OH/Steam Plant

[Still_learning]

Hi, Everyone. My wife and I fished around the steam plant today and caught around 20 or so. Mostly tilapia, but we also caught crappie, yellow bass, largemouth, and drum. 2 of the tilapia were 2.5 pounds... Not sure how big these things get, but after catching some smaller ones, those looked huge. Attached picture is of 1 of them, and then all that we kept. My wife caught all the keepers except 2...

I also hooked into something huge on my ultralight pole with 4# line. Fought it for almost an hour. It took me about 1/2 mile down river. It finally came unhooked. It didn't make any huge runs. It just kind of pulled straight down. I figure it was a big catfish.

[Alphahawk]

Congrats on your catches..... Nice looking fish!



Regards


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[txnative]

Fun times ! I plan to hit the GSP Sunday and was wondering about water clarity...thanks to your pic I have the info I needed, thanks...lol.

The tilapia are fun to catch and better to eat, glad to see that the larger ones are around the mouth as well. I thought my big tilapia days were done until I can get back to my honey hole after the barrier comes down, but thanks to your report, I will be rigging up the tilapia rod.


Chris Bryant

[Jdkxtreme]

Originally Posted by txnative

Fun times ! I plan to hit the GSP Sunday and was wondering about water clarity...thanks to your pic I have the info I needed, thanks...lol.

The tilapia are fun to catch and better to eat, glad to see that the larger ones are around the mouth as well. I thought my big tilapia days were done until I can get back to my honey hole after the barrier comes down, but thanks to your report, I will be rigging up the tilapia rod.


Chris Bryant

What set up do you use for your Tilapia set up?

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Still_learning

Hi, Everyone. My wife and I fished around the steam plant today and caught around 20 or so. Mostly tilapia, but we also caught crappie, yellow bass, largemouth, and drum. 2 of the tilapia were 2.5 pounds... Not sure how big these things get, but after catching some smaller ones, those looked huge. Attached picture is of 1 of them, and then all that we kept. My wife caught all the keepers except 2...

I also hooked into something huge on my ultralight pole with 4# line. Fought it for almost an hour. It took me about 1/2 mile down river. It finally came unhooked. It didn't make any huge runs. It just kind of pulled straight down. I figure it was a big catfish.

So are you fishing right in front of the barriers. Don't they have barriers up in the creek channel?


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[txnative]

Originally Posted by Jdkxtreme

What set up do you use for your Tilapia set up?

6'- 6'6" med-light spinning rod, spinning reel with 4-6 lb mono. I have my best luck using mealworms threaded onto a sz 6 owner mosquito hook with 2 small splitshot about 12" above it. I use a slip float so that I can adjust the depth to keep the bait as close to bottom as possible.

I have also had success using the same rig with either a bison, mealworm, pink haze, or grasshopper colored trout magnet, but the live mealworms seem to provide more steady action.

The biggest trick is to fish S-L-O-W, as in "cast, set the rod down, wait till the bobber is completely gone, then reel and set."


Chris Bryant

[txnative]

Originally Posted by Dakota

So are you fishing right in front of the barriers. Don't they have barriers up in the creek channel?


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Yes, they do. There is a floating yellow barrier just before the red sign on the bank warning boaters to stay in their boats.


Chris Bryant

[Still_learning]

Didn't have any luck by the barrier. We caught most of them right at the mouth near the 'keep out' bouys. Went back today, but didn't have any luck on the tilapia. We caught a bunch of yellow bass, but that was about it. There were a lot of boats there today too.

[white95v6]

nice report and fish.

thought about going in the am. hmmm

[thehick176]

I'll be out there as well. I am curious about the water conditions though

[goreds.king]

Good reports. I'm thinking about taking the kayak out there tomorrow for the first time.

[XxthejuicexX]

I am planning on fishing the steam plant new years day. My grandfather wants to try and catch some sauger or tilapia so you boys keep fishing and giving me the reports because I have no idea what I am doing when it come to either of those fish.

[Still_learning]

The water conditions Friday were slightly muddy. The temperature in the main channel was about 51. The water temp coming out of the steam plant was about 66 at the mouth. The current in the channel is heavy. I believe they were running about 48,000 cfs at the dam yesterday, so it's tough to fish in the channel itself.

[XxthejuicexX]

OK, anyone been out to the steam plant since we last talked. I am going that way in the morning and any help would be appreciated, tips, baits. I was also going to put in at flippers and run to the steam plant but does anyone know of a closer ramp?

[agelesssone]

That's the closest ramp you can launch a boat from.

Chris can tell you if you can launch a boat from the ramp he puts his kayak in.

I'm not sure of the name......Cole's Ferry? At the end of Blair Rd. off of Cole's Ferry Rd.

Check it out on Google Earth. It's right across and a bit upstream of the discharge