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Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? #12278114 06/04/17 05:52 PM
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perrypogue Offline OP
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I'm very curious about the damage to a small lake when a heavy rain leads to water going over the spillway at a depth of 5'. I'd like to think most of the bass stay in the heavy buck brush that surrounds this lake but I have to guess that some go over the spillway with the flood water.

Does anyone have experience with what happens to a great lake when a flood like this happens?

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Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12278127 06/04/17 06:04 PM
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I'm not sure about largemouth, but have personally seen schools of hybrids and striper staying in front of the murky water as it comes into the lake from the river and they eventually end up at the spillway and over the spillway they went. Wild to see.


"The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad."
Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12278148 06/04/17 06:13 PM
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Originally Posted By: perrypogue
I'm very curious about the damage to a small lake when a heavy rain leads to water going over the spillway at a depth of 5'. I'd like to think most of the bass stay in the heavy buck brush that surrounds this lake but I have to guess that some go over the spillway with the flood water.

Does anyone have experience with what happens to a great lake when a flood like this happens?


Look at Texoma, after all the rains and flooding over the spillways a few years ago, a lot of the Stripers guide quit or moved to Tawakoni. Stripers made a mass exodus over the spillways.

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12278169 06/04/17 06:42 PM
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perrypogue Offline OP
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This lake only has black bass. Could there be a difference in the two species?

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12278288 06/04/17 08:24 PM
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I'm sure some go.....I remember back in the 80's a friend and I walked out onto Lewisvilles spillway and netted some giant cats as they were washing over. Fun times.


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Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12278447 06/04/17 11:13 PM
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I Think they do and I think they tavel a long ways.

Many of us though then Choke filled up and they opened the spill way back in the day, it was the reason the fishing in Lake Mathis (Lake Corpus Christi) improved.

It went from no fish to one of the better lake in the state for a few years.


Thanks, Billy
Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12280509 06/06/17 11:09 AM
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When Lake Alan Henry was flowing over the spillway for 3 months we lost a lot of fish. I have seen pictures of 2 to 4 fish going over the spillway in each and every picture.


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Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12280556 06/06/17 11:47 AM
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I dont think they get swept over unless they want to.

There is a little creek near my house that usually is very shallow and very clear. Moves very slow. It has small bass and bluegills in it and even a few catfish. When we get 4+ inches of rain like we did the last few days that sucker turns into a raging river. Like it would wash a man away no problem...

But, when the water resides, the same fish, are in the same pools. In some cases I can tell its the same fish based on an odd deformity one of the bass has in a particular pool.

So if in a rushing creek, a fish can decide I am going to hunker down and not leave this stretch of the creek...and hold against that current for a few days to remain in that pool... I just dont see how a bass in a lake who is not wanting to explore the spillway would end up there.

Stripers and white bass I could see. They seem to like to mess with current. Going up it, down it, into it. I have seen white bass running up spillways in the Trinity during high water, seemingly just because. Its not the place they were going was any better; those striped fish just like to get up in currents.

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12280802 06/06/17 02:08 PM
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I've seen times when it looks to me like they went out of their way to get into the rushing water and the fish numbers decrease after a big flood. Seems like a lot of them are bigger fish too. All you can hope is that you get some replacements from up the creek.

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12280903 06/06/17 03:03 PM
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I don't think anything can hold against the power of the water.. Mother Nature is too powerful..

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12280979 06/06/17 03:55 PM
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They may be swept away, but it ain't easily. When we used to put on Wednesday night tournaments on Ray Roberts, we had a 500 gallon weigh in tank. It had a trap door that dumped the water within seconds. The bass in that tank would face the current and swim as hard as they could until there was no water left to swim in. We would have to get in the tank with dip nets to get the last fish out that were flopping in the empty tank.

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12281177 06/06/17 05:17 PM
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A couple of you have given me hope....Thanks! This body of water is surrounded by buck brush and that's where the bass live. The lake had all the silt removed in 2014 by a $250,000 anonymous donation as the lake had completely dried up. Then the drought ended and the P&WL dept restocked the lake with 18,000 florida bass. The fish were doing extremely well and it was easy to catch like 10/hour and they weighed 3-4 lbs. I could only imagine what it would be like in another year. Then a week ago a freak storm dumped 8" of water in a short time resulting in water going over the spillway at a depth of 5'. It's going to be another couple of weeks before I'll be able to put my boat in and give it a check.

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12302340 06/20/17 01:42 PM
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not sure about largemouths, but the hybrids and the stripers go over the buchanan dam in droves when they release water out of the flood gates here

Re: Are bass easily swept away when water goes over the spillway? [Re: perrypogue] #12302349 06/20/17 01:50 PM
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I've fished the lake 3 times now since the flood and although there are some bass left, many were washed away. It makes me sick as the lake had lots of Tiger bass. I wonder why there isn't more talk about the Tigers? They are awesome! They fight lots harder than regular bass and jump 2' out of the water. I guess they're just too expensive. Because of the expense I don't think TP&W would stock them.

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