I recently moved to Frisco from Rockwall and I am struggling with how to get familiar with the lakes in the area. I have a new to me 20' bowrider, and am trying to figure out how to safely become familiar with the new boat and lakes over here. I am a fairly novice boater and honestly get intimidated going out on Lewisville as it is so busy and the few open ramps are packed. I sailed and fished on Lewisville years ago in college, but it is much different now. I checked out the new launch ramp in Little Elm today, and it was frightening busy.

All that to say, does anyone have any suggestions on where I might want to launch on Ray Roberts as I am considering heading up there to get more familiar with the boat and lake? I am also trying to find a place I could safely pull my kids on a tube and maybe drop a line for sandies. Also any pointers on Ray Roberts in general would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any advice.

My boat does have a depth finder and lakemaster chip so I can watch the depth. I do not have a trolling motor yet....soon will though. Thank you.

Ray Roberts would be safer than Lewisville as a place to learn boating skills - far less crowded & the lake level is higher. There's a couple of State parks there with good boat ramps, including courtesy docks on each lane, so you can launch & retrieve easily even if you're doing it alone.

I would probably recommend the park on the east side of the lake just off 455, as its closest to the dam and deeper water. There's an excellent post on this subforum by Capt Craig about how to launch & retrieve your boat. Take the tie to read it.

I agree with the suggestion about Ray Roberts as long as you stay south. It sounds like you have a GPS depth finder since you mentioned the lakemaster chip. Just keep in mind the lake level is very low (-8.5 FT.) and thus the depths are way off on the map. Many points and humps have very little water covering them.

Thank you both for the feedback. It does seem like for a more comfortable boating experience for a newbie, Ray Roberts may be a good choice. I was looking at Isle du Bois park on Google Earth earlier. Is this a good launch place and if I head south towards the dam am I going to be clear of any stumps or sandbars?

It seems I see a lot of posts about stump danger on RR, but I think they are always referencing northern areas of the lake.

Yes, I do have GPS on a Humminbird 386ci di. I will use the depth offset and highlight to make sure to avoid any low areas.

Also, keep in mind that those map chips are not the gospel on depth and obstructions. While they are accurate in most situations, I have seen some startling differences in mine, some potentially very dangerous in regards to depth and bottom features.

Like many of us did before all the new fangled gadgets, time on the water and patience are the key to learning any body of water; Taking it easy in unfamiliar areas, and marking dangerous spots as well as fishing spots when you find them. And as the units usually warn at start-up, they are not meant to be used as your sole form of navigation. Pay attention visually to your surroundings as you navigate. That unit could fail you while on the water, and you're going to be screwed if you rely on it 100% to find your way home in the dark. I have found a good back-up is the Navionics app on my smart phone is a good alternative, but again, one should never rely on electronics 100%. Self awareness trumps digital dependence in my book.

As an example, my base map in the new Elite7 I got this year is so far off on depth it would be laughable if not so dangerous (even considering the low lake levels). Adding the hot maps chip corrected most of the misinformation, but still left a few places with data flawed enough to create a potentially hazardous situation.

As for being intimidated at the ramps, don't be. Go to a protected ramp in the middle of a nasty/windy day. There will be little to no traffic at the ramp with bad conditions in open water, but a protected ramp will allow you some time to launch and load without being in anyone's way. Develop a routine and follow it when the ramps are busy. Only repetition and practice will get you over this hump. As with any activity, being unsure or intimidated will only make you second guess your decisions, and mistake ensue. Know your vessel, how it will react to your input, and how it's likely to react when you give it bad input. My 6yr old girl can operate my boat by herself on open water. There's no real trick to that. Low speed operation in tighter confines is another matter entirely. I'd venture to speculate that more damage is caused to boats within 100yds of a boat ramp than ever occurs out on the water.

Thanks again for the great advice. I appreciate the reminder about relying too much on the electronics. I am accustomed to sailing "speeds", so that drives my concerns and trepidation. The kids don't like sailing, so that is why we bought the runabout,but the 4.3L Mercruiser is a lot more than hp than the 5hp kicker

I am accustomed to using. The post mentioned above on launching was great and very helpful too. I did just purchase the Navionics app as a great back-up and do noy forsee any night trips in my immediate future. I know TOW is all that will solve these jitters.

Thanks again!

Is Isles du Bois a good ramp to access the south end of the lake or should I head to the wesyern ramps?

Sanger Ramp is also a good ramp that's not as popular as Isles du Bois or Jordan Park and next to the Marina.

Isles Du Bois is a good ramp, lots of lanes to get in or out of. Right on the south end of the lake by the dam where the skiers belong.

Isles Du Bois is the ramp I would recommend for you. The facilities and ramps are good and it has the best access to the dam. After you launch if you turn left / south and head towards the dam you will have good water depth with no problems. If you head straight across from the ramps to the west you will see a point that divides the east and west arms. This point is called Cates Point and it is very shallow right now.....a shallow bar goes way out into the main lake, so turn wide.

If you stay in the area from the ramp to the dam you will be in open deep water.

Thanks for all the pointers. I appreciate it and do plan to stay with the skiers for now....at least until my Motorguide xi5 comes in.

Isle du bois is the best bet.
Secure, your truck will still be where you left it.

Rudy is right. So sad to say, but that's as big as a consideration as trying to figure everything else out, protect your family, etc.. Need not be that way but it is.

I always head towards the marina to launch on the West side. If the wind is out of the North I launch at Sanger. If it's out of the South, I launch at Pond Creek Access. They are a mere 1/2 mile apart and face opposite directions. You can't lose. Unless the winds howling out of the East. Very rare occurence.

Put in at Buck Creek Ramp and go up to Indian Creek until you are about a mile above the 922 Bridge.

If you can make it there and back to Buck Creek without losing a lower unit you will have mastered Ray Roberts.


I am just joking, please do not try this!

If you put in at the Sanger ramp, do not go north before you go to the east side!!! Huge sandbar in the middle if the lake and west!!