Good advice...but it isn't nworth the trouble.

Actually, I am thinking of the spillway with the no trespassing signs. The outlet goes through a golf course.

Being Worth the trouble is a individual decision
if you choose not to fish that is you. As far as being on the water more than any body else, I average over 100 days a year on Grapevine and have fished It since 1980. If a ramp is open it is your opportunity to fish you can't catch anything sitting at home. Understanding limited parking can be a pain but everyone has a different idea of the worth of doing what we love to do. Unless it's to dangerous to be on the water or access is totally closed I'm on the lake or standing on the bank fishing.

I stand corrected. As you can see...I am pretty grumpy about being shut off my favorite make for so long. I still think the catch rate is going to pretty low.

Brian is right. Trespassing that spot will get you a $175 ticket. Trust me, been ticketed there before. I have fished every floodgate in north Texas and most now have restricted areas. The best spots are usually restricted. You can still catch occasionally but with high water it is almost always a waste of time especially this time of year when a lot of fish are moving up the streams. Now creek fishing is another story. The secondary feeder creeks that feed Denton creek can be great fishing if you don't mind doing a lot of walking and exploring to find them. The fish stack up in and are easily caught. You can fish lewisville floodgate as it is open. You have to pay to fish there but it can b great fishing if you know how to fish floodgates. I always fished for flatheads there before I got a boat. PM me if you wanna know how to fish for big flatheads at lewisville floodgate. PS. The feeder creeks I'm talking about are closer to where the creeks cross 35w. East of 35 there is a municipal airport on 407. We fish behind that airport on foot.

The worst part is they do it even when it isn't flooded. That reminds me of a story. About 5 years ago I was pulling into a gas station and I saw a group of about 3 or 4 boys pushing their bikes out of a creek channel. They couldn't have been more than 10 - 12 years old. All of a sudden a police officer turns his lights on pulls a U-turn in the middle of a busy road and flags the kids over. As I am pumping my gas I hear him lecturing them about trespassing on city property. I was thinking about all the time I spent catching minnows in the creek near my house. I think most of us would constantly be in trouble if we grew up in modern times.

You are relative newcomer then. I lived on GV for 13 years and started fishing it in 1963 when my family moved here to the area. Seen a lot of changes out there over the years. Saw my first wild alligator in Marshall creek while wade fishing for crappie back in the mid 70's. I've seen the lake come and go as a fishery. I used to share a boat house with some people back in McPherson slough in the 70's. I haven't been below the dam in many years but I used to have permission to go in on Cross Creek ranch and fish the creek about a mile downstream from the dam. Ranch foreman was a good friend of mine. Doesn't surprise me that there is no longer access since the golf course came about. For that matter most of the lake has restricted access now with all the development. When the water is high and running muddy there are places to fish Denton Creek all the way to Hwy 380 NE of Decatur, Hwy 377, Hwy 35, Hwy 156 bridges. Caught several flatheads out of Denton creek by the old Aero Valley airport fm338 bridge(washed out several years ago) and at the mouth of Elizabeth creek and Denton Creeks. I highly doubt there is anybody on here that has spent any more time on GV than I have although not much in the last few years.

Hell, I was ticketed back then when you could get away with anything. If it said restricted I was fishing it. Me and my buddy were on a first name basis with the game wardens at the best floodgates because we had been busted so many times. If you have ever fished the floodgates below tawakoni or possum kingdom u know what I am talking about. Both those floodgates are insanely good if u can get up in those restricted areas...striper are stacked in there like matchsticks...world class. Don't try it....u WILL get busted these days 100% of the time...for the price of that ticket you can hire a guide.

I guess you can no longer park under the bridge on old hwy 121 and walk up elm fork to the old railroad bridge columns below Lewisville dam? I used to love that place for spring crappie.

Would that be the old Aero Valley airport on FM338? The last time I was by there (about 10 years ago) they had closed the road off on the south side from 114 and the only way in was from the north side off of 407 and having to drive across the airport runway road. There was a really good rock hole down from the bridge bout 1/4 mile.

If someone is looking to fish below a dam then RayBob has the setup. Better get there early. Every time I go up I see cars down there before daylight. I heard it's been hot all year.

We should have a friendly TFF tournament once Gvine gets somewhat back to normal. Maybe an evening tournament. I say two men teams...two fish. Rod and real only. Something cheap...More about bragging rights than price money.

Sounds like a plan.

I was gonna say to you other GV regulars that we should get an email list up and going... we could team up if we happen to be out at the same time. If ya'll have VHF radio communicating would be a cinch! Could make for honing in on the fish that much easier.

Silver Lake Fishing Barge.
In the summer of 1963 I landed my first summer job. I was 16 years old and needed some money to spend on girls and such so I found an add for help wanted and got the job running the snack bar on Silver Lake Fishing Barge cooking hamburgers and breakfast orders etc. for the all niter fishing customers. There were no boat slips then, only the barge with both indoor and outdoor fishing. Almost bit off more than I could chew since it was a 24/7 job and I just stayed out there all the time. Had me a cot to sleep on and people would just wake me up if they needed something. An old gentleman named Mr. Roberts ran the bait end and rented out little aluminum jon boats with 2 hp motors for people that wanted to go out in the lake to fish. As you can imagine I had lots of spare time so I would catch perch for Mr Roberts to sell and bait his trotline which he had tied to the end of the barge and run up into the end of the cove toward the old stock tank dam. About once a week he would catch a big yellow cat and keep it tied off to the barge for people to see. I ain't saying he ever sold any of them big fish but they always seemed to disappear after a few days. I saw a lot of fish pulled out of the water that summer and a lot of people come and go. Often wondered why the women would squeal so much when they caught even a tiny little fish.
Business was good specially on the weekends and I made enough money with tips and salary to buy my first car, a yellow 1955 Mercury Montclair 2 door hardtop with fender skirts. Me and that old car continued our education after that summer when I went back to school for my senior year and I was a hot commodity with the girls because I had a car to drive to school among other things:)
I have a lot of good memories from that old lake and if it ever opens up again I hope to make a few more.