Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

[scooper77515]

Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Other than the typical "be safe, go slow, watch out" etc. suggestions, are there any suggestions for exploring a lake that is at the lowest it has been in MANY years?

I figured that at 6' below normal, I should be able to scope out all the hazards that are usually underwater, and get a better idea of what the bottom looks like.

Anybody have any suggestions of what I should do to take advantage of this low water?

This is a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore normally unseen portions of the lake and it's bottom.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Wear hip boots, scooper. Two years ago the lakes in GA were at historic lows. It was amazing what was on the bottom. The boot thing is kinda serious, there could be a lot of deep mud. Lake Houston is normally 45' deep, so there is a bunch of exposed bottom to explore. Are any ramps still open?

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

All ramps are open, you just have to back WAY out to launch. Then there is a barely submerged sandbar a couple yards out past that (likely caused from years of power loading), at my ramp, so I will have to keep the engine up, and push it out past the sandbar, then hop in and take off. I am aware of where the "channel" is, and it will likely be VERY prominent now, with beaches stretching out a ways toward it.

Good call on the boots!

Mostly, I want to cruise around and see where the stumps and logs are, that I am usually driving right over, but now may be exposed with the 6' water drop. Maybe find some old sunken boats, etc.

I am just not sure what all to expect or look for.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Hey scooper, you might find a pirate treasure chest full of goodies. LOL Is the water clear? No rain probably let the silt settle and allow you to see under the surface. Most Texas lakes have lots of stumps and stick ups since TX only has one natural lake. You might even find some old buildings covered by the impoundment. If you have a GPS, mark locations to find fishing structure again. A glass bottom boat could be helpful. Good luck.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

GA, GREAT suggestion about marking GPS for later fishing spots

That is exactly why I posted this question. I figured I might kick myself in the butt when the water comes up wishing I had done something like that after it is too late.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

That's where the boots come in. You might have to slog over to some places because you can't boat across the dry bottom to mark spots. A nice hole is going to look like a large mud puddle.

 

[nlain]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Handheld gps so when you are slogging around you can mark the center of the sand bar, stump or whatever you walk by and then transfer to your main gps. Wear your pfd, if you fall or sink in the mud somewhere it may just be what you need to get out, it will at least keep your head above water.

 

[MRS]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

When they pulled a lake where we are at down to dead pool for repairs you would not believe the anchors and fishing lures people were pulling out. They put on the boots and carried two 5gal. buckets and loaded them up with all kinds of stuff, I did take a camera and photoed the under water structure and landmarks for fishing when the water came back up.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Ok, starting my list.

Boots
Handheld waterproof GPS
Bucket
Ski jacket
...

Our bottom is mostly sand. There are some parts where there is a fine silty layer, almost a mud, about 1-2" thick, but I have never come across good old-fashioned shoes-stuck-in mud. But never know, when I get a little deeper.

 

[DavenLC]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

LMAO! We took the Pontoon out yesterday evening down at Clear Lake's Egret Bay public boat ramp...

Water was low - meaning we had to back the
trailer in further. well.. went TOO far, THUUNNKK and the trailer fell
into the hole just beyond the cement for the loading ramp in the water.

good thing there was friendly people at the dock to help us get the trailer
"unstuck" on the boat ramp,...

Talk about water getting LOW

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Here are pictures at Deussen Park, on the south (deep) end of Lake Houston. The person standing WAY out in the water is a kid, maybe 7 or 8 years old. That jetski was digging up sand until it got out to the no-wake buoy. Picture of the dock, as well. Water is usually right up to the bottom of that piece of wood at the bottom of the perpendicular extensions you dock against. Sometime, over those catwalks, but usually just at the bottom of them.

I might take the boat out tomorrow, but if I do, I will likely have to push it out past the no-wake buoys before I can drop the engine and motor away.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Walking along the edge of the dock, I saw in shallow water a piston rod (connecting rod). It was old, rusty, and about 4 FEET long!!! with both caps on. I have no idea where it came from, how heavy it is, and how it ended up here. Took a picture but too much glare on the water surface to clearly see it.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Ended up being a GREAT day on the water, but I wouldn't even try it without my depthfinder and GPS (Navionics). If you get out of the channel just a little, it quickly goes to 3' or less.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Did you find anything interesting? Wonder if that connecting rod was someones cheap anchor?

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

No, didn't find much at all. I saved a bunch of clams. They were in a "tidepool" and were going to die soon, so I put them in the lake to keep them alive.

But no interesting treasures.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Scoop - You were supposed to save the clams for dinner - LOL. If it the drought doesn't break you will have more chances to look around.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Rumor around here is that they are going to let 3' of water out of the next lake up the river (Conroe) to bring the water back up on Lake Houston. L. Houston is the drinking water supply for Houston, and the intake pipes are supposedly above water, or close to it. Conroe is bigger than houston, so 3' there should bring us up to close to normal.

 

[12vMan]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Hey scooper..we don't have quite the same hazards like you do as far as stumps and muddy water (except at the mouths), but with lake mead having been down farther than I've ever seen it, and as low as it's been in decades (well over 100' down), there has been many other obstacles - mainly rocks and gravel shoals that appear, disappear, and re-appear. In good conditions they're easy to spot with the clarity of the water.
It's a bummer when people leave stuff on the bottom like that connecting rod. We've found stuff like old beer cans from the 60's and other misc. garbage but not much else.
The upside is the new beaches that appear. Some are the best you'll find on the whole lake, and we've gotten real used to going to many routinely, but now with the lake on the way up they're disappearing. ..but there's definitely an upside to that too!

 

[PS94]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Wow! When you guys say boat "ramp" you mean it....Our launches here are just narrow lil 2-lane strips of gravel, and aren't that steep!
2 of my fav lakes are high right now...so high that the docks are Underwater!

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Re: Lake Houston with 6' loss of water. Going out to explore "underwater" hazards.

Texans are pretty proud of their ramps, for the most part. We have a couple that are spindly, but most accommodate an easy 2 vehicles at a time. This one I have seen and easy 6 on it, sometimes 8 if the guys aren't greedy for space.