Dallas mornig news fishing report

I may be off base a little here, but this is my gripe, my $.02, my problem. And you would all agree we all are free to express our opinions. Right?

But this being the DALLAS morning news, you would think there would be some report on a lake within the area reported on. I know, some would say Texoma, and Whitney, are area lakes. And I would agree that they do fall in there somewhere. But my point is, most guys around here, with the exception of some, can only get away to a nearby body of water. With that said, I, me, my, self, thinks that at least one of the local lakes should have some more info written about it. Examples would be the obvious, Ray Roberts, Ray Hubbard, Lavon, Joe Pool, Just to name 4.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are 3 Dallasites that plan to rush to Caddo this weekend, and I'll bet there is a plethora of folks headed to Houston county for sure. I mean since they are both right there in our own back yard and all.
Again, I'm sure that everyone here is a very dear friend of Luke Clayton, But I, me, self, think he misses the boat quite often, leaving me, myself and I, Frustrated almost every Thursday.

This is my Mantra today. No Offense to anyone who, he made happy this morning.

You are right, let me give you one better than that. Amon Carter is not even listed on the Parks and Wildlife page.

BassinFool,

I'm not sure which page you're referring to, but Amon Carter is listed here: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/lakes/agcarter/lake_id.htm

To find it, open the TP&W site, click on Fishing, then on Lakes, then Region 2, it's listed alphabetically.

Kelly

Edited comments: I just realized what you meant, and you're right, it's not on the fishing reports page! I guess no one is guiding up their regularly enough to provide weekly info. You'd think one of the launches or stores would do so.

[This message has been edited by Kelly Denham (edited 09-11-2003).]

Write the man an e-mail.I beleive his e-mail address is listed.
I gave up on the Thursday fishing report a long time ago.

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The best thing to do with a fishing report, especially the Dallas news report is to take it to the bathroom with you, if you know what I mean. The key is to get out there and find em yourself

I don't use the report to find fish...But there are 3 million people in this area, that with a little good info on area lakes, could be encouraged to get out and fish. This would generate more license buying, thus possibly keep fees down. Not to mention sell more tackle, put more money in guides pockets, etc,etc.

My point is that the report, while I do read it in the bathroom, leaves the novice thinking that it's almost worthless to go fishing his weekend, because the fish are biting on lakes that he can't get out to. Remember, this is the DALLAS morning news, not the Houston Chronicle, or the Shreveport whatever rag. You think the houston Chronicle writes about Ray Hubbard Sand bass hitting topwater today? Or the Shreveport whatever rag writes about the crappie on Brush at Roy Bob? Emailing the Dallas morning News is like brushing teeth ya don't have!

In the past I couldn't wait to read the fishing reports. How times change things. Now I realize that things change so rapidly that what worked yesterday doesn't mean squat today. I also finally got to know some of the people through the years that gave the reports in papers and magazines and some of them had fished the lakes so much through the years that even if they hadn't been on the lake they pretty much knew what worked that time of year and on what part of the lake.
Now sometimes I use those reports to figure what lakes to avoid because a lot of inexpierenced anglers will see a hot lake report and flock to that lake and then wonder what happened if they don't sack them up. They don't realize that sometimes that report may be days old.
The best reports I have seen are some of the guides reports on this forum because the guys are giving current info with a lot of detail and seem to be giving honest info. And there is a lot of info given by regular weekend fishermen about what they are doing.
By the way I have a club tournament in a couple of weeks on Richland Chambers, a lake that kills me even though I love the lake. Anybody got any good info?

At least you guys get a report. In the communist rag called Austin American Statesman, Thursday's editions have an outdoor report. Today was about teal. Most are about hunting something you can never afford to do. Our outdoor guy goes to Africa,
some BIG ranch in S Texas, or Colorado. One or two times a year we might get an article on fishing. About five years ago, they stopped printing the fishing report all together and now have to call the papers' info line to get reports, which usually are just the TPW reports off of their page. At least you have bathroom material. Would rather read about something local (Texas) than reading about an impala taken on a guided hunt in Kenya. Guess what paper I read for outdoor info....Dallas Morning News.

I believe you can find a report on Amon Carter (as well as Lake Worth, Bridgeport, Granbury and lakes west of Dallas) in the Fort Worth Star Telegram Thursday fishing report. I was told a few years ago that the reports that appear in the Thursday Dallas Morning News are gathered from the previous week and put together on Tuesday for printing on Thursday. To me, that seems to negate almost anything in them since conditions change as often as every few hours. The only reason I check the Thursday report anymore is for the lake levels and possibly the water temperature (which, if the info is collected a week prior may not be accurate either.) I think Mr. Clayton could do a better job if he spent the day on Wednesdays on the phone gathering info from fishing barges, guides and local bait businesses for publication in the Thursday paper. Just my thoughts on this subject.

Before moving to Graham I read the Ft Worth
fishing report every thursday some times
the lake report read the same for 2 or 3
weeks, not much reporting. Now all of you
voicing your opinions on this forum have
access to a computer and this forum is a lot
better place to get any info on any lake
than a fishing report in the newspaper. I
believe these writings are far more accurate
and a lot better information and from some
great fishermen and fisherwomen pros and
amatuers alike, I hope everyone keeps
posting their results on this forum it is
great. and Thank you.

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Hooked on Hybrids

Dennis------Slabshad

slabnshad:

Me & my buds leased some land close to grahm, was wondering about the power plant lake there. Good bass fishing or what? what about ramps, it looks pretty good to me just wondering.

Thanks
Razorbass

The way to use the report is start a file.
File those babies that interest you for
about 4 or 5 years. You will start to see
patterns develop. Black drum at Galveston in
march. Red drum in the surf in sept-oct,
Top water stripers on texoma in april. Sandbass up the rivers in feb - march.
After a while you can cancel your paper
and be there first, and write you own reports. ( In many cases by the
time you read about it , it is over anyway)

About three years ago , we had a great fall
run of hybrids under the birds at Palestine.
Day after day of dependable action. This
lasted from just before thanksgiving untill
just after christmas. Then it stopped. About
mid january this action showed up in the
fishing reports, up to that time hybrids
were reported fair or slow.

Good luck MO

Just a little info on the fishing reports. Although I do not know how it works on other lakes, but my grandparents used to run the marina out of Southern Leisure on Toledo Bend. My grandfather was the resource for that lake. The first couple of years he was able to give pretty reliable info, but as the years started catching up to him and his
health started failing, he was unable to continue his love of fishing without the help
of family or friends. As he was a pretty large man, it took a large person to help him in and out of the boat. As it was, he was still the fishing resource for several years and alot of the info was not up to date. Basically from first hand experience,
I don't personally put alot of faith in the fishing report, although I would assume alot of it is reliable. I put more in the info I get from this forum than anywhere else.

WCM,

I noticed the same thing this morning. And the online edition still has the crappie fishing at Joe Pool rated as 'goof' for at least the second straight week. I've always thought trying to catch crappie at Pool a goofy pursuit, I guess that's what the paper is trying to tell us.

Before I start bashing the outdoor section of the Dallas Morning News, however, I'd like to note they are an affiliate of the Texas Fishing Forum and would like to thank them for doing whatever an affiliate does to help us.

That being said, I find the Thursday report in the Fort Worth Star Telegram to be updated more frequently. If you want to have you confidence shaken in fishing reports, just compare the two today. You would never believe they were covering the same lakes at the same time of year.

Best advice is to go to your favorite lake and fish patterns you know work for whatever time of year it is. And post the results here!

Look at it this way. You guy's work all week, come the weekend you want to get away. So no matter what the moon does, the pressure from front's, are the guide report's do or say if you ain't out there you ain't gonna catch a fish. And even if fishing ain't so good, think about settin' out there sippin' on a good cup of coffee and watching the sun come breaking through the dark. Yes the Dallas paper should put more imphases on the area around Dallas and yes it may cause a few extra bodies to hit the water if the fishing is reported as really good and the location is there also. But just think of what your missing if you only go when someone say's the time is right. Beside's those that only go then really don't contribute much money to our sport. My grandson is 6yoa and he loves fishing with his grandpa, so Bill I think what you said about your's was very nice. Skip

Well, Luke is a friend of mine - and he tries to do a good job. From his perspective, if he published a report from Rayburn rather than Roberts - he would catch flak, etc.... He tries to get as much coverage as possible and keep his guide-reporters happy. The reporters do not get paid for the report and only receive a bit of publicity and maybe a guide trip or two.

Personally, the report is only as good as the ever changing conditions. I believe it is good for trends and water temps and levels, after that, well you know that as a fisherman we are pretty much on our own when we hit the lake. Good Luck to all this weekend at Roberts and if Luke reads this - keep trying buddy, the sports page would be leaner still if Sasser didn't rely on you.

And by the way - maybe for another thread - what do you think of the DMN coverage of fishing in general? I can rememebr looking for BASS tournament results buried in columns in with the 9-10 y/o girls water volleyball scores.

W.C., you got the TFF right here. What else could ya ask for, Keep the paper in the need "paper" room

I have not read a fishing report for about 2 years. Since I found the TFF there has been no need to. The information here is much more up-to-date and accurate. I don't even bother with the TPWD reports anymore.

The problem I have found with the fishing reports is that the information is provided by guides that fish those lakes. (Now hear me out. I know a lot of those guides are on TFF, too.) Luke Clayton, and other reporters, only report on "Excellent" reports from the guides. The LMB action a guide (say Rudy Lackey) on Ray Roberts reports as "Good", just because it was slow to him, could still be better then what a quide on Fort Phantom Hill reports as "Excellent". A quide on Cedar Creek (say Billy Seaman or Steve Bradbury) may report sandbass action as "Good", or even "Poor", only because they did not limit out on 14" and up sandies but a guide on another lake might consider 20 14" and up sandies as his best day of the year.

There is just no true measurement to compare the different lakes so I just don't pay any attention to them. I come on TFF and search for reports on the lake I am thinking of fishing. If there is nothing new I just make a post asking and usually have the information within an hour or two.

Kevin

My Point Exactly!!!

I work for a central texas newspaper and I know why fishing/hunting reports or other news doesn't make it in the paper.. there ain't room.. advertising drives most papers not news content.. it's not only about news that is fit to print it's about news that fits in the space available... Newspaper is a business just like any other, we need to make money.. but as mentioned in the above posts we now have this and other forums that fill the need better and faster... I fish every time I get the chance usually three or four times a week and it's never because I read a report.. It is always fishing but not always "catching".. just do it.. get outdoors and have fun!

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I go to my in-laws several times a year in south carolina and prior to going I try and get fishing reports. The attached site is the one that I like the most just because it saves me from making a lot of phone calls to bait shops around the particular lake I will be fishing.

This link is to the specific lake I fish at usually. http://www.fishnandhuntn.com/wateree.html

Personally I like this style of fishing report. Like I said, it saves me from making a lot of phone calls when I come into town.

Local reports should be from local lakes. But that's why we this forum!

AS you will see when you read the report weekly that 2 lakes are always in there, Fork for it is the Bass Meccaa and probably 75 guides on that lake, and of course Texoma, Striper lake of the USA and probably at least 75 guides there, the other 2 lakes he writes comes from various guides including myself for Cedar Creek, which he gladly rotates around.
Like that one thread said earlier, times have changed. For example, 3-4 years ago after having a article from me On CC, would get 15-20 calls and maybe book 5-6 trips, now might get 5-6 calls and bok 2-3 trips.
There is just not enough interest in other lakes for him to write about as much as the other two.
Thank the Lord for the TFF and word of mouth!

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Billy Seaman(guide Service)