Yep, I posted this up last Friday http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3761820/Zebra_Mussels#Post3761820

I did not know they had made to Lavon I figured they would shortly since so much water in Lavon is from Texoma and the intake is in the area the samples were collected. We just need to hope they do not do well in this climate.

Yeah, I knew you had posted about Texoma, but they wanted guys over here at Hubbard to be aware of it as well as Lavon anglers.

We should know more tomorrow or within a week or so.

I wonder how many of the mussels are inside that 72" waterline that goes from Texoma to sister grove creek?

Man I hope none, but from what I hear they can spread fast.

With all this rain, no telling how many have been pumped down river through Hubbard.

I was on Texoma this morning, so I guess I need to inspect my boat and trailer so I don`t take any to Fork with me Saturday.

What all lakes are down river of Hubbard?

Imagine Lavon one day being as clean as Texoma, drop shotting in 30ft over mussel beds to catch 4 lb smallies. Or, as most invasive species - doing irreputable harm to the ecosystem. Talk about your world travelers, Europe, Great Lakes, Mississippi River and now Texas.

The only mainstem lake downstream of Ray Hubbard is Lake Livingston, however, water is pumped from the Trinity into Richland Chambers wetland area before running into RC. From there, RC water is pumped to Benbrook and up to Eagle Mountain with Lake Worth downstream of Eagle Mountain. There is potential for a wide scale impact!

I think the Trinity goes into Livingston, then maybe the Angelina into Sam Rayburn.

I just cross-posted this on the crappie forum since we had a tourney at Lavon last weekend.

Bad news right here. I dont see LRH pleasure boaters being conscientious about their boats and trailers though...

Thanks great info there.

..or much of anything for that matter.

Dumb question but what is the thing with zebra mussels?

I found an article that said sheepshead or Drum eat Zebra mussels in a study done on Lake Champlian. That is if a sheepshead there is a drum. The best I could tell is they are the same fish. They do not know if they can be used as a form of population control.

Zebra Mussels

Here's some info, hope it helps.

I will find out more tomorrow.

Agreed..

It doesnt look like we are getting torrential rain again for a while, so maybe Hubbard gates will be closed for a while and it can be corralled before it turns into a rodeo.

Better than the drum supposedly round goby were introduced in the Great Lakes to help control the zebra mussel, so if they use them they may as well add about a million smallmouth just to keep everything balanced.

Actually, the goby got into the Great Lakes through ballast water as well. Introduced the exact same way as the zebra mussel.

Question:

Are we still suppose to call TPWD if we spot a Mountian Lion also?

Hey Fishy Man want to borrow my Cowboy Sig?

No thanks Casey...you stole mine and spilled some red ink on it or something

FishyMan,

I have a sig for you ....

This is the only bowl the browns are going to..LOL

[quote=RedRanger]Question:

,,,

Happy B-Day trickster...

OK Guys lets try to get back on topic or this will get the sticky removed.

If the mussels continues to spread it could be pretty bad.

Sorry

Sorry, Casey !!!... I read the link you referred to. I thought mussels would be good for a Lake. I guess I was wrong. I do like the fact that they could clear up the water clarity.. So, If they do take over Hubbard then our fishing will get worse and it will be almost impossible to rid them. Not good at all.

Yeah, they filter the water at a crazy rate and with so many producing so fast, it could be bad.

Yes, according to this year's outdoor annual they put out.

They can send them all down here to Gibbons Creek and it'll still take 50 years to clear that mudhole up

so. . . I'm guessing Zebra Mussels are bad for lakes?? Why is that exactly??

PM Me Please!!!

Cancel last two posts!! I read the article on page one!! So this would be a sorta good thing and a lot of bad huh??

Everybody might as well get ready to see them all over the place because it is just a matter of time....Just like Giant Salvinia, most people dont check their boat well enough, they go by the It doesn't apply to me theory and dont worry about it...I lived an hour away from Lake Erie when they were first found up there and the spread happened pretty quickly.....

is there any current research ongoing, on how to control zebra mussel populations? if there is a method of controlling at all? Im not the most saavy when it comes to marine biology, just curious if there is any possibility of balancing the ecosystem in a positive manner, and maybe having the mussels presence be more beneficial.

I just wish there was a way to keep them only in texoma!! Texas would have it all if we just had one lake that you could go to and catch 15+ pound sacks of smallmouth on a semi regular basis. Shoot I can't catch a largemouth out of texoma over 3 pounds anyways lol. I was there last week I will check my boat and trailer. Shoot down at the damn it was so clear you could see 6 ft down so I hope it's not to late

Mrbass, is it common for TPWD to sample the states lakes, or was there a suspicion of the species in Texoma? Highport marina is in my backyard and I'm on the lake every week, but also travel around to different lakes in Oklahoma once or twice a month, we need to really wash up as a whole.

Zebra Mussels

This is a great site to read up on what they are and do.

Maybe TP&W will find out that the water on Lavon is bad enough to even kill zebra mussels and Lavon will become a household name in lake lore. If the mussels can strain the water from Lake Lavon into clean water, then they will indeed be a force. I read on one website that they are very sensitive to pollutants and can only live in clean, oxygen-saturated water. They may find out that Lavon is not their cup of tea. We'll see I guess.

Seems these little guys are pretty durable. Hopefully you are right. It would be really interesting to see Lavon clear though..

Well if that's the case Lavon will be in pretty good shape, Hubbard for that matter too. I catch a ton of Drum on both those lakes.

Good info guys, I'll keep my eyes out for the little buggers.

According to what I've read and watched on TV they have been on the lookout for them for some time now. They (TPWD) think they got here from one or many of the larger boats that get brought down here from up north. They have had reports from marinas that have found them on boats that have been brought down to Texoma.

I work on a Zebra Mussel research project on the Arkansas River.

I don't think Zebra Mussels will ever be a problem in Texas because they start to dieoff at 86F and will have a complete dieoff at 90F.

I was in colorado a few weeks ago, and zebra mussels have pretty much killed 3 lakes in the Grand Lake area. The water went from crystal clear to tea colored. The fishing is terrible. The biologist I spoke with said in 2 years time there will be very very few fish in the lake. You couldn't walk in the water as you would cut your feet on the zebra mussels.
They had check points when we entered and exited the lake. We had to take out anything that cold hold water and dry it out. They even used towels to dry out the livewells.
We had to lower the motor so that water would run out of the lower unit. Zebra mussels do a bad bad things to your motor.

1 zebra mussel will have 1 million off spring in 1 year.

The Lake Temp in Texoma has been 89 to 91 for surface temp for quite sometime and the living specimans were found from 5 feet to 24 feet deep. In the deeper lakes in Texas where the temp range could be cool enough in the summer months is it possible for the Zebras mussels to have success at the deeper depths and move shallower in the winter months and hopefully have a die off in the shallow water each summer.

Having fished a lot on Lake Erie and most of the inland lakes and rivers up North that are filled with zebra mussels and all I can say is I hope and pray that whatever environmental factors that would kill them down here do just that - kill them !!! Because I just got used to not loosing Carolina rigs and jigs and crankbaits and every other bait you can tie on and drag over and through them dam things…sure they do a great job filtering the water - you’ll be able to see a dime on the bottom in 30 ft of water - BUT - you think it’s hard on mono or braid now when trying to pull a healthy bass out of a mesquite tree just wait !!! zebra mussels adhere to every hard surface they can find - rocks, trees, boat ramps, dock pilings, etc. and we have even seen them cluster together in the weed beds, believe me zebra mussels are bigger fun killers than jet skiers !!! I hate to keep being the party pooper… but think about this too - if the nasty little things get into the power plant lakes they will in short order start clogging the water intake and return lines, so the power companies will have deal with a new high cost of “temporally” removing them…or should I say “WE” get to deal with the new cost.

The two areas of your rig you have to worry about is your livewells and to a lesser degree the trailer if you have fished a lake with the zebra mussels in it, then at the end of the day pour a little bleach down into the live well plumbing so any trapped water gets a dose, and make sure you pull off any weeds or sticks that may get caught on the trailer.

Yeah that is what will probably happen. I did a sample during July at 16 sites around Lake Dardanelle which is on the Arkansas River. For our sample we place 4 1/4 meter square grids along a transect. During our sample we only found 6 zebra mussels and all of those were at one site.

Tim, how does Texoma water get into Lavon? Texoma drains into Red River...doesn't it?

I believe there is a pipeline that pumps Texoma water into Lavon.

+1

It sounds like the migration from Texoma to Lavon is directly related to the pipeline.

Im from the Midwest and I remember my local lake use to be very stained when I was a kid. Now on a clear calm day it is a swimming pool. I have seen bass come up at the long end of a cast in 12-15 feet of water to hit a lures. That is something to see.

I'm from detroit and the they use to want us to kill the sheephead and than they said that they were the ones keeping the zebra mussels down . so leave them in the water , and also the zebra's would clogg up water filters . but my only bad about zebra's is that they will slice your foot open when you step on one.

I forgot time to turn some roach fish loose..

Effects of zebra mussels

Zebra mussel infestation on the walls of Arthur V. Ormond Lock on the Arkansas River
Zebra mussel-encrusted Vector Averaging Current Meter from Lake MichiganZebra mussels are filter feeders. When in the water, they open their shells to admit detritus.

Zebra mussels are a great nuisance to people. Since colonizing the Great Lakes, they have covered the undersides of docks, boats, and anchors. They have also spread into streams and rivers nationwide. In some areas they completely cover the substrate, sometimes covering other freshwater mussels. They can grow so densely that they block pipelines, clogging water intakes of municipal water supplies and hydroelectric companies.

Also, as their shells are very sharp, they are known for cutting people's feet, resulting in the need to wear water shoes.

Zebra mussels are also believed to be the source of deadly avian botulism poisoning that has killed tens of thousands of birds in the Great Lakes since the late 1990s. [2]

However, zebra mussels and other non-native species are credited with the increased population and size of smallmouth bass in Lake Erie [3] and yellow perch in Lake St. Claire. [4]. They cleanse the waters of inland lakes, resulting in increased sunlight penetration and growth of native algae at greater depths. This proves beneficial for fish most of the time, helping the fish live in better conditions. This cleansing also increases water visibility and filters out pollutants. Each quagga and zebra mussel filters about a quart of water a day.[14]

Recent research has found that zebra mussels don't attach to copper-nickel alloys, which can be used to coat intake and discharge grates, navigational buoys, boats, motors, etc., where the pests tend to congregate.[

I think the zebra mussels will impact the shad population in a negative way. This would hurt the striper population on Texoma.

However, it looks like bluecatfish will eat zebra mussels in the summer for an easy meal, i.e.
http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/blue-cats-baitfish-and-mussels/2

I didn't pay much attention to this post at first, but I recently just got back from fishing the Fox River in Barrington, Il w some inlaws. After having a decent day fishing the first day and breaking off 10 or more fish I thought I had a bad batch of 17lb big game line. Next day I put new line on and same thing. It didn't click to me until I looked closer at the rocks we were fishing - Zebra Mussels, millions of them. Little dudes are like razors and simply suck to fish around. They cling to everything. I remembered this post and sure am glad I didn't decide to wade in later and fish like we planned. I'll guarantee you i would have been cut up!

I had thought cleaning up Lavon's water might be a good thing, but after this trip, I sure hope we can get a handle on this before it's too late.

what effect do zebra musscles have on our lakes,and how important is it to prevent infestation?

It is my understanding that even though you inspect your boat and trailer for visable zebras, the real threat are the equivalent to larvae. Not using the correct term but it's basically the same. One could collect these in a livewell or bilge, particularly during colder temps and transfer them to another lake.

Now we can promote to fishermen, be sure to clean everything well and use a bleach solution, etc... But then just think of all the pleasure boaters.

The zebras are here. I guess we will see what happens.

thanks for the info.

Carp also feed on them big time....they will cutt 100lb braid like butter

That was my first thought , the summer heat in TX pretty much kills everything.lol

I was looking where the zebra mussells have taken hold, looks like a big problem around the mississippi delta region which is warmer and muddier than N. Texas.

would they also filter out the salinity in texoma waters? if so it could hurt the striper population.

With good populations of Carp, Buffalo and Drum here in Texas they might be able to find a balance. But as fast as they reproduce I'm not sure that alone could control them. Lets hope so.

ZEBRA MUSSELS BELIEVED TO BE ENTERING TRINITY RIVER SYSTEM Invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have been confirmed to have spread from Lake Texoma into the head waters of Lake Lavon, and experts fear they could eventually spread throughout the Red River and Trinity River watersheds. Zebra mussels multiply rapidly and can block water treatment plant intakes and pipes as well as attach themselves to boats, ropes or anything else left in the water. They can cause declines in fish populations, native mussels, and birds. They can also restrict water flow in pipes, foul swimming beaches, damage boat engine cooling systems and cause navigation buoys to sink. Live specimens of zebra mussels have been reported in Lake Texoma and are now believed to be well established there. On Aug. 3 live zebra mussels were found in West Prong Sister Grove Creek approximately 300 yards downstream of the Lake Texoma water transfer pipe. This creek flows into Lake Lavon. “Lake Lavon is in the headwaters of the vast Trinity River Basin, which extends southward to the Gulf of Mexico, so the potential impacts to water quality, fisheries resources, water distribution systems and recreation are huge,” said Inland Fisheries Biologist Bruce Hysmith in a TPWD news release. “Zebra mussels have the potential to be an even greater threat to Texas freshwater resources than invasive aquatic plants such as giant salvinia and toxic organisms such as golden alga,” said Phil Durocher, Inland Fisheries Division director. TPWD will be working with local, state and federal agencies, reservoir controlling authorities and water districts to develop a plan for dealing with zebra mussels. Boaters and anglers are being encouraged to help slow the spread of zebra mussels from one water body to another by cleaning boats, livewells and trailers when leaving any water suspected of having zebra mussels. Boaters and anglers are also being asked to report sightings of suspected zebra mussels to the Operation Game Thief Hotline at (800) 792-4263. More information, including links to photos and detailed information, is on the TPWD Web site (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/protectourwaters).

Just got my boat registration in the mail and it had a brochure/flyer from this organization with a Zap the Zebra initiative.

http://www.100thmeridian.org/

More on Zebra Mussels

rrhyne56,

Since that link is from Wisconsin, the affects will be much different there then here. The Zebra Mussels will not affect the fishing or make the water clearer. The densities will never get high enough to have the same problems like they do up north.

GASPERGOU. AKA: DRUM (Found in Lake Lavon)


Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens)

Illustration © TPWD
Other Names
Drum Fish, Gaspergou, Gou, Sheepshead
Description
Aplodinotus is Greek for "single back", and grunniens is Latin for "grunting", referring to the fact that the species may be observed (or felt) making "grunting" sounds. Except for color, freshwater drum resembles its marine relative the red drum. The fish is deep-bodied and equipped with a long dorsal fin divided into two sections. The dorsal fin usually has 10 spines and 29-32 rays. Freshwater drum are silvery in color and lack the distinctive tail fin spot of red drum.
Life History
In Texas freshwater drum may spawn in April or May. Spawning seems to occur in open water. The eggs float until they hatch. Freshwater drum appear to be basically benthic, spending most of their time at or near the bottom. They feed primarily on fish, crayfish, and immature insects, often by rooting around in the substrate or moving rocks to dislodge their prey. The presence of heavy throat-teeth also allows them to consume mollusks to a certain extent. In Lake Erie, they have been found feeding on zebra mussels (although not nearly enough to control the

Found and killed my first Zebra Mussels on Texoma last Sunday. If was in less than a foot of water.

Where did you find it at? I looked around last weekend and haven't seen one yet.

That's funny, The TPWD says the Zebra's have the potential be worse for our fisheries than Giant salvinia or Golden algae. If you have ever seen a lake that has been affected by Golden algae it should scare the heck out of you.

That's not good. What are the surface temps. right now.

The temp at the time was 89degrees. The lake is hovering around 84 last night in the dark. I found this ZM on the big point on the left leaving highport outside the breakwaters. I killed it. I also called the local fisheries department to make sure it was a ZM. Right now in Texoma ZM should be the only clam or mussel style in the lake that will sit on its back side without falling over and should be the only one that attaches itself to objects with the back of it shell.

Wanted to add those suckers really stick to whatever they attach to. They do not just pull off easy. You have to get a good grip to pull one of or atleast this one did not come of easy.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the larvae are probably in every lake in Texas by now. I know here in this area there are numerous guys that fish these two lakes and then go to Fork, Ray Roberts, Cedar Creek, etc. Haven't heard of anyone taking precautions. One of the things I've learned from living in Michigan is they're spread primarily from their larvae being in the water of pumps, live-wells, impellers of jet-skis, engine blocks; not the adults that occasionally stick to the hulls, that's rare. And the few posts I've chimned in on, most just laugh at ya for taking this so serious. Sad thing is they won't laugh in five years when they see what these things do after getting a hold in a lake. One of the main guys on the forum that sets up many of the tourney's in this area jokes about this subject constantly. Sad.

FWIW, my buddy has a boat slip in Catfish Bay at Texoma. Last year we were catching bluegill and sunfish as fast as we could bait a hook as well as an occasional catfish and crappie in the vacant boat slips. We've been up there twice in the last month and haven't caught a fish there and have talked to several people who dock their boats there and they aren't catching any fish either.

I've only seen a few dead fish(mostly catfish) floating in the lake. There does still seem to be an abundance of gar in the marina area as I constantly see them surfacing.

Would/could the zebra mussels have had this quick and significant of an impact on the fishing in this part of Texoma?

Grapevinekid,

No, for a lake the size of Texoma it will take about three to five years for the mussels to cover the bottom and everything connected to the bottom, and then another three to five years to impact the fishery.

This is a ploy to generate revenue in some way...i can smell it. Watch, they will have some sort of zebra muscle water fishin permit you'll hafta buy to launch a boat. Get caught on the water without it...$$$fine$$$ Get caught on uninfested water with it...$$$$fine$$$ My soloution...let lavon get way below pool, water temp will rise and kill em all. Nope..the publicity is for a reason, and that reason is to make $$.

It is inevitable with today's modern transportation system and with the global shipping economy that all species will either become homogeneous, adapt, or lose out through the domination of others.

Nothing much we can do to stop it. Slow it down maybe, assist species in decline maybe, but we cannot stop it.

Dang - another non native species invades our non native lakes !

any updates?

I'm from missouri and they have just been found in our lake on Pomme De Terre, will soon be in Truman Lake as Pomme river drains into Truman.

Hopefully, the Dallas sewer department can finally do something helpful and put a stop to zebra mussels entering downstream of Dallas with their unlawful discharges. It's even hard for gar, turtles and carp to live in that section of the Trinity.

The gates are open on Lavon so water is going downstream into Hubbard. I guess Hubbard gets a warning now.

The gates are open on Lavon so water is going downstream into Hubbard. The gates are open on Hubbard too so water is going downstream. I guess Hubbard gets a warning now...and next.

The Science Channel had a story about zebra mussels in Lake Michigan. Said the whitefish used grow to maturity in less than a year, now take 3-4 years to reach maturity. The ZM's have almost eliminitated the microscopic shrimp that whitefish feed on. Commercial whitefish licenses went from 3500 down to 20 as a result of the reduced catch. The US now spends half billion dollars a year to combat ZM infestations.

Here is an example of what they can do in just under a year. It aint pretty.
http://californiafishingforums.com/download/file.php?id=108

http://californiafishingforums.com/download/file.php?id=107

9 Gates open from Lavon today at 12 inches each. Can you say welcome Zebra Mussels!

can we eat the zebra mussels?