Sam Rayburn Guide

Giant Salvinia Found on Lakes Palestine and Sam Rayburn

AUSTIN—Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are moving quickly to control small infestations of giant salvinia on Lake Palestine and Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

Rayburn Realty Launches New Website

Rayburn Realty is located on Lake Sam Rayburn in East Texas. Our office is located in a community called Rayburn Country. We sell waterfront homes, golf homes and acreage in and around Rayburn Country.

Rayburn Country is a resort community, that has a 27-hole golf course, country club, restaurant and bar, hotel, Olympic size swimming pool, tennis courts, and a game room! We also list and sell golf homes, condos, and used manufactured homes in the area.

Lake Sam Rayburn is the largest lake in Texas with 537 miles of shoreline. We specialize in Resort Properties, Waterfront Homes , Condos and Unimproved Lots .

Kite Tube Manufacturer Issues Recall

AUSTIN, Texas — In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Sportsstuff, Inc., of Omaha, Nebraska, voluntarily recalled about 19,000 Wego Kite Tubes July 13.

more kite tube injury news

WHOLE LOTTA SHAKING GOING ON WITH NEW STANLEY SWIMMING JIG

It shakes, rattles and rolls, but more importantly, it catches fish from top to bottom. With decades of jig designing experience in his wake, legendary lure maker and Lonnie Stanley did it again. He turned an ordinary swimming jig into an extraordinarily versatile bait that duplicates the enticing action of a crankbait, the vibration of a spinnerbait and the weedless penetration of a jig.

Strolling for Bass

Mike Martin with
6-pounder taken
on a spinnerbait

The first time I got involved with “strolling” was at Toledo Bend. My fishing partner and I were trying to get a crappie or two for the skillet and “ol’ papermouth” wasn’t cooperating. The first two or three hours were slow, but then we started strolling and the action really picked up.

Should I Join a Bass Club?

OK, you are an average East-Texas fisherman, watch all of the available fishing shows on television, and wet a hook just about every chance you can (even if it does mean that the lawn won’t get mowed for awhile). Should you join a bass club? Is there anything a bass club can offer that you don’t already have? The answer is – Yes.

Alex

Drawdown Set To Combat Exotic Aquatics at Steinhagen

FORT WORTH, Texas — In an effort to combat nuisance levels of non-native aquatic vegetation at B. A. Steinhagen Lake in Jasper and Tyler Counties, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, plans a summer drawdown of the lake.

Texas State Parks Damaged by Rita Making a Comeback

AUSTIN, Texas — For the first time since Hurricane Rita ripped through east Texas last September, destroying much in its path and forcing several state parks to shut down, one site is welcoming campers again and another is planning to open soon.

thedee

we went to our lake house on sam rayburn april 16-19 and cleaned up on the crappie and stipped bass. we had a live well full of crappie each day by 1pm. had the best time ever, the only problem we exprienced was several very rude bass fishermen. i was raised to know that it is just common courtesy to slow down when passing a boat that is fishing. I have never seen so many rude boaters as i did this week each boat passing at full speed with no regard for the safety of those in parked boats and smaller boats there were so many of these rude passers by that we actually had to load up and leave cause the wakes were rediculous.

If you are on the lakes, have a little class and show some courtesy to other fisherman who are parked and fishing. YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY BOATER ON THE LAKE!!!!!!!!!

Bass Fishing On Sam Rayburn - March 24, 2006

Current lake level is 162.59 .. Conservation Pool Level is 164.4 msl

If you are a bass fisherman, now is definitely the time to wet a hook on Sam Rayburn. In recent days a number of fishing patterns have been effective and here are a few of the best.

If you like to fish lipless crankbaits, like a Rat-L-Trap, this is the time of the year you will love. The "Trap" bite has been on and the colors doing the most damage have been bleeding-craw, bleeding-shad, chartreuse-craw, chartreuse-gold and bream. Fish these baits in 6-to 10 feet of water over areas that have hydrilla. Other very productive baits will be the Wiggle Wart, Rapala DT and the Bandit series.

The key to using any crankbait on Rayburn is to select a model that will "tick" the grass as it is being retrieved. Occasionally you will hang up, but just give the bait a sharp snap with the rod and it should pop free. Be ready the moment your bait pops free because this is actually when a number of your strikes will occur. With the lake level on a slow rise there will be lots of newly flooded brush and grass. This will make the fishing just continue to get better and better.

At times the wind can be a real nuisance, but it sure hasn't stopped the big bass from hitting. Just keep in mind that wind and wave action can create pretty good fishing conditions. Baitfish congregate in these windy areas, and that attracts the bass. Use the wind to your advantage, but always be safe. Getting a cold wave over the front of the boat (and drenching you) can sure make for an unpleasant day of fishing.

Spinnerbaits will get red-hot in the upcoming weeks as bass move around in the rising water. Work the inside grass-line with colors such as fire-tiger, white, chartreuse/white and fire-cracker. I am especially fond of the Texan Lure, Lil' Hustler and Strike King tandem baits that have a gold willow-leaf and small nickel Colorado blade. This combination really attracts big fish.

If soft plastics are your cup of tea you can pretty much depend on three good patterns working. The first pattern is to use a Carolina-rigged lizard (watermelon or red shad with a 3-foot leader) in deeper drop-off areas next to creek channels. This is a great pattern for this time of the year since cold fronts have a tendency to roar in, moving the fish from shallow water back to the deeper areas. Work the bait in from 17- to 22 feet of water.

The second pattern I love to use is a Texas-rig worm or jig-n-lizard fished in 8-to 10 feet of water along outside grass-lines. Work the bait slow, and be ready because some of the strikes may be awesome. Good colors for the Texas-rig will be watermelon-red, black neon and black-blue. For the jig-n-lizard, use black, brown or solid white. Match the trailer to the jig color.

The third pattern will be using a small Waveworm, Senko or tube bait with a bb-type weight attached about a foot or so up the line (like a miniature Carolina-rig) in shallow water spawning areas. This set-up can be a dynamite technique. Use white or other bright colors so you can keep track of exactly where the bait is at all times. Better have some heavy line spooled on your reel because you may hook up with a real wall-hanger.

As the water continues to warm you will see improved wacky worm fishing. Good colors will be pumpkin, junebug and those really “hot” colors such as bubble-gum and orange.

Here is my suggestion for when you catch that big fish … Take some quick pictures and measurements of the bass and then put it back into the water to complete the spawn. Then you can have a fiberglass replica made for hanging on the wall to relive great memories of the trip. Who knows, in the future you may have an opportunity to catch the bass again and by that time it could be a lake record.

See you on the water – Jim Binns