I'm sure someone has asked this before so I'm sorry for the repeat but I couldn't find it. I have never been to Ray Roberts but heard it was a stump field. Do they have boat lanes, and if so does anyone make a boat lane chip? Again sorry for the possible repeat I just don't want to buy a new lower unit. Thank you all in advance for any and all help.

No such thing brother....The lake filled up quicker then expected. My advice, take a good guide and get a hand held GPS and make some trails. or just idle around once you get past wolf island.

There are several good guides out there on Roberts and look for the ones with some seniority for sure.

but you can follow the locals....

I hired a guide for the day and had him mark the paths/lanes he knew. We fished out of my boat that day so It`s on my graph.

Sorry Chris, I thought there was one.

Thank you , I think I will do that!

I did that a couple of years ago. I watched a guy come from the back of a major creek on pad thru the trees out to the main lake and beyond. I wanted to learn that route, hired a seasoned guide only to find out he ran the same way I did and idled thru the same areas. since he had no clue how the other guy ran the opposite bank he offered to show me the route to the back of one of the other major creeks. we charted it on my trails, then a week later i am running it but got off by a few feet on a wide curve. hit a stump and caused 3500 dollars worth of repairs.

I do not go in that creek anymore.

He didn`t promise that I wouldn`t hit anything, but he said that`s the trails he ran. So far I haven`t hit anything, but I did idle through an area he ran through and I bumped a stump off pad. Bottom line is if you run north of Wolf Island your taking a chance.

And if you do it enough you will hit one. We all have.

I saw a guy today running all through the submerged trees I just finished fishing. No idea how he didn't hit one.

I've been fishing Ray Rob my entire life, and there's some areas I won't run. It was a lot easier 10 years ago for sure. Now I figure it is just instinct and luck.

Mostly luck

We didn't have GPS when my dad taught me the lake, and none of the landmarks exist anymore, so you're probably right, mostly luck.

Bill is right. Most of the landmarks doesn't exist anymore or have changed. I only run and gun only if I am sure of the area. A lot of times, I know there are stumps in the area but could not accurately pinpoint it, so I will just go slow. The memories (or lack of)I have on the lake scares me. Put a gash in my tin boat once hitting a stump and a friend who was following me bent a prop shaft doing that in Indian Creek. All the standing timber from 20+ years ago are gone or look different now. I should have taken pictures of the lake when they have the drawdown to fix the dam several years ago. Been fishing Ray Bob since '86 before the lake was full. Used to be a barricade at what is now sanger marina, but the water is probably 1/4 mile away. We just motorcycle to the bank. Who all remember when Buck Creek was the only boat ramp and we have to park all the way to 377? Good old times. So the boat lane chip is my memory, but sadly not very good these days.

The water is down a bit on RayRob like it is on most lakes right now and what a difference it makes... It reminds me of running the flats down in the gulf where being off track 2 feet can be the difference between clear sailing and looking for a tow back in... I would say "better safe than sorry" in a lot of the areas and just take it slow. Some of the turns running north in Indian have some stumps at skeg level that I never knew were there before!!! I get a kick out sayin "the water is dropping ya better look out" and then a few months later sayin "the water is rising ya better look out"... Long and short of it is, "ya better look out"!

Fish Sanger side no trees.miles & miles of open water.

where is this sanger side you speak of?