Got up this morning and read the newspaper. Front page states that:

E.V. Spence is at 1.3% full as of last week and will likely be dry in a few weeks.

Lake J.B. Thomas is set to dry up in December.

O.H. Ivie is at 26.6% Full and is projected to be dry by 2012.


Some sad news! Especially for us West Texas Fisherman.

Not a surprise to any of us that fish these lakes. Drouths are not broken in the fall, all major drouths have been broken in the spring. With that their predictions appear right on schedule. Only salvation or prolonging factor would be a hurricane. I have been here 60+ years and seen good rain from hurricanes 2 times in my life.
I stay on Ivie most of the year, last significent rain that run water and raised lake level was 3 years ago next month.

Heard last week from a man who fishes Thomas alot. He has started seeing fish die over there. Whites and shad. Terrible all over West Tx. Really a Sad situation we are all in right now.

wow. Excuse my ignorance, But has this happened before to lakes in West Texas? Do they restock them when it finally rains? Does anybody have pics?

Yes they restock them,Shame to loose Ivie as it was # 1 sharelunker lake in Texas this year. No pictures from me but will when I go back.Last time I was at EV Spense you could drive between the dam and water and it was several hundred yards wide. that was several years back and it has not rained since that ran any water.

This is several months back, first pix gives idea of steepness of ramp at ivie, 2nd gives the length. Able to launch here for another 35' of lake depth loss.

I fished Spence around 10 years ago. I kept hearing stories of how it use to be known as an excellent Striper fishing lake. So this is sad news for me, after that lake had recieved a large fish kill....to hear it will soon be a dry lake bed.

I've fished JB Thomas around 5 times this year. The last two trips I had been out there I have been able to drive my vehicle out to the island that is in the center of the lake. I'd bet that lake had gone down 5 or more feet since January.

BitterCreek- I didn't know there were Whites in JB! I was out there around 3 weeks ago and did notice some Shad/Crappie on the shoreline but I didn't think anything of it. Just figured the Crappie were hooked deep or something. I was still able to catch the Blue Cats in about a foot of water, and there were even a handful of boaters on the lake.





This is depressing, especially thinking that perhaps White River and Stamford may have the same fate. I would hate to have to drive 3+ hours to get to somewhere to go fishing.

from what I have heard about white river it has filled up lately but I dont believe it havnt been out there to see yet.