Pk and the effect on striper population after floods

I've spent the entire week at PK tending my garden and fishing PK. I have caught only a few small stripers most too small to keep. I have posted about this issue in the past that once PK flood gates open, out go the stripers. I don't think all go but a HUGE NUMBER DO.

I've have been on PK as a homeowner since 2011. In this time I have never seen so much bait. Yesterday, I went out on a boat ride with my wife and decided to catch some shad for a fishing trip later that evening. I threw my 7 foot net over a few shad I saw hoping to get the 3-4 dozen I needed. The net it was completely full of 2-5 inch shad. It filled half a five gallon bucket that I threw back and I got 4 dozen out of the hundreds that fell on the deck. Bait is everywhere. In the evening I think you could throw a net and get all you need at any marina or ramp let alone a creek.

Texoma has huge floods but I don't think it effects Texoma as adversely as PK. I am certain that PK will come back and striper fishing will return but I think TPWD should consider stocking another fish like Walleye that will not just go down the river every time it rains. TPWD stocked 84,000 unneeded LM bass last year despite the fact bass spawn just fine in the lake. Back in the mid 70's TPWD put millions of Walleye in PK. Walleye do very well just across the border in Lake Murray OK and up in Arkansas. The Walleye probably will not spawn but neither do the trout put below the dam. Last year there was a big water release from PK that I am sure sent a bunch of Trout down toward Granbury.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/action/stock_bywater.php?WB_code=0590

Since TPWD cares little about what I think, I guess I will just live with what we have. It would be nice if there was a venue for TPWD to talk with fisherman so we might be able to discuss these issues.

I also believe we lose a bunch of stripers, when they open the gates, but not much we could do about it. I have heard that walleyes do well in lake Meredith, no reason they wouldn't do well in PK. I would like to see them restock smallmouth, before the golden alge, they were really doing well. I caught a 6 pounder.

Smallies would be tons of fun! The striper fishing was off the hook this winter, I'm hoping we dont lose as much striper as it looks like. We'll see when they group up this winter.

they did stock walleye back in the 60's and 70's
https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/action/stock_bywater.php?WB_code=0590

Lots of mag sandies to harvest and while your at it, ketch Black Bass. They are easy, don't pull very hard , are not a powerful fish , but taste OK .

Gborg: Been catching a lot of LM bass to go with the super sized bluegills I have been getting at the green lights at night. Heck of a thing to catch bluegills on 3-4 inch shad but they suck them down like spaghetti along with the little number 8 hook I've been using. Only see an occasional striper along with a few sandies.

The sand bass had a good span though. I usually have a bunch of them in the shad tank as I can't easily see that they are not shad when I catch them. After you hold them to hook them it's easy to see it's not shad and I throw them in the lake. Not really sure why the sand bass run in those shad schools but they do.

So when the stripers go over the damn when the gates are open where do they end up? Just below the damn or farther downstream?

Both, below the damn dam and further down stream. Deep pools in the Brazos will hold them as well as Lakes Granbury and Whitney, all based on water flow.

Yea will just have to see how the fishing is this winter.
The catfishermen were catching stripers in the river early summer. Stripers can travel far during late winter and spring.
When there’s lots of water they can spread way out.
They can go through the gates also.
Muddy water most of the spring makes for a great shad spawn.

Just when I think I know something about fish we have a year like this.

We will take them here in Granbury! I hope not too many were lost in the floods but it sometimes happens. Just gives me more options of where to chase them as I am not bound by just fishing my lake. The river is fun to catch them in as well.

I'm ready for fall fishing. I am hoping they will bunch up and have a good deadstick bite. I missed all of the spring fishing due to work, and summer fishing due to some surgery I had to have, so I will be hell bent to go when the time comes.

I'm hearing a bunch of dead stripers below dam at granbury, 1000s

Always lots of dead shad and catfish after the gates open at PK. Never saw a dead striper from going over though. Must be something else. Granbury should do OK after all our striper finally get down there. I fished the green lights last week and filled a cooler with big perch. Never caught a single striper using live shad. Only caught a couple sandies.