Fluctuating river levels playing a big factor in 2012 spawning run
The early January rains that drenched the eastern half of Texas didn't do much as far as filling up area reservoirs, but it did put creeks and rivers on a timely roll that should pump some life into the annual white bass spawning run on area rivers.
Word before the rain was that decent numbers of thick-shouldered whites had already begun stacking up around or staging downstream from some well-known hotspots along the Sabine, Angelina and Trinity rivers. Just about any river rat in East Texas will tell you the recent influx of new water should step things up a notch or two, at least for the time being.
"It certainly won't hurt anything," said Sabine River fishing guide Jane Gallenbach of Tenaha. "The current puts the fish on the move. The Sabine has been up and down over the last month, and this last rain put it on a good, 3-4 foot rise. Right now fish are wanting to make their move."
The problem, says Gallenbach, is the rise probably won't last for very long. Every ounce of water that comes barreling downstream is being swallowed up by Toledo Bend, a thirsty 181,000-acre reservoir that remains about 10 feet below normal level. Once all the runoff water gushing down the Sabine reaches the lake, the river levels will recede.
"The river will keep on going up and down until the lake fills up and stabilizes," Gallenbach said. "It'll rise after a big rain then slowly go back down. It's sort of like pulling the plug on a bathtub."
A similar see-saw scenario is happening on the Angelina River, which dumps into Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Sam Rayburn has caught about 2 1/2 feet of water since reaching a near record low during fall, but it still remained about 10 1/2 feet low midway through January.
The problem with extremely low river levels is two-fold.
For starters, it brings stumps, logjams and other obstructions close to the surface. This can make navigation difficult, even in a small flat bottom rig.
Another inherent problem is access. Many boat ramps -- primitive and paved -- that anglers are accustomed to using this time of year may or may not be usable.
Gallenbach said last week that she could launch from the ramp at her camp north of Tenaha, but she doesn't expect the access to last much longer unless the region sees more significant rainfall soon. The water is fairly muddy and cold, too, which typically slows the bite.
The guide said the ramp at Garrett's of FM 31 is usable. However, the popular ramps at Deadwood and the Logansport bridge are questionable. "It's best to call before you come," she said.
Some of the most consistent action on the Sabine lately has come along a stretch known as the Black Shoals. What makes the spot so good is a coal seam that crosses the river upstream from the U.S. 59 boat ramp south of Marshall. When the river is low, the rock acts as a barrier that prevents white bass from finning farther upstream. This causes the whites to gang up, often in numbers so dense that you can catch one on every cast.
Good as the area can be, anglers running outboard engines should be careful when attempting to access it. There are lots of underwater boulders and rocky shoals in the area that will damage props and lower units. A Go-Devil is the best and safest bet.
A good alternative is to probe around the river at the lake's upper reaches north of Huxley. Fishing guide Mike Wheatley said the bite has been excellent at the upper reaches of the Toledo Bend, mainly along channel swings using spoons. The majority of the these fish are staging as they wait to make the run up the river once conditions get right.
"We've been hammering them up there," Wheatley said.
The fishing on the Angelina River is far from red hot, but based on recent reports, anglers are reeling in some good catches of white bass and crappie. The best bite has been northwest of Kingtown, mainly around stumps and well defined channel bends using Roadrunners and small jigs. The water is running relatively clear.
Anglers were able to launch small boats at the primitive railroad tram ramp off Saint's Rest Rd. and at the U.S. 59 crossing as the result of the rise in early January, but that could change as water levels slowly begin to recede. Probably the most reliable launching spot is at Kingtown off CR 522 between Woden and Etoile.
Trinity River salts have been enjoying some good action around the Lock-N-Dam at the State Highway 7 crossing west of Crockett since the first of the year, according to Mark Collins at the Lock-N-Dam Marina. Collins says heavy rains up north caused the river to rise as much as 10 feet in six hours in the Oakwood area, which could slow the bite for a week or two until the water begins to clear.
"It will muddy things up for a while once all that water gets here and starts backing up into the creeks," Collins said. "Things should start clearing up pretty well in 10-12 days, provided there aren't any more big rains upstream to send more new water our way."
Launching in this neck of the Trinity is pretty much limited to the trolley system at the Lock-N-Dam or the public ramp at the Texas 21 crossing, about 30 miles downstream. Collins charges $10 for launching and loading. He said the trolley system will accommodate aluminum rigs up to 16 feet long with outboards no larger than 50 horsepower. Boats with plywood subfloors may be too heavy to launch.
Matt Williams' email address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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