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Fishing Lake Fork, Texas
Tom Redington
December 11, 2006
Lake Fork - Freshwater Fishing Report
Lake Fork Bass Report
Although the general patterns and locations for catching bass remained the same at Lake Fork, I’ve found the fishing to be slower this week for both size and numbers of bass. A series of cold fronts seemed to have the bass in a negative mood for several days last week, although some fish could still be caught by thoroughly working key areas with finesse presentations. That pretty much tells me that the bass haven’t moved far, just slightly deeper and tighter to cover. With a stable warming trend forecast for the end of this week, I look for the fishing to steadily improve once again. And big bass do continue to be caught, including a 12.4 lb’er being weighed in at Fork on Saturday.
While the fishing typically slows in early December, lunker bass will start moving into prespawn patterns in some areas of the lake by later December, and my favorite fishing of the year occurs in January through early March. It’s a really simple pattern—spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, jigs, and suspending jerkbaits fished in staging areas near spawning flats. Numbers run lower this time of year, but the average size of your catch is at its highest for the year, usually in the 4 to 5 lb range, with a good shot at a bass 7 lbs or greater. Don’t get me wrong, March and April are a great time to catch a lunker sight fishing or with a soft plastic jerkbait. For my tastes though, slow rolling a big spinnerbait or flipping a jig around heavy timber for truly giant bass during the prespawn is the best time to be on Fork.
Lake Conditions: With no rain over the past week, Lake Fork’s water level is once again on the decline, currently reading 397.86’, just over 5’2” below full pool. Even with the low water, almost all of the main ramps are still useable without any issues. A very strong west wind on Wednesday stained some portions of the main lake, while many of the grassy creeks remain very clear. Water temps steadily dropped from the mid-60s last week to the 59 to 61 degree range yesterday (Sunday) in the main lake. With a couple more cold nights in the forecast, look for the temps to continue to drop for a couple more days.
Location Pattern: Typical of fall fishing, bass are holding anywhere from the backs of creeks and along main lake shores in literally inches of water as well as setting up camp on deep water structure. 18’ to 30’ was the best depth range this past week for structure fishing. When graphing these fish, keep in mind that schools that are relating to the bottom will be the easiest bass to catch normally. The other main pattern will be weed flats on the main lake and in coves with channels or points with deep-water access nearby. These spots produced some fast action for smaller bass and a few big fish. Typically, areas that are holding fish now are holding lots of fish. So if you’re catching fish, stay put and try multiple lures until you’ve caught everything you can. Conversely, if you’re in a good-looking spot but not getting bit, keep moving to other locations until you hit pay dirt.
Presentation Pattern: Instead, small spinnerbaits in white and shallow or medium running shad colored lipped and lipless crankbaits have worked best for the shallow bass. If the bass aren’t in a chasing mood, wacky rigged straight tail worms like a Twitch Worm in June bug or watermelon/red flake have produced some fast action. For bigger bass, pitch a Texas rigged watermelon/red flake Lake Fork Flippers to wood and grass along creek channels. Work the Flipper really slowly for best results. When the deep bite has been on, I’ve been spending most of my time out there. Carolina rigged Baby Ring Frys or Magic Shads in watermelon/red flake have produced some good numbers and some big ones once schools are located. Other days, drop shotting Lake Fork Twitch Worms in watermelon/chartreuse pepper or watermelon/red flake has produced big numbers of keeper-sized bass. ½ ounce chrome or gold jigging spoons and ¼ oz white jigs have been the best bait on some days.
Here’s hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. If I can be of assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 (days) or 972-635-6027 (evenings) or e-mail me through http://www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com , where your satisfaction is guaranteed.
Good Fishing,
Tom
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