Hey folks, first-time poster here. What is the status of smallmouth bass in Ray Bob? Do you catch many? How did they get in there? Thanks for any info!

Also, in a completely unrelated note, is there a crappie barge on the lake? Thanks!

I've caught one smallmouth in Ray Bob years ago. I don't fish it nearly as much anymore, but I haven't seen any since.

I've yet to catch one out there...maybe Shuflin will chime in soon. I know he's caught a fair share out there.

I have fished it as my home lake since 93 and have caught one that I would call a true smallmouth. Most are a spot/small mouth cross or mean mouth. There is a pay to fish place there at the Sanger Marina but that is the only one I know of. Both State parks have fishing piers and fishing from the bank in a State park in Texas does not require a license. If you are after small mouth, you should fish Texoma, Grapevine, Murray in Oklahoma, or any number of other places, you may fish a long time before you catch one from Ray Roberts.

TPWD never stocked smallmouths in Ray Roberts. They were imported by a deranged guide who's name will remain anonymous. They're there, but have had to go outside their species for breeding purposes. Fish the rocky shorelines and, if you're lucky, you'll catch a smallmouth/spotted hybrid.

A 5lb smallie caught this morning.

I have caught on average 1 per year since I started fishing the lake back in 2002, biggest was 4.5lbs up in Indian on a rock pile.

Weighed in a whole sack of smallmouth in a tournament on Roberts last year. 2 of them were over 3lbs.

I always love this debate that starts up. What kind of fish is this in the picture? Looks like a small mouth for the most part but I think it is a hybrid. I think these are the ones everyone calls small mouth out there. I am no biologist, just an opinion.

i know of one over 5 caught today. Also I've caught one that looks like the hybrid to me and not like a smallmouth

My buddy caught one pushing 5lbs many years ago off a rockpile during Media Tournament. At first they thought it was a spot and it went in the holding tank. Some people started looking and the TD decided he didn't know what it was and it wasn't a legal fish due to Roberts being a slot lake at the time.

He sent pics off to TPWD biologist and he said only way to determine if it was a spot or hybrid was to have scale samples and basically at the time meant killing the fish.

The one in your pics looks like a hybrid to me. Doesn't look like a pure smallmouth to me.

Hey folks, I appreciate your input. I had heard something about smallies in there, but wasn't sure. Y'all are a wealth of good info!

They are there, and there are some big ones. I was absolutely blown away when I started catching them at how far up the creeks those suckers were. I always think of smallmouth is being in the rocky stuff on the deep part of the lake, haven't caught one at Ray Bob since January.