Wheeler branch

All the hype when it first opened.........haven’t heard a word or report since. Does anyone guide in the lake part time? Looking to going for the first time next month after the turnover.

It’s less than 200 acres and full of grass with one small island in the middle. I doubt anyone guides on it. It’s the clearest water I’ve ever seen in my life, including some apartments I’ve rented. It has either a speed limit or it’s electric motor or less only, and I think it’s the latter, but I have a kayak, so I wasn’t worried about it.

This is Wheeler Branch from my front yard. The entire lake and land around it is owned by the Somervell County Water District. I used to fish WB from my Ranger 521. Only rule was “no outboard motors”. You could fish w/your trolling motor all day long as long as you did not start your outboard. The head of the water district(a friend) was worried about the influx of zebra mussels so now the rule reads: “no boats with any bilge area“. Basically open floored jonboats, canoes and kayaks and still no outboard motors. Show up with a bass boat and you will be fishing from the bank. Beautiful little 180 acre lake that is real clear, 85’ deep and completely loaded with grass. Now I can sit on my porch in the hot tub and watch kayakers fish the lake for me. 🤔😳😢

Exactly.

I bought a small jon boat with trolling motor just to fish out there. Have only been a few times and have only caught a few small ones each trip. There is some sort of duck weed grass that grows thick along the shore and sparse out to 20 ft. You can see the bottom in 15. The bushes have some kind of slimy algae that makes them hard to flip. I have heard of a few good bass being caught but not regularly.

They don't like bass boats but show up with a sit on top kayak(which technically has a bilge) with a drain plug and they still let you in, pisses me off

Yep, thats come up briefly in conversation. The only thing that will come out of that argument if pursued will be “no boats,,,PERIOD”! In their defense: the only reason Wheeler Branch exists is for water storage for Somervell County. “PERIOD”. One of the ways “experts” say that zebra mussels spread is through the bilge areas of boats. It’s even stated as absolute fact(speculation as far as I’m concerned) that’s how the mussels showed up in the Great Lakes in the 1st place and keep spreading from waterway to waterway. Anyway, the SCWD’s stance is they are obligated to take every precaution necessary to protect that water source. I don’t have to agree with the logic but I do understand the stance. You ought to wake up with that view every morning from every window and not be allowed to put your boat in anymore!🤔😢Neil

Water is not supposed to get into the hull of kayaks. That’s a bad deal if that happens, so hopefully the drain plug on a kayak is never used. Kayaks have scupper holes, but that water is not getting into the hull. It allows water that gets on the deck to drain naturally. Not really the same as a bass boat with a bilge pump at all.