I checked out the creeks feeding Lake Somerville Saturday and still nothing flowing in Nails, Cedar, Birch or Jerdelle. The Yegua is flowing a little and is very clear.

One good rise on the Yegua will really get things going! Start doing the "Yegua Rain Dance"!

I'm doing my rain dance as we speak.

BUMP!

The run might start if Tuesdays forecast comes true and we get some flash flooding! Keep dancing!

It's on,let it Rain, Let It Rain...Already got 2" here in Drippin
Can't wait till March... ...When I'm off of work...

2 ft and well be at Normal pool! Cedar and nails will be looking good next couple days..might make a trip tommorrow! Anyone else gonna brave the wetness?

With "possibly heavy rainfall" predicted for Saturday it may be a while before the creeks are fishable, but that's a great problem to have. It's looking like this could be a really good year for creek fishing.

I couldn't agree with ya more. This rain will soak into the ground and produce a good flow of water for weeks and weeks. Heck we received 4.4 inches, and most of that was run off. We had something like 1.75 inches not to long a go, so the ground has been wet for some time now. Let the lake fill up and come on white bass spawn. I'm geared up and ready......

What really makes this great is the amount of time this rain fell. A lot of it may have run off, but it also soaked deep into the ground. This will allow the spawn to last for a long time when they do come up. And trust me, as soon as this muddy water begins to flow into the lake, the whites will begin their trip up stream to do their thing.

It is looking GOOD Folks......

The lakes up three-plus inches since Jan 8th! http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/reports/fish.htm

Almost 236ft! That's only two feet below pool level and the water upstream (Yegua) ain't even rolling into the lake yet! The timing could not be better! I expect fish to be caught in Cedar and Nails at the first opportunity to access the creek after the water recedes if the lake is at normal level or above. More rain will just delay our access to the fish and allow for better fishing further upstream. Good Luck and report your catches!

its over 236 now, which is over half a foot gain this week. with 3+ inches of rain in most of the watershed it will be rising for a while. more rain this weekend will put it above pool in no time.

I had to make a trip up to Austin this morning, so I thought I'd stop and check the condition of Yequa, Nails and Cedar creeks. All that pretty clear water that was in the Yequa a few days ago has been replaced with very fast flowing muddy water. Nails and Cedar are in similar shape. Catfish were biting though with all that muddy rising water. I don't know how long it will take to clear up, but when it does I'm pretty sure those creeks will be full of whites. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Baldy Locks

I understand the lake is coming up and the creek is flowing, is the creek flowing into the lake so that the whites can get up into the Yegua?


PonyGirl

I did not personally see the mouth of the Yequa today, but with the water levels and flow I saw today, I am positive those whites can come in just about any time they want to now. Especially with the chance of more rain very soon. Get your gear ready now, cause it's about to get very productive from the catching stand point. Good luck to you!

Based on past history the rain we received in the Lake Somerville watershed Tuesday & Wednesday will reach the lake and provide depth enough for the whitebass and crappie to move into the creeks and further upstream. A normal year will have the whitebass moving upstream in February, spawning in March, and back in the lake by early April.

It has been my observation over the years that the whitebass spawning run starts early in the Yegua compared to lakes and rivers further north and west. Often during wet years, when the creek will flood in the fall or winter the whitebass and crappie will be in the creek by December and in good numbers too. This is a special time when it happens because few outdoorsmen other then me go fishing at that time being preoccupied with other activities like hunting. It seldom plays out like that and I can't recall the last time it happened but I'm ever hopeful for those conditions to reoccur.

My guess is that crappie are the first to move but I rarely target whitebass before February especially when kayak fishing the lower end of the creek nearest the lake. The first three miles of the Yegua up from the lake can be loaded with new arrivals waiting on another rise of flood water and/or warmer, longer days before continuing upstream to spawn.

Generally the younger whitebass males will not stage very long in the lower end but the females will hold in deeper water until they are closer to spawning.

One thing to keep in mind is whitebass prefer and need moving water to successfully spawn. This is important to know because it can help determine where the fish will be holding pre-spawn and be headed eventually during the actual spawn. The lake level determines how far up the creek the whitebass have to go before finding moving water to spawn.

When at the normal pool level of 238ft the lake effectively backs up all the way to Newmans Bottom at the low water crossing 1/4 mile down from the parking lot. For the early part of the spawning season the big sow females will hold below that point while the males rush on ahead going upstream sometimes well beyond Dimebox to where there is good flow. How far the fish go and how long they stay in the creek fluctuates with the water level of the lake and creeks.

One of the nicest features about Lake Somerville and the creeks (Cedar, Nails & Yegua), is that the best fishing of these three creeks is in the State Park or WMA's making for great public access. And if you pay to get into the State Park and are fishing from the bank within the park boundaries you do not need a fishing license! WHAT A DEAL! Now I can take my "out of state" and cheapskate relatives fishing!

see: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/programs/familyfish/