I am going to big sam on saturday, and was wondering about the conditions of the lake. Water clarity, temps, were to fish and what they are hitting on. I have not fished there in a few months and have not heard any news. I was thinking about Brushy and Tiger creek for starters.

Lake is clear and 5' low. Water temp is in the low 70s.

You can catch fish early or on cloudy days on frogs, buzzbaits, traps,  and spinnerbaits around the grass. When the sun gets out fish the outer edges of the grass with plastics and jigs. There are some fish out on the deeper ledges in 18-22' of water that you can catch on a c-rig. Fish the points and pockets going back half way and stay around the grass.

I have fish located in Harvey, West side of the Black Forrest, back of Veech, and down in the Coleman area.

Where are you putting in? Let me know and I will try to put you on a few in that area..

Jack  

I fished out of Caney Creek two weekends ago, in the cove right to south of the boat ramp, and the next cove over from Churchhouse cove, again south of Caney Creek.  Came up with one keeper and a few dinks, fishing worms, Tx-rig and wacky (only fished for about 2 hours).  Had some nice blow-ups on buzz baits, but never hung one.  I'm going to go back and fish that side again... thinking of fishing the flats heading right into the main lake there and heading north toward 147 to hit the coves along the west side there (based upon conversations with friends that have fished Rayburn successfully).

What would you do coming out of Caney Creek, Jack?  That weekend was the first time I'd ever fished Rayburn.

Catt made a statement on his Toledo post that I'm thinking about... he said he fishes the main lake early in the morning, instead of the hitting the coves early like most other people do, since the main lake is less windy in the morning.  In the past few issues of the Lakecaster many anglers are saying they fished "main lake grass in 12' of water", with jigs, DD22's, and worms... I'm thinking about heading out there and finding some grass early on and trying it out, instead of fishing the coves first thing.

Hitman...

Come out of the ramp and round the point heading back into big Caney. Stay out toward the middle of the bay and watch your depthfinder. 2/3s of the way back, after crossing the roadbed start watching for the creek channel. You will be in 10-14' of water. Start watching for the grass to show at about 12'. As soon as you hit the channel(It is not hard to locate) start with traps, jigs and cranks. Work your way toward the major point in the back on the north side of the pocket. When you get about 50 yards from the point cut the boat due south and fish the humps that you will come across. They are loaded with grass and the better fish will be on the deeper sides toward the ditches. There are a lot of humps and ridges out in this area that get overlooked. Everyone seems to want to run in and fish the very back of the pocket with the creeks that are there. Water is very shallow in the back so stay out several hundred yards. You will catch larger fish out away from the shallower humps. As for the road bed, it gets lots of pressure and there is a bridge located out in the middle of the bay that always produces. This road bed runs down the westernside of the lake to Sandy creek, so every pocket on the western side will have it and either a bridge or culvert area that hold fish.

Hit the point that has the church steps on it(They are out of the water). The point runs directly at Coleman bay on the other side of the lake. It has a well defined creek running off the north side of it that is easily followed. There will be no grass off the north side of this point, but the fish stack up about 50-75 yards offshore on the break. It has a large brushtop(Mine) that is sitting in12-15' of water just about 40 yards off the church steps. Position your boat on the north side of the steps and line up with the big willow on the south point below the steps and move due east, you will run across it.

Coming out of the ramp run north to the first pocket on the west side just south of the Black Forrest. It is full of grass. Fish both points with cranks, plastics, and a jig. You can only go half way in due to the depth and the grass. The south side is the deeper side. concentrate on the north point setting up 30-40 yards offshore in about 10-12 foot of water. If you decide to go in early you may pick off several good fish on a top water. I lost a very large fish in this pocket nine days ago and caught several over 4 the other day.

Don't forget to fish the long underwater point the you motor out around as you move into Big Caney. Just put the trolling motor down and work your way out it. Lots of good fish caught off this point and the hogback that is located on the northern point coming out of the ramp.

Feel free to call me and I will help you out. I have cordinates on some humps that have fish on them.

Good luck,

Jack

281 224-8853 Cell

GREAT post... much more than I would have dared ask you for.  I'm going to print this out, look at some maps, and stash it in the boat for the next trip.  I haven't bought the Hook N'Line map for Rayburn yet... they're all sold out at Gander Mountain, and I forgot to check Academy down here last week when I was buying stuff for the boat.

Anyhow, I will definitely put this info to the test and will let you know the results.

Thanks,

John

HitmanFO, your hooked now..lol,,the bait monkey will be hounding you for sure,,,that's what happens when you get a boat,

Let me know when you have the map and I will help you mark it up.

I like the Navionics paper map that is available. It is much more detailed. If you cannot find one I will copy the area off mine and send it to you.

Jack

HitmanFO, your hooked now..lol,,the bait monkey will be hounding you for sure,,,that's what happens when you get a boat,

That flat you and I found in the back of Veech is loaded with fish. Lot more than when you and I found it couple of weeks ago.

Jack, can you give me some ideas why they're back there,,,seems with the north winds that all the bait would be pushed out of there,,,now, back of caney would seem right,,,

No reason for it that I can see. It's not covered with baitfish, they have just decided to set up in that area. I have yet to see another boat fishing that area. They all go in on the left following the creek and just don't pay any attention to that big broad flat. I guess it being so shallow the boaters just figure that it won't hold any fish. Hopefully everyone will keep thinking that because it is an area that anyone could go in and sack up a 20 pound stringer if they took the time to figure it out. I did find a two foot ditch that runs through the back of it just to the right of the point that was loaded with 2-3 pound fish.

I did make a pass down the middle of the pocket located on the right side of that point and only caugh two small fish. I'm going back first of next week to do a little more on the water study and see if there is another ditch that accesses the area down the right side of the flat. I found some scattered grass out to the right (40 yards out) that was 4-5' deep but I did not fish it. You have to know it is there as the grass tops out about a foot from the surface. If these fish stay unfished there will be money to be won for the next six weeks or so.

We have had a lot of rain the last couple of days and this may put another foot of water over those grass patches. If so it will probably not get any pressure since anyone coming through there will now have no idea the grass is actually there.

six weeks would be sweet....i'm fishing a club tourny nov 14th,,,,trying to decide if i want to go to conroe for a day, this weekend or go on up and fish toledo,,,toledo club tourny on oct 24th,,,supposed to be nice weather this weekend,,,,if the weatherman is not lying,,,,lol

I see no reason for those fish to move between now and then, even if the lake comes up a couple of feet.

I think the reason it is so loaded with fish is it has not been fished. When you look at it it is probably the last place you would want to fish in that area. It looks like absolutely the last place they would be.

But what do I know. They could set up over on the creek at anytime and if they do someone will find them and wear them out. If this happens hopefully they will relocate right back over the flat to get away from the pressure.

Stay in touch and I will let you know if it is still producing then.

Alwayslooking, you're right!  6 months ago I was fishing with a $13 Shakespeare spincaster from my canoe on a creek with 1 bag of finesse worms I'd had for years... then the fever hit.  Now I've got Revo's, a big tacklebox that is overflowing, and a 19' Champion bass boat.  Oh, and the highly agitated wife that comes with all of that....  ;D  More than all of these other fishing tips, I need someone to give me tips on turning HER into an angler so she'll quit giving me a hard time about my fishing trips!!!

Jack, will let you know when I get the map... I got a buddy that doesn't fish much anymore that has a Rayburn map he is supposed to give me tomorrow... not sure what kind it is, yet.  Like I said, the first thing I'll do when I get my hands on it is sit down and read through these posts and start marking it up!  'preciate it!

I have 5-6 different Rayburn maps. It will probably be one that I have allready marked. Let me know and if it is the same I will fax or email my copy to you.

Jack

As far as the wife goes...I found out that diamonds tend to soothe the women down. Mine only goes in the hot summer months and does nothing but lay on the rear deck in a swimsuit with a book in her hand. She seldom says a word about my fishing unless she wants something. She travels every week and I found out long ago not to answer the phone on her travel days and be gone before she gets home.

You can bet with the BASS Weekend Series Regional, your info will be read a few times.

 Good info Jack.

With all this rain today and as of late.   Is Sam catching any water and is she starting to stain any.

And No, I'm not fishing any tournaments down that way either.

Lake is clear and 5' low. Water temp is in the low 70s.

You can catch fish early or on cloudy days on frogs, buzzbaits, traps, and spinnerbaits around the grass. When the sun gets out fish the outer edges of the grass with plastics and jigs. There are some fish out on the deeper ledges in 18-22' of water that you can catch on a c-rig. Fish the points and pockets going back half way and stay around the grass.

I have fish located in Harvey, West side of the Black Forrest, back of Veech, and down in the Coleman area.

Where are you putting in? Let me know and I will try to put you on a few in that area..

Jack

On saturday I will be launching at walter humphrey/public off of 255. Down the road from the stump resteraunt,needmore tackle, and twin dykes.

You want to make the run north? If so call me and I will tell you where and on what.

Jack

281 224-8853

Lake is clear and 5' low. Water temp is in the low 70s.

You can catch fish early or on cloudy days on frogs, buzzbaits, traps, and spinnerbaits around the grass. When the sun gets out fish the outer edges of the grass with plastics and jigs. There are some fish out on the deeper ledges in 18-22' of water that you can catch on a c-rig. Fish the points and pockets going back half way and stay around the grass.

I have fish located in Harvey, West side of the Black Forrest, back of Veech, and down in the Coleman area.

Where are you putting in? Let me know and I will try to put you on a few in that area..

Jack

On saturday I will be launching at walter humphrey/public off of 255. Down the road from the stump resteraunt,needmore tackle, and twin dykes.

THe Regional is coming out of Humphreys this weekend as well.   Just a heads up for using that ramp.

Change of plans. With the wind going to be a steady 15 mph and gusts up to 30,There is no was I am going to be going across the main lake in any way. I have decided to go to Toledo bend and fish the north side of six mile where I can be blocked from the wind.. Thanks anyway fishfordollars and everyone else.

Can't say as I blame you. FYI, those fish are still there and I found two more places just like it that's holding good solid fish.

I am thinking about taking a trip down to rayburn this saturday.  But i was wondering with strong winds and the predicted colder weather comming through, will this effect the way the fish are biting.  Would you use different bait?  I would be comming down from the north so i was also wondering where the best spots to put in would be?

Thanks,

Taylor

I am thinking about taking a trip down to rayburn this saturday. But i was wondering with strong winds and the predicted colder weather comming through, will this effect the way the fish are biting. Would you use different bait? I would be comming down from the north so i was also wondering where the best spots to put in would be?

Thanks,

Taylor

Has not been cold enough for the weather to hurt the bite. It's high 60s this morning. The main issue will be the wind. If I was going Saturday I would put in at a ramp on the western side of the lake and concentrate on the northwestern areas that will have some protection. The fish will not move from the shallow grass they have been set up in for the last few weeks. The only thing I might do would be to move out and concentrate on the outer edges of the grass in the 8-12' of water and work the creek channels, secondary points and the main lake points with grass. You can put in at the Caney Creek ramp and fish the west side of the Black Forrest area concentrating on the points, ditches, and drains from the Mud Creek area on the north down the west side of the lake to the Sandy Creek area. If you want to fight the wind and cross the lake fish the grass lines, roadbed, and bridge in the Harvey Creek area and on into Veech Basin fishing the points and grasslines in that area.

Low temps Sunday morning will be around low 40s. Again, it will be the wind that will hamper you.

Good luck

Jack, you just described exactly what I'm planning for tomorrow... fishing Black Forest down to Sandy Creek on the west side, putting in at Caney Creek.  I really want to run across to Veach, but I've only had my Champion for 3 weeks and do not feel I am experienced enough to handle stiff winds and rough water on the main lake yet!  I thought about running across early in the AM and heading back after a couple of hours... but probably will just run up the west side and work my way down south throughout the day.  That should give me plenty of good fishing.

FYI, I printed off some Fishing Hot Spots maps of the area that I found on a website, plus got a Navionics/Hot Maps Explorer DVD of Rayburn and spent a couple of hours with it last night.  I printed off this thread and marked them up with all of your pointers, of course!  

I will let you know the results... hopefully I can do your info justice.  Thanks a bunch!

Jack, you just described exactly what I'm planning for tomorrow... fishing Black Forest down to Sandy Creek on the west side, putting in at Caney Creek. I really want to run across to Veach, but I've only had my Champion for 3 weeks and do not feel I am experienced enough to handle stiff winds and rough water on the main lake yet! I thought about running across early in the AM and heading back after a couple of hours... but probably will just run up the west side and work my way down south throughout the day. That should give me plenty of good fishing.

FYI, I printed off some Fishing Hot Spots maps of the area that I found on a website, plus got a Navionics/Hot Maps Explorer DVD of Rayburn and spent a couple of hours with it last night. I printed off this thread and marked them up with all of your pointers, of course!

I will let you know the results... hopefully I can do your info justice. Thanks a bunch!

I would recommend you do fish veach and the 5 fingers area. The lake will be choppy yes, but not so bad you can't do a straight shot across that section of the lake. That would definatley be the side I would fish. That side will be better blocked by the wind. Unless the wind does'nt bother you. I can't stand fighting the wind.

Well, here's how my day went Saturday... not as planned, but here's how it went.

When me and my buddy got to Caney Creek at 5:30am, the wind was already blowing pretty stiffly. We put in about 6:15... after motoring out, and seeing the white caps on the lake already, I decided to just head south and find a cove to hole up in until it got full daylight... I wasn't brave enough to put the Champion in that kind of chop until I could see! I headed straight south in fairly rough water... Big Caney was OK, Church House was being blasted, the next cove was too, but Sandy Creek was relatively protected, so I turned in there. Went back about halfway, dropped the trolling motor in about 17' of water, cast into 9' of water with a blue/chrome/orange trap, and pulled one in the boat on the very first cast! It was a GREAT way to start the day! We kinda let the wind push us into the back of the cove, fishing all down the north side of Sandy Creek. The bite was good, but we only landed one keeper. We only caught one or two in the back... all of our fish came from the north side, halfway back into the cove. Once we reached the back of the cove the sun was up and I decided to tackle the wind and waves and shoot across the lake to Veach. The Champion handled it WAY better than I expected... it was actually pretty fun!

When I pulled into Veach it was like a Sonic drive-in on the north side... boats lined up about a hundred yards apart from the western tip all the way to the back. I counted 13 before I finally just gave up on fishing there. The only spots open didn't look very good. The coves on the south side held at least 1 or 2 boats, and they were fighting a pretty good breeze. I went ahead and ran all the way to the back of Veach, went into that cove in the very back south side, and fished all the way up in those creek channels. Again, caught some bass, but no keepers. Fished it with the Rat-L-Trap, spinnerbait, and Tx-Rig worm... buddy fished it with a Senko and Tx-Rig worm. Still caught all of mine on the trap... came up with nothing on the others.

After getting tired of catching dinks, I ran up to Harvey to go fish the lily pads and try to stay out of the wind. No dice... 3 boats in the pads. So we fished a few spots on the north side, and the biggest thing I caught was an 18" catfish on the trap! That was a first. Lost my trap, my favorite spinnerbait, and a new swimbait over there... kept getting tangled up and accidentally breaking the line or wrapping it up in the trolling motor because it was so tough to maneuver the boat in the wind/waves.

Ran out to Black Forest and some of those coves after that and fought the wind and waves... no joy.

Ran back down to Big Caney but there were plenty of boats there. Church House was still fully exposed to the wind and waves. So I went ahead and went back into Sandy Creek. We fished up and down the north bank 3 times and caught all of our fish in one spot... halfway back, along the north side, the boat sitting in 13-17' about 100' from shore, casting into 9-10'. I don't know how often it is like this, but there was a break line where one type of grass ends (milfoil?) and the hydrilla begins. I lined the boat up with that break, just FYI... no other reason that I was just using it as a point of reference to keep the boat in one spot, because that's where I noticed I was catching them all at. I pulled in my one keeper of the day on a Carolina-rig fluke in watermelon red.

It was an amazingly beautiful day out there... saw otters, ducks, a pair of bald eagles... deep blue sky, no clouds, cool weather... so it was a joy just being on the lake. And, I landed quite a few fish, just none with a decent size! Even my keeper was less than 2 lbs. So, it was a great day to enjoy nature, a great day to learn a little better how my boat handled and get some experience with rough open water, and a great day to wet a line and relax... just not a great day for the big bite!

Jack, I printed out this thread and took it with me, but wasn't able to put much of it to the test... but I'll hang on to it for next time!