Can you name one lure that can be casted, trolled, or jigged and catch monster stripers and giant hybrids? If you said a Bucktail Road Runner you’re right. The Bucktail Road Runner is one lure that stripers and hybrids cannot resist when casted, trolled, or jigged. These single spin, jig heads have a unique shape and design to be fished with or without a trailer added to it. Adding the trailer not only adds to the lure’s seductive action, but increases the size making it represent a large shad or blueback herring. No matter if you live on the east coast, west coast, on Lake Texoma, or fishing in a highland reservoir like Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas; a Bucktail Road Runner can catch stripers and hybrids.

 

One striper fishing guide who has fished with Bucktail Road Runners (http://www.ttiblakemore.com/) for over 20 years is Bill Carey. Carey, owner of Bill Carey’s Striper Express Guide Service (http://www.striperexpress.com/) on Lake Texoma, explained that the winter months are a key time to fish with Bucktail Road Runners for stripers. Bill Carey’s Striper Express Guide Service specializes in fishing with artificial lures. “We have 4 boats and all of them fish with artificial lures; during the winter months from December through March the Bucktail Road Runner is one of our favorites to fish with for stripers on Texoma,” said Carey. Using only artificial lures sets Carey’s guide service apart from the bait boats. “Unlike bait boats, we specialize in the thrill of the hunt with artificial lures. Texoma has a large population of stripers and can easily be caught on artificial lures,” said Carey. Carey explained that anglers should approach striper fishing like bass fishing. “We have our routes just like bass fishing that we fish for stripers. Main lake points, humps, ditches, mouths of creeks are typically places we often striper fish. At these places clients cast out Road Runners and let them drop down to the bottom then reel slowly back in. The majority of strikes happen within 3 feet of the bottom,” explained Carey. Carey noted that it’s extremely important to retrieve the Road Runner slowly. “Around here there is a saying that goes, if you think you are going to slow then you need to slow up some more,” Carey said.

Texoma, similar to other impounds that have stripers, has certain color patterns that seem to always catch stripers on it. On Texoma, Carey always fishes with the 1-ounce white/chartreuse Bucktail Road Runner with either a 9-inch white worm or a 5-inch curl tail grub as a trailer. Another key to winter time striper fishing on Lake Texoma is watching for sea gulls. “The sea gulls show up in the winter time and are always around bait and the stripers; anglers should always be looking for them and fish around them,” said Carey. As for gear, anglers fishing with Bill Carey’s
Striper Express Guide Service will be fishing with spinning and baitcasting reels on 6’6” or 7’ Med/Hvy Castaway rods lined with 14-pound or 20-pound test AN40 Silver Thread.

Another favorite location for fishing Bucktail Road Runners is around dams. “Anglers from shore or in boats catch stripers casting both on the face of the dam or drifting it down with the current. Most of these anglers use a 1-ounce Bucktail Road Runner to get it down to where the stripers are located,” said TJ Stallings of TTI-Blakemore Fishing Group. As for what color of Bucktail Road Runner is best, Stallings reported that color preference was really more regional; however around dams anglers seem to prefer yellow Bucktail Road Runners due to limited water clarity. Anglers can also add a Daiichi Trailer Hook (D28Z 2/0) to catch stripers that are short striking a Road Runner in stain water.

Do you want to go catch stripers or hybrids in your local lake? Take along some Bucktail Road Runners and cast them on main lake points, humps, ditches, and mouths of creeks. If your lake doesn’t have stripers why not plan a road trip down to Texoma and get in touch with Bill at Bill Carey’s Striper Express Guide Service. Texoma is loaded with stripers and the action there can be fast and furious.