Gibbons Creek

Fished Gibbons this past Sunday and at the gate noticed a few print outs.
"No swimming" "No fishing behind spillway" "no primitive camping"
And now the website is not working.

Anyone have insider news on what's going on?
Lake soon to be shut down?

??

Hopefully this has nothing to do with the fatality out there a few weeks ago.

Maybe the notice for swimming and fishing below the spillway was due to the recent water increases in the lake and subsequent heavy releases at the dam. This could lead to drastic changes in levels, currents, etc. Also, I think there was a recent death at the lake of a man who drowned while swimming after a kayak; so I can see if the managing authorities may want to take cautions/precautions. As for the primitive camping, I have no idea. Just some thoughts.

I read a year or two ago that the plant had been having financial troubles. That's when they dropped access from 7 days a week, too, I believe. The plant is old and not competitive with newer ones. Home efficiency improvements have reduced demand. (Even Fayette County has reduced it's run-rate to the point that the warm water effect in winter isn't always as pronounced as it once was.)

The recently renovated Gibbons plant reportedly is among the most advanced for technology and environment friendliness for coal powered plants in the country having completed several major upgrades costing in the $ millions.

Like the nations other upgraded EPA compliant coal powered plants, lower cost competitive power, especially from unusually low cost natural gas supplied to gas powered plants is the reason Gibbons and Fayette and similar plants now sit idle during the low power demand periods.

Our ground currently is very saturated and Gibbonsis at/above normal full level......with rain chances in the forecast most days, the spillway is not a good place to have swimmers and bank anglers if further rains develop.

Are they going to have the plant burning during the winter, putting out hot water like it used to?

Thanks for the plant update Lou.

hoggwild you have any luck Sunday? I found the bite much more difficult than it was Friday.

I hadn't noticed the no swimming sign. I still saw people fishing below the spillway when I left Sunday, the guy from the gate was talking to some of them.

Went out again today. Blues were biting 2-5 ft of water on shad
Gates are open behind spillway. There's ALOT of new restrictions coming up for gibbons starting mid month

What new restrictions? Can you elaborate or give a site with info? Thanks.

Ok.

I'm reading into the changes that this joint private/public owned partnership ( not being a city, county or state run public park) is addressing its concerns/expenses for different types of visitors.

Entry fee change for me is reasonable, especially considering there is no boat launch fee at Gibbons.

Bank anglers seem to have exceeded their welcome outside of the areas trash handling and restrooms are provided. Seeing the shorelines where bank anglers frequented, it is not hard to understand why the privileges for many have been taken away due to behaviors from a few.

The boatramp dock has been an on/off friendly experience for years. Most times it was nice for me and pier anglers to chat a sec, share whats/what's not working and then wish each other luck. Some though too often made it confrontational unhappy to be briefly sharing the tight spaces. It was not easy, but always managed to avoid 3, 4 or sometimes more pier fishing lines on a wind blown dock with 2 or 3 unattended boats already taking up limited docking spaces. Sadly, we will likely need a no fishing (from bank or boat) of within 50 yards of the boat ramp to prevent confrontations over water space.

(Must be nervous being a manager of the lake activities and seeing a 6 month old baby in a walker out on the busy open edged ramp with casts of treble-hooks whizzing overlooking 8 feet deep waters having multiple boats with props running.)

I like to launch late in the evening and fish all night and leave the next late morning or early afternoon. No one around, quiet, and you can catch a load of fish! Target crappie and cats at night and bass in the morning. You are on the water before everyone else the next morning and have your choice of early morning spots.

thanks for the info hoggwild

bank fisherman are going to be pissed.
Glad they are kicking them off the dock.
Sad that it looks like fishing the spillway and point will no longer be allowed for them, but it will be nice not seeing trash everywhere.
I would imagine their will be a sizable reduction in the number of people coming to bank fish now.

My thoughts on everything also.

I just hate having to launch before 6pm during summer. Having to wait out the sun to set for a night time trip.

That stinks. I have wade fished the lake on a couple of occasions with my fly rod. I was looking forward to doing it again soon. Now if I want to do it I'll have to fish out of the yak.

Evening was one of my favorite times to fish gibbons....no more I guess.

I haven't been there in a while and was wondering how far up the boat ramp was the water? Any pics would be appreciated.

I won't miss those people on the boat dock fishing who won't move so I can find a place on the dock to dock my boat while I put the truck up. But that makes me wonder who's going to police that? I hope it's not the same people that manage the cleats on the boat dock. The last time I was there they were all gone.

I have never fished there even though I am close by in Huntsville. Is it a good lake for a small Jon boat with an outboard?

I don't know if there's any such thing as a good lake for a small jon boat with an outboard, but I've seen lots of them out there on Gibbons. Like everything else: play the wind.

Gibbons is perfect for a jon as it can get into the creeks easily. he rest of the lake is fine as well. Don't go if the winds are higher than 10 mph though.

Yes, small boats work fine except maybe along main lake dam area during times of the summer rec boat crowds.

Just please do not dress you and your children all in olive green camo while fishing on an olive green jon boat on Gibbons olive green waters. That's what one family out there does.

Thanks for the tips on the Jon boat. My boat is actually painted a bright green and natural aluminum trim. I may try to slip over there next week and wet a hook. Jugging is not allowed there right? I feel like bass fishing anyway probably. Any other newbie tips about Gibbon's that I need to know? Thanks in advance!
Bud

I mainly catfish/crappie with an occasion whitebass.

No jugs, catfish been schooling like bass on the flats in 4ft of water.
Shad and CJs punch bait.