Lake Buchanan Striper Report

[BrandonA]

Any reports from this weekend?

[sweetwater]

yea brandon, friday evening i go my limit of whites plus two 19 inch hybrids at garrett island. sunday morning, early about 8:30 am my brother, nephew and i caught about 30 whites , one 17 inch nice hybrid that went back into the lake, and one small striper. we caught them all in about 45 minutes , then they were gone. and could not find them again.

[Striper Guy]

We got to go out Friday afternoon, the fishing was tough, but we ended up 2 stripers, the biggest one went easy 18 lbs. and yep we are still around Garrett. I talked with some guys today, after chasing crappie this morning, and they caught several 18"-25" stripers and hybrids trolling white DD22 between Cedar Point and Hi-Line.

As for the crappie we ended up with 11 b/t 12"-14" off of boat docks in 10-16 FOW.

[BrandonA]

18lbs is a heck of a fish. Did you catch him freeling the shallows?

[Striper Guy]

No, it was caught in about 10 FOW on cut bait south of Garrett. This cold front has pushed them back out deep for a few days, but I think early next week is going to be great, as long as the wind will cooperate.

[Striper Guy]

The warm weather has put the fish back on a flat line bite the females are just starting to move up shallow, which means this is your best chance at a big fish. The water temp throughout most of the main lake varied from 60-63 and the backs of main lake pockets were as warm as 72. I fished all last week and we found our fish along humps drifting in 45-25 fow, and some early in the mornings up shallow on flat lines. We didn't limit out any trips, but we did get some really nice fish, Saturday my afternoon trip pulled another 17-18 lbs female out of the shallows on flat line and even managed to catch a 40 lbs Blue Cat flat lining, boy you want to talk about a fight, and the best part was that they hooked up at the same time. Over the next few weeks the flat line bite will only get better as the weather stabilizes and the water continues to warm up.

On another note, I noticed several anglers keeping stripers that were under sized around Garrett and Paradise Point. There are a ton of under sized hybrids in this area, so be very careful when identifying your catch. The hybrids and stripers both have two tooth patches in the center of their tongue, and according to TPWD that is the best way to tell the difference, I know you have all heard about looking at the stripes on the fish but don't risk it. Those big "whites" you may be keeping just may be hybrids, when they are in the 10"-14" range it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference, so if you not sure release the fish and won't have to worry about the game warden.

I have heard we have a Striper tournament coming up on April 16th. So don't be afraid to ask questions if you are planning on fishing it. I would rather help you find a pattern on here, than have you follow me on the water. And if you want more information on this tournament go to:
Texas Striper Association

For reference go to: TPWD: White & Striped Bass Identification Guide

[BrandonA]

Max as always good information. trolling shallow sat. afternoon as well. Thought I got a good one but ended up being a big ol carp. Lots of fun.

[BrandonA]

Max did u get my pm

[Striper Guy]

Sure did.

[jlemaux]

Anybody go over the weekend? I'm going to head out there tomorrow morning. Probably start around Garrett and head up the lake.
Thanks,
John