Two different patterns gave a couple of Lake Texoma anglers a good fishing trip. Berley's new Choppo topwater plugs proved to be the right lure early in the morning. Stripers were feeding upon big schools of spawning shad. Later in the day Sassy Shad jigs caught its share of stripers.

Guide Chris Carey explained that technique and bait presentation are  always keys to catching fish. "Make long casts and retrieve the big baits with a sweeping motion of the rod, making sure to crank the reel fast to avoid slack in the line because many strikes occur the instant the lure pauses."

This relatively new bait by Berkley combines the best of a couple styles of surface plugs. Outdoor writer, Luke Clayton, describes the bait as having the basic design of a standard topwater such as a Pencil Popper or Zara Spook, but a little spinner is situated near the tail of the bait. As the bait is ripped along the surface the little rudder shaped spinner moves a lot of water which the stripers had absolutely no problem keying upon, even in the choppy waters.

The second fish catching lure was lead head jigs with Sassy Shad bodies, chartreuse color fishing shallow water bay, 2 - 3 feet deep.

Bill Carey of Striper Express advises anglers to make long casts, allow the jigs to make contact with bottom and pump the rod up, which will suspend the bait. “Crank fast as your baits begin to fall to keep slack out of your line. This will enable you to feel the strike which often occurs the instant the jig pauses.”

The stripers intent is to stun and kill the baitfish. A couple stripers were lost because of a little slack in the line as the lure began to fall.

Photos: courteys of Berkley and Luke Clayton Outdoors