Ray Hubbard Fishing Report | August 2013 Report

Paul Rogers
MetroplexGuideService.com
214-668-8467

Hey everybody! Its been a little while since I posted a report so I thought today would be a great day for a few words 

The lake has really been fishing well about 80% of the time. We have had a string of 7-8 great days with a slow day thrown in at the end. Water temps have been hanging around 84-88 degrees with the wind out of the south most frequently. We are just about 5ft low and LOTS of stumps are starting to show all over the place. The area around John Paul Jones Park is a mine field...go check it out. I've started seeing some of the dingers around the gravel pit area, too. Those are nasty! Yankee Creek has TONS of timber around the shore between it and Terry Park. Yall be careful around there! 

The weather man says we are losing between 1/2 and 3/4" of water a day depending on the wind...I believe it! The boat ramp at Captains Cove is just about unusable. Harbor Bay and Chandlers are still workable though. I'm not sure about either ramp at Robertson Park. 

WHEW! Thats alot of info about water levels! Bottom line: We need water and its not going to come from Lavon. They're 10ft low and dropping just as fast. 

I've also seen lots of new signs about Zebra Mussels popping up near the ramps. I haven't heard anything about them finally getting into Hubbard but they're afraid of it enough to post the signs telling you to rinse and drain your boat before going to other lakes. They're coming.....get ready. 

The early morning schooling has been about 50% consistent day to day. The common areas at Robertson Park and The Jetty have seen some great days during the week with only a few boats hovering around and we've seen some ridiculously dumb days with 25 boats sitting out there waiting. For the most part if there are more than 10 boats waiting, they're not going to come up. There is just too many boats running their motors scaring everything away. I've taken that opportunity to look for different fish all over the lake and its paid off in a BIG way. I've ran into fish inside random coves south of Chandlers to the Red Barn. Turn that side imaging WAAAAAAY up and look for fish. I've had some great luck finding them like that. 

After the early morning schooling is over (if it actually happens), I've found TONS of fish stacked on the edge of ledges near the schooling action. Twice in the last week I've left the fish schooling at RP to come back 30 minutes later when everybody has left and whacked them on a drop off. 

A little later in the morning we've had an awesome trolling bite in 11-14ft. Hellbenders with Moe's little Smitty Spoons have really worked great. Those little spoons are TOUGH and hold their paint awesome! that single hook is nice, too. Less snags and less trouble if you cross lines. 

If you get cloudy days I've been chasing fish all over deep humps suspended around the outside edges. Downwind seems to have been a little better than upwind. Birds have shown the way a few times but more often its been just a hunt. This is where being on the water EVERY DAY helps...somebody that hasnt fished in a week would have alot tougher time finding them suspended like that if they have no idea where to begin  Its a big lake with lots of water to cover and sometimes the community spots just dont hold fish. 

I've still been using the Moe's Godfather slabs in 1oz mostly. The shad the fish are chasing are around 1-1.5" and that 1oz slab matches their size perfectly. Even today we had LOADS of hybrid under the boat and they wouldnt touch a sassy shad or Kahuna spoon...they wanted that small godfather burned up. Just goes to show you how picky these things can be. 

I hope everybody enjoyed this report and gained a little information to make their hunt for a biggun a little easier. They're out there....just gotta go find em!

If anybody wants to get in on some great summertime fishing, give me a call at 214-668-8467. I'm Ray Hubbards only full-time fishing guide and can put you ON FISH. We fish out of a 2013 24ft center console boat thats super comfortable and a real cadillac on the water. See yall on the water! 

Special thanks to Matt Cartwright and Doug Arceneaux for the help on the group trip last week. The customers had a great time and so did I!

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide | Metroplex Guide Service | Mid July 2013 Update

MetroplexGuideService.com

Paul Rogers

214-668-8467

Hey everybody! The summer bite is still in full force with the temps getting hotter and hotter.  We have really been on a steady bite on Ray Hubbard so here are the specifics!

Most mornings we have started off checking a few of the common schooling locations around shallow flats.  For some reason, we just have not had the schooling action during the summer that we typically have.  Robertson Park and the jetty have had minimal schooling at best with it being VERY inconsistent.  The water temps are right where they should be to trigger their feeding frenzy but it just hasn't happened yet.  I've been fishing this lake since I was 10 years old and I don't remember it being this late into the summer without schooling fish.  I am starting to wonder if there is something with the oxygen in the water that caused a "shad kill" or something similar.  I haven't seen any evidence of dead shad but something is definitely caused them to break away from their normal pattern.

But not to worry, all is not lost with the lack of the summertime splashes.  We have found AWESOME fish stacked on deep water humps and in my opinion, they're easier and more fun to catch when you don't have 20 boats around you cutting each other off and getting in your way :) The pattern seems to be the fish stage on the upwind side of humps until later in the morning when they get right up on top to feed. We've had success drifting around and just covering water with baits to find them.  I have mostly been using live shad during these hot summer months.  Threadfin seem to be what the fish are more willing to bite.  3-5" gizzard shad just wont get you the bites a smaller 2-4" threadfin gets you.  I rig mine up with a 1oz slip sinker and a #1 hook.  Easy stuff!!!

Electronics have played a little less of a key to things lately with the fish being scattered around humps. There were some days recently where we didn't mark many fish but still caught them great.  I think you just need to get on top of areas you think could hold fish and drown that bait.  You never know where they will stack up once you get a few bites.

If you or anybody you know wants to get in on the summer bite on Ray Hubbard, now is a great time to beat the heat, start fishing early and have a limit in the boat by 10am.  I am Ray Hubbard's only full-time fishing guide out there and can deliver the best trip for your $$$$.  Thanks for checking out my blog and be sure to leave comments.  Thanks!!!

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report | Mid June 2013 Update

Paul Rogers
MetroplexGuideService.com
214-668-8467

Hey everybody, its been a few days since I updated the blog and there's lots to talk about! Lets dive right in!

The fishing on Ray Hubbard has been anywhere from so so to great the past week.  If y'all remember, we had some torrential rain about a week ago and it really seemed to scatter the fish.  The lake got some much needed rain and we are now sitting at 2.95' below full pool.  Thats not too bad headed into the heat of the summer.  Last year we were down quite a bit more.

Now that the rain has passed by and we are locked into a hot summer pattern, the fish have found themselves and they've really stacked up on wind blown areas and some deep humps.  We still are not seeing any schooling action but thats just fine with me.  The less schooling, the less boat traffic and that means better fishing!

Just like I posted in my last report, it seems that the fish are dependent on the sunshine to push them down onto structure.  They are very catchable without the sun but they are easier when its nice and bright.  On cloudy mornings we've had to wait for the sun to come out to make the fish easier to catch.  Trolling has produced well but I hate trolling :) dont tell anybody!

With the summer heating up and the fishing getting more and more consistent, now is a great time to book a trip and head out to catch some bigguns.  We've really concentrated on the big fish lately and its paying great dividends.  Check out the pics and see for yourself.

Special Evening on Ray Hubbard! | New Personal Bests!

Hey everybody, have a neat little story here from this evening on Ray Hubbard. I ended up having to cancel my morning trip today because of the rain. Got home and was doing some stuff around the house when my mom called me and asked if I could take her and my younger brother fishing this evening. Now to some people this might not sound like a big deal but my mom has a chronic back injury and there's very little she can do that doesn't hurt her back. Before the injury our entire family grew up fishing on Hubbard and Richland Chambers but I bet she hasnt been fishing in at least 10 years. My little brother is 24 years old and he has cerebral palsy and is deaf. He has very poor control over his muscles and is limited in his mobility. Not trying to throw out a sob story but thats the way it is. Needless to say, they dont go fishing much....

NOW....we ended up at hubbard around 5pm this afternoon and the big storms were bearing down on us. It looked like on radar we had maybe an hour or so before they came through. We decided to brave it out and headed for deep water. The first spot we pulled up and dropped down was a WINNER! Within 10 seconds both of them had line peeling off and it ON! Those fish pulled every direction and managed to tangle their lines together. I thought for SURE at least one would get off but they stayed buttoned up. I COULDNT BELIEVE IT!

After the chaos settled down we landed two hybrids, mom's was around 5-6# and Josh's was around 3-4#. Both fish were their new personal bests! I bet my brothers hasn't caught 10 fish in his life! 

Not 5 minutes after those fish we saw a strike of lightning so we HAULED tail back to the dock. Less than 10 minutes on the water, two hybrid, two new personal bests. Just awesome. A evening I'll never forget. Might even have that picture framed and hung on the wall. 

Ray Hubbard Fishing Report | June 2013 | White Bass Hybrid Striped Bass

Paul Rogers
metroplexguideservice.com
214-668-8467

Hey there folks and Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there! The fishing on Ray Hubbard has been a little up and down so here's the latest:

Friday 6/14/13
 - We started out around 8am and went to the last place I had caught fish in 16ft the day before.  Didn't take long and we were loading the boat with some magnum white bass.  The water temp was around 84 degrees and the fish were stacked THICK on a hump in 16ft.  Today was one of the "hero" days where you could do no wrong.  I think those fish would have bit a silver hook if you could dangle it front of their face.  We ended up keeping our three-man limit and throw back at least that many more.

Saturday 6/15/13
 - Early this morning around 4am a HUGE storm with high gusty wind came through the DFW area and it really messed the fishing up.  The fish were still holding between 15-20ft but they weren't interested in anything we threw.  It was one of the days that you dread.  We ended up catching around a dozen and ended up rescheduling another trip for Sylvia and Denise.  Like I've said for years with my customers, we cant control the weather or the size of the fish but you WILL catch a decent number of fish or we'll get you back out on the water.  These folks were no different.  Nobody leaves unhappy at my dock :)

Sunday 6/16/13
 - We had an afternoon trip today and started around 3pm.  It was Fathers Day and the lake proved that most of the fathers within 20 miles like to be on the water this one day of the year :) It was PACKED!!! Our marina normally doesn't have 10 trucks in the parking lot....today there was a line at least 5 boats deep to launch at our tiny ramp.  Glad my boat was already in the water! The Game Wardens were everywhere on the lake and I was thankful to see them.  I hope they caught a few of the drunks before they hurt themselves or somebody else.

I wasn't really sure how the fishing would be since it was so tough the day before.  I had already been on the water for a couple of hours before Steve and his dad and friend showed up to take off and it was still very slow.  Bait and fish were still suspended between 15-20ft still but they were extremely scattered and not willing to bite.  It gets tough to catch these fish when they're not on some type of structure.

Around 6:30 I went to a place I had lots of success trolling last year and began to drag a Hell Bender and Pet Spoon behind the boat.  It wasn't 30 seconds and we had "FISH ON!" being screamed from the back of the boat from little Jessie.  He was thrilled! We ended up getting onto a VERY steady trolling bite in about 15ft and managed to put a respectable number of white bass as well as some GREAT hybrid in the boat.  The key to getting them to bite was to keep the boat moving between 3 and 3.5 mph.

I dont know how many times I thanked Steve and his crew for being patient and allowing me the time we needed to get the bite locked down.  It was definitely a slow start but we ended with a BANG and we have the pictures to prove it.  And before Steve has any room to give me a hard time, YES, I did have the first hybrid of the day shake out of my grip and fall back into the water :) I heard about this all evening long...then I found out Steve got it on video.  wow..... :) Sorry buddy!

If anybody would like to get out on the water and learn your electronics and how to catch summer-time fish, give me a shout and we'll give you all the information you can handle! I am the only full-time guide on Ray Hubbard Lake and know how to find the fish.  We fish out of a BRAND NEW 2013, 24ft center console boat with a 250hp Yamaha.  You'll have a great time or you wont pay.  Guaranteed.

Ray Hubbard Fishing Report | What its all about! | Metroplex Guide Service

Paul Rogers
metroplexguideservice.com
214-668-8467

Hey folks! Its been a few days since my last blog update so here's whats been happening on Ray Hubbard.

The past week the water temps have continued to climb up to near 80 degrees in the afternoon.  The fish i've been catching have been anywhere from 24-31ft of water near deep structure like humps and ridges.  A few days late last week we had some fish stacked up near rocky points in 18ft but it only lasted a few days.  There was a nice shad spawn happening and the fish were feeding on them when they left the shallows and ventured back into the deep.

The past 2 weeks I have really been looking hard to find the topwater action scattered around the lake but it has been virtually nonexistent.  There hasn't been anything organized, other than maybe a half a dozen splashes here and there.  I checked my notes from years past and its definitely supposed to be happening...but for some reason it isn't.  That said, it doesn't mean the fish aren't feeding.  It seems that you really dont have to wake up early on Hubbard lately.  I've been starting trips around 8am and its "game on" when we leave the marina.  Weird!?

Around 8am every day the fish are getting stacked up on top of the humps in 24ft.  Only 1 day this past week did I find them in 31ft and I think I just ran into them right before they came to the top of the structure.  Maybe a little luck? hahaha!

I've been fishing with either Moe's Peekwi or Godfather slabs...whichever I happen to find first when I break one off. :) It really hasn't mattered.  They're wanting it hopped very quick off the bottom.  Pick it up quick and let it flutter down.  Very simple

I had a few days where we really went and targeted the hybrid and Hubbard didnt disappoint.  We found them on the sides of some gently sloping humps and Moe's Big Kahuna spoon did the trick.  A very slop hop off the bottom got them to hit.

As the title says, I wanted to say something about fishing and how we sometimes get distracted from whats its all about.  Today I had the chance to take 4 youngsters and their dads out for a morning of catching.  Seeing their faces and seeing them enjoy catching anything from a small yellow bass to a 17" white bass sure made me remember why we put in all this time and effort to pass our sport down the next generation.  Hope y'all enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Ray Hubbard Fishing Repot | June 2013 | Metroplex Guide Service

Hey everybody! Fishing on Ray Hubbard has been anywhere from average to fantastic the last few days and here are the details :)

Started off fishing Saturday last week after our little family vacation and it was only average.  It was just me and a friend to scout out the lake and see where the fish moved to.  The weather was cloudy and the fish seemed to be scattered all over the lake and weren't concentrated anywhere I looked.  Found em in 16-18ft on some humps but it was nothing to write home about.  But we had a good time catching up and spending a "no pressure" day on the lake.

Took Sunday off for a birthday party at the Rangers game.

Monday it was back in the saddle and back at the grind :) Took Benny and Jim out for a little morning action and it didn't disappoint! It was another cloudy day and the fish seemed to be scattered around.  Water temp was around 76 and there was no schooling action to speak of.  There were a few birds buzzing around but nothing was going on.  It has seemed like on these cloudy days if the fish decide not to school, you have at least a couple hours wait until they get stacked up a little deeper.  Today was exactly that.  Around 9am they finally got concentrated and hungry and we put quick limits in the boat. So, todays lesson is that if you cant find them early, just WAIT!!!  They'll get hungry eventually.

Tuesday was almost the same story as monday except we found them slightly earlier on a point in 22ft of water.  These fish were super hungry and I think we limited in less than 30 minutes :) I love it when those days happen but it just doesn't happen every day.  We were using Moe's Godfather slabs in 1.5 and 2oz.  They wanted it dropped to the bottom and burned to the surface very fast.  After all that was done we went looking for some kitty cats and found a nice mix of eating size cats in 28ft on a hump on punch bait.

Wednesday, yesterday, was almost a repeat of monday LOL! We started a little earlier because it was supposed to rain and it was cloudy and overcast.  Winds were very light.  I really expected a little schooling action but there wasn't any to be found.  Again, just like Monday, we had to wait the fish out for a little bit to get on em.  Around 9:30 we found them stacked up deep in 29ft on a hump with lots of timber.  They lasted there for at least two hours and we put well over 100 in the boat including some nice hybrid.  We used the smaller Godfather slabs from Moes Tackle Shop.  The key to finding these fish were electronics.  They were concentrated on the down slope of a hump and they weren't catchable if you were 15ft away.  It was kinda funny because the front of the boat really had a slower time catching them than the back of the boat :) I eventually figured it out and moved everybody to the back LOL!!!

Hope this gives everybody some info so you can go out and find some great fish on Ray Hubbard.  We are so fortunate to have such a great lake so close to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  Hope to see some of yall out at the Lake Tawakoni Sportsman Tournament this coming Saturday.  Here is a link for more info:  http://www.laketawakonisportsman.com/LTSA/Tournament.html

I have a couple of days open next week if anybody would like to enjoy a day of catching on Ray Hubbard.  Remember I am Ray Hubbard's only full-time fishing guide and have the biggest, newest guide boat out there.  Thanks for looking! Paul Rogers, 214-668-8467