Is it true that square creek will be shutting dow a generator? If so how long and how would that effect the fishing there?

There are two reactors. Each reactor is shut down every 3 years for routine maintenance that takes around 60 to 90 days, so they alternate them generally every 18 months apart. If my memory serves me correct the next shut down is scheduled around October of 2019. I could be off but I can remember when one of them was shut down back in October of 2016.

just one unit. I think they do it once year.I might be wrong on that. ....It really does not bother fishing.

The pressure and mortality have bigger impacts on the fishing than one reactor going down... IMO. 65 boats already registered for Thursday.. pretty rare to see more than 30 before school gets out for Christmas break... 50 on Friday which is a low number considering the amount for Thursday, 150 on Saturday, and 100 so far for Sunday with 3 open tournaments and probably a club tournament or two thrown in there. I love fishing this lake in November, but man once all the insanity starts its just not as enjoyable. All my opinion of course... I still think they should charge a $100 permit fee to host a tournament so the park can benefit further considering how much money changes hands down there December - March.

This site tells you daily

https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/reactor-status/ps.html

One unit goes down early part of December and will be down around 30 days or so give or take, then the other will go down in earl spring, they are on a 18 month cycle.

Totally argee, they sure went about-face on not having tournaments there without a charitable cause.

Can you eat bass out of squaw creek? People need to start keeping some smal ones... seems over populated with 1-2 pound fish.

They are having issues with one and it's expected to be down for 3 months

So is it running or not running? I have a hard time believing it's been running full with the temps.

it will shut down for a few weeks. Routine...

Have not ever found a site that gives you a schedule or warning of the �Outages� or shutdowns. This site shows real time running percentages but no future plans: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/reactor-status/ps.html and Lumanants actual website where you make your reservations never seems to give any news of upcoming outages: https://www.luminant.com/squaw-creek-park/ This I do know as I live in Somervell County(Glen Rose). All the RV parks are now beginning to fill up now with the �temporary migrant workers� that follow the outages when the plants employment goes up exponitinally.

Needmofish is right. They are both up currently. It is routine not due to issues and not 3 months. This one is a later in the year than normal due to a short repair outage that was done during the cycle.

Lake temps will be lower than a non outage fall but still warmer than any other lakes around with one unit up. Might move spawn back from early January but just speculation as there are so many variables such as weather.

The charity tournament thing was based on closing the park to public for a day and allowing a Hood or Somervell charity to host a tournament with no park fee. It was not suppose to be about no other tournaments being able to use the lake. The Fun-n-Sun Fish-n-Chips Tournament is the only one who ever took advantage of it. That is no longer the policy, The park is still closed for them but the entry fee is now charged, no longer limited to charity or Hood or Somervell. Fish-n-Chips now benefits a Johnson county charity. Other tournaments have asked and last I understood they had to guaranty a 100 boat minimum at $30 a boat to have the park to themselves.




The bass are just as edible as the Tilapia and Channel cats but with so many of the other two and the public shaming of those who eat bass not sure enough would be removed to make any difference. Lakes where a large small bass population is a problem are where there is a shortage of bait and removing small ones allows more food for remaining ones to grow. There is plenty of shad and tilapia for food right now. Most of the fish I have caught out there this fall have been stuffed and look like little footballs. Still not sure if tournament pressure, Tilapia infestation or something else has reduce the larger size bass population. Still hoping it is just a cycle like most lake go through and they will be bigger in next two years. For now it is fun and a great lake to practice new techniques on. Definitely not the place to go catch big ones or avoid other fisherman. With the high water and muddy conditions on most other local lakes it has gotten busier much earlier this year. With the closing of more power plants this last year Welsh and Squaw will only get busier.

The best thing I have heard that I think might help was the three fish limits and not five. With a 50 team tournament that is minimum of a 100 bass that do not have to ride around in live wells with cull tags and be relocated to the marina in one day. With so many cookie cutter 2-3 pounders the three biggest makes the difference most times anyway. I know that the bigger ones are the ones that will still take the abuse but maybe more of the smaller ones will get big instead of being replace by more smaller ones. As fast as fish grow out there it could go back up pretty quickly.


361V the temporary workers websites are a good place to look for outage dates.
RP Outage wishlist

I have been fishing out there since it re-opened , looking back it sure was a nice place to catch Bass , fast forward to now , just too many fishing it - too many Derby�s = lots of $hit for Brains out there .

Thank you for the detailed response!