05-08-2001, 02:37 AM
<br> <br> <br><br>May 7, 2001<br><br>After a long cold winter and a spring of very windy weather it looks = like spring might have finally sprung on Lake Whitney. We managed to = emerge from the golden algae bloom that was so devastating to PK and = Granbury virtually unscathed. The golden algae bloom, that caught so = much media attention is now just a memory on lake Whitney. The water = temperature is 67 and thanks to abundant spring rains, the lake is at = normal level. According to the Texas Parks & Wild Life the golden algae = is a constant presence in the Brazos river system but the conditions are = rarely optimal for it to bloom. The blooming of the algae results in = the release of a substance that is toxic to fish. This toxin causes = inflammation in the gills of the fish making it impossible for them to = exchange oxygen. It is believed that a combination of the cold water = tempertures this spring and the drought from the last 2 years created = the right conditions for a bloom. The fact that it hit Whitney much = later in the spring than PK & Granbury resulted in a bloom that was = choked out almost immediately by the green algae bloom that naturally = occurs in the spring when the water warms up. Most of the fish that = were killed were perch, crappie, and carp. A few bass and stripers were = killed but overall the losses were very light, especially in light of = the fact that some sources have reported that PK & Granbury had almost a = 100% fish kill. The fishing on Whitney is pretty good considering the = tough spring that we have experienced, and it is getting a little better = every day. The fish haven't been on the patterns that we normally = experience during this time of year. We should be right in the middle of = a red hot top water season but so far the top water bite has been pretty = slow. We caught large mouth to 4.5 lbs. this past weekend on Zarra = Spooks until the sun came up and then we caught them on Carolina Rigged = soft plastics. These fish were biting good in Big Rocky & King Creek and = around the flats along Lofers Bend Park. The white bass bite has been = good on slabs in 20 ft of water. Some areas that have been producing = large amounts of white bass are the flats & grassy points around Lofers = Bend park and the points at the state park. The stripers to 18 lbs. have = been fair on live shad. The bite has been inconsistent so far with = limits one day and 2 or 3 fish the next. The fish have been on the = flats and along the river channel. Crappie are fair on minnows under the = docks and barges and the catfish are good on cut shad and ghost minnows. = <br><br>