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Brazos Below Lake Whitney
Blog by: Lloyd Tackitt 7/15/2016 (Return to blogs)
The last time I was able to wade fish the Brazos below Lake Whitney was Memorial Day weekend. The lake was full and filling up fast but there was severe flooding down around Houston so they choked the water back for about a week. Then they started draining the overfull lake.
Yesterday was the first day it was low enough to wade since then.
Yesterday the river was down to a perfect level for wade fishing. About 6pm at the FM 2114 bridge the river began rising again. Around midnight it began dropping again.
This is a fairly typical summer pattern. Lake Whitney has generators, and when the heat is on electric demand goes up, all those air conditioners running wide open. So what I think we'll see is this "bounce" in the river most days.
It depends on how close or far away you are fishing from the dam when you will see the rise and drop. It's hard to pin down just when they start the release; their website is often not accurate on the timing of the release. But I'd guess that to see the rise at the FM 2114 bridge at 6pm they probably started generating around noon.
The river may be still too high, although dropping, at sunrise, and is likely to be rising before sunset each day. If you are out there wading, always keep an eye on the river level, cause you never know just when it will come up - and you can get yourself in a bind.
There are some easy access points, see map below. Also a link here: http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/rivers/lease_access/brazos_map.phtml
River gauge showing the generator bounce, see below. Link: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=FWD&gage=AQLT2
Happy Fishing!
Brazos Access Points Map
River gauge at FM 2114 bridge
Blog content © Lloyd Tackitt
About the Author
I live on the edge of the Brazos River. I walk out my front door and into the river and - boom - I am fishing just like that. For me the river is fascinating. The mile long stretch I fish is a microcosm of the river, I have it all in that one mile. Trying to figure out where the fish are, what they are doing, why they are doing it, what they are biting, if they are biting - this is what keeps me in the river casting flys. I fly fish almost exclusively. It isn’t that I am a fly fishing snob, it’s that fly fishing works – it’s effective - and it has added benefits. I carry all my tackle in a vest, no tackle box needs to be dragged along. The casting itself is fun, even when I don’t catch fish I’ve enjoyed the experience of casting. Fly rods enhance the experience of bringing fish in. I like the hands on the line feel instead of the feel of line spooling up on a reel and muted down through a gear and crank system. Fish fight better and feel better on a fly rod. Fly fishing just feels better to me than other methods.