I can't remember Lake Texoma ever being as clear as it is now !! Not sure if it's zebra mussels doing it but it looks like coastal water, green and clear. Even clear after the recent influx of water from the red river. Saw huge schools of carp, or buffalo, out in the open water and it completely reminded me of being in Destin.

Its the zebra mussels. Lake Murray in OK is full of them and looks like a swimming pool.

Lake Murray's water has always been clear. I spent many summers on it in the 70's.

Are zebra mussels bad for the lakes themselves, or just for bass boats?

Alot of debate on this topic. Zebra mussels are filter feeders and disrupt the natural food chain of baitfish which disrupts the cycle of gamefish. Because virtually all lakes in Texas are man made-so are their ecosystems. Benefit of this filtering process is clearer water which aesthetically is better for recreation additionally, the clearer water allows more light penetration which aids in aquatic plant growth at deeper depths- better for providing cover for fish. In the great lakes it has had a tremendous positive effect on the smallmouth bass population. The Salmon population has suffered. My guess is that in Texoma, the bass will do very well and the stripers will suffer the result of reduced baitfish population. The extreme negative is the infrastructure impact. Intake pipes, docks, rocks, and basically anything submerged will be completely encrusted with razor sharp mussels. Step on a rock and your foot will look like hamburger. The fact that Texoma has alot of sand may be a great thing. The long term effect on the great lakes is yet to be seen. It has cost the taxpayers countless sums in the repair/maintenance of intake/discharge pipes and water treatment facilities.

Fishing has not been the same since barnacles have infested the ocean.....:-)