Lake Texoma news Archives

Lake Texoma Fishing Report December 2018

BJ Kirkpatrick Lake Texoma news 12/18/201807/23/2025

Fishing with Captain Steve Barnes December 2018

by Capt. Steve Barnes Lake Texoma Fishing Guide

Winter is here on Lake Texoma. Fishing has been good with the recent warm spell but larger fish have been a little scarce. The colder winter temperatures with chances of rain (or even snow) turn the big fish on so fish the Winter season on Texoma.

My cast nets are stored away till spring so we are fully committed to artificial baits for the next few months. Funny thing is I have more confidence in artificial baits over live bait during the colder months. My preferred method right now is deadsticking. Deadsticking is just what it sounds like. You drop a lure down to the fish and hold it still, only movement is the boat drifting wich should be about a half a mile per hour and not more than 1 mile per hour. Best lure is soft plastic fluke style bait on a 1 ounce jighead. Color can make some difference but as usual white, silver and chartreuse work best for me. I think the fish see contrast in color better than baits that are one color so if I have a chartreuse jighead I use a white or light colored fluke. White jighead I use chartreuse fluke.

Look for birds working to point you to the active fish. If no birds are working sometimes you can drift a area where fish have been feeding and get them to gather up under you by splashing the water or beating on the side of the boat. Some days the open water fish just will not cooperate and you gotta get out the swimbaits or just cast the flukes on the rocky shorelines till you find some active fish. Good luck and if your interested in a deadsticking book a trip with me and I’ll teach you.

With winter weather setting in, arms are sore from reeling them in, lots of good box fish and over 20″ fish. Caught a few deadsticking but tore them up casting swimbaits. Big fish are on the move. Either way I’m busting out the full winter gear and going fishing with or without customers, yes it’s that good.

OTC Announces Willis Bridge Contract

Oklahoma Department of Transportation announced this week that Jensen Construction Company of Sand Springs was awarded the contract to replace the Willis Bridge. Jensen was the lowest of eight bidders for the $43 million construction job.

The Willis Bridge is on SH-99/U.S.-377 connecting Madill in Marshall County, Okla., and Whitesboro in Grayson County, Texas. The replacement structure will be wider and longer than the existing one and will be built to the east. The project also will include construction of the approaching roadway at each end of the new bridge and demolition of the old bridge.

The new bridge will be 5,462 ft. long with two 12-ft.-wide driving lanes and 10-ft.-wide shoulders on each side. The tallest of the 38 piers that will support the bridge deck will extend about 80 ft. from the top of the bridge deck to the lake bed.

The existing bridge was completed in 1960 and is in poor condition. “This bridge requires maintenance on a regular basis which can have economic impacts and affects the traveling public. We’re pleased to see this new bridge begin; it will far outlive its predecessor,” said Anthony Echelle, Division 2 engineer of southeastern Oklahoma.

Construction is expected to begin in early 2019 and will take about two and a half years to complete, pending weather conditions and other factors. The cost of the project is expected to be financed with federal funds and with Texas and Oklahoma sharing the cost.

Motorists will continue to drive on the old bridge until completion of the replacement bridge and the approaching roadway at each end is finished. About 2,800 vehicles travel across the Willis Bridge each day.

The Willis Bridge is the longest state-maintained bridge in Oklahoma. The Red River bridge in Tillman County on U.S.-70/U.S.-183 is slightly longer, at 5,580 ft., and it is maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation.

The bridge receives its name from the local community of Willis on the Oklahoma side.

Lake Texoma Fisheries Status Meeting

BJ Kirkpatrick Lake Texoma news, News 11/18/201807/23/2025Fishing

Representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be holding a public meeting at the Eisenhower State Park’s Recreation Hall on Monday, November 26th at 6:30pm (park entrance fees will be waived). A status update regarding Lake Texoma fish populations will be presented and information concerning plans for a year-long angler survey and economic analysis beginning this December will be discussed.

In summary, the focus of this random survey will be to estimate fishing effort and annual harvest of all sport fish species in Lake Texoma. Similar surveys were routinely conducted between 1987 and 2001, but this type of data has not been collected since that time. During the survey, biologists will be contacting anglers on the water and asking a short series of questions pertaining to the group’s fishing activities including the duration of their fishing trip, the species they are targeting, and how many fish the group has caught and harvested. In total, the disruption of fishing activity takes about one to two minutes, although anglers are encouraged to continue fishing during the survey.

In addition to the short, on-the-water survey, ODWC and TPWD biologists will be working with researchers from Texas A&M University to conduct a more in-depth economic analysis of fishing activity at Lake Texoma. During the on-the-water survey, biologists will be requesting contact information from one member of each group who will be sent a more detailed questionnaire about their group’s fishing trip. The goal of this study will be to assess the overall annual economic value of fishing at Lake Texoma as well as evaluate angler opinions and uncover potential fisheries management issues at Lake Texoma.

This type of data is vital to fisheries managers because it helps us to model how current fishing regulations impact fish populations as well as fishermen. The information also helps our agencies distribute information to reservoir stakeholders and prioritize fisheries management and stocking efforts.

The economic valuation will also help define how fishing at Lake Texoma benefits local and regional economies. This value is vital to understand when faced with reservoir or water management issues that may impact this nationally important fishery.
Contact Matt Mauck (ODWC) @ (580) 924-4087; or, Dan Bennett (TPWD) @ 903-786-2389 with questions.