This rich diversity of game fish makes Lake Texoma a prime destination for both recreational and professional anglers seeking a variety of fishing experiences. Fishing traffic on Lake Texoma slows down in the winter. However, guides and experienced anglers often fish during this season.

These colder temperatures bring an opportunity to take advantage of increased chances for trophy-sized striped bass. Except for crappie, the following game fish are popular to target on Lake Texoma year-round. This rich diversity makes Lake Texoma a prime destination for both recreational and professional anglers seeking a variety of fishing experiences.

• Bass: This category includes hybrid, largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, striped bass, and white. Notably, Lake Texoma is renowned for its striped bass population, which is a major draw for sport fishing anglers.
• Catfish: Anglers find blue, channel, and flathead catfish in Lake Texoma.
• Crappie: White crappie are predominant over black crappie here. Lake Texoma provides excellent opportunities for white crappie fishing, particularly around structures like submerged trees and brush piles, but not in the winter season. 
• Rough Fish: Species like freshwater drum, carp, gar, buffalo, and river carpsucker are also part of the lake's ecosystem, though they are less targeted by anglers.
• Sunfish: Species such as bluegill and longear sunfish contribute to the lake's biodiversity, offering additional fishing prospects.

What Behaviors Do Fish Exhibit During Lake Texoma’s Winters?

Bass

Captain Marty of Captain Marty’s Lake Texoma Fishing Guides service told us that winter is considered one of the best times for targeting trophy stripers at Lake Texoma through December. He also said that this December 2024, stripers are amazing and biting better than usual.

All the Texomaland striper guides hope the stripers keep it up through this coming January and February. Those two months are usually slow before the spring spawn, yielding inconsistent catches. Captain Marty reported, “As water temperatures drop, stripers become more aggressive and are known to feed energetically. They are dead sticking and found on slabs, and Texoma striper guides are using flukes for live bait.”

Catfish

We were not yet able to get an interview with Captain Daniel Armstrong of Monsters Guide Service this December. Why? Because he is on the water after catfish literally every day of the year. Daniel is one of Lake Texoma’s premier catfish guides. We plan to talk later in 2025. Here is one of Daniel’s favorite memories that he posted on his Monsters’ website, ”Trifecta today on Lake Texoma!!! Smallmouth, striper, and catfish all in one trip.”

Crappie

Dan Langston of River Bottom Boys guide service, which caters to crappie lovers, reports that he does not fish for crappie in Lake Texoma in the winter. But…he fishes Texas’ newest lake, Bodark Lake in Texomaland, and East Texas lakes for black crappie in the winter months. The difference is that Lake Texoma is more productive for white crappie.

Dan cannot guarantee a crappie catch on Lake Texoma in the winter season. On Lake Texoma, anglers will find slim opportunities for whites. They gather near docks and brush, but they are moving deep or dead sticking. Texomaland anglers will find that every cove and the entire length of Bodark Lake, 20-miles northeast of Bonham, are loaded with timber.

Rough Fish

Species like freshwater drum, carp, gar, buffalo, and river carpsucker are also part of Lake Texoma’s ecosystem, though they are less targeted by anglers. Rough fish often retreat to deeper, more stable waters where temperatures are less variable in cold water.

Rough fish may be found in areas with soft bottoms, channels, or near submerged structures. With slower metabolisms, they conserve energy by reducing movement, staying in localized areas, and avoiding strong currents.

Sunfish

Bluegill and sunfish leave their shallow haunts and typically move to deeper water near structure in the winter. In cold water temperatures, these species exhibit subtle bites and low mobility. Winter sunfish are more active during the warmest times of a winter day, but their metabolism slows in cold water. If they aren’t biting, they typically do not move around, and they are less likely to chase fast moving baits.