It's Labor Day and Lake Texoma is at 617




Well, folks, it’s Labor Day and Lake Texoma is at 617, its normal level. What a year it has been, but now we look forward to using and enjoying the lake “as it should be.”


I spent time researching the history of the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas, and the famous flooding that led to the construction of the Denison Dam. If you’re looking for info on the web, be sure to type in, “Red River of the South,” because there’s another famous Red River ‘way up north.


Up until and including the first part of the 20th century there were a lot more family farms and ranches along the Red River, and those land owners consistently lost property and income in annual flooding. And, there were towns built along the river, too, so homes and commercial buildings were subject to damage and loss as well.


So, the Denison Dam was completed in 1943, the result of a long political process, not to mention a huge undertaking in physical construction.


That was 72 years ago. The Denison Dam on the Red River was built first and foremost as a flood control device, followed by, “water supply, hydroelectric power production, river regulation, navigation and recreation.”


And in those 72 years since it was constructed and Lake Texoma was formed as a result, there have been a few notable floods, including and perhaps most notable of all, this year, 2015.


I am wondering if the time has come for the Texas and Oklahoma to consider exploring the possibilities that the state of Louisiana explored after the devastating floods during Hurricane Katrina. Politicians visited the Netherlands, where flood control systems are much more advanced than ours here in the US.


In other words, it may be possible to look ahead to protecting the existing landowners and Army Corps of Engineers’ lessees property from floods in the future.


Technology has progressed since 1943, and I’m wondering if our Lake Texoma area could benefit from it.




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Lake Texoma Current Weather Alerts

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Lake Texoma Weather Forecast

Friday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 71

Friday Night

Partly Cloudy

Lo: 60

Saturday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 74

Saturday Night

Mostly Cloudy

Lo: 65

Sunday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 75

Sunday Night

Mostly Cloudy

Lo: 68

Monday

Chance Thunderstorms

Hi: 76

Monday Night

Chance Thunderstorms

Lo: 52


Lake Texoma Water Level (last 30 days)


Water Level on 3/28: 615.09 (-1.91)



Lake Texoma

Fishing Report from TPWD (Mar. 27)

GOOD. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 1.86 feet below pool. Striped bass are good using live shad and cut bait anchored in 45-65 feet of water thumping the boat and running a splasher to get the fish under the boat. Recent rains will have a lot of big female fish up river but look for them on flats and structure with swim baits in 12-25 feet of water. Crappie are good on jigs using electronics to fish brush in the little mineral arm 15-22 feet of water. Also seeing fish in the creeks 2-4 feet of water on brush. Smallmouth or largemouth bass are slow fishing docks and structure with crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Look for SM on gravel beds along the bluffs in 6-12 feet of water. Catfish are slow on cut gizzard shad anchored near the rivers in 5-10 feet of water but starting to see eater size fish coming on ledges and flats in 40-55 feet of water. Report by Jacob Orr, Guaranteed Guide Service Lake Texoma. Striped bass continue to be caught with Alabama rigs or sassy shad targeting ledges and structures in 5-40 feet of water. Some sporadic schooling activity and bird action. Some fish are moving into creeks. The shad spawn should begin as the water near 68 degrees. This runs around six weeks, bringing predator fish shallow and kicks off topwater season. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

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