FISHING GUIDE · LAKE TEXOMA, TEXAS & OKLAHOMA

Lake Texoma Fishing Guide

Lake Texoma is a big Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Red River best known for its wild, self-sustaining striped bass. Stripers run up the river arms in late winter and spring, then feed on shad over flats and break on the surface in summer, fall and winter. The lake is shared by Texas and Oklahoma, and a special Lake Texoma license covers the whole lake.

📍 On the Red River at the Texas-Oklahoma border, northwest of Sherman-Denison, Texas. Denison Dam is about 5 miles northwest of Denison. About two-thirds of the lake is in Oklahoma (Bryan, Johnston, Love and Marshall counties); Kingston, Oklahoma is on US 70 near the lake.

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Texas & Oklahoma Lakes map →

Quick facts

Denison Dam construction began August 22, 1939, and was finished in February 1944; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built and runs it.
Oklahoma stocked striped bass in 1965 and natural spawning was first documented in 1974; Texoma is one of the few U.S. lakes with a self-sustaining landlocked striper population.
The Texas state record blue catfish, 121.5 pounds, was caught at Lake Texoma in 2004.
The Lake Texoma license lets you fish both the Texas and Oklahoma waters of the lake and is valid until December 31 after purchase.
The Corps says Texoma draws more than 6 million visitors a year and is the 12th largest lake in the U.S.

What you can catch

Striped bass
Main target; 10 per day combined with hybrids, only 2 may be 20 inches or longer.
White bass
25 per day; best during spawning runs up the Red and Washita rivers.
Blue catfish
Texas record 121.5 lb from here. Texas side: only 1 blue cat 30 inches or longer per day.
Channel catfish
Creek mouths after rain in spring and fall; drift shrimp over flats in summer.
Flathead catfish
Best on trotlines with live sunfish; size and bag limits differ by state.
Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass
5 combined per day; 14-inch minimum on largemouth and smallmouth. Smallmouth on bluffs near Eisenhower State Park and Denison Dam.
Crappie
37 per day, 10-inch minimum; best fall and winter around brush and boat houses.
Alligator gar
No take or possession during May; Oklahoma harvest must be reported within 24 hours.

Month by month

January	Stripers often surface in winter; watch for diving gulls. Blue cats move to the main pool; try live shad on calm days.
February	Stripers migrate up both river arms; look near the river channel around Willis and Roosevelt bridges.
March	Striper run up the rivers. Fish creek mouths for white bass two to three weeks before their run.
April	White bass runs on the Red and Washita. Black bass and crappie spawn in shallow water.
May	Alligator gar closed all of May. After the striper spawn, fish live shad over flats near the river channel.
June	Stripers over flats; trolling deep-running lures works. Catfish on rocky banks and riprap.
July	Stripers surface often in summer; drift shrimp over flats for channel cats.
August	Summer striper schools; early-morning topwater for black bass.
September	Stripers surface often in fall; watch for gulls.
October	Crankbaits around brush and rocky banks for bass; crappie fishing picks up.
November	Crappie around brush piles, creek channels and boat houses. Live shad off the dam riprap for smallmouth.
December	Winter striper schools and gulls. Crappie around brush piles and creek channels (fall and winter are best).

Tips

Buy the Lake Texoma license if you want to fish both the Texas and Oklahoma sides; it is only good on Lake Texoma.
Culling stripers is not allowed on the Texas side; once you keep a fish it counts.
Zebra mussels are in the lake; clean, drain and dry your boat, trailer, livewells and bait buckets before moving.
In the Red River below the dam, live nongame fish can be used as bait there but cannot be moved to other waters.
Limits for some fish (like flathead catfish and blue catfish) differ between the Texas and Oklahoma sides; know which side you are on.

Rules and license

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Denison Dam) · Official rules page ↗

Lake Texoma license (TPWD lists it at $12) covers both states' waters of the lake; a Texas resident 65 or older does not need it to fish the Oklahoma side. Otherwise you need a license for the state whose water you fish.
Striped bass and hybrids: 10 per day combined, only 2 may be 20 inches or longer (both states). Texas: possession limit 20, culling prohibited.
Black bass: 5 combined per day; 14-inch minimum for largemouth and smallmouth; no minimum on spotted bass.
White bass 25 per day. Crappie 37 per day, 10-inch minimum.
Texas side: blue and channel catfish 15 per day combined, only 1 blue cat 30 inches or longer; flathead 5 per day. Oklahoma side: flathead 5 per day, 20-inch minimum.
Alligator gar: no take or possession in May on the Red River, including Lake Texoma.
Zebra mussels present; Texas law requires draining water from boats and onboard containers when leaving or approaching public fresh water.
Rules can differ between the Texas and Oklahoma portions; check both agencies before you go.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 42 boat ramps and 9 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Cedar Bayou Marina at Lake Texoma
Cedar Mills Marina and Resort
Eisenhower Yacht Club
Flowing Wells Resort and Marina
Grandpappy Point Resort and Marina
Highport Marina
Lighthouse Marina
Mill Creek Resort and Marina
Walnut Creek Resort

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.