A Noisy Afternoon

Feb 28 2017

Tom Dillon

Toad

Member Since :
2014
Number of Posts :
516

After spending a peaceful morning on South Twin yesterday, I quickly realized that things would be considerably different after lunch. First of all, the road to Upper Hart has been vastly improved, and traffic has picked up considerably. They are drilling a full-blown oil well between the two Hart Lakes, and the constant noise and frequent (semi-) truck traffic were to prove quite a change from the calm and peaceful morning I'd spent at South Twin.

The drillers are pumping water from Upper Hart, which has roiled the water and reduced visibility from its usual 3-4 feet to a little less than a foot. (In fact, the water color [See first photo below] was the second thing I noticed as I approached the lake - the loud noise from the oil rig was the first). Also, the water level at both of the Harts was at least 2-3 feet below normal. I was undecided as to whether I even wanted to launch my boat. I decided to fish from the bank as a test. From the dam, I saw Danny Renfro fishing Lower Hart, so I called his cell phone; he told me that he had just lost a DD at the boat - another heartbreak for him. I found the jon boat more than halfway down the dam, about 6 feet above the water line, and left it there.

I did pick up a couple of scrappers from the dam - one on a weightless, wacky-rigged Senko and one on a white chatterbait with a white paddletail swimbait trailer. As I was walking back to my car, Danny drove up from Lower Hart with his boat and launched, so I decided to go on and fish. I found that the water temp was just over 51, and the visibility was only about 6 inches.

Throwing that white chatterbait, I boated almost 30 bass, most of which were under 3 pounds. The string was capped with an extremely strong six-pounder that I thought was a lot bigger. All but one of the fish attacked the chatterbait. Danny had successfully boated an 8-02 and quite a few smaller fish on white chatterbaits with 4" Kaitech paddle-tail trailers. We both caught fish from the old fencerow and brushpiles, but a lot of them hit on the flats far from any visible wood. The fish were coming out of the grass (sure looked like hydrilla to me) to hit the fast-moving reaction baits.  The bass, as expected, were very light in color due to the roiled-up water - but that didn't affect their strength! Danny moved back to Lower Hart, and I left to drive home about 4:30. Of 28 bass I caught on Upper Hart, only one was small enough to be culled.

For those who might be interested, I did drive up to Peach Creek just to check out the water color - I found it to be crystal-clear. I didn't try to go up to Crabgrass, although the road past Peach Creek has been improved and being used by a lot of drill rig traffic, including "semi's."

Posted By: Tom Dillon

Mar 01 2017

Bryan Durrett

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2010
Number of Posts :
148

I agree with your comments about the lack of tranquility since the drilling commenced. There is a lot of large truck traffic and drilling noise you now experience which diminishes the outdoor experience for sure. Launching on Peach Creek is a challenge as well. You have to wade the boat in and that soft mud wants to retain your shoes or wade boots. Crabgrass is somewhat an easier launch.

Mar 01 2017

Chris Casner

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2012
Number of Posts :
220

Healthy looking fish, looks bigger than 6 lbs.  Too bad about the big rig spoiling the solitude.