Fouz, I did my first TV show with Barry Stokes in about 1988 on Ray Roberts and Randy was the guide Barry used to show us around. It was my first year in the boat business at 23 years old, and the lake had only been open to boats with motors for a year or so. I remember that the lake was higher than they expected it to be and their weren't any boat ramps. Randy took us to some guy's pasture on the Sanger side and we launched from there and had to use the trolling motor over to a cattle gate and open it to troll through to the lake.
Randy did a great job of putting us on fish that summer day as we fished Wolf island and the railroad bed. Everything on the lake in 5 feet of water or less was still green. I bet we caught 150 bass that day on Jawtech craw worms.


Man I'm old now....

Cool story, Jeff. I fished it in the early days with Randy a bunch.

whatsaweighin, I dunno when I've laughed so hard! That is priceless.

That was 1990, the first year the lake was open. The water got so high it was over the railroad bridge and Hwy 377. We had been unloading off a road bed up in Elm Creek, but the water got so high you couldn't get under the 922 bridge. That farmer got wise, and started charging people to unload in his back yard. Good ole days, Wilcox was the man.

Your right! It was 1990.... Man that was some crazy good times.

Heavy Bill has a great story about the year prior to that when you couldn't be on the lake with any kind of motorized power. He won't mind me telling it:

He was guiding out of a row boat back then (because of no motor law) and rowing customers around the lake. The game warden got wind of it and found him out on the lake (which was legal), but pizzed at where he was.... out by Wolf Island! Now anyone knows that the boat run from Buck Creek bridge to Wolf ain't no small journey, so the game warden ask Bill where his motor went. Bill said "I don't have a motor." So he explained to him its illegal to have even an electric trolling motor on the lake. Bill again replied "Officer, I DO NOT HAVE ANY MOTOR AT ALL."
The Warden started his boat, backed away and snarled "I hope throwing a battery and trolling motor overboard was worth it."
Haha... I bet that Game Warden still believes to this day that No WAY Bill Wilcox rowed all that distance. But he doesn't know the Iron Man of fishing😎

I fished with Bill the day the lake opened to boats with motors. January 1, 1990. We went as far up Elm Creek as you could go till the boat wouldn't break the ice. Man, it was cold that day, and me with a hangover.