# Striper spawn



## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

When is the Parks and Wildlife collecting their annual Striper brood stock below the dam?


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## saved (Feb 1, 2014)

Just a guess but right now the flow is 29500 cfs. Once the flow is slowed below 20,000cfs I would think they will get after it.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Since they began using LLD as their sole source they have been coming on or about the 6th of April or the first week day after the 6th.

Two years ago they came on a Tuesday and took over 450 females and returned Thursday and got another 60 or so fish since the new converted hatchery at Jasper still had capacity for more fry.

But last year they took less than 100 fish total. they caught many more but they all did not pass the DNA test.

If I was a guessing man I would say they will be here next Tuesday, That will give TRA time reduce the flow on Monday so they can safely shock on Tuesday.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Be interesting to know at what the max flow that they will proceed?


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

What Sunbeam said, they will likely be there next Tuesday.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

It is really cool to watch. When they drop those electrodes down all kinds of fish come up.
And everything stops biting for a good 1/4 of a mile downstream.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

shadslinger said:


> It is really cool to watch. When they drop those electrodes down all kinds of fish come up.
> And everything stops biting for a good 1/4 of a mile downstream.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It can really be eye opening that's for sure. When you have been fishing and not catching, thinking there are no fish here. Then here comes TPWD and they are netting striper after striper.

I have seen them net stripers much larger than any I have seen caught down there.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I was there once too in my john boat. It was an impressive and organized situation. Not rushed and frantic, but organized.


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

SeaOx 230C said:


> It can really be eye opening that's for sure. When you have been fishing and not catching, thinking there are no fish here. Then here comes TPWD and they are netting striper after striper.
> 
> I have seen them net stripers much larger than any I have seen caught down there.


one they weighed was 29lbs ..lot of 20lbs..I have never seen one that big come from the lake or river or bay.........someone needs to put a satellite tracker in them and see just where they go ........


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The lake is too shallow and warm for them to reach maximum size however the big Stripers that live year round in the tailrace have a cold highly oxygenated food rich environment that allows them grow much bigger than those in the lake.
Big D caught the biggest striper from the lake I know of. I canâ€™t remember what it weighed but it was over 12 for sure.
Iâ€™ve caught several in the lake that weighed 9#+ but never broken 10.
My best below the dam from the east side bank with a surf rod was 20#+.
That was in the 80s.
Twenty pound Stripers were not uncommon then. Especially around November and April in the tailrace.

There is a trough that runs the length of the rocks at the dam.
A lot of big Stripers and blue cats live there year round.
I think when the flow is too low for a big population to stay the big ones drive the smaller ones down river.
Like those that are reported caught at HL+P spillway east bay and trinity Bay.
They are usually 24 to 26â€ that weâ€™re forced down river.
Those over 15# pigs get the honey hole.

Sea Ox is right about TPW getting huge stripers after you have seen no one even with the longest surf rod catch one near that size.
Stripers are one of the wariest fish I know of, once hooked and lost after they reach they adulthood they just can't be fooled again with an artificial lure.
And there is no way to get a live shad up there 130 plus yards. 


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

shadslinger said:


> The lake is too shallow and warm for them to reach maximum size however the big Stripers that live year round in the tailrace have a cold highly oxygenated food rich environment that allows them grow much bigger than those in the lake.
> Big D caught the biggest striper from the lake I know of. I canâ€™t remember what it weighed but it was over 12 for sure.
> Iâ€™ve caught several in the lake that weighed 9#+ but never broken 10.
> My best below the dam from the east side bank with a surf rod was 20#+.
> ...


Yes Sir exactly my thoughts. The largest I have caught down there was not on an arty it was on a large chunk of cut bait on bottom meant for a big blue and it was well after dark.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

Momma's Worry said:


> one they weighed was 29lbs ..lot of 20lbs..I have never seen one that big come from the lake or river or bay.........someone needs to put a satellite tracker in them and see just where they go ........


TPWD has done exactly that, there is a published study on it. In a nut shell they roam the river from the dam down to the Wallisville Locks. They even recorded on that left Wallisville and made it to the dam in 7 day. They have proven that there is some level of natural reproduction in the River.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Question is how long does it take a zapped Striper to recoup and have the nerve to go back to the dam. When the buffet opens again?


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

fishinganimal said:


> Question is how long does it take a zapped Striper to recoup and have the nerve to go back to the dam. When the buffet opens again?


This answers some questions... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrofishing#cite_note-fishnet-1


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Many of the the guides who fish below the dam report that the size of stripers has decreased since the TPW has begun taking the biggest females for breeding.
Looking at records it seems stripers have decreased in size over the last decade throughout the state.
BTW, the best guide for big stripers below the dam is Al Devine.


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

is the striper brood stock collection operation on yet ? ...to day is the 6th 

and TRA reduced the flow I heard ....


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

I send a message and ask TPWD and they are being super secret about the collection dates. They did not answer me. Guess they didn't want anyone down there pot licking them Ha!!
I would of gone down there this weekend and check on the stripers myself but the flow needs to flat line for three or four days. My rules for fishing below the dam. When water is being released or being reduce the bites can be terrible. But I guess that's just my personal opinions. I may be wrong. Ha!
17,700 cfs at Trinity Goodrich report as of just now. I think very doable for me but I will pass. Gonna wait till the flow balance out a bit. Then go down there and do the Bruce Lee on them stripers.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

Momma's Worry said:


> is the striper brood stock collection operation on yet ? ...to day is the 6th
> 
> and TRA reduced the flow I heard ....


They usually do it on a Tuesday. If I was a betting man it will happen this Tuesday 4/10.


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

SeaOx 230C said:


> They usually do it on a Tuesday. If I was a betting man it will happen this Tuesday 4/10.


I would like to go watch them work if possible ...........I need to see some big stripers !


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Momma's Worry said:


> I would like to go watch them work if possible ...........I need to see some big stripers !


Contact Inland Fisheries College station and talk to Nikki. Last time she told me they always needed volunteers to help out. Maybe you get lucky. Never hurt to ask. They have a facebook page with all the contacts info.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Unless thet have changed the set up, the three hatcheries that do the stripers are Wichita Falls, Possum Kingdom and Jasper


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

They are building the road with heavy equipment now.
Graded it down and packed so the tank trucks used to transport them can get close to the boats.
I bet they do some electrofishing Monday.



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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

Is today the day?


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Should be. Looks like TP&W beat Loy and Bruce to them this year. LOL


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Yep. They just restricted the flow down to 7000-8000 cfs. I say they are down there today.


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## SCP (Jun 17, 2017)

They were not there this morning.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

SCP said:


> They were not there this morning.


I was not figuring it would be today. In my experience the first day of collection is the second Tuesday in April. So my money is on tomorrow.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Need to call Al for a night trip on the barge tonight then!!


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

*Striper brood stock....*

well its Tuesday morning at 7:30...water flow is well reduced so .....is the collection on yet ?.......


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## saved (Feb 1, 2014)

They are at the dam collecting as of 8:45 A.M. today.


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## Family Style (Jun 15, 2004)

*Spawn*

I hope they do well today and make lots of fingerlings. I hope all the lakes get a normal stocking this year!


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## Reelin-N-Lunker's (Mar 9, 2018)

Is it good to fish the night after the collection? Never been fishing after they have done collected.


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## bowmansdad (Nov 29, 2011)

Watched it live on FB, didnâ€™t see many caught, said they will be back in the morning.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Here are some pictures trapperjon took during our trip today. They were hard at work with the shocking boats. Three crews getting after it.


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

*Striper brood stock collection ..*

I was watching on Facebook .....catching was kinda slow ...I was thinking it would be a lot faster action with all those VOLTS helping out !.....LOL.....I did 
ask the question about the largest length/weight caught so far , but did not get an answer.....the ones I saw them catch all seamed to be under 10lbs?...


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I wonder if the heavy flow kept them from getting to the fish with the shockers?
I did see a train car of big cats and lots of big drum. The gar seemed to be unaffected by the shocking and were having a BUFFET! 
The water is pretty muddy, but I did see stripers busting the water between us and anther boat when the shocking was going on, they were hitting the schools of shad that were stunned and floating back.
The stripers could have vacated the area close to the gates and dropped back to avoid getting zapped with all of the water in the basin.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

shadslinger said:


> *I wonder if the heavy flow kept them from getting to the fish with the shockers?*
> I did see a train car of big cats and lots of big drum. The gar seemed to be unaffected by the shocking and were having a BUFFET!
> The water is pretty muddy, but I did see stripers busting the water between us and anther boat when the shocking was going on, they were hitting the schools of shad that were stunned and floating back.
> The stripers could have vacated the area close to the gates and dropped back to avoid getting zapped with all of the water in the basin.


I think it does. In a past life I may have participated in similar activity. It is not as easy as it looks to spot the fish decide you want to net it and react before the fish goes back down. I would guess that the flow and current makes it even harder to react fast enough.

The video from yesterday is on the TPWD Facebook page says they are looking for 200 fish. The water looks a bit muddy combine that with the white water, bumpy conditions and it can get tough I would think.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Inland Fisheries College Station-Houston District-Texas Parks and Wildlife
We don't have a count on the total seen, just the large fish that were close to spawning that were taken back to the hatchery to create next year's finglerings. Unfortunately we missed the ideal time by a few days (flows were just too high last week) so it was a slower year. Thankfully we do have some captive broodstock we can fall back on! We did see a few hybrids, but not many.


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