Andrew,,,, you know what happens when you assume !!!!
go back and read my original post.,,,,,,,, I just want a new place to fish in Nov & December besides Fork. Never fished SR, but just wanted to.
But I didn't want to just "launch my boat and ride around" ,,,,, as a retired man my money is too precious to spend on $3.00 a gallon fuel to just ride around. AND,,, if you had no real comment to say here,,,, why did you ?

Jerrel/Z521,,,,Now for the your long ranting post,,,,,,,that is just so wrong on so many levels I had to laugh.
to address everyone would take forever,,,,,but lets just say that to put your idealistic take on "fishing" on everyone else is pathatic. How can you possible know what is gratifying and what satisfaction someone else gets out of their "fishing" activity ? That post is such a one sided personal justification of what you do and how you do it. & please don't call "yourself" a fisherman. Fishermen help others and I have had plenty of them respond to me in PMs and emails. I won't have to go "ride around" and fish dead water that looks fishy thanks to them.

Now,,,, Have a Nice Day

Let me start off by saying, I think you enjoy posting on here to provoke an argument more than you actually enjoy fishing.

If you are that worried about that $3 gas, then maybe you should stay in your area. If you can't afford to spend an extra $40-50 riding around a new lake while simply enjoying God's gift to us, then you prolly don't need to be spending the money on fuel to drive down, renting a hotel room or buying those new lures that people have PM'd you about telling you they are biting...LOL. Fishing, especially when fishing for fun, should be as much about the "chase" as it is about the catch. Like Jerrel said, I would think you'd get more satisfaction from finding your own fish than having someone tell you where to go, but maybe not. Some are just wired different.

I don't do much posting but the guys that get on a website and "prefish" or call up a dozen guides on a lake to try and get pointed in the right direction have a really shallow view of bass fishing. What satisfaction do you get out of using someone else's ideas or locations?

Some of the comments here are pretty ridiculous.
I don't fish tournaments but have been bass fishing for many years. I have no problem sharing information and I do as much research as possible before I hitch up the trailer and head to the lake. I like to increase my chances of success. Nutman, you're welcome in my boat any day. Rayburn can be tough at times and I don't fish it but once or twice a year, so like you, before I go, I update Navionics, I narrow my starting points to areas of the lake, I check reports, both guide reports and weekend angler reports, I check the weather, seasonal patterns etc.
Even with all that information, I don't limit out on every trip...but I have fun.

If you're fishing on the South end, I would start in Sandy Creek in the back of Buck Bay, hit Pigeon Roost Creek, and Five Fingers. I would think that the shad are probably about 1/2 way up in those places. North: Harvey Creek, Julie Creek, Pophers Creek. Good luck...have fun.

I don't care either way you want to look at it.....if you don't want to share a tip why not just stfu? My personal opinion is some of you jersey boys are the kids that never hit a homerun or scored a TD.....take that ish way too serious!!

I guess the difference here is attitude. I have never went to a lake and been afraid of getting skunked. That never crosses my mind. I always think I can catch fish.

As far as your comment of "anyone who thinks just because I or anyone else may get some tips on the web that I somehow am abusing the sport or am less of a fisherman" doesn't even make sense. Never once did I bash anyone for asking or tell others to not give y'all info. Y'all expect to get tons of information about Rayburn and asking for it on a public forum, and it just doesn't happen. Then you get all butt hurt about it. And don't give me the [censored] about "Well, that's what fishermen do...they are nice people and give out free information". No...fishermen spend countless hours on the lake finding their own fish and then protect those fish by not making their hard earned spots public knowledge.

I can assure you of one thing - if I came to Fork, I wouldn't expect anyone to tell me about what they've learned while on the water. I think many of you guys see the guides' posts from Fork and take for granted that Rayburn should have public info like Fork. Rayburn guides don't have to be so aggressive getting business, therefore they don't have to post reports on here.

call up a hotel close to where I am going to fish.