Cooper Lake Fishing Charters & Guides

Cooper Lake, Texas

What do you do when you are building a big reservoir from scratch for both fishermen and boaters? Do you leave the trees for the fishermen, or cut them down for the boaters? At Cooper Lake in Texas, the answer to those questions was easy. Compromise. The western half of the reservoir was left in its natural state and became solid flooded timber. The eastern half was cleared and left with open water for the boaters. But actually, the fishermen won on both sides of the compromise and can catch fish pretty much in all of the 19,305 acre lake. Formed by damming up the Middle and South Forks of the Sulphur River in Delta and Hopkins counties, this lake has become great fishing for several kinds of bass and sunfish. The lake is located just south of the town of Cooper and northwest of Sulphur Springs. It is a relatively new lake, formed in 1991. It has an average depth of about ten feet, but has some water as deep as 55 feet near the spillway. The lake is sometimes now called Jim Chapman Lake. Cooper Lake has almost gotten “lost” in the shuffle of Texas lakes. Since it isn’t near any large town, it has been overshadowed by giant bass producer Lake Fork and striper fishing giant Lake Tawakoni in the same region. But many will argue that Cooper is the best hybrid striped bass lake in the state, maybe even the country. But it doesn’t get much press, so it isn’t likely to make that list officially. It also doesn’t get many big crowds, which is a plus for anglers who don’t like to compete with other fishermen on every cast.

Fishing Cooper Lake

Almost two million hybrid fingerlings have been stocked in Cooper. The fish don’t reproduce naturally, so stocking keeps the population up. Hybrids are produced by mixing eggs of a striped bass with milt of a white bass. The result is the hybrid striper which can easily grow to ten pounds. The current lake record on Cooper is 11.97 pounds. There is plenty of forage in Cooper and many large, aggressive schools of the fish. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department produces the fish at regional hatcheries. The season is year-round. The fish spawn in the spring and stick to shallower water, usually where there is some cover. Spring is the best time to catch the bigger fish. In the summer, the bluegill fishing also kicks in and the bass, especially hybrids, begin to school all over the lake. On the open water areas, fish usually school over some sort of bottom structure like counters or brush piles. By Fall, all kinds of bass are biting again on the flats and in shallower water again. Stripers are perhaps the most fun to catch in the summer. When they are schooling on top, anglers chase them and try to keep up, casting right into the middle of the explosions on top of the water as hybrids bust into schools of shad. Often the fish follow submerged humps or the edges of deeper holes and when they go down, that’s the best place to find them. One lure that works on top or bottom is the four-inch silver or white spoon. Just keep moving the bait to imitate a wounded baitfish and hold on. Largemouth are best in the spring. They are usually caught on soft plastics, buzz baits and crank baits in the timbered areas and on jigs and topwater in open water. The lake record for largemouth is 15.17 pounds. Crappie fishing is excellent in the shallow timbered areas in the spring. The fish spawn near the banks and can be caught on spinners and minnows. Some anglers still fish the old fashioned way with corks or floats, holding their bait stead a foot or two under the water. In the warmer months, fish move to the deeper areas along the creeks and in open water and hold suspended over structure. Shiners or jigs work, depending on angler’s preference.

Visiting Cooper Lake

Cooper Lake State Park is actually divided into two units. The Doctors Creek unit is located on the north side of the lake in Delta County, while the South Sulphur unit is located on the south side of the lake in Hopkins County. These are big parks. Together they contain 3,000 acres and 30 miles of shoreline for land-based recreational opportunities including a beach and several trails. Overnighters can choose from cabins, shelters and developed or primitive campsites, including equestrian sites for horses. Wildlife watchers are often rewarded with sightings of bald eagles, white pelicans, wild turkeys, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, squirrels, raccoons and beavers. Boat ramps on the lake are available at both state parks and at Tira and John’s Creek.