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Dec 30th, 2023
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 Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Bass Buster1]
#12660563
03/06/18 03:27 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 629
furim2
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 629 |
Roberts has been my home lake for 20 plus years. The first factor is it is not a good cold water lake at all and that as you can see from everyone's post is fact! I do not start fishing it hard until at least April because it is a waste of time for the most part.
The decline or change in the way you have to fish it started primarily when they changed the MLL to 14". It had tournaments before but now the number or tournaments is crazy. The other factor has been the water fluctuation and the killing of the vegetation in the lake however that happened, grass carp or spraying or whatever it was but a lot of the grass that used to exist for the most part is gone. Tournament pressure and lack of cover for fry to hide in have caused big problems IMO.
I say go back to an 18" MLL or make it a slot lake again just to take some of the pressure off. I know Fork is a slot lake and has a lot of tourneys but that is because it is Fork. Roberts was not nearly as bad before the change and the fishing was awesome!
The good thing is there are fish that can be consistently caught once the water warms up. Rock piles are my friend, light line once the water clears and it will big time is my friend, roads and houses and tanks are my friend. The decline started back in the late nineties with the lake draw down, which killed all the hydrilla, and the Large Mouth Bass Virus. Back when Ray Roberts had a very restrictive slot limit.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660582
03/06/18 03:36 PM
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,714
Bass Buster1
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,714 |
That was the first big grass kill. Pond weed and coon tail came back and were productive but those are also not as prevalent now. No grass = less places for fry to hide. Flooding a couple years ago helped a lot and we did get a good spawn two years in a row.
I still believe LMBV is a cover up and the chemicals they sprayed the grass with are the actual fish killers. That is a conspiracy theory though and just an observation. If LMBV is real, why have we never had another big LMBV fish kill?
See you on the lake and have a great day!
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660616
03/06/18 03:57 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,683
redskeet100
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,683 |
To me, having fished it 14 years, the grass gets killed off and each time less and less grows back. I had always done fairly well until the slot was dropped and the heavy tournament traffic started. Just seems like the fish are less concentrated compared to earlier years and it makes them harder to find and catch.
Unless you want to take a couple of guide trips each spring or you can fish 3-4 days per week, tough to get on them and stay on them.
Last edited by redskeet100; 03/06/18 04:02 PM.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660623
03/06/18 04:01 PM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,581
fivebites
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,581 |
Thanks Donald. Sorry for the typo. Should have read Mr. Harper, not me...Harper! No disrespect!
2019 Chevy Tahoe
2018 Basscat Eyra 250 Proxs
PB Wife of 32 years!
PB Largemouth 9.56 Ray Roberts
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660628
03/06/18 04:02 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,206
adam_p
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,206 |
The fishing has gotten better since they pulled the slot. I don't think that is why it has gotten better, but it has. As good as the 90's, not even close. But better than the early 2000s for sure.
Or maybe I've just gotten better.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660653
03/06/18 04:15 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 16,309
Chris B
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 16,309 |
I started fishing the lake regularly in the late 90s. The lack of grass is the biggest problem in my mind.
![[Linked Image]](https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics/usergals/2017/07/full-3769-170037-image.png) I hate photobucket.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660671
03/06/18 04:22 PM
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Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,514
i-Fish
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,514 |
I bounce between Lew and RR and Lew is by far the better fishery. May not have as many donkeys as RR but it has plenty to be proud of. I like RR because it feels more secluded and away from the day to day but Lew has always fished better for me. Im gonna have to get in contat with Donald to improve my mapping skills. RR can pay off but it takes more TOTW than anything else.
If you can't find em wind em.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Barrett]
#12660676
03/06/18 04:26 PM
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Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 947
junk baits
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 947 |
You 100% correct. Perfect said, I fish the lake almost every weekend from now to august. I said the exact same thing about bass per acre. I feel the lake is struggling because of the drought years back. Its like they didn't have good spawns or the white bass are eating the new baby's. I know you have noticed in July and August its like invasion of Baby white bass of whole lake. Crazy. I fished TTZ and thought it was hardest I've seen in very long time. Like aliens sucked the life from the lake. LOL congrats to those who caught!
GO FISH!
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660677
03/06/18 04:26 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,063
Bassdeer
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,063 |
I know one thing TX lakes are better then NM lakes. They don't care about the fishermen out there, it's all about the farm land. If farmers need water they let it go. One spring we were bed fishing and had fish everywhere on beds, came back two days later and the water had dropped and all the beds were bone dry.
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 Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Bass Buster1]
#12660697
03/06/18 04:38 PM
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Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 947
junk baits
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 947 |
Roberts has been my home lake for 20 plus years. The first factor is it is not a good cold water lake at all and that as you can see from everyone's post is fact! I do not start fishing it hard until at least April because it is a waste of time for the most part.
The decline or change in the way you have to fish it started primarily when they changed the MLL to 14". It had tournaments before but now the number or tournaments is crazy. The other factor has been the water fluctuation and the killing of the vegetation in the lake however that happened, grass carp or spraying or whatever it was but a lot of the grass that used to exist for the most part is gone. Tournament pressure and lack of cover for fry to hide in have caused big problems IMO.
I say go back to an 18" MLL or make it a slot lake again just to take some of the pressure off. I know Fork is a slot lake and has a lot of tourneys but that is because it is Fork. Roberts was not nearly as bad before the change and the fishing was awesome!
NOT A BAD IDEA 18" MLL!!
The good thing is there are fish that can be consistently caught once the water warms up. Rock piles are my friend, light line once the water clears and it will big time is my friend, roads and houses and tanks are my friend.
GO FISH!
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660779
03/06/18 05:31 PM
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,900
Longeye
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,900 |
Back in the day when the south/southwest side of wolf island was full of hydrilla, it was a massacre. Went out there one day and caught my best (10.25) and a boat load of 4's - 6's but those days are long gone.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Longeye]
#12660810
03/06/18 05:48 PM
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650
senko9S
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650 |
miss those drifts. that's where I learned a bubblegum fluke.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: junk baits]
#12660900
03/06/18 06:33 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,206
adam_p
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,206 |
You 100% correct. Perfect said, I fish the lake almost every weekend from now to august. I said the exact same thing about bass per acre. I feel the lake is struggling because of the drought years back. Its like they didn't have good spawns or the white bass are eating the new baby's. I know you have noticed in July and August its like invasion of Baby white bass of whole lake. Crazy. I fished TTZ and thought it was hardest I've seen in very long time. Like aliens sucked the life from the lake. LOL congrats to those who caught! TTZ sucked because they started pulling water. It was better before that.
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: adam_p]
#12660957
03/06/18 07:11 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,182
Mike Keenan
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,182 |
Two things that Hurt ray Roberts... when they drew it down for the dam repairs back in 1999 or so and the grass going away... I think when the dam repairs were going on, they drained like 25 out of it... that killed it
R.I.P. Mike "pappy" "broken rod" Green born 07-16-62 on to better fishing 06-10-08. www.basscat.com
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Re: Ray Roberts
[Re: Stratos2011]
#12660989
03/06/18 07:33 PM
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 8,735
Barrett
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 8,735 |
Btw yall know there is grass coming back basically on the entire north end of the lake anywhere in 3 feet or less? I pulled up hydrilla yesterday. Some places its already thick too.
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