Thinking of making a trip in late March to Rayburn. Never been before and just looking for some general ideas on the lake.
How is the lake to navigate on? is it littered with standing timber like Lake fork? I have been to fork before and I did have the Lance Vick boat lanes chip so we didnt have any issues. But have no clue how Rayburn is.
I would assume with the size of the lake it can get pretty rough if the wind kicks up?
In doing some reading I see it has a ton of Grass. Is it mainly Hydrilla?

is there a particular area of the lake that is normally better over the other?
My wife will be with me and loves to fish also so would love to see her able to catch quite a few fish as she dosent get to go as much as I do.

and what are some places around that are a must do? Places to eat, Tackle shops etc.
I know going to the stump is going to be a must for me. But im also a tackle junkie so love to visit local tackle shops.

Tackle Addict on the south end is a must. They are totally stocked up and they can help you with your other questions.

There are no marked lanes on the lake. Take a look at navigational breakdowns on YouTube from Ken Smith, Clark Rheem and others. I've only been twice (5-6 fishing days), but it is a nice lake to fish, lots of variety. The grass is thick in places and several varieties of native and invasive species: Hydrilla, Coontail, Pondweed, pads, hay grass, salvinia, and hyacinth.

Lance Vick has a Boatlanes for Rayburn, it matches up well with Ken Smith's videos and waypoints. One thing to note, on Rayburn it is not typical "boatlanes", it is areas that the timber was left in place. And right now with the lake over 6 feet low, there are some stumps showing up.

Where to fish depends a lot on how far you want to run. Launching at Cassel Boykins gives you a lot to fish in that area.

Good luck and have fun!

Since it will be our first trip down there, my thought was to stay in the Massy side arm of the lake.
In watching some of Ken Smiths videos he said it is less wooded timber to navigate.
any thoughts on that.

Luke I am shooting you a pm with my phone number if you want to talk about what's safe right now.

Ken

I would stay "mid-lake" which is basically the Zavalla area. This will allow you to wander up the lake if you want or down the lake. It will also give you options if the wind comes up out of any direction. If you tend to stay on the south end (Brookeland) then with a north wind you will have to drive quite a little ways to be able to launch and get out of the wind. Mid-lake you'll have lots of options. There are a couple of tackle stores in Zavalla plus Tackle Addict on the south end. Now when it comes to fancy eating joints, you'll be pretty limited around Zavalla. Carlene's in Zavalla is good and their seafood buffet on Friday and Saturday night is really good. You have the Dairy Mart in Broaddus which is only 10 minutes or so. You're only 30 minutes from Lufkin which will have basically anything you want to eat. 30 minutes in the other direction you can be on the south end and eat at The Stump or at The Country Club in Rayburn Country (plenty nice to have a dress up night with your wife).

As far as fishing, find some grass and throw a red trap. That's always the go to once the water gets below 50 degrees. An A-rig should produce as well.

Spend the money and get Lance Vick's Boat Lanes chip. It will save you a lot of time because you'll have confidence in where you are running. The main thing to avoid mid-lake is the Amber Forest and the Black Forest. Both of these are outlined perfectly on Lance's chip. Of course, with the lake being almost 6' low, pay attention to your graph and be careful anywhere it shows 7-8' or less.

Last thing I'll say....if you're looking for a good all around ramp to launch at, go to Caney Creek. It's protected from all winds except a SE wind. Plenty of area to fish and never burn a gallon of fuel. Navigation of the main lake in that area is easy.

This is as good of information as you can get ^^^^^^^^

Another good place to launch is five fingers ramp. Lots of protected water to fish.

The only bad part is if you arent on that side of the lake its a 30 minute drive at least to get there and its usually packed if the wind is blowing. Lately it gets so crowded that you may get blocked in or have to park on the narrow road in and ive seen people having to park on the main road out there. If at all possible i go to rayburn park if im over that way

Headed to Rayburn to prefish for BFL- question......................with all the rain the last 10 days or so- why hasn't the Rayburn lake level come up more than it shows - are they generating? Thanks all for any updates.

It is on the rise. Close to 6" so far. It is a big lake Nd it takes a while for the water to make it down rivers. This slow rise is better for the grass...

I was running in safe water 55 feet deep 2 miles from the dam and clipped something and cut off a blade of my fury. No other damage. Just 4 inches of tip. Heh

You got that right.

He knows, and is too humble to share pics… lol.

Good lawd he and his lady have freaking wrecked em on Rayburn.

All great information! One of the absolute best pieces of advice I can give you as well is to plan your days accordingly to the forecasted wind and direction AND if you are in an area where there aren't many boats... you are in the wrong area. I wouldn't look more than 15' deep that time of year and when in doubt, pick up a senko.

If you are interested in a guide while you are here, I have some days available during that time as well as a house outside of Zavalla that I rent if you are needing a place to stay.