Recommendations for Texoma trip and fishing guide

[16colt]

@16colt does Sparky not remove the red when cleaning fish? I consider that part of the cleaning.

They did not.

 

[V98]

So the wife and I are thinking we want to plan a trip to Texoma. We definitely want to get a guide and fish for stripers. I’ve never been there and never fished for stripers either.

I figured there has to be a bunch of y’all on here who have done it. So, please give me recommendations.

Good places to stay/eat? Good guide services? What’s the best time of year to go? Tips? What should I expect? Etc

Chris Caldwell out of Alberta Creek (580) 564-9154. Been doing an annual trip for customers for the past decade or more.

 

[SPDguns]

I have a trip planned this summer with 7 buddies. What’s the rule of thumb for tipping the guide? I’ve never been….

 

[dennishoddy]

I have a trip planned this summer with 7 buddies. What’s the rule of thumb for tipping the guide? I’ve never been….

We tipped our captain 20% of the price we paid to go fishing. 6 of us. A couple others were on potty call when the pic was taken.
It was cold as hell and we weren't dressed correctly, but the guide put us on fish on one stop. We limited out in an hour on live shad.

Red meat was removed although I didn’t care.
It’s really easy to do.

 

[jakeman]

I went with a group of friends this last Friday morning. We left out just after 6am and were back before 11am. Caught a ton of little ones that got released. We decided we had enough and came back around 10:30 am. We used live bait and hit about 3 different spots to find the bigger fish. They cleaned and removed the red meat. Good music, easy going Captain and Crew. The other guys have been out with this outfitter a few times before and seem to think they are better than some of the others. When we got back to the dock, we went to the Enos Mall for the best breakfast while they cleaned the fish. Took the Captain and mate a burger back to the dock and collected the fish.

My mug is the only one showing.

https://www.reeleasyfishing.com/
View attachment 376422

And a handsome mug it is, mi amigo.

 

[Shottyshooter90]

https://www.facebook.com/crosswindsguideservicelaketexoma?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Crosswinds Guide Service out Catfish Bay is a homerun. Shawn Morales is great with kids. He cleans your catch completely. (Removes the red meat that is strong tasting) You can save it for your chickens.

If he doesn't have dates open that are available for you he has a couple other guides he can set you up with.

Whenever you are visiting with guides to book a trip, ask a few questions.
1. Do you remove the red meat when cleaning fish?
2. Do you fish with live bait, artificial or what is best for the time of year?
3. Do you quit once the fish limit is reached? (In the hot months sometimes its necessary to quit because released fish are likely to die)

I haven't fished with a guide in a few years but fish down there often out of my boat. Some docks have public cleaning docks that guides use as well.

I was at Buncombe Creek Marina cleaning fish when a guide brought his customers in. He told them I didn't know what I was doing when I was cleaning striper using a common method that makes removing the red meat easy. I started to speak up as he voiced his opinion of my cleaning method loudly, but decided to just keep quiet. The guide often advertises/brags on Facebook and made a post that afternoon. I commented asking if he removed red meat when cleaning. He hid my comment and responded privately "I remove red meat if they are good tippers."

I am short on time and gotta run. If you want more details, I can certainly visit on this subject for awhile.

I'll second this recommendation. A group of us went down in December and Shawn was great, we're about to book another one with him.

 

[dennishoddy]

When we were on our trip, the guides were in radio communication. The school we found was huge. Within a few minutes, several guide boats were on the same school and catching fish.
The captains all work with each other for their clients.

 

[Broncos]

Hookin J is excellent Out of Alberta Creek Marina In Kingston Ok Best time is now
Dylan Jones is his name

 

[OKRuss]

I'll toss in my recommendation. Daniel Striper Guide out of Buncombe Creek(580-564-0391). Brannon is a very good friend and grew up with him and his brothers. Been a guide for close to 30 years now. Haven't ever been out with him and NOT limited. You don't just have to fish with the live shad. He has lures and such you can cast while waiting on the baited lines to get a hit. There's a motel right down the road and Brannon lives in the area.

Buncombe got hit hard by a tornado a couple years ago and ripped his roof off but pretty sure things are all back to normal.

That said, he is very likely booked during May. His son or nephew(forget) is also guiding so even if not in the boat with Brannon you'll very likely be tied off to his boat. I don't recall him taking off the red either during cleaning.

 

[dennishoddy]

Best time is now

Talked to a buddy today that went out Friday. He said the bite was on and the fish were big. Bigger in general than the ones I posted earlier in this thread. He is the guy standing to my right with the sunglasses in the pic.