Swollen Texoma Presents A Big Challenge

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Lake Texoma is a big body of water under any circumstances. Right now, it's much larger than anyone would prefer it to be.

Much of the water from the prolific rains that hammered the south-central part of the country in recent weeks is making its way through systems across the region, and Texoma has more than its fair share as it prepares to host the 108 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers for the annual BASSFest event. The water level will be at or near 9 feet over full pool when the field launches Wednesday, and structures such as picnic tables, restrooms and traffic signs have become pieces of cover that may hold quality fish.

Most of the anglers will likely spend the majority of the time in the main body as both river arms are way off color – the Red is living up to its name and the Washita is anything but clean. Most locals believe the event will be won from close to the shoreline, which is a lot farther inland than it usually is at this time of year.

Before getting deeper into the bite, here's some info on the fishery itself.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Texoma
> Type of water: Flood-control impoundment on the Red River
> Surface acres (full pool): 89,000
> Primary structure/cover: Submerged vegetation (willows and buckbrush), rocks, ledges, rip-rap, some standing timber, manmade structures that are normally on dry ground
> Primary forage: Shad (both gizzard and threadfin), silversides
> Average depth: 25 feet
> Species: Largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass
> Minimum length: 14 inches
> Reputation: A renowned striper fishery where the three species of black bass play second fiddle, but the black population is healthy and some individuals are quite large
> Weather: Sunny and dry with daily high temperatures in the low 90s
> Water temp: High 70s to low 80s
> Water visibility/color: Muddy in the river arms, clearer (but still stained) in the main lake
> Water level: Nearly 9 feet above full pool (hugely significant due to all the cover that's inundated at the moment)
> Fish in: Various depths
> Fish phase: Post-spawn, summer
> Primary patterns: Flipping, frogs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, plastics, jigs (conventional and bladed), topwaters
> Winning weight: 64 pounds (4 days)
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for Texoma
> Biggest factors: Huge bites are always critical in this region
> Biggest decision: Sticking exclusively with the myriad of shallow targets or heading out to the drop-offs
> Wildcard: A deeper-water hot spot where fish are grouped up

Here's a look at how Texoma lays out, courtesy of Navionics:

Linesides Take Top Billing

Texoma, which sits on the Texas-Oklahoma border, is best known as a striped bass fishery – it's one of the few large impoundments in the country in which the striper population sustains itself through the natural reproductive process. The black bass fishing is generally good and all three species (largemouths, smallmouths and spots) are well-represented, but its reputation in that department doesn't match that of some of the other lakes in the region.

It's hosted a fair amount of triple-A derbies (Bassmaster Opens and FLW Series events) over the past decade, but no tour-level events since the '90s. Many of the Elite competitors are visiting the venue for the first time.

"Texoma can look like the ugliest thing you've ever seen," said longtime Texas triple-A angler Dave Mauldin, who's logged several Top-10 finishes on the lake. "It's nothing but rocks and docks.

"Guys from east Texas, where they've got all the stumps and grass, think it looks God-awful. But it's got a lot of fish in it."

Those fish have been eating extremely well for a long time due to 2 consecutive years of super-high water through the spawning season and into the post-spawn period. That can make them difficult to entice with artificial baits.

"There's more shad in the lake than ever," said Bill Glasscock, who owns Alberta Creek Resort & Marina and is himself a high-level tournament angler. "With the flood last year they had a great spawn and you can go out and throw a net anywhere and come up with a bunch of them.

"The bait is everywhere – all over the lake. (The bass) have no problem filling their bellies."

Don't Venture Too Far Out

Most Elite competitors naturally assumed this would be an offshore-dominated event when this year's schedule was released last fall, but the present conditions make that unlikely. There are fish on the ledges, but there are a bunch in the shallows.

"It's going to be pretty much a shallow bite for the guys who can get bit," said Mark Howard, who runs the local JC Outdoors tournament series. "There's a lot of them in the bushes and stuff and the sun should put them in there even more.

"There's a chance it could be won offshore, but it's a slim chance, if you ask me. I'd say 90 percent of the fish are going to be caught shallow."

The lake's healthy smallmouth population, which resides primarily in the vicinity of the Denison Dam, could be a big factor.

"Some people will be down there chasing them in the rocks and a guy who knows how to catch them could do real well," said Joe Copeland, who directs the Texoma Division of the Future Bass Team Trails. "Sometimes we'll see 21- or 22-pound bags come from down there and all five fish will be smallmouths."

Copeland predicts that the winning weight will end up somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 pounds.

"Under normal conditions I'd say it'd be close to 80. It could be more (than 60) if somebody gets on the smallmouth or a frog bite real heavy. There are some big bass in that lake."

Field Notes

Following are practice notes from a few of the anglers who'll be competing this week.

Josh Bertrand
"It's pretty tough, but I expected it to be and I'm not surprised by that. It's super-random because the fish are extremely spread out. There are fish that are already in their early summer pattern that are staying offshore and some that are shallow that aren't about to leave the bushes.

"I've narrowed it down to a couple baits. I'll get a bite doing one thing, and then I can't get anymore, and then I can run off and do something different and get another bite doing that.

"I'd just like to have a limit (on day 1). I don't know what they'll weigh, but the lake does have some big ones. I don't know if it's going to take 7 pounds a day or 12 pounds to make the cut.

"I've got a couple spots I'm going to check out off the bank, but I'm going to do the majority of my fishing shallow."

Brett Hite
"It's a grind out there. I know this lake's supposedly getting better fishing-wise, but I still don't think it has a giant population of fish. Then you put 8 or 9 feet of water in places that are solid bushes and trees and it really scatters the fish out.

"A month ago it was high, then they got it back down to pool, and now it's back up again. The fish just haven't had any stability and that's probably one of the major facors.

"I've got a couple of areas where I've gotten multiple bites and one area where I've had a few better bites, but it's an area deal and not a pattern deal. It's not like I can go out and duplicate anything across the lake. It's just a matter of running down a stretch of brush that's got a few hanging out."

David Mullins
"I'm not catching anything – I've had three keepers in 3 days. I don't know where I'm going to go (on day 1) and if I catch them, it'll be because I found them that day.

"It's fishing small with the mud. I haven't gotten bit out of the mud and there's only so much fishable water. It's going to be tough. Historically, any lake that has a lot of stripers doesn't have real good bass fishing.

"This was one of the tougher practices I've had on the Elite Series and I fished the Delaware River."

Brandon Palaniuk
"High, muddy red clay with 9 feet of extra water isn't really a recipe for bass-fishing heaven. I haven't caught a limit yet on any day – the most I've caught in a day was three.

"The water continued to come up throughout practice and then last night it stabilized and they opened the gates. At this point, any change is beneficial. I think some guys will make the right adjustments and for them, it'll get better than what it has been.

"The biggest challenge is keeping a positive attitude and not taking yourself out of it before it gets started. I've got a game plan for how I'm going to approach the first day – I'll start on a place where I caught one that was almost 4 pounds and then I'll kind of run with that. The first key is going to be putting five keepers in the boat and that's not real easy to do right now."

Top 10 to Watch

With the above in mind and more, here are BassFan's recommendations for the Top 10 to watch in this event.

1. Greg Hackney – The Angler of the Year leader can catch good bags under any conditions, but these are particularly suited for him. Quality fish in shallow, off-colored water point to yet another high finish for the Louisianan.

2. Keith Combs – This might not be his ideal scenario (he'd be more comfortable if the majority of the big ones were grouped up offshore), but his record on Texas waters just can't be ignored. It's tough to imagine him not being in the final-day field.

3. Edwin Evers – The reigning Classic and 2015 BassFest champion loves to compete in the part of the country that he calls home and he has a great deal of experience on Texoma. He has no fear whatsoever of high, off-colored water.

4. Dean Rojas – Frog imitations should generate some big bites this week and the veteran from Arizona is as good as there is at that tactic. This would appear to be a dream setup for him.

5. Jason Christie – He's gone 2 years without winning now after a 2-year run when he seemingly won ever other tournament he entered. He's not having his greatest season, but it could get a lot better with a strong showing in his home region.

6. Chris Lane – He had a terrible first third of the campaign, but the middle trimester is shaping up a lot better in the wake of his runner-up showing at Toledo Bend. Perhaps nobody rides momentum harder and he's certainly adept at catching shallow fish.

7. Kevin VanDam – He stifled the questions about whether he'd ever win again with his triumph at Toledo Bend and he could be in the early stages of yet another streak of excellence. There's a good chance he'll throw a spinnerbait a lot this week, which will keep him entirely within his comfort zone.

8. Tommy Biffle – His 9th-place showing at Toledo Bend was his best since a victory at the Mississippi River 3 years ago. With lots of fish in the bushes, a second straight Sunday appearance could be forthcoming.

9. Dave Lefebre – He's been making a steady climb up the points list since a season-opening bomb at the St. Johns River and has his sights set on winning the AOY in his first year on the circuit. He's a vacuum when the shallows are a target-rich environment.

10. Stephen Browning – He's having a solid season (28th in the points) and can solidify his chances of making next year's Classic with his third finish of 14th or better of the campaign. Dirty water is his forté, so he'll make himself right at home.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers will take off at 6:15 a.m. CT from Dam Site Park at the south end of Denison Dam(Hwy. 91 at FM 1310). Weigh-ins will get under way at 3:30 p.m. at Choctaw Casino (3735 Choctaw Rd., Durant, Okla.).

Notable

> All 108 anglers will compete Wednesday and Thursday. The field will be reduced to the Top 50 after Thursday's weigh-in, and then to the Top 12 after Friday. There will be no competition on Saturday as anglers will conduct Bassmaster University seminars (for the schedule, click here). The Top 12 will return to the water on Sunday to conclude the event.

> Brent Chapman started the season with a pair of Top-5 finishes, but three straight placements of 62nd or lower have dropped him to 33rd on the points list. He hopes to end that run of futility this week. To read his practice recap, click here to visit Pro View Reports.

Weather Forecast

> Weds., June 8 – Sunny - 92°/67°
- Wind: From the SSW at 8 mph

> Thurs., June 9 – Mostly Sunny - 91°/68°
- Wind: From the S at 10 mph

> Fri., June 10 – Mostly Sunny - 91°/69°
- Wind: From the SSE at 8 mph

> Sun., June 12 – Sunny - 91°/71°
- Wind: From the S at 9 mph