Lake Texoma Fishing Guide, Brian Pritchard says the winter bite is on at Lake Texoma for big stripers.

The first thing that angler has to know to catching the big fish is to develop an awareness of the bottom of the lake.

“We have to reel fast enough so that the lure doesn't drag the bottom but slow enough that it stays near the bottom; that's where the fish are.

“To make sure we are reeling the right speed, we just open up your spool and let the lure drop a couple of seconds each cast. If it doesn't fall we are reeling too slow, if it falls more than a couple of seconds, we are reeling too fast. After a few times doing this you start to get a feel for where the bottom is.” Pritchard and clients are using open face spinning reels

A 4” Glow Sassy Shad on a 1-1½ oz. lead head is the lure of choice. When the wind is slack, he will use a 1 oz. head. The right weight lead head is necessary to keep the bait down in the strike zone.

Prichard says this should be the fishing this pattern through April.

Photos courtesy of Brian Pritchard