Lake Fork Stump Alert !!

I have been here all my life so I just about know where every stump is but Sunday I seen one that I either have not seen in a while or rememeber from years past. It is located between Ford/Grimes just out front in the main lake. Now the old resident stump is still visable and it is just to the south of it. Nice size stump that could do some damage. I had nothing to mark it or I would have. I hope someone gets it marked soon before someone gets hurt. Next time I am out I will take something and mark it. So keep a eye out if you are running from the clay pit towards Ray or Dale down the south side of the lake.Good Luck Fishing and Be Safe !

Coordinates?

I was on pad when I seen it so do not have cordinates. I have the right location/area so have caution if in that area. If you split the difference between the outer tree line in front of Grimes that is visable and the resident stump in the middle of the main lake which has been there forever you will see if. The wind blowing will cover it just enough you might not get a good look at it unless you are real close to it like I was.

Fork scares the hide off the bottom of my boat and makes my prop shaft bend with fear!!!

thanks for the info and if you mark it double thanks

Thanks for the heads up Marc.

If anyone marks it, pass along the COOs. Thanks.

Drop a Brush Hog down beside it before u mark it...never know..

Wow someone actually thinking of others saftey enuff to to take action on their behalf. Thank you Mr. Mitchell.

Thanks, Marc. We've made this a sticky until someone posts coordinates and everyone has a chance to see it. As many folks as there are that fish Fork, this could save someone's boat, or life.

You da man Marc.. Haven't seen pictures of that new boat yet.

FACE DOWN IN CABO

Thank you Marc. I have only been on the lake twice. I have no idea where this is. Where is Ford/Grimes, Clay Pit, and Ray or Dale?

Thanks Marc, would hate to hear someone hit one WOT thinking it was safe water. Friend of mine hit one on Toledo in a boatlane we all thought was safe going back out right after weighin. Tore his motor off and it landed on the back deck crushing the back seat and pole. Luckily his brother who had been his partner in the tx had to leave and go home and wasn't with him. He'd ridden in that seat all day.

Thanks Marc.. stick a pc. of PVC down next to it if you get the chance.. That area can be very dangerous--many areas are right now...

Thanks Marc. If you need a good guide, give Marc a call.

good info

The hell you say!!!! Stumps on Fork?

-Alton

I was out there not too long ago fishin with buddies in seperate boats, it was night time and they called me while we where all on the lake and said " we are gonna head to Ray Branch ". I said not a good idea if you dont know exactly where your goin. Well I heard their motor after the call, and they got up on pad. Then the motor stopped. I called them thinking something went wrong. They said when they where on pad they passed a few trees that were about 3 feet from the boat and obviously shut her down. Fork is dangerous and will eat you alive if your not carefull. Thanks for the advice!! And be safe!!

Going into Ray Branch from Little Caney there is a stump at (N32*48.897 W095*34.378). I had to swerve hard to avoid it so I turned around and got the coordinates. Didn't have anything to mark it with so all I can do is post these. Might be the same one. Its not far west from the resident stump.

If any of y'all remember that wet stuff that falls out of the sky about three times a year, the whole state could use some so say a prayer when you get a chance,

marc, not sure where you talking about, but it isn't in the boat lane is it? I hope not.I don't even know where Ford or Grimes located that you referring to. do know dale tho. thanks for the heads up. Hopefully folks will take a look at what is under the water now and remember when they try to run when water is up again. ha If that ever happens.

Thanks for getting some coordinates.. hopefully someone can confirm that's the one.

From the dam heading Northwest it's:
Chaney, then the two smaller coves up from Chaney are Ford's Cove and then Grimes Cove.. then above that is Ray Branch, Leafy Branch, and then Dale Creek.

I hope that helps.

I guess you guys know about the stump with the motor skeg stuck in it that is in the creek across the lake from Lake Fork Marina.

Ouch!

Choogie, you might want to check on the quote in your signature line. It was made by Captain Call, not Gus I believe. "I hate rude behavior in a man, I won't tolerate it" was the quote spoken by Call after he beat an Army Scout half to death for hitting Newt. He climbed aboard his horse and spoke those words to all the horrified town folk standing around with their mouths open.

There should be a permanent thread for Fork hazards. Here are coordinates for 4 stumps submerged just below the water line between Lake Fork Marina and the main boat lane. Jason Hoffman posted them several months ago.

N32*52.467 W095*37.090
N32*52.448 W095*37.010
N32*52.406 W095*36.908
N32*52.505 W095*36.788

got me a gps/map , have marked stumps with a skull , and crossbones.
been on Fork full time since 96, now cannot see the lake on my screen , all I see is skulls..what now ????
I am out of icons

I will mark it tomorrow. Plan on being up that way so I will tie something to it. I have a big jug I will put in my boat tonight. Thanks & Be Safe.

Could this stump be the widow maker N 32 48.895" W 095 34.000" pay her a visit.

Thanks again, Mr. Mitchell. Looking forward to exact coordinates

thanks Marc, I run that stretch of the lake quite a bit...

Maybe I remember it wrong. Got it on DVD. Have to watch that part again. Thanks.

You, sir, are correct. Guess it had been so long I got the 2 scenes mixed up. Still think the world would be a better place if there were more men like the characters Gus and Woodrow.

No question, whatsoever. Greatest movie ever made!

ThnX for heads up!

Hey guys I marked 2 of them today with bottles but man there are about 5 or 6 more I could not get to. I did GPS 5 stumps and after I EAT I will pull up the coordinates here later. I think after what I seen today I will run north by the bouys/boat lane,or north of the resident stump in the mainlake.Scary stuff out there. Marked one just under the water about 2-3 inches that would take out a prop or a lower unit.It was in about 50 ft of water. Be Safe.

Marc, thanks again for your good will! I'm sure the waypoints are going to save some folks a buncha $$$, at the very least. May hat's off to you, sir.

Awesome job Marc. I will be marking the waypoints ASAP!

Ok here are 5 of them on the main lake between Ford-Grimes/Ray These are south of the resident stump located in the main lake area south of the mouth of Little Caney.

N32-48.832
W095-34.083


N32-49.026
w095-34.015

N32-48.873
W095-34.079

N32-48.791
W095-34.089

N32-48.815
W095-34.048

Ok that is all I have now but maybe a few more tomorrow or the next few days. Be Safe !!! I want wish everyone a Happy 4 th ! Thanks to all our Service Men/Women for all they do so we can have fun here !Great Job & God Bless !!

Well done, Marc...seems like it'll only get worse up there before it gets better..u fellas be safe, I'm coming soon for some of that deep water mark 'em/smash 'em action..

there are stumps on fork? didnt know that

Is the resident stump that y'all are referring to the one out in the middle by itself just south of ray branch, marked?

Thank you very much Marc....I will be leaving in 4 hours to fish.

I will be marking these as I leave the ramp.

Really appreciate your help...I have a little problem with hitting stumps!!

Yes that is the resident stump. Seems like even when the lake is full it shows itself just about the same it is now. If any of you are cutting across to the south from Little Caney or running down that south side be very careful lots of them are just under the surface. If it scares a veteran of Lake Fork it should scare you to. Be Safe and have a Happy 4 th.

Are these stumps in the boat lane? Are there stumps in the boat lane???

No

That's the one I have.

I read this Friday....and then went to Grimes!!! Wowzer....seriously, do not head back to the boat lane from Grimes and head any kind of north...its a mine field!

With the lake being this low. If you have Vicks boat lanes on the locator.Are there any hazzards,to be on the look for? Thanks

Yes! The main boat lanes indicated by the boatlanes chip SHOULD be good. But the secondary lanes may not be now. The boatlanes waypoints are very good, and I've never hit anything running them at full pool or a little low. But I'm not sure they're going to be a safe route at this water level. Best bet, if you're not sure - idle.

I tied my orange buoy marker to the one stump in little mustang, rt by mustang
Landing. The stump is about 20' from a lane buoy.

I did not see that stump last weekend and now it is 10" out of the water.

New stumps popping up daily. Be careful no matter where you run. I hit one a few years ago when it was low right in front of Taylor branch about 15 ft from the bouy. I have not seen that one yet but it has to be just under the surface.

Are Lance Vick's boat lanes more accurate than the buoys in the main lake? In some cases his lines are pretty far outside of where the buoys are. Just wondering if we should be hugging his lines tight or following the buoys?

I've been wanting to know this for a while, too.

Hug the buoys or LV's boat lanes???

With the lake Fork this low boat insurance is going to come more in to play that common sense and accuracy of chips, buoys and GPS. Life jackets and kill switches should be worn while on plane at all times.

I normally split the difference...I dont know if this is a good thing or bad thing..

None of the tools are gonna be safe with the lake as low as it is. ive found several (new) stumps, in my trails, that wasn't there before. Best bet if you arent sure idle it!

I guess I don't know the history of these boat lanes that are marked with bouys.

Were these lanes clear cut before the lake was filled? Does SRA ever monitor the purported movement of said buoys?

Watch out for the stumps in the mouth of the boat lane at Chaney point. There is a hand full on the way in rite before you get to the tree marked with the five gallon paint bucket lid.

Yea Tx Rig,The one I passed yesterday had some perty good battle scars on it.

Fork is not near as bad as it was just a few years back ,with the water level low as it is I am sure a lot of stumps are showing up add the high winds we have had and a lot have floated and gotten hung in new areas.
I fished it for a few years and one place I knew was clean,one sat morning ran to it and just barely above the surface was a stump. I tied onto it to pull it out of the way and it would not budge,it was hung or stuck somehow. It had floated from somewhere else. It is now gone again

Heading from the main boat lane to Lke Fork Marina using boat lane chip there is a stump(barely under water) almost directly in the boat lane. The stump is juat north of the stump that Marc or someone marked with a piece of PVC pipe. Yesterday morning at daylight I was idling from main boat lane towards Lake Fork Marina using boatlane chip and rolled over the stump. Will post exact coordinates shortly.

Hey guys I know it is getting crazy out there with all the stumps so be careful. My customer and I watched a guy run through the mine field yesterday that I had posted on the stumps locations and there is about 4 more new ones. I do not know how he did not hit one with some many being just under the surface. Living right I guess ! Anyhow I did see a new stump yesterday on the East side going up running creek boat lane just out in front of Pincher cove just in the boat run so be careful there as well.These boat run are not cut very wide so hug the bouys.

Marc,
Thanks for the heads-up!
Yesterday I saw a guy haulin the mail down a secondary boat lane that runs from the Lake Fork Marina area back to Williams and Mustang (stick-ups all around) - I say "secondary" because it is one of boat lanes that is not buoy marked.
Everybody all looked at him the same - "I sure hope he knows where he is going?"

I hit stumps when the water is high and i hit stumps when the water is low. If you fish lake fork you will hit lumber! I did find the stump that t1h2 is talking about just north of the marked hump but could not find it when i turned around to look for it. I was actually about 75 yards north of the pvc marker. The good thing was no damage this time, steve has allready fixed my prop 3 times this year. Just make sure your insurance is payed up and enjoy the fishing it has been great. I will try and mark that stump next time and post it up.

This is coming out of chaney point. It's sitting about 5 inches below the water right now. Nice little insurance claim waiting to happen.

N 32°48.050'
W 095°33.020'

bump for the stump!

Thanks! I'll be in that area next Sat night...

Thanks!

There is also one right in the boat lane going into running creek, I quit running that spot

Check your waypoint. I plugged those numbers into my Navionics PC app and it put me south of the dam.
Thanks

Correction, I typed it in wrong. Sorry

That's the second time I've heard that one.. I was up there the other day. Any more info on approx where that is?

it's dangerous to run there too

Hey all,

A suggestion.

It is VERY easy to share these hazardous locations with the Navionics Mobile application on the iPhone. Just touch the screen at the position of the stump and select "add object". I would use the "bottom obstruction" choice from the "Rock Wreck Obstruction" category. In the "name" field, enter "stump".

This information is instantly shared with EVERY other mobile user (it shows on their map within minutes). There is no easier way to share this data in real time on an accurate chart!

This one is already showing in the application. You guys are Waaaaay ahead of me!

It was actually added today at 11:30 am-TODAY!

Jeff I added that from my PC app. That's pretty cool.

Yah! It sure is! Youir stump is now marked on every users map

I saw the one heading to Running Creek last weekend. I believe the location is
32° 55.677N
95° 30.764W

The lake is officially 5' low as of this weekend. There will be more stumps popping up than ever before. You all know how dangerous this lake can be when it’s full. Anyone one who’s new to the lake should read this post before heading out on the water. Be careful out there, make sure your insurance is current, and wear your life jacket.

Lance Vick just texted this one to me. Not sure on location but I think it's in the west side guide run. I'll post up where it is when he text's me back, but here are the coordinates.

N 32 deg. 51.171'
W 095 deg. 36.794'

Ok guys, just got more info from Lance. This stump is in the MIDDLE of the west side guide run where it necks down just before Big Mustang, headed south from Lake Fork Marina. That's always been the hairiest run for me on Fork in rough water, and it just got a lot more dangerous. The stump is one foot below the surface and medium sized. Plenty big enough to do some serious damage. Plus there's no room for error in that little chute, anyway. Be careful out there.

Thanks Lance! You just saved someone a lot of heartache!

Hey Jeff is there any way of updating the HD map for Lake Fork on the PC program?

There will be shortly. I'm trying to pin down when the PC and Mobile apps will get the data and how it will be delivered.

There is a visible stump on the right edge of the boat lane going into Williams just past the second buoy but what you can't see just under the surface before you get to it are large stumps they are between the visible one and the buoy. These are about twenty feet from a line between the buoys and large enough to knock your motor off, I was going slow and hit them and got stuck on top.
You need to run on the left side of the buoy.

I'll be there Weds brokenjeep and will post coordinates of those. Unless you happen to have them?

brokenjeep, can you explain the "second buoy"? Second buoy from what? From the split (Williams/Little Mustang)?
I assume you are talking about the north edge because you said "going into" Williams.
I hit a stump in that area a couple of months ago, but never saw it.

Sorry about that, I mean the second Buoy from the intersection or split going in to Williams just out from the point of the island.

Is it still an island? Once you hit the main lake and head north there is a scary stump field just to the east. Get off the buoys a little and you are toast. I remember running the area in the 80s before the buoys went up and always hated it.

Here's the coords on the williams boat lane stump:
32 50' 33.1"
95 36' 44.9"


there's another visible stump in the lake fork marina cut that's in the area of those Jason Hoffman posted. coords are
32 52' 23.8"
95 37' 00.7"

the boatlane crossing Dale Hump is nearly on dry land. discovered that little detail at 0300 this morning

I thought about making a new thread, but I figured id add here. There is a small stump INSIDE THE MARKED SRA BOAT LANE now. I market a way-point but I don't have coordinates from the unit yet. It's exactly in the middle of the MARKED BUOY BOAT LANE. its between the 4th and 5th boys heading North from the 154 east bridge...just north of Minnow Bucket marina. Please be careful. This stump has to have hurt a few boats and they dont even know it yet.

Don't hit it.

it helps to know where it is! "inside the marked boat lane" covers quite a bit of area...

"between the 4th and 5th buoys heading North from the 154 east bridge". Just count one-buoy, two-buoy, three-buoy, four-bouy, pucker-up, five-buoy.

And seriously, I think there is a SRA buoy missing there. How I don't know, but I remember more of a slow curve for the lane there. And there must be 2-3 hundred yards between these two buoys now. Will call SRA Monday.

Not sure if you're just trying to be a smart [censored] troll, but I'm trying to make a helpful contribution to this thread to people can avoid headache and spend more time fishing.

Little Gazoo: If you played connect the dots with the buoys you'd run right over it. It looked equidistant between the buoys. Its sticking up about 2" out of the water now, and its about 2-3" in diameter, so its a tiny little bastard.

I went by a couple of weeks ago and the first thing I said was OH SHI# there is a bouy missing.

Is there a standard color for buoys that mark stumps? Any good suggestions on how us fisherman can mark them ourselves?

please, please do not mark stumps with re-bar, or anything metal..


If you must mark them ,tie a plastic bottle/jug to it with braided fishin line .
as the lake comes up they will go away , however the rebar will remain...
idle over a stump , no problem , idle over rebar .......OUCH

I wandered just how many stumps out on Fork are marked with re-bar. I've heard stories of them but have never seen one myself. Might be a good idea if there are any marked like that to make them known also with GPS coordinates.

SRA told me that they earlier moved a bouy in that area to maintain a clean boat lane. SRA is going to investigate the bouys in this area.

There are plenty of them. Do not do this!!!!!!! I will have to spend a couple of grand to fix my boat from one this spring. Use pvc. It shows up better and will not scratch the hell out of your boat. eEvery time is see a piece of re-bar sticking out of a stump, i just want to find the guy and slap the [censored] out of him for doing it.

There's a large stump on the right, just off the main boat lane going into Dale Creek that has a piece of rebar sticking out of it.

I just recently downloaded the navionics app on my iphone and saw the comments and pictures on the previous page. I don't really understand how yall say if someone enters in coordinates that it shows on every other persons map. So these stumps should be showing on mine or do I still have to enter the coordinates in to mark them. Could someone please explain a little more in depth about this sorry I'm just not real sure how to use the app I just got it. Thanks

The GPS coordinates are N32 51.677 W095 31.229.

Talked to SRA about this one earlier and they "might" have relocated one of the bouys as it now seems about 15-20yds west of the boatlane. Sorry that I could not mark it, it is visible.
Bad news is the 4th/5th bouys here are about 250 yards apart, so be careful and not error to the west.

Be real bad there at night!

Thanks!

SRA was on Fork today working on buoys.

They added an extra buoy between the 4th and 5th buoys running north from 154 bridge. Actually think they replaced a missing buoy. The boat lane rounds the curve now and that stump at N 32 51.677 W095 31.299 is not close now.

Genius! ...

seems like the GW's should be out marking stumps.

Way cool since we'll be going right by there tomorrow!

Really?

just the one's in the boat lanes, not the whole dang lake.

Someone posted above that they had never seen a stump out there with rebar stuck in it.

Bumped a stump with my motor today, right in the main west fork boat lane, just N of the junction with the cross-over lane leading to Little Mustang. The water is 37 ft. deep here, so it must be a big tree. I was on plane and didn't get the exact coordinates, so I won't post them. Fortunately, I did not do any damage to my prop or motor. Be careful out there!

I've been lucky enough not to, I'm just thinking if folks know here these are, might be good to add to the list.

While on the Stump Alert. How about the Boat Ramp Alert. Do you know how many are closed now?

Watch out running out of Little Mustang since there is one stump about ten feet from a bouy and another bouy has two stumps one small and one big that are really close, these are the third and fourth bouys from Mustang resort ramp. All of them have bottles on them.

Hey Evan, you loadin all this down for us ???

I fished Fork before it filled. A good number of the trees were still green and a lot had leaves. Right where the main boat lane does the double bend north of the Mustang was real tight. It was the hardest area to get through cleanly back then. There is a huge stump field still just to the east not far off the lane.