Picked them up at 6.30 a.m., they had their limit by 8.30! Keith Pullins from McKinney, Texas, knew it was a good time for him and his daughter, Cindy Pullins, to get some fish in the freezer. They heard Beaver Lake was well known for bigger stripers than what they’ve caught down at Lake Texoma.
They just needed someone up this way with a striper boat, shad and enough big rods to cover some water. I was rubbing my phone like a Genie lamp waiting for it to ring when it rang.
Well, we just happened to hit the right spot at the right time. If you happened to be driving down Mundell Road towards Starkey’s last Friday and looked to your right near Lake Shore Cabins, well that was us in the big blue Kenner with the rods bent down and the bait tank open.
Never had a break to even get the lid closed or get out more then five bait rods until 8.30. Caught our stripers with big shad down 30 – 36 feet deep off the flats in water from 40 – 70 feet deep. Jigging spoons are also working for those who can’t hold shad.
A 2 oz. Kast Master is a good choice. With the sun low in the morning and evening I would also have a big Zara Spook or your favorite top water bait ready to throw if you see one swirl on top.
I’m a spooky kind of guy and like to keep the rod pointed down twitching all the way in so it pops right and left. If you snag your line you’re working it too fast or not reeling in your slack line fast enough. Best way to get slack up when learning the spook and still catch fish is go 1, 2, 3, short pops, pause to reel in slack, 1, 2, 3. Stripers, white bass, smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass will all hit this big lure usually on the 1 after the pause.
The same will also work here at Holiday Island with the baby spook when the sun is low. Then as the sun starts warming, you up go to the spoon but the bass and walleye here will feed more around 12 – 20 feet deep off the flats and points from here to Houseman.
With our deepest water running close to 30 feet deep, trolling crankbaits that run 10 – 18 feet deep is a relaxing way to catch all these fish, along with crappie and trout, too.
The water temperature on both lakes just creeped back up to around 82° as of Monday, but the forecast for the next two weeks says our low night temps will stay below 60° and our high temps won’t see 80° again. We’re dropping fast, which is bringing the water temps down with more oxygen to let them come up to us.
No moss on the lines this week so the turnover should be over. Clean water and more oxygen usually puts more fish in the boat.
Well, I better get back to rubbing that phone. October is time for some fall colors, top water fishing and cutting off the weights.