How to Catch Striper

Published January 17, 2018. Updated November 10, 2026.

Author: Steve Buckley

To catch stripers on Lake Texoma, find feeding fish first, match the shad they are eating, and keep your lure at the depth shown on your sonar. Swimbaits cover water and imitate swimming shad. Slab spoons reach deep or suspended schools quickly. Adjust the retrieve to the water temperature and the way the fish respond.

This guide combines our swimbait, slab spoon and top guide tips in one place. For choosing between lure types, see our Striper Lures guide.

Swimbaits

A paddle-tail swimbait resembles the threadfin shad that stripers follow around Texoma. It lets you cast to schooling fish, count down to suspended fish or work deeper water with a heavier jig head.

Match the baitfish size and color

Four-inch Sassy Shad-style baits are a common starting point. Carry three- and five-inch sizes as well, and move toward a five- or six-inch profile when the fish are feeding on larger shad. Match what you see rather than assuming a bigger lure will always catch a bigger striper.

Proven colors include glow white, pearl, chartreuse glitter, silk chartreuse, white ice and natural threadfin shad patterns. Silver and smoke also imitate forage. Brighter chartreuse can help in stained water or low light. Our existing paddle-tail swimbait resource has more tackle information.

Choose a jig head that holds the strike zone

• 1/2 to 3/4 ounce: a starting range for moderate depths.
• 1 to 1.5 ounces: useful for reaching deeper fish.
• 2 ounces: useful when wind or current makes depth control difficult.

Use less weight in shallow water, particularly around five feet deep or less. Choose a sharp, strong hook and rig the body straight so the tail swims naturally. An underspin jig head adds flash and changes the fall rate.

Slow-roll, count down and adjust

Start with a slow, steady retrieve and let the paddle tail do the work. In early spring, the weather may be warming while the water remains cold. Slow-rolling a swimbait can keep it in front of fish that are not ready to chase. Look around rocky areas in spring and sandy areas as summer patterns develop.

Count the bait down to the depth where you mark fish, then keep it there during the retrieve. Try an occasional pause or a lift-and-drop motion near structure. When fish are actively chasing shad, increase speed. When they are reluctant, slow down before changing every lure in the box.

Slab Spoons

Slab spoons sink quickly and let you present a baitfish profile to stripers holding deep or suspended over structure. They work throughout the year, including summer structure fishing, winter patterns, post-front conditions and midday slowdowns.

Size, weight and color

Match the spoon’s size to the shad. Long, narrow butter-knife styles, minnow shapes and flat oval spoons all have a place. Steve’s commonly used weights include 1, 1.5 and 1.75 ounces, with chartreuse, holographic silver and glow white among the preferred colors. A 1.5-ounce chartreuse spoon is a useful June option when stripers are holding around 20 to 25 feet, but locate the fish before choosing your depth.

The Bomber Slab Spoon is one familiar example. Its compact weight helps with long casts and fast drops, but the presentation matters more than the brand.

Vertical jigging with a controlled fall

1. Find stripers on sonar before dropping a spoon.
2. Lower it to the depth of the fish, or to the bottom when fish are holding there.
3. Lift the rod about a foot, then follow the lure down without giving it uncontrolled slack.
4. Watch and feel for a bite during the fall. Many strikes occur as the spoon drops.
5. Work upward through the depths you marked, noting how much line each reel turn retrieves. Repeat the depth and cadence that produces bites.

Try quicker lifts when the water is warm and fish are aggressive. Use smaller, slower movements in cold water. Keep enough contact to detect a subtle strike instead of letting the spoon fall on loose line.

Yo-yo, casting and bottom-bouncing presentations

For suspended fish, drop to their depth, reel several turns and let the spoon fall again under control. This yo-yo presentation moves through the school. If fish are spread out, cast away from the boat and let the spoon flutter down. Bottom bouncing means lifting or hopping the spoon along the bottom. Rip jigging uses a quicker rod lift followed by a controlled fall.

A dressed treble with bucktail or flash can add attraction. Check the hook point and dressing after fish, and replace worn components. Choose a weight that lets you control the lure rather than dragging far behind the boat.

Top Guide Tips

1. Find feeding fish and keep moving

Expensive electronics cannot catch fish that are not there. Watch your graph, look for shad and feeding activity, and move when a spot is not producing. Steve’s rule of thumb is not to spend more than about 20 minutes in an unproductive spot. Shad move, stripers move, and anglers need to adjust.

2. Match the hatch before chasing lure colors

First find stripers, then match the size and profile of the baitfish. Dial in your depth and retrieve speed before spending the day changing colors. Slow presentations often fit colder water; faster ones can work when warm-water fish are chasing bait.

3. Approach shallow topwater fish quietly

In September, stripers can push shad into very shallow water along sandy shorelines and islands. Be ready before daybreak, approach quietly and cover water without running over feeding fish. The islands near Highport Marina and toward Mill Creek are examples from Steve’s earlier topwater trips, not a guarantee that fish will stay in the same place.

Steve’s topwater examples include a six-inch pencil popper in red head and pearl, a five-inch pearl Heddon Super Spook and a four-inch white MirrOlure Top Dog Jr. Wake-bait examples include a four-inch Strike King Wake Shad, a three-inch H2O Xpress Wakebait and a five-inch Berkley Jointed Surge Shad. Watch shoreline birds and baitfish activity as clues, then confirm the fish are there. For more seasonal context, see our topwater fishing article.

4. Let the fish determine the method

Use the swimbait and slab spoon techniques above to match depth and feeding behavior. Do not stay committed to one lure when fish are ignoring it. Both artificial lures and live bait belong in a Texoma angler’s options.

5. Keep live bait lively and at the right depth

Find stripers on the graph before setting out live shad. Use a dependable bait tank, keep its filter clean and batteries charged, remove dead shad, and manage the water temperature. Use enough egg-sinker weight to hold bait at the desired depth. Steve’s earlier tips also discuss a splasher prop. Our complete live-bait guide covers bait care and rigging in more detail.

Plan your trip

Check the current fishing regulations and license requirements before you go. For a guided trip, see trip prices and contact Buckley Striper Guide Service. We explain where we are fishing and why we choose live bait or artificial lures so you can put the techniques to use again.