I forgot to mention, my budget is around 100-150$ not 1000-1500$

What was recent fishing like below DD before all the floods?

I'm wondering how long it had been since the release of water below the dam because of the zebra mussels. You know they just built that big pipe line from Texoma to NTMWD in Wylie and a big treatment facility there to treat the water for zebra mussels before it is released into Lavon. A couple hundred million went into that I'm sure. So now that all hell has broken loose the river is flooding with Texoma water so I guess the zebra mussels are finally free to go where they may.

But to my original question,
1. Were the gates closed the last few years to prevent the spread of zebra mussels?
2. If the gates were closed the river was not re-stocked with texoma fish for sometime. So what was the fishing like before all this?
Just curious, I'm wondering how long this will last & how long the fishing will be good below DD.

I have some snapper outfits that I don't use anymore. They are a couple of Shimano Baitrunner 6500 reels spooled with braid and mounted to 7' Ugly Stik rods. I also have a couple of new 7' Ugly Stik and Ugly Stik Tiger spinning rods. Not exactly surf fishing length but they might work for your budget. I'll sell either reel with any of the rods for $150.

Muscles helps, but leveraging techniques and learn how to work with the winds are more important to how far and accurate you can cast...

Re casting, The whiplash action of the rod tip is what unleashes the loaded energy of your rod when you're casting. For accuracy and distance casting counter force is required at base of your rod to completely stop the pendulum momentum of the rod...when you're loading the rod your elbow and shoulder joints are compressed then the joints are abruptly decompressed and pulled at the shoulder and elbow when you unload your rig every cast... if you cast all day it can ruin your joints severely over time. The heavier the moving object the more force is needed to stop it, try to swing a one pound, 32 oz, of melon over head then bring it to a complete stop at chest level... Now repeat the the process with a loaf of bread... It makes a world of difference.

High end rods are engineered for strong backbone and ultra light weight.
While key features of high end reels are the power and smoothness of the drag system and their sealing technology that protects and maintains the high performance of reel internal gears. They also tend to be less bulky and are light weight. Powerful and smooth drag means can wear out the fish more quickly so can horse big fish in and land fish before it spool your reel down current to snag others lines or break off.

Bottom line is if you can afford it and you'd like to fish for a lot longer, high end lightweight setups are smart investment for your fishing enjoyment and health. Need I say more?