Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report

I was so anxious to get out fishing with my wife Sunday morning that I woke up a five in the morning, loaded the boat up, hitched the boat to the truck, went to the gas station for fuel, and headed to the launch, before I realized that she wasn't in the vehicle with me (that's how pumped I was about the cool Fall weather we were experiencing). Anyway, I went back to house, picked her up, and headed to the Rockwall boat launch on Lake Ray Hubbard off of highway 66. I hadn't been on the lake for awhile because of the oppressive heat and I knew the lake was low, but I didn't realize how low. When we pulled up to the ramp, I could see that the water was approximately five feet below the pier. My wife backed the boat in and I somehow managed to start the engine in less that one foot of water (you will need to have the trim pulled almost completely up to avoid hitting the bottom). After she got in the boat, I trudged through about fifty yards of mud before I was able to drop the engine and plane out the boat. I would suggest not using this ramp until the lake fills up.

This minor obstacle did little to dampen my spirits on a beautiful sun filled sixty-five degree morning. Heading south I passed under the I-30 viaduct in search of schooling sand bass/hybrids. I thought that the change in weather might spur a feed frenzy, but I was wrong. I checked my usual hot spots (Robertson Park, the power plant, Rush creek, and the area south of the Heath boat ramp), and could not find any surface activity. (By the way, the Heath boat ramp is closed because of the low water). We caught a couple of sandies and a nice four pound hybrid off the rip-rap at the entrance of Rush Creek, but that was it. The water temperature was at eighty-three and is still a bit to warm for good fishing.

Once the lake fills up and the temperature of the water drops, the largemouth bass fishing should be excellent. There is plenty of foliage and vegetation growing in the dry areas that are usually covered by water, and once the lake fills, these areas will offer great cover for the bass population.

When the fishing is dead at Lake Ray Hubbard, there are alternatives. One of which is the patio at Primos for chips and a few beers. Don't let the slow fishing get to you (better days are coming).