# It was a messy day below the Dam 2/27-2/28



## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

A friend from 2cool call and said he had a really bad itch and if I can help him wet a line. So I cancel my fly fishing trip at a park pond and headed to LL.
Cows was out and feeding that's a good sign the whites will be feeding too!!


Boat were stacked up. Temper flare and harsh words were exchange from idiots that has absolute no respect for others. Ha!! but this is not where the fish were stacked up today!! Most got skunked.


Saturday we found the mother load after Loyd shad slinger left to play with them crappies.


Computer slow more pics coming


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Saturday a fish for every cast



We caught variety fish

Limits of stripers on 8lb test and crappie jigs. Lost many big stripers at boat. No net forgot it at home.



Crappies too!!



Many gar too!! Brandon fought this one and lost a 60lb on 8lb test. Our fighting skill was test to the limits today.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

There was a couple down there today that should not own a boat. No I did not get skunked. Watched a lot of people do a lot of fishing and no catching.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Sunday was epic. We caught every thing. Gar,cats,stripers,whites and things we never seen before they broke our 8lb test line. Of all the days we leave all stripers gear at home and no net.


Wher is this boy shoe?? I don't know. New fishing style I guess. Shoeless fisherman. It was a fish for every cast. They were down there thick.

Nothing smaller than 15" when you find the mother load. We had a few pushing 17.5 that was in the stringer and not able to measure for pics.



It did not matter what we chunk at them. If it was a curly tail grub or a small minnow inmatation they would nail it. They even went after the umbrella rigs



Where is this boy shoes ? dang it.


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## Chunknwind (Jul 28, 2015)

Great jobBruce, I'm like you too many dumb *** people down there on the weekend for me .I try and go during the week and still run across a few jerks. Alot of people work so the weekend is the only time they get to go. That's what causes the frenzy.happy to see your report . Keep em coming.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

west side boat ramp is good. Facing the water its the one on the right. The one with the truck is a NO NO!!



Did not check out the east side but seen people launching. Browders lost a lot of land near the fish cleaning table asphalt road leading to the west ramp


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## GSMAN (May 22, 2004)

Great report Bruce! Sounds like a great trip.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Mattsfishin said:


> There was a couple down there today that should not own a boat. No I did not get skunked. Watched a lot of people do a lot of fishing and no catching.[/QU
> 
> Matt they were right where you left them last year.
> 
> Right there where you gave me your secret inline spinner and further up.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Got a kids ?? It's time you owed it to your self to take them fishing. This is why I go!! Spring Break is around the corner. No excuses.

To see this. My boy bending rods.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

OK Big questions is what is the bait of choice and how do you present it.

CURLY TAILS,CURLY TAILS,CURLY TAILS,AND MORE CURLY TAILS. 

Road Runners curly tail jigs with flashing blades,but they still will hit ones with no flash blade. Water is off color so blades helps. Does not matter what colors. Tendum rigs to add more weight and get it to the bottom fast. Medium to slow retrieve one foot from the bottom. Not too fast where the bait will plane higher and they can't see it. Not too slow where you get hung and loose your bait.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Mattsfishin said:


> There was a couple down there today that should not own a boat. No I did not get skunked. Watched a lot of people do a lot of fishing and no catching.


There was a couple down there today that should not own a boat.

Oh god yes. The dumbest ARSHES I ever seen.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

AND YES I will fry up a mess of whites tomorrow to eat. Heck heard ketchup,potato chips,and hot dogs could kill you even faster. Been eating them whites for years. Why stop now.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Keep on catching those white bass Bruce. Looks like you and the boy have them hemmed up good. Man is he gonna have a lifetime of fishing in no time, good job dad.
The name is Loy.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

shadslinger said:


> Keep on catching those white bass Bruce. Looks like you and the boy have them hemmed up good. Man is he gonna have a lifetime of fishing in no time, good job dad.
> The name is Loy.


Sorry Loy. Seen you got clients so I did not want to bother and say hi. Heck if I've known it was Dirt Daddy I would of Holla at ya'll. Good mess of crappie you put Dirt Daddy on. I would of trade you all the white bass for them.


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## FishNJeremy (Jan 1, 2012)

Great report bruce. We did good ourselves. Seen your truck at browders marina as we were leaving. 

Yes there was crazy boaters out there today. I know exactly what matt was talking about.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


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## BKT (Sep 27, 2013)

Very nice!!


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

All fish were females and has very large egg sacks.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

I saw you there Saturday Bruce. Actually I am in the picture you took of the two boats arguing. That was pretty funny stuff right there. 

I do feel bad for you, as your young son had to hear the foul language that was being yelled out. And the kicker is I think it was a woman doing most of the cursing.


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## Pistol-Pete (Apr 13, 2015)

Bruce, you and your son are really great fisherman. You always seem to limit out. It is great to see you teaching your son the sport of fishing. Keep up the fine job.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Those people should be condemned from being any where close to any fisherman. My son was complaining about the foul words.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Pistol-Pete said:


> Bruce, you and your son are really great fisherman. You always seem to limit out. It is great to see you teaching your son the sport of fishing. Keep up the fine job.


Pete we are average fisherman. Persistent always pay off for us. That's it. No special skills.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Rude behavior is the main reason I don't like below the dam more, at least up by the "cable". It takes the fun out of being there. Just a little bit downstream is much more pleasant, even if the catching is not quite as good. I guess it is up to your priorities.


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## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

Great job Bruce wtg.


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## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

Great report and congrats! 

T-Bone (tpool)


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## fishonkev (Jan 28, 2011)

Love reading your reports and how your son just loves to fish as much as you. Keep up the good work Bruce.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Thanks guys. My son only fish when the action is Hot and fierce. Other wise he prefer to let the boat rock him to sleep. 
I'm gonna make dam sure I soaked up all the time my son would let me before I die. Ain't nothing else is more important to me than my most precious creation. My son!!


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## Stackinbills (Feb 28, 2015)

Would it be worth going today before it gets dark? I've never fished there but I live in Huntsville. I'd like to catch a few whites before it's over


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

pm doesn't work on my phone. Getting skunk is very posable if youre not in the right spot. You need a boat. Kinda late right now. I would go another day. Give your self at least 4 hours of day light. I'll pm you later when I get home.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

No to high jack your excellent report Bruce but you might want to see a point of interest. 
Back when I started fishing the stilling basin the river bank was no wider than the width of the gate structure at the end of the wing walls. The banks were vertical cliff at least 30 feet high. 
There were no ramps until the county built the one that is no more now than a hunk of concrete on the east bank. We could drive around the top of the bypass tunnel on a gravel road and park on the west bank above the rip rap.
We walked down the rip rap and used heavy rods to snag anything in the running water.
Snagging was legal in San Jac county.
There was no cable until a few years later when a boat load of fools tried to get close enough to cast into the east/west trough in the apron just below the gates. They swamped the boat and drowned several of them.
What you see now in no way resembles the original landscape. There were no fences and just steep muddy trails down the cliffs to the water. 
From the dam closure until about July 1970 all gates were closed except one. TRA changed gates periodically in order to insure they all worked.
How things have changed since October 1968 when they closed the gates and began to fill the lake.
There were no strippers, WB averaged 10", few blues but lots of channel cat and huge fatheads. The alligator gar were the real monsters. Caught and sold many over 150 lbs.
It was a fun time but in reality I believe it is much better now that so many more people can utilize the area.
Hope the power plant does not end it all.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Sun Beam we just go to Oklahoma where there's no limit on them white bass if the power plant messes things up.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Great report Bruce. It is a shame how people can act the way they do because the fish are biting and they think they own the waterway. I would like to see the game warden at the cable on weekends that would keep half of the people back that don't follow regs and they wouldn't put up with that **** you and your son went through. Nothing new down there though.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Sunbeam I fished with my dad down there back in the late 60s early 70s and I recall fisherman using whole chickens for Gar and they caught some monsters. We used cut bait and caught everything. We didn't know what a lure was!!


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

Great report, Bruce. I'm hoping that the flow goes back down by the middle of March. I will be camping at Lake Livingston State Park March 13-19 and want to fish down there if conditions are right.


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## Northern fisherman (Sep 16, 2014)

Bruce what a great report absolutely love seeing your posts and you spending time with that cool little kid he will be a force to be reckoned with on the water in days to come. Today I believe you must have some internal fish finder built in ya cause y'all always seem to get em! I'll bet when those fish see your boat coming they get very nervous and rightfully so! Keep them reports coming and thanks for sharing!


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Time to go is now guys. I caught a fair amount of male and females. All still full of eggs. They are staging for the spawn. Hope we don't get any more rain. Other wise condition might keep everyone off the river and the spawn might be over before we even get a chance.:headknock. Males not milking sperm all over my shoes yet. So you got a little more time there!!


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## Pistol-Pete (Apr 13, 2015)

Northern, I agree with what you have said. I always enjoy Bruce's reports and the photos of his son catching fish. This is one of the best Father/Son reports on 2cool. They would be a great video show! You truly can see just how much Bruce loves his son. May they continue to be a great team!


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

cwhitney said:


> Great report, Bruce. I'm hoping that the flow goes back down by the middle of March. I will be camping at Lake Livingston State Park March 13-19 and want to fish down there if conditions are right.


Give me a holler when you do go. If they are still there I'll share with you some tactics and spots you should look for them.


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## Dirt Daddy (Sep 11, 2004)

Heck of a report Bruce as always. Hope we all get together again and have a WB tournament again this year !!!


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## whackmaster (Apr 2, 2010)

Great report. Thanks for the pic's.


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