# Below dam Lake Houston



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

I will be heading up the river to fish the discharge of the dam. Never fished this area. How close can you get to the dam? I will be fishing with fresh shad. Best to fish in the middle where the current is or near the rocks? Have not looked at discharge rate yet but will be looking right after this post? Hopefully the cats and white bass will be hungry.


----------



## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

Fishin' Soldier I don't think you can get to close now days. The dam is more of a spillway 
when the water gets high enough it runs over. There is two gates they us to lower level for maintance on the dam but are not designed for flood control.Years ago you could get real close and could access on foot from Eisenhowser Park.


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Is it worth even fishing?


----------



## David_Conroe (Aug 11, 2008)

I have not been down there in years, however I used to catch a lot of fish back when you could walk in from Eisenhower Park before they done all the work there...


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

I plan on boating up as far as possible.


----------



## David_Conroe (Aug 11, 2008)

I have been there by boat also, however that was long ago also. I say go try it, I wonder if good times marina is even still down there...


----------



## kim e cooper (Feb 18, 2006)

Yes good times is still there.


----------



## pccurr (Jul 3, 2006)

There are 11 or 13 gates that discharge from the dam. I think the barrier cable is 500ft back. Looking at the discharge flow http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv?cb_00060=on&cb_00065=on&format=gif_default&period=7&site_no=08066250 there is no water in the river right now. Hope you have a small aluminum boat. Good luck.

PC


----------



## David_Conroe (Aug 11, 2008)

pccurr said:


> There are 11 or 13 gates that discharge from the dam. I think the barrier cable is 500ft back. Looking at the discharge flow http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv?cb_00060=on&cb_00065=on&format=gif_default&period=7&site_no=08066250 there is no water in the river right now. Hope you have a small aluminum boat. Good luck.
> 
> PC


That is the wrong river in the link you posted, lake houston is on the San Jacinto River...


----------



## rebelangler (May 21, 2004)

there are still some good fish there and the occasional redfish....big cats as well along with tons of white bass......fish on the right side as you come up to the dam there are 2 pipes on the other side of the concrete wall...fish in between them....almost the whole bottom is rock so plan on loosing alot of tackle or use a cork...up on the right hand side just before the concrete is a clump of rocks you can throw a cast net and load up on fresh shad...

brian


----------



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

rebelangler that was great advice. i have fished below Livingston a long time and have always wanted tio fish below Houston just to check it out. thanks for tip.
SS


----------



## rebelangler (May 21, 2004)

if the current is moving real good there are some gate type things you go through (basically post with cable) fish on the left side towards shore and cast into the current with a good size weight and the big cats like to hang out there and catch dinner as it goes by...

if ya need company i live down the street from the boat ramp and if i aint workin ill tag along


----------



## wacky-worm (Mar 10, 2008)

I fished there a couple of months ago. We caught about 20 keeper channel cats and plenty of small ones. The water gets shallow a couple of hundred feet from the dam. It's pretty easy to see although the day I was there a guy on a jet ski came screaming by and ran upon the apron. It was pretty funny, there were birds standing there ankle deep and he was pointing out the sights to his buddy riding on back. A week before that I was there and a boat came from the lake half over the dam. Just hanging there in mid air. There's some bright people out there. Anyway we fished on the left hand side about fifty feet from the apron (shallow part) casting towards the middle and retrieving slowly. lot's of rocks on the bottom and easy to get hung up. Good luck.


----------



## Northsider (Feb 19, 2008)

I fish down below the dam often but let me tell you if your targeting white bass you need to be AT the dam before sunrise. The bite is great from the time that your able to see a slight glow from the sunrise till about 9:45 am and then you need to start catfishing the rest of the day because the whites scatter to deeper water and then you can pick them up trolling pet-spoons up by the concrete pillars that you pass at the entrance to the dam. I would start my morning to the far right as you approach the dam about 75ft from the concrete apron you can throw some rattle traps Blue/ chrome and Blue/ blk are my choice of colors and try some #13 chrome and white feather pet-spoons under a popping cork with a 30" leader. Oh and the rip-rap on the far left side of the dam is a very productive spot for Hybrids on any of the baits I mentioned above. I use floating rattle traps in the rip rap cause other wise you'll lose them in the rocks . Shallow diving crank baits work well also pearl white in a shad pattern or chrome and blue are the colors my very productive colors of choice. Curly tail 3" grubs rigged tandem in white or chartruese are a great alternative also. Hope this helps.


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Where is the closest ramp the the dam?


----------



## rebelangler (May 21, 2004)

good times marina...go 90 to sheldon take a right go to the end wich is garrett take a right follow the curvy street down a few miles and its on the left..it is a few miles to the dam from there..wich is the closest to the dam on the river side..


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Does it cost to launch there?


----------



## kim e cooper (Feb 18, 2006)

Yes.


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Ok thanks for getting my posting numbers up..How much??


----------



## Northsider (Feb 19, 2008)

It's a $5 launch fee, if you get there before they open you can launch and pay after you get back from fishing. I do it all the time so I don't have to wait on someone to open up. They're good people that expect their customers to be honest.


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Cool deal. Where do you fish northsider?


----------



## Northsider (Feb 19, 2008)

I'm a die hard dam fisherman. I really enjoy fishing the dam cause there's no guessing to it, at least not like fishing the main lake where you ride around for hours on end without a bite if you don't have electronics. I try to fish 2 Saturdays a month at least. The San Jacinto river below the dam has been my most productive fishing spot and trust me I've fished a lot of different places and none compare to the dam. I usually fish by myself cause most of my buddy's don't like to get up that early.


----------



## kim e cooper (Feb 18, 2006)

Try to get some shad, the cats & every thing else loves them to.Good luck..


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Fresh shad will catch almost everything in the river when the shad are there.


----------



## Northsider (Feb 19, 2008)

Oohhh yeah, I never leave home without my cast net, it's my if all else fails bail out. I'm not really big on the catfish but have been know to take a few here and there. Like you said all the fish down there love them some shad. The shad were so thick last time I went that the fish really were tight lipped and slow biting. I've found that the more the shad are present the less the fish bite and the less the shad are present the hungrier the fish are. I've thrown my net 50 times and ended up with only a few small shad and tore them up but when I throw the net and it's full of shad, well lets just say it's time to call it quits cause the fish that are there gorge themselves till they almost pop. I've taken the shad home and froze them in the freezer for those hard to find the shad days and just whip up on those cats next time I'm out and the shad aren't there.


----------



## Dallas415926 (Sep 28, 2006)

where do you put your boat in down there


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

I still haven't made it up to the dam yet but plan on it very shortly.


----------



## Dallas415926 (Sep 28, 2006)

i was going to go tommorow but im goin to conroe instead for some cats


----------



## donkeyman (Jan 8, 2007)

You would be way better off going to Livingston I have fished this place several times dont like it AT ALL.They do catch lots of crappy there,if you go you would be best to launch in on Garrett rd. at Good Time Marinia go up river to the dam area. Usually you can call Good Time and they will give you a fishing report..if the fishings bad go draink a cold one at the marinia.


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

I am probably heading up in the early AM will post report if I make it that way.


----------



## hsf outdoor tv (Jul 28, 2008)

This is how we fish below Eufaula Dam when the fish are in the danger zone.


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Are you trolling lures or live bait with that thing?


----------



## yakfishin (Dec 8, 2005)

*livingston dam*

Fished below lake houston this past weekend and caught a few cats and white bass. There is one good place to catch shad that I have found. Do NOT go behind Lake Livingston Dam right now, there is no water and very shallow. Wrong info just checked levels and it is up as of right now.


----------



## hsf outdoor tv (Jul 28, 2008)

You can troll lures or drop live shad,also works just as good for catfish.


----------



## kim e cooper (Feb 18, 2006)

Have you made it below the dam yet just looking for a report?


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

No not yet buddy. tomarrow am heding to north trinity to chase reds. I am gonna try to ake it on friday maybe in my kayak. Not sure yet.


----------



## kim e cooper (Feb 18, 2006)

Let me know whats going on. Later


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Tomarrow is the day. Me and me wife are heading up river


----------



## fishtails75 (Jul 27, 2008)

used to fish below the dam with awsome catches of perfect size cats.the way i did it was useing fresh shad or the gizzards of bull shad on a slip cork.few feet from the bottom and when the line goes through cork till it reaches knot your cork would lay on its side.when the cork stood up,get ready.very fun and when you figure it out you dont lose much tackle at all.good luck.you can get slip cork knots at academy,or walmart


----------



## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Yeah we fished there a while back and caught a good mess of fish. I use small pieces of ballon make a small loop in line around the tiny piece of rubber. Works great and cheap. I also make my own slip corks out of the old round style freezer pops, and expandable foam.


----------

