# Bull shark at the chute



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I have been doing some fishing below the dam lately and day before yesterday I went up in the chute looking for crappie.
Even with no flow they are in the pool by the little wing dam and rock pile.
Sometimes I can get them to bite.

This day the chute was very depressing with a lot of debris, occasional dead cat fish, and buzzards all in the trees over hanging the channel, they would not even budge when I yelled at them to leave.
As I pulled up close to the tail race area i heard a big commotion going on on in the middle. I looked over in time to see a large fin go down with a strong swirl.
"no telling what that is " I thought, and went to crappie fishing with jigs. I heard it a couple of more times and was studying the spot when a double fin, the front larger than the rear, came up and charged a pod of mullet and big shad for a few yards.
It was a bull shark feasting on the fish cornered in the dead end of the chute.


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## Castaway2 (Aug 8, 2013)

that would have been a cool experience ( and video) always something cool to see when on the water even if your not looking for it.


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## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

This sounds like something Sunbeam would pull!


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## GulfCoast1102 (Dec 30, 2013)

Any chance you'd be willing to post a google earth photo with pin so I can see where the area is? I'm not at all familiar with the fresh water bodies in this area. It always amazes me how far upstream bulls will swim though.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Loy ... 
Great April Fools Joke. Nice try, but maybe Jerold, did put you up to that!


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## GT11 (Jan 1, 2013)

I saw that too! 

I knew I needed to get a hook in him because I knew no one would believe it. I foul hooked him and managed to get him close to the bank. Just as he stopped fighting and I was reaching for my phone, Bigfoot ran out of the woods, knocked me over, the phone flew to the back of the boat and off he went with the shark.

All I ended up with was a wet phone and a sore rear....what a crazy day on the lake.


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## big D. (Apr 10, 2010)

Why didn't you try and catch it?


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## 3StoogesFishing (May 4, 2010)

Come on Loy, you can do better than that. I know that was a good try as no one else has tried to pull our legs today. Can you please tell the whites to come home this work stuff has to go so i can get back out on the water. I am getting the bug to get back on the water. If it ever clears up.


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Its not the first time they have been spotted below the dam. I am sure with all the water coming down the river that the gate has been open at the lock. They keep it closed during low water flows so the salt water wont back up to the Houston water intake. I wish they had never put the gate in at the lock. It seems to me a lot more salt water species came up river to the dam in low water conditions. Before they put the gate in. Those crappie at the tube when its closed are hard to get to bite. Very different if there is flow, I have caught limits of crappie, right were you say your fishing when the tub was open.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

This is true, since it was close to 4-1-15 I held on to the story, err facts, until now for some fun.
There are carp and buffalo fish spawning in the flooded weeds there. It made several runs at them before hitting the bait that was out in the middle.

I miss the old days when there were a lot of saltwater species present.
Only one other time have I seen a bull shark there.
It was 25 years or more ago while wade fishing at the cable with another fellow.
On the west side we were waist deep with long stringers of white bass, crappie, blue cats, and Stripers.
Several boats hollered at us until we turned around to see the fins of s bull shark slowly stalking our stringers.
There were eight gates open and there had been a long higher discharge for some time this last Monday.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

So...some of y'all are actually going for that one ....Please :question::question::question::question::question:


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## Category6 (Nov 21, 2007)

Hmmmmmmm...what's the date today? Yeah I caught several 300+ lb bulls up the brazos where it spills over behind lake Whitney. Large live hybrid stripers is all they would hit on.


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Back in the day when water was low and before the gate at the lock. The crabs would steal you bait while cat fishing with dead shrimp or worms. The mullet would be thick and jumping all over. One night we camped there and had lights pointing out on the water I must have caught 200 lady fish that night on jigs. And its not a April fools joke they were there by the hundreds. People have caught reds and flounder below the dam.

http://txstate.fishesoftexas.org/elops saurus.htm


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I think the chute is about 80 miles by river to the saltwater most of the time, maybe a little further with all of the freshwater run off we have had. There are no more dams like the one that makes Lake Livingston, but there is a low water dam/gate they can shut/open at Wallisville.

If the river comes back up while all of this bait is in the river then bait up by leaving a catfish on the line


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Good thing this did not happen to you SS, you would have lost your crappie. And scared the heck out of you I know it would me.

http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/...ne-fishing-trip-they-wont-soon-forget-wvideo/


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The other guy and I almost walked on water getting back to the bank that day, and we did not go back wading.
It was 6 gates not 8.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

This one will not wade it. Bulls on parade.


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## catchemandeatem (May 12, 2010)

That;s amazing! Did you end up finding any crappie?


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## GulfCoast1102 (Dec 30, 2013)

tbone2374 said:


> So...some of y'all are actually going for that one ....Please :question::question::question::question::question:


Not to say that it _can't_ be an April Fools joke, but if you think bull sharks won't swim loooong distances into freshwater rivers, you need to think again. They've been caught many times hundreds of miles up the Mississippi river. They're called Zambizi Sharks in Africa because they're known to swim waaaaaaaaay up the Zambizi river. They don't have any problems at all swimming and feeding in freshwater for long durations.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

no crappie.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Now that April Fool's is past, maybe SS will reply. I think it possible the story is real though; it is at least possible. In fact, a few years back a large shark was discovered below the LL dam, it was just about to die and had a steel leader hanging out or it's mouth. Bulls are know for being fresh water tolerant, and it seems the carp and other fish there would be easy pickings compared to some areas they thrive in.


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

shadslinger said:


> I have been doing some fishing below the dam lately and day before yesterday I went up in the chute looking for crappie.
> Even with no flow they are in the pool by the little wing dam and rock pile.
> Sometimes I can get them to bite.
> 
> ...


SOMEBODY GET JEREMY WADE ON THE PHONE STAT!


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

...hmph. Apparently he lassos them.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

He has fished the Trinity but not that far north for Gar.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Google Bull Shark Lake Livingston Dam.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I did see a bull shark. It was eating three pound gizzard by the dozen. It did like a shark does attacking prey on the surface. It made crazy zipping zig zag motions thrashing it's tail to stun fish. I could see both dorsal fins well.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

OK Loy, We believe, but you must admit, a story like that on April 1st, was a bit suspect...


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## texas_fishing (Aug 25, 2009)

shadslinger said:


> I did see a bull shark. It was eating three pound gizzard by the dozen. It did like a shark does attacking prey on the surface. It made crazy zipping zig zag motions thrashing it's tail to stun fish. I could see both dorsal fins well.


Loy, hope we will not catch one tomorrow. Our target fish are striper, white, and cat but not shark


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## pYr8 (Apr 17, 2012)

One of those days for a hat cam, huh Loy?
Bulls *will* go as far as they can up rivers. Several attacks on the U. S. east coast & Australia in rivers. I've seen them far up the Russian River in NoCal. The prefer warmer water as I understand but they'll do about anything for food. They're probably like roaches, would survive a nuke & thrive... lol


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

Aw hail no.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I felt SS was not pulling an April Fool's joke but wasn't certain. Can you imagine if that happened in low water conditions on east side of tail race by old boat ramp where people wade? Talk about walk on water!


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I could only be more sure if I had hooked it and got it closer to the boat, but I don't think the gold Aberdeen hook I was using would have held. 
I bet some trot liners down the river had some encounters with bull sharks eating hooked fish, as there had been a long and sustained high discharge. There were probably quite a few following all of the fish that are in the river now.
Early spring brings the flow of fish up current, that and high discharges dump tremendous loads of fish in the river, almost all freshwater fish to some degree and some of their population travel upstream on a spawning urge.
Right now the Trinity is chock full of everything, when you throw the cast net it feels like it is huge up with all of the weight of fish.
There might be all threadfin shad, but it might have gar, huge gizzard shad, buffalo, white/yellow bass, and cat fish in it too.
So bull sharks have easy pickings on these freshwater softys.


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Loy they have lost bait to them, and caught them check this out. When I get back from Europe I might have to go and target some sharks on the river. I am flying out in the morning to La for 2 days and then England, Belgium, Holland, France, Russia, Germany and Armenia. It just a few weeks, never been to Armenia before not to happy about visiting there, its right next to Irain. I will try and post some pictures, but its a short and fast run. I will only be in those countries for 2 days at the most. Good fishing to everyone.

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146265


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Thanks FISHROADIE, that's a cool report! I know the down stream trotliners have to have had some experience with them.
The sharks I have seen in the bay do this distinctive type of slashing/zipping around when they attack schools of prey in open shallow water. That's what what this one did to the bait in front of me.
I have not said, but I have been watching people see them just below the cable come through that huge school of cat fish and eat a couple dozen in one wallow in there.
The people first stare in disbelief, then turn to their buddies and sometime start to say something about a shark, then decide not too. I see them roll in there, but it's not a good look at them, and I have heard some say, " that was the biggest blue cat I ever saw" while pointing to where one turn through there. You could tell when they saw it that they were thinking "shark???" for a second.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

shadslinger said:


> Right now the Trinity is chock full of everything, when you throw the cast net it feels like it is huge up with all of the weight of fish.
> There might be all threadfin shad, but it might have gar, huge gizzard shad, buffalo, white/yellow bass, and cat fish in it too.
> So bull sharks have easy pickings on these freshwater softys.


I think the above explains it.


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## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

I did see a mullet jump when heading to back to thd ramp Friday


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