The lake is as low as I ever remember it. A word of warning on launching&loading, be very careful as the rocks can be somewhat bad on props and keels as well. I'm scraping bottom at the ramp in lots of places.

Jackieblue haven't they been getting the rain at Fairfield? I have lake lot at RC and we got 6 inches in Aug. and I think they got a good rain from Ike. I want to fish there but my boat takes alot of water to float.

Fairfield gets very little run off. The rain was six inches but that was between drops not inches. They need rain very bad, if the current conditions continue the ramp will soon be high and dry, carry in jon boats, and bank fishing only. I'm not kidding.

T.U has a pipeline to the trinity, they used to pump water in when the bas were spawning every year in the early 80's.
They can due it now?

Bigdog, the pipeline is still there, just not pumping any water right now.
It's been an month or two since they have pumped any water from the Trinity.

I fished with Jackie Sunday morning and we saw a guy have to get out of his bass boat and walk it to his trailer. He kept getting hung up on the botton with his weight in the boat. So if you go make sure you don't bring your new bass rig or big center console, or you may have to get very wet like this poor guy did.
Hire a guide with the right kind of boat for the situation and don't tear yours up.

A man launched his boat yesterday afternoon but had to get out of the boat to get it off the rocks. His weight had the boat sitting on the bottom. He finally pushed the boat back on the trailer and left, somewhat unhappy. I started to warn him but have found out experience is the best teacher.
I also saw some men tryng to load a 17' vee Tracker last night, took over 30 minutes and lots of less than soft language in some unknown tongue.

I run a 20' Charger (heavier than most boats), with a 200 hp old model Merc. With my draft I scrapped bottom both going in and coming out.

I had to make 2 or 3 runs to get to the trailer Sunday and Monday evening. Ended up trolling up to the trailer bunks then used the big engine to push onto the trailer. Having my weight in the front of the boat helped get past those scraps, (or I just couldn't hear the scraping from the front of the boat). With the lake evaporating water, no rain fall, and no pumping I doubt if I can get in this weekend without moving some rocks around.

If I had had some boots or crocks or diver boots I would have dared to move some rocks last weekend, but with folks throwing "stuff" off the dock there could easily be some glass among it.

What I see is the top of the berm is obstructing access to a still serviceable concrete ramp. That rock studded berm crest is about 6 foot wide and 20 feet long. That crest needs to be lowered at least 18". The worst of the rock is nearest the dock side. Behind that berm (down slope) is some silt and mud buildup. The berm top needs to get moved aside, with the biggest rocks pitched back into the hole at the bottom of the concrete edge, and then probably some silt west of the berm has to be moved further west or aside.

How about if we (Jackie, Vaughan, Parker, myself, may be Chuck) use some of this weekend or next for a rock and mud moving half day and fish the rest? As I see it with enough guys working on this we will need may be 4 hours of work to get these ramps back in serviceable condition. As I see it we throw the biggest rocks back into the hole at the end of the concrete, pitch the rocks our props are likely to be lifting aside under the dock or to the north side, and blow silt mud back or to either side using a prop wash from a twin anchored boat. Tools I think we would need are:

[*]feet and hand protection from glass among the rocks and mud (fish cleaning glooves should be sufficient),
[*]a shovel or two,
[*]pitch forks with tongs narrow enough to dredge up the smaller rocks so they can be pitched aside.
[*] if TWPD had a fire hose and water pressure source we could blow the silt aside without risking a boat engine overheating or prop damage. or
[*]a long garden hose and motor cuff so we can bring fishing station clear cooling water to the engine producing the prop wash to push the mud aside,
[*]two anchors with good ropes to hold the boat in place making the prop wash to get the loose mud out of the way. (I have two 16 or 20# river anchors, one with a hemp rope that should be plenty thick enough, the other rope might prove to thin for a hard prop pull.
[*}a dip stick to do depth measurements with
[*]one good camera to record the how to of all this.
[*]If TWPD joins in their supervisors require them to be wearing PFDs even in shallow water, so if they join in we might need them also.

Reply with names please for your first second and third choices:
How many could work Friday afternoon/evening?
How many could work Saturday Morning?
How many want to work Saturday Afternoon?
Is sometime the weekend of Oct 10 better for everybody?

Mike is checking with the company formerly known as TXU to see if its possible to borrow a backhoe, and try to dredge the burm down some. I haven't talked to him in a few days and unsure of the outcome. Something has to happen to the high spot or no one can launch soon.

You know come to think of it, the very machine we needs was setting on a hill side South East above the Riprap cove rock wall. But the other side of their upper basin. It was holding up something while it was being worked on.

It is bigger than a backhoe, has a longer reach and than a backhoe has, and a ones I have seen have a scoop about 3-4X wider.

If nothing changes I will be there Saturday morning fishin.

Cory and I are also working with mike to get a machine in there to knock out the burm.

How do we keep the next 250hp rig that comes along after we fix it from blowing it all back out again?

40 caliber round through the engine ought to do it!!!!

With the evaporation and what you and I experienced Monday I doubt if anybody but Jon boats and Kayakers will be able to launch by this weekend.

Turns out CDE is a professional/quailifed Tack and Back hoe operator, and volunteering to operate whatever Mike can locate. I have CDE calling Mike to inform Mike he could operate whatever TXU might be able to lend us.

Some TXU folks also know CDE, and hoping he can work a back channel there also.

We will only put rocks back in the hole that we think are not likely to blow back out. I suspect there will only be a few of them. When the water gets clear I see may be one or two on top that I would even consider putting back in the blowout hole.

I do not see this as an attempt to pull the berm back into the blow hole. The berm already existance proves that would be a monmentary fix and therefore pointless.

Those big engines are going to come to the lake, there is no way to prevent it. Rocks the big engines can move have to get moved aside.

Bust out the kayak! Attach yourself to a big red and go for a ride!

I can't remember if it was Cedar Creek or Lewisville, but one of the ramps I used to use had a ban against using the engine to load the boat while the water was very low one year. You could only crank the boat up on the trailer.

If FF had concrete ramps going far enough into the lake to float a boat above the trailer the berm won't be a there.

I went last weekend it was bad getting on and off trailer. I swore I would not go back until ff caught some water. If you guys go to do this and need some help let me know when, I will do my very best to try and help out. I have to go to a wedding sat at 1;00

Mike Kleinart the Park Manager just got back in touch with me.

There is some free volunteer equipment and operator lined up to dredge the south ramp (old store ramp), and possibly the north ramp if enough volunteer time and diesel fuel can be found to do the work. The south ramp work sounds like it is privately fully funded already, all TWPD home office has to say is "OK".

If these volunteers are willing to also do the north (camp ground) ramp Mike might need some cash contributions to afford the extra diesel fuel required, without waiting for a home office ok for that. This is no small effort at either ramp they will be trucking off whatever they dredge from the lake bottom. The north ramp has much more shallow water than the south ramp does.

Mike hopes to get an OK out of his head office as early as tomorrow. If he gets the go ahead tomorrow, depending upon volunteer availability the work could start as early as Monday.

Cory Vincent, and Lex Hayes have set up this volunteer equipment and operators. We all need to show them our appreciation when we see them running trips again starting about Nov 1. I am sure Cory and Lex could be favored with some cash contribution when we see them.

Depending on the reach of the equipment and the underwater soil stability they might not be able to clear the outer shallow silt rim.

If not Mike believes the park was a portable pump and some 1.5" or 3" fire hose we can use to blow that shallow silt rim further back into the deeper water. If that fails we can use some anchored prop wash. We will have to wait to see what this volunteer equipment can accomplish.

My Special Thanks Cory, Lex and Mike

Well done guys!

hay guys i fish ff a lot but i have to work and no way can i get off. i would be willing to put out a little long green for the process that yall are talking about. i am sure there are others that would donate as well. get me a number and i will help with some funds. i have seen a lot of the names on here talking about fishing this lake on here a lot. if this happens and you spend your time i would be willing to buy some disel at the least. i will start the help with 50 dollars who else is game.

Mike called mid-day Friday, He had to wait until Monday to get a green light for the volunteer effort.

Dobbin send Diesel fuel contribution to the attention of Mike Kleinert, Fairfield Lake State State Park, 123 State Park Road 64, Fairfield, Texas 75649. call him at 903-390-4763 for the payee he would like to use.

I'm in for some cash!

Im up for cash as well. Any update on getting the effort approved and moving forward. I called Mike K but no answer.

I have an email into Mike to see what he wants as the payee on check contributions. If you need to send cash, and want to risk mailing cash then send it to the park office address to Mike's attention with a note saying it is a dredging/diesel fund money contribution.

Mike Kleinert, Fairfield Lake State State Park, 123 State Park Road 64, Fairfield, Texas 75649. call him at 903-390-4763 for a check payee he would like to use.

When will the work start...Sat. the 11th? And what time?
I'll try and make it down or at least send a check down for some deisel.

Thanks guys....

stay in touch on here. when the go ahead is approved and who to make the check it is in the mail

Did Fairfield catch any rain from the latest cold front? Maybe a few FEET of rain will ease our pains........

I will be in Fairfield Friday through Sunday so if the dredging begins let me know, I am up for a good day of wet rock moving!

Some great news but some patience is required.

I am told official from both the Park Office and Cory Vincent himself that TWPD has approved and OK'd the volunteer dredging using mechanical equipment. Cory had a Track Hoe lined up, but it now seems to be busy on paying work, for the moment. He is looking for a sooner alternative track hoe source.

One issue Cory is facing is the diesel costs for hauling truckloads of dredging out of the park, for about twenty miles. If anybody knows of a closer site that would accept or appreciate lake bottom dredge with some rocks in it, please call Cory directly at 469-867-4299 about it.

If diesel funds can be found for the second ramp Cory is willing to spend the extra equipment time dredging both ramps as far out as the equipment can reach. So we still need a diesel kitty. Mike is out of town at a state convention until Friday, so we do not yet have a payee name for our checks or cash mailings.

I asked about manual labor contributions, Cory does not think he will need any.

THANK YOU CORY AND LEX!

Thanks for the good news Don!

Keep me posted on where to send the check.

Cory and I just talked due to short notice and equipment availability, he is thinking this time next week would be a worthy goal for getting the dredging done.

For our diesel money checks make the payee "Cory Vinson" C/O Mike Kleinert, or drop "Diesel fund cash" at Fairfield Lake State State Park, 123 State Park Road 64, Fairfield, Texas 75649

First, I would like to say thanks to all who are willing to support this project.

I would like to take this time to update everyone and let you know that we did get final approval from Mike and "the powers that be" this morning. I will be meeting with Steve Smith of SJS Construction in the morning to take a ride to Fairfield to survey and get a schedule and plan put together. We are trying to get this project completed within 14 days, however beggers can't be choosers and we are at the mercy of the owners and operators of the equipment, after all they do have their businesses to run.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to call me at 469-867-4299. Thanks again for your support.

They have the TWPD OK, Cory and I just talked due to short notice and equipment availability, he is thinking this time next week would be a worthy goal for getting the dredging done.

For our diesel money checks make the payee "Cory Vinson" C/O Mike Kleinert, or drop "Diesel fund cash" Mailed to: Fairfield Lake State State Park, 123 State Park Road 64, Fairfield, Texas 75649

If you can help out financially,

They now have the TWPD OK, Cory and I just talked due to short notice and equipment availability, he is thinking this time next week would be a worthy goal for getting the dredging done.

For our diesel money checks make the payee "Cory Vinson" C/O Mike Kleinert, or drop "Diesel fund cash" Mailed to: Fairfield Lake State State Park, 123 State Park Road 64, Fairfield, Texas 75649

O.K. then....Just finished the check and am putting it in tomorrow's mail.

I promised myself some time back that I would head down that way this fall to try and figure out how to catch the redfish. But when I heard about the launching problems and watched as Ike blew thru without dropping enough rain to matter, I blew it off.

But if this fix works then I plan to come on down and camp for a few days and see how the redfishing is in November. Keep me a campsite open! And if I can help at the ramps, let me know when there is something I can do and I'll try and head down and help.

Love that lake!

Thanks guys.....

I'll be there Saturday swimmin around moving some rock.

I'm bringing two checks and a wrecking bar to try and bust out that sump at the base of the ladder. I'm dragging the boat hoping you move enough rocks so I can get out.

See you Saturday. Dress warm, or bring waders, even 95F water can chill you if stay in it long enough. I used to wear sweat shirts and pants when I did not want to have the bouyancy of my wet suit to contend with. I do not think I can't fit into that wet suit.....hummmm.

LOL, Soon as you can swim among those rocks, I am going to launch!

Duane and I will be there about seven. We plan on trying to extract that stump while you do some rocks, or just one of us on the wrecking bar and the second can start muck-rock-chuckin with you. We think fours hours from two men let alone three can get all that is minimally required to get my boat in and out and get the stump out from in front of the ladder. Fish teh rest of the day away. If we get really ambitious we might ask Mike to bring that portable pump and fire hose to test blowing some silt out from behind the berm.

Hope there is enough water left to float my stern above the trailer. Otherwise we go home with a totally dejected frame of mind with a very morose look on our faces.

We met with Rodney of Shoreline construction at Fairfield today. He is the only one we could find that had the equipment and the willingness to work on this project. The first ramp would need a crane operated dredge pump to fix, which would be in Rodney's estimation well over $10,000. The north (campground)ramp is fixable with the equipment owned by Shoreline Construction. The price quote submitted to me from Rodney was $1,700.00. Your help is greatly needed. Please forward any donations to Mike Klineart at the Fairfield State Park. Rodney hopes to get started this week. Thanks for all you help in this matter.

Don and Robert I will get some money out tomorrow.

Thank you so much.

i mailed a check yesterday for 50.00 for expenses. glad to help in this project.

Thanks, Cory, for the update. My check should arrive sometime today. Mailed it out Thursday.

All your (and everyone else's) efforts to eleminate these problems are appreciated.

So is either one of the ramps useable yet ? I had read that some work got done on it this weekend. Got a 20' Skeeter. We were going for the first time Sunday. Don't want to pull it 2 1/2 hours and not get to launch or tear it up.

Hey guys, Don worked on the ramp for about six hours Saturday and there is now a boat lane to launch. Be happy!!

Hey Vaughn I am happy,
I am all for getting the ramp fixed and sending some money to help the effort.

I don't know how much money they have raised so far but I don't think it's any where near what it's going to take. I left some with Mike Saturday but I think the work that Don and Dwayne did Saturday will hold for quite a while, Those guys really did us all a big favor.

David, You can now get your boat on and off. Go to the ramp near the office and stay close to the pier and you will be okay. The depth is about knee deep at the high point so don't back up with your motor all the way down and you should be fine.

cool, thanks. Anything I should watch for on running the lake or loading/unloading that might make me have a bad day.

No once your on the lake your fine. Just be sure and stay to the side of the ramp thats near the pier and don't put the motor all the way down when backing out. Don marked the lane with some jugs so you should be able to tell where it is. Once your boat is touching the trailer your transome is over about four feet of water so you can trim down to push up on the trailer.

i ran those juglines at daylight they needed to be re-baited