# Livingston tail race fishing



## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Barring any significant rain fall on the upper Trinity the tail race fishing should start to heat up in the next week or so.
12/16/09 5 PM the flow is 10,100 down from 11,700 yesterday at the same hour. The flow is dropping in a vertical rate on the chart.
The rate coming in at Crockett is 4500 cfs with the Riverside gauge reading 130.9 ft elevation.
Logic would indicate that the flow will be decreased until the 4500 cfs is match at the dam.
Of course a medium to heavy rain any where between the dam and Rosser, TX, will change every thing.

BTW. The flow at Rosser, TX, is 947 cfs which is the average out put of the Dallas area sewer plant affluent water being dumped in to the Trinity.

All you young at heart need to get out the heavy anchors and get ready for the big stripers and cats waiting in the tail race.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

Sunbeam, I was lookin at the flow rate today and thinkin the same thing. It shouldn't be long unless we get some rain up north. I really want to get into some of those big blues down there.

Matt


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## firedog4$ (Aug 24, 2004)

That 947 cfs of affulent has me saying no no to the fishing hole. yuck


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Well then you will miss out firedog, the affluent settles out well before it gets to the upper end of lake Livingston, and the quality of water at the gates on the dam is some of the best in Texas.
There is a big mass of rain coming our way sunbeam, dang it was looking real good too, it takes a very hard local rain to raise the discharge so maybe we will dodge the bullet and get some quality fishing in. I'm itching to go.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

We all live downstream from someone. Tests validate what SS says...the water quality on Livingston is excellent. 

Let's hope we catch a break soon and can get on fishable water on the river both above and below the lake.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

I was not degrading quality of the Livingston water. Just to show that thgere was no rain water entering the river in the south Dallas area. Since yesterday there has been a release from one of the lakes on the Trinity water shed since the flow has increased at Rosser to 1200 cfs today.
The water released from the treatment plants exceeds the minimum standard for drinking water in Texas.


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## firedog4$ (Aug 24, 2004)

Sorry, I didn't mean to step on anyones toes, after all fish poop and pee in it too. Its that I just had breakfast before the previous post. My bad


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

We are all friends firedog, 2coolers seem to keep the poop online to real minimum and enjoy posting about fishing.
We just love fishing below the dam, and are quick to protect it's unvarnished image, LOL!!!
When it comes to big fish, boat/ramp/fishermen drama, and just spectacles, you can't beat the Livingston tailrace.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Looks like TRA is going to level the flow at 7,000 cfs for a while. Not sure why. Reading their mind is like looking at the elephant's rear end to find out what time the circus starts.
For sure they are not going to release any free water down stream without knowing there is some make-up coming in from above.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

12/21/09 6 AM. The flow is 3800 and dropping fast. Should be 2000 cfs by noon Tuesday. That's perfect. Better call in sick and get down there. It has been over 100 days since the flow was this low.


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## slimyhand (May 3, 2009)

Sunbeam,
My brother and I went below the dam on Saturday morning. We fished there at the two boat ramps, by the bridge and even tried below the little spillway. We fished till noon and didn't catch one. When we first got there, we casted and casted till our arms fell off and didn't catch one single shad.... until my brother caught a net full out of this one "freak of nature" school of shad. Filled up 3" of a five gallon bucket. Even after that we couldn't catch a catfish. Maybe after the river settles down some, we'll try it again.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

They started closing down on the flow around 10 AM Sunday. It is still falling as of noon Monday. It will take a few days for the flow and the fish to settle down. Barring any rain on the water shed it should be getting right by the week end.
Was the water very disclored? This is the first ti,e in mamy moons that the lake has been this muddy. The water is discolored from end to end and top to bottom.


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## slimyhand (May 3, 2009)

Well, we went to the lake (Paradise Cove, down the road from Browder's) first to get some shad and I've never seen the lake that nasty looking. It was down about a foot or more and the water was very dirty. After we didn't catch any shad there, we went to the dam. The water there was like it always is.... somewhat clear. And the water level surprised me.... it sure didn't look like 7300 cfs. It looked good. Something closer to 3000 cfs. Maybe we'll give it another try this weekend.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

Lookin at the flow charts it should be really good in a couple of days if not tomorrow. Those blues should be stacked up and waitin for something to eat. May have to go down there tomorrow or wednesday and check it out.

Matt


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Slimyhand,
On Saturday morning the flow was 7,200 cfs and steady. They started cutting back about 10 AM Sunday. It is still falling here on Monday evening but appears to be leveling at about 3000 cfs.
If you are at the dam it is easy to tell the volumn of the discharge up to a point,
The gates are 40 feet wide. The discharge sill is at minus 33 feet when the lake is at the 131 ft elevation.
A gate open one foot at 14.4 psi (head pressure at -33 ft) passes 1000 cfs of water. TRA opens the gates from the middle working to the side evenly. They normally use the one foot increments. 
All gates open one foot equals 12,000 cfs. To increase above that they start in the center gates and open it another foot. The gates are normally opened from the middle to keep the flow equal across the stilling basin and then into the lower pool.
If all gates are open you know that it is at least 12,000 cfs which would be too heavy to fish. 
Since the water is falling at the Goodrich gauge is hard to tell if there is 3 or 4 gates open at this time. As the graph curve starts to flatten out at 3000 it would appear that only three gates are open. Maybe some one was there today and could varify how many are open.
The lake level on Saturday morning was 131.3 or 4 inches over full. Since the lake has been nearly one foot over for so long to see it normal would make you think it was low. Now that the south wind has returned it will drop another 0.2 inch from the "squeegy" effect.
As Matts said give it a few days for the fish to realize that the river is not going dry and they will be back in the "slot" looking for the shad.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Right spot on Sunbeam, really, that breaks it down nice. 
Since they did the construction to center the flow because of the West bank was eroding so bad, the fishing has changed. 
The amount of time it took to move a large pool of water that drained slowly down the river made the window for great fishing fairly long compared to now. 
The flow runs right down the middle and will drain the area behind the dam in a couple of days, instead of a couple of weeks or more like it used to be.
Now it's hard to find days when it's right, but it remains the best freshwater fishing anywhere on certain days.
Like Matt says the blues will be ready to jerk your rod in the river anytime now, it's great winter blue cat fishing. On days the Red-Fin will launch in the river I will be going there as spring time there is great fishing if there is water flow that is just right.
Matt we did alright in the creek today, but it was a lot of small fish. Still the best crappie action i can remember.


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## slimyhand (May 3, 2009)

That makes sense Sunbeam. There were 7 gates open on saturday. And you're right, I guess I'm used to seeing the lake look so high, so when I seen it Saturday, it just looked low.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

I sure like catchin them crappie in kickapoo creek but I will pass on it to get a chance for some big blues below the dam. And you are correct about them jerking a rod in the river. I use rod holders or hold one in my hands. Never lay it down or they will donate the rod to the river. We caught 45 relly nice crappie yesterday. 

Matt


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Matt I like to set out 3 or 4 rods in holders below the dam and bait with cut mullet or drum when the blues are biting good and watch one bend over like a horseshoe when a nice blue railroads it!
I don't even pick a rod up until it is bent all the way over and peeling drag. That way I know I got em, especially with #5 circle hooks.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

WOW, TRA gave the dam fishermen a bundle of switches for Christmas.
Instead of being about 3,000 cfs it will be nearer to 15,000 on the last weekend of the year. 
That storm front that crossed the Trinity Thursday morning must have frightened them.
They pulled the plug and are dumping water three times the rate that is coming down river.
Oh well as the Texans and Astros say, "there is always next year".
Sorry Matts, Slimy, MDL and SS looks like some more crappie fishing in the near future.
Don't you just hate it when a limit of nice crappie is just the consolation prize?


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

Looks like my dam fishin plans will have to wait. Oh well I guess I will go to the north end of Conroe tomorrow and see if I can catch a limit of whites. I should have went to the dam tuesday but I was hurtin too bad. Sometimes I get a few too many aches and pains from a motorcycle wreck I had a few years ago. That sure was a good motorcycle and truck that was totaled. I probably would not hurt so bad if it had not been a headon collision. But what the heck I can still ride and fish, all a man needs.
Matt


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