakes in Texas with a self-sustaining population of striped bass, and one of only eight inland freshwater reservoirs worldwide where this species has spawned. A cousin of the white bass, striped bass were first stocked in Lake Texoma by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1965. They began spawning in 1974.
Species | Poor | Fair | Good | Excellent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Largemouth & Spotted Bass | ||||
Smallmouth Bass | ||||
Blue Catfish | ||||
Channel Catfish | ||||
Flathead Catfish | ||||
Crappie | ||||
Striped Bass | ||||
White Bass |
Fishing Cover/Structure
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, 50 miles of standing timber, and 50 miles of submersed aquatic vegetation. The remainder is cut banks, sandy beaches, rocky shoreline, and bluffs. A shoreline development ratio of 13.88 indicates an irregular and branched shoreline, which also increases habitat for fish.
Tips & Tactics
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 drfit-fishing shrimp across flats.
Sunfish and large minnows also pay off here. Blue catfish are
caught on many of the same baits; however, these fish migrate downstream or
into the
main pool area in winter and upstream in the spring.Try juglining with live
gizzard shad for bait. A rod and reel baited with live shad on windless winter
days works well, too. Flathead catfish are infrequently caught by rod
and reel anglers, but most often by trotlining with live sunfish for bait.
Crappie fishing is best in fall and winter, when fish tend to
school in large numbers and concentrate around boat houses, submerged
trees, creek channels, and brush piles. While minnows are the bait
of choice, crappie are caught on a variety of jigs. The spring spawning
season, when they move in shallow, is also an excellent time to fill
your creel.
White bass are vulnerable to angling when they migrate
upstream on the Red and Washita Rivers or the many tributary streams
around
Lake Texoma. Two to three weeks prior to the migration, they concentrate
around the mouths of the tributary streams and become easy prey. At
other times of the year they can be found surfacing around the lake
and feeding on threadfin shad. Effective baits include small surface
baits in silver, white, yellow or chartreuse; silver spoons; slabs;
and minnows. Striped bass migrate up both major river arms in
February, and can usually be located in or near the river channel in
the vicinity of the Willis or Roosevelt Bridges. They may take surface
lures, but most often they are caught on heavy jigs, slabs, plastic
shad, and live gizzard shad. After the spring spawning run, stripers
can be caught with shad over flats near the river channel in the main
part of the lake. Trolling with deep running lures can also be productive.
Stripers surface frequently in summer, fall, and winter, attracting
diving sea gulls, who also like to feed on threadfin shad. Surface
baits can produce some mighty tackle bustin' strikes, and so can plastic
shad retrieved rapidly just under the water's surface.
Largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth bass can be caught
pretty much year round, but they are caught closer to the shoreline
and around structure. While largemouth and spotted bass are found lakewide,
smallmouths are mostly limited to the bluffs around Eisenhower State
Park, Denison Dam and up the Washita River arm to the Willow Springs
area. Since all three species spawn in the shallows, that's the best
place to fish for them in the spring. Fish around grass and brush with
crank baits, surface lures, spinners, and Carolina rigged worms. As
the water warms and bass move offshore, switch to Texas rigged worms,
deep diving crankbaits, and surface baits early in the morning. Concentrate
on submerged structure such as rocks, boulders, stumps, logs, channels,
and secondary points. Fall bass fishing can be very exciting on Lake
Texoma. Work crank baits around brush and off rocky shorelines for
largemouth and spotted bass. Try free-line, live threadfin shad off
the rip-rap at the dam for smallmouths, or fish at night by the bluffs
near Eisenhower State Park.