Reel um N Guide Service By Lynn Atkinson 10/21/07 Sam Rayburn is 159.85 and starting to hold its own. The water temperature has been in the low to mid 70s. The water has been clear to around 2ft with a slight algae tint in some places. As you move up the rivers it has a darker stain . This week we have been catching some good fish thru out the day with a number of baits. Rat-L-Traps and Small crarkbaits have been catching a lot of fish off the points. Fishing the grass edges we been getting a few 4 and 5 lbs fish that have moved up this week. This should continue for the next few weeks. The C/R and T/R have been catching some off the major drops and ledges. There are a lot of shad that have moved into the pockets and coves, so shad color bait should work great this time of year. Remember these shad are small so match the hatch and you catch more fish. The top water bite has been the best in the middle of the day and late in the evening . The Stanley Ribbit has been my best bait. I lost a fish in the pads the other day that I couldn't get turned. She hit like a Mack Truck and just took off pulling drag. I had to put my thumb on the spool to hold her, but she wrapped up in the pads and got off. What a fish tale. Huh. I look for the fishing to make a turn in the next few weeks as the water continues to cool down. The Crappie seem to be moving in some so look for more hits in the next few weeks. The bite will continue to change as we get more into fall. Look for them to move to the bridges and river channels in the next few months. I want to remind everyone that the lake is close to 4.5 feet low. The boat lanes have a few new stumps that have floated into them so be careful, also the city of Warsaw is just under the surface now as you come out of the long cut. There is a big piece of concrete that was used to unload railroad cars out there. I have eased across it and bumped in one spot so watch it carefully. I see a lot of boats running on the outside of bird island and that area is full of stumps. I don't think a lot of people know that the Amber forest runs from bird island almost to the Harvey Creek boat ramp and runs out toward Calhoun Point. If you know someone that's coming down and doesn't know Big Sam, Please let him know about the timber. Have them look at a couple of maps and get a good ideal where it is. You could save their life. I'll have the web page up for the Bass Class on the Water that will be running thru the fall into early spring and covers a lot of information. Detailed Instructions on GPS, Sonar, Water Temperature, Water Color, Weather, Sound, Scent and Structure, both on and off shore. I am running a Lowrance 112 LCX with the latest software to help you see the lake like you have never seen it before. Everyone is welcome. If you new to boating, and would like to learn more about fishing in general, the lake and fishing on Big Sam; let me know. Lynn Atkinson srayburn@rayburncountry.com www.rayburncountry.com Home 936-897-3400 Cell 979-220-0251