Lake Fork, TX Fishing Report

  Wow, we finally got through the winter weather and went directly into summer!  But that is okay, the bass, sandbass crappie, and bluegill are all biting good now.  We have had more wind lately than we would prefer, but still catching bass in the shallow water.  We have had a great time fishing in the deeper water when the wind will allow  on Carolina rigs, football head jigs and jigging spoons.

  Right now is fun and about to get more fun.  One of my favorite things is night fishing on Lake Fork.  You never know what the next cast might bring, or I should say "how big the next bass will be... lol!"  Right now I have 2 sets of rod and reels, one set for day fishing and the other set for night fishing with heavy line and big baits.  Night fishing can be good on the dark of the moon, but for the most part around the full moon can be the best.  If nothing else, it is a lot easier to see, and you would be surprised at how well you can see on the water with a big beautiful moon.

  The day fishing is good for bass right now on Top Water baits early then switching to plastic worms or jigs later in the day.  Pitching next to the stumps is one of the best techniques to use and will yield you some great bass.  The afternoon bite is good in the 25-30 ft. of water using the Carolina rigs with 8 or 10 inch Lake Fork Trophy worms with the tail cut off.

  We can book individual trips or very large group trips along with gift certificates for any occassion.  We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully fishing with you on Lake Fork.  Don't forget your sunscreen, cap or hat, and sunglasses.  And with the temperatures getting hotter, start hydrating the day before your trip and bring lots of water for your day of fishing.  Check back for my July report..... Thanks,

  Barbara

Water clear; 69–75 degrees; 4.37’ low. Black bass are slow on Texas rigged worms in 4–8’ of water on main lake points as well as Megabass Pop X and Giant Dog X topwaters. Drop shot finesse worms a long standing timber on points effective as well. Yellow bass and white bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows near bridges. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

  Well, it looks like we finally got away from the winter weather and right into summer!  LOL!  But all is good as Lake Fork is really hot right now.  The Legend's Tournament this weekend produced 23 bass over the 24 inch slot along with a lot of under the slot bass.  Reports from some of the tournament anglers were that a lot of slot bass were also caught.  Although the slot bass won't do you any good in the tournament, they are still a blast to catch.

  There are still some bass on the beds and will be for a while, but most in deep enough water that you can't see the bed.  I have been catching bass on Yellow Magic top water baits early in the mornings, and all day if I have cloud cover.  You have to stay with it and make sure the bait is making the bloop bloop sound that can be produced by popping the bait with slack line.  Later in the day, I am going to shaky heads with finesse baits in Watermelon magic in about 8 ft. of water.  Texas rigs can also be good and on days where the wind will let us get out in deeper water, the Carolina rig can get you some great bass.

   We will start our night fishing about 4 nights before the full moon in June and have great expectations already.  Looking to be a great season for the big bass.  You can also catch a good number of bass by fishing spinnerbaits and buzzbaits and small Texas rigs.  Personally, I love fishing big worms, high profile jigs and big spinnerbaits and try to catch those lunkers, even if it does  mean getting fewer bites.

  If your wanting to come have a great time, give us a call for a guide trip.  The bass, crappie, and sandbass are all biting good and we will do our best in getting you on the fish.  Don't forget your hat, cap, sunscreen and sunglasses!  Happy summer everyone!

Water clear; 69–73 degrees; 4.61' low. Black bass are good on Texas rigged worms in 4–8' of water on main lake points. Some topwater action noted as well as some fish still on beds. Yellow bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

  Well, it seems that winter decided to hang on a little longer than normal for us this year.  The spawn is about a month behind schedule, but all is well and there are some great bass being caught along with some nice crappie in the shallow water.

  We are using a lot of spinnerbaits like the Johnson Custom Baits "Limit Getter" in Chartruese and White and a weighted swim bait hook rigged with a Lake Fork Trophy Tackle "Live Magic Shad in Watermelon/Red with Pearl belly when we have a little or a lot of wind.  I love fishing these baits on windy points and even on staight sections of a cove.  The swim bait produced a 10.02 lb. bass for me a week ago.  Later in the day, we use a lot of Texas Rigged lizards and creature baits and sometimes after a front, we will go to a whacky worm rigged with a Zoom trick worm in Spicy Craw along the shallow creeks and ditches.  Fish this bait really slow and it can produce big time when fishing is normally slow.

  Looking forward to May as this is when our Top Water bite starts up and is great fun to hook up with a big bass.  This May should be fun as there will be a lot of baits that can produce lots of fish and big fish.  The crappie are still in the shallow water right now, usually on the sides of the small creeks from the middle to the back of coves.  Have seen many people catching some great crappie on minnows and on jigs.  I know that everytime I am in those type of areas, we catch a few on our bass rigs with Junebug creature baits and anything with a Chartruese tail...lol!  

  If you are interested in a guided fishing trip or want to get a gift certificate, please call us and we will do our best to make your trip special.  

  Tight Lines and Bass Wishes

  Barbara

  Wow, Spring fishing on Lake Fork!  We just had a couple of nights that got down below freezing and set the bass back a little, but we are still catching some quality fish.  It is one of those years where the people that book guide trips in April are going to be hitting it just right!  If we continue to get the warm days and the night temp doesn't drop to bad, the water temp will start coming back up and the bass will go crazy.  Wednesday and Thursday were really slow and we had to work for the bites and even then, we missed a lot of bass.  Friday was a little better and finally this afternoon, we started catching bass pretty consistantly in 2 - 8 ft. of water.  

  We have moved back to the secondary points and using Red Rattletraps or Chartruese and White spinnerbaits.  If we catch a bass on the first pass, we will go back through the area with a small Carolina rig or a fluke and really work the baits slow around the timber.  This will result in some good bites.  When the water gets back up in the 60's, we will go to the backs of the creeks.  The few bass that are on the beds right now are very spooky and it is best to stay out and make long casts to the area.  

   The water clarity is great right now and with some good sunshine, it will not take long for that surface temp to get up.  We are also starting to find hydrilla in some areas of the lake.  If you find the hydrilla, you will find the better bass.  If you would like to learn more about the lake, like getting around and what types of water to look for, or just go catch some great bass, give us a call and will will do our best to help you catch your trophy bass!  Please be safe and have a great fishing trip.

Water clear; 54–58 degrees; 4.45' low. Black bass are fair on black/yellow flipping jigs in 10–12 feet, focus on timber near channels – some fish being caught on beds at mid day. Yellow bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

Water clear; 52–57 degrees; 4.28' low. Black bass are fair on black/yellow flipping jigs in 10–12 feet. Yellow bass are fair on jigs. Crappie are good on minnows around the bridges. Catfish are fair on prepared bait.

Water clear; 50–54 degrees; 4.20' low. Black bass are good on black/blue Dark horse flipping jigs along channel bends. Yellow bass are slow on jigs. Crappie are good on minnows around the bridges. Catfish are fair on prepared bait.

Spring is on the way!  We are having some very warm weather, and some bass are moving into the shallow water already.  Valentine's Day for us is when spring fishing really kicks off.  Lake Fork produced a giant 16 pound bass that was donated to the ShareLunker program the first week of February and that made the second lunker for the season.  There was another 13+ bass caught but not donated.  The ShareLunker Program is a great program that benefits old and new lakes as well as the angler that donates the bass.  If you would like to learn more, please visit  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/

  We are seeing a lot of the over the slot bass caught a little earlier this year, so we really think February is going to be good and March will be great!  It would be nice to go into spring with the lake at full level, but even if it isn't, there is a lot to look forward to this year.  Now is the time, to get your boat, tackle, rods, and reels all organized and ready for fishing.  Restock on what you are low on, and take a look at some of the new baits that might give you an edge, like the Lake Fork Trophy Tackle 4.5" Boot Tail Magic Shad Swimbait.  I love this bait fished on a weighted hook, or on a swim jig.


  Frank and I fished a team tournament  on Lake Fork this last Sunday (yes, Superbowl Sunday), and finished 14th.  A lot lower than I had planned, but the bass just under the slot did not bite for us.  We caught some really nice slot fish and we had about 45 fish bites our baits.  Right now, the water temperature is between 51 and 56 degrees, and Rattletraps and Spinnerbaits will catch some nice bass in the creeks during the afternoon.  The numbers are still in the deeper water and being caught on plastics.  The 1/2 ounce jig and 3/4 ounce football head jigs will get some big bites, but not as many as the plastics.  The Alabama rig is catching a lot of Sand bass or White bass and will catch some of those 3 to 4 pound black bass in the same school.  


  We are getting our Rattletraps, Spinnerbaits, and Jerkbaits ready for that big prespawn move by changing out worn out or broken hooks and replacing the skirts on the spinnerbaits.  The less that can go wrong, the better.  Even if you just have one point broken off of a treble hook or has been bent badly, replace it.... it could cost you that fish of a lifetime!  We have the rods, reels, and baits waiting for you to come fish with us, so give us a call or email and get your trip booked soon.  We can also help you learn some of the newer techniques used today like the drop shop.  It can be a trip saver when fishing the deeper water.


  Have fun most of all and practice safe boating!  Look us up on Face book "Lake Fork Fishing Guide Service" and like us. Thanks,  Mark

Spring is on the way!  We are having some very warm weather and some bass are moving into the shallower water now.  Valentines's day to me is when spring fishing really kicks off on Lake Fork.  We had a giant 16 lb. bass caught and donated into the ShareLunker program the first week of Febuary which makes two bass so far into the program.  Another 13+ bass was caught, but not donated.  

  The ShareLunker program is a wonderful program in the state of Texas and benefits old and new lakes along with the anglers.  If you catch a 13 lb. or bigger bass and donate it, you will receive a beautiful fiberglass replica.  For more information, please visit this link  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/sharelunker/rules/

  We are already seeing a lot of over the slot bass caught, so I really think Feb. is going to be awesome along with March!  Mark and his team fishing partner fished a tournament on Lake Fork this weekend and had a blast.  They caught over 25 bass and had some great slot fish which of course did not do them any good in the tournament.   Right now, Rattletraps and spinnerbaits fished around creek channels in the afternoon can result in a big bite.  The numbers of bass are still coming in the deep water on plastics and 1/2 oz. jigs, and 3/4 football head jigs.  Also the Alabama rig and the drop shot rig will produce a lot of bass.  The dropshot has been the best for the under the slot bass.

  If you are interested in coming to Lake Fork and fishing for numbers of bass or go for that big bite, give us a call.  We are booking heavily for spring so get your date booked now.  We also do trips for White bass, and crappie.  Gift certificates are always available upon request and we do take payment via paypal and credit card.  We wish everyone a safe and productive spring!  Bass Wishes!!

Water clear; 49–53 degrees; 4.16' low. Black bass are good on black/blue Darkhorse flipping jigs along channel bends. Later in the day the shallow flats around creek channels will hold fish. Yellow bass are slow on jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows around the bridges. Catfish are slow on prepared bait.

  Fishing is really good right now for Bass, Crappie, and White Bass. A lot of the bass are on the deep points, ridges, roadbeds and humps on the main lake in 25 - 30 foot of water.  Fishing a lot of drop shots with Green Pumpkin Finesse worms ane Watermelon Magic.  Jigging spoons working well in these areas that do not have a lot of timber.  Our best color for the bass is the Chartruese and Chrome, and the solid Chrome for the White bass.  The crappie are coming on small jigs in Amber/Blue and Chartruese/Black in 30- 40 foot of water.

  Fishing is really good right now for Bass, Crappie, and White Bass. A lot of the bass are on the deep points, ridges, roadbeds and humps on the main lake in 25 - 30 foot of water.  Fishing a lot of drop shots with Green Pumpkin Finesse worms ane Watermelon Magic.  Jigging spoons working well in these areas that do not have a lot of timber.  Our best color for the bass is the Chartruese and Chrome, and the solid Chrome for the White bass.  The crappie are coming on small jigs in Amber/Blue and Chartruese/Black in 30- 40 foot of water.

Water clear; 46–51 degrees; 4.09' low. Black bass are fair on black/blue Darkhorse jigs along channel bends. Deep water bite sporadic on football jigs. Yellow bass are slow on jigs. Crappie are good on minnows around the bridges. Catfish are fair on prepared bait.

Water clear; 56–60 degrees; 4.60' low. Black bass are good on black/blue 1/2oz. jigs along channel bends and around standing timber near bends. Deep water bite good with Carolina rigs and football jigs. Yellow bass are good on smaller spoons. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and cut shad.

  Fishing Lake Fork is great this time of the year.  You can be in one area and catch Bass, Yellow Bass, Sandbass, Crappie, and sometimes a Catfish all on one bait!  How great is that?  There have been two bass over 13 pounds caught in the last 2 weeks with one being over 15 pounds.

  Most of our better bass are coming out of 25 - 35 ft. of water, around humps, roadbeds and ridges on 3/4 - 1 ounce jigs, jigging spoons, and a Hard head jig with Biffle bug.  Crappie are hanging out in most of the same areas, sometimes deeper.  We have gift certificates available now and Paypal on our website.

  Also if you book multiple day guide trip, the rate decreases after the first day.  We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!!

Water clear; 58–63 degrees; 4.52' low. Black bass are good on black/blue 1/2oz. jigs along channel bends. Deep water bit good with Carolina rigs and football jigs. Yellow bass are good on smaller spoons. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and cut shad.