Big Fish Texoma

Sometimes, as a fisherman, you have to assess what it is you are doing. One day this bait works great, the next day it wont catch a thing. We have to change and adapt, to present what the fish will eat. But as a fishing guide, we have to be able adapt on the fly, and adapt again, if need be, and also eventually be right. The whole of a lake goes through changes, and things like flooding and draughts effect most reservoirs greatly.

I am a trophy fisherman. And since trophy fish dont come easy, it means I have to not give in to the temptation to just go with the flow. 4lbs, 6lbs, even 8lbs striper are NOT trophy class fish. They are fun and thrilling to catch but in the end, they are going into a freezer bag, not on the wall.

I only get two kinds of clients. The anglers who want to put one on the wall or take pictures with a beast and release it, they generally dont care that much about a bag of fillets, or folks who just want to catch fish, and have fun, and take a couple bags of fillets home.

These two types of trips require totally different approaches... Or do they?

Until recently I disregarded anything but the trophy end of it. That is my nature. The other guides on the lake know I dont flock to the boats, and drop on the shooling fish, even when they are good sized fish.

No offense to those guides, but when I see 3 or 5 or 12 boats in an area, splashers and thumpers going, I see a "school" of guides. There is no trophy striper near them. Maybe a 9 pounder or two, who still feed with the schools, but that 15+ pounder does

The topwater bite is on fire, but you have to get here by 6am, and have 4 or less in your group.