Quick Cast:
 Area Reports
 Find-a-Guide
 Forums
 Tides

Departments:
 Articles
 Books
 Clubs & Orgs.
 Fishing Reports
 Feedback
 Forums
 Fly Fishing
 Guides & Charters
 Links
 Photo Gallery
 Reef Locator
 Regulations
 Software
 Survey
 Tournaments
 Travel
 Weather
 Home

Administration:
 About Us
 Advertising
 Contact
 Privacy
 Terms of Use
 Web Development

Fishing Lake Fork, Texas

Tom Redington
May 23, 2005
Lake Fork - Freshwater Fishing Report

Lake Fork Weekly Report

The lunkers at Lake Fork remain spread all over the lake. A number of fish are finishing up their spawn and the abundant submerged vegetation is keeping many bass shallow. Conversely, for those fish that have already headed to deep water, the thermocline hasn’t established yet and we caught bass as deep as 38’ last week. Before the heat wave arrived late this week, we’d been catching bass most of the day on topwaters and crankbaits under cloudy and windy conditions. With the current bright sunshine and calm conditions, fishing for deep and suspended bass has been better.

Fork’s water level slowly dropped this week, currently sitting at 402.56’, about 5” below full pool. With a lack of wind or rain and lots of aquatic vegetation, the water is now very clear, even in most of the upper ends of the lake. Water temps continue to climb, with temps from the upper 70s to the upper 80s.

My locations pattern remains the same as last week. I’m concentrating on coves and creeks that had the largest populations of spawning fish and starting there on the flats, creek channels, and points just outside the beds. I’m working out progressively deeper inside productive coves and fishing all of the cover and structure options from the backs of the creek out to the main lake summertime holes. Keep in mind that a lot of fish are suspended right now, so fish bottom bouncing lures while also checking for suspended fish with baits like jerkbaits and crankbaits. Once you try a few productive spawning creeks, you should have caught some fish and determined what types of cover, structure, and depths are holding the most fish. At that point, look for similar water around the lake and run the pattern. The fish are pretty scattered right now, so you’ll normally do better by fishing lots of good areas instead of camping on an area where you’ve caught a couple good fish. Again, with the fish being in a transition mode, you’ll need to repeat this process most days to stay in contact with the most active fish.

Based on the conditions and the locations, following are the baits that have been working best for us this week. Topwater fishing has been very good, lasting all day on cloudy and windy days. In calm areas, use a shad colored popper and let it sit for long pauses. In windier areas, “walking the dog” with Zara Spooks has produced some bigger fish. My soft plastic stickbait and wacky worm bite around shallow grass slowed last week but we were able to catch some nice bass by fishing a 3/8 oz neon pumpkin jig with a watermelon Lake Fork Baby Creature trailer (pinch off the grub tail for a faster fall or leave it on when you want a better swimming action) along the deep weed edge and in holes in the grass. Concentrate your efforts with the jig around points and drop offs. Deep diving crankbaits like a Norman DD 22 in shad patterns remain my best bait for big fish and it is also producing good numbers of fish. We are fishing the crankbait two ways, both with 10 lb line. First, banging it along the bottom on humps and points that top out at 10’ to 15’ is a great way to locate schools of fish. Secondly, fishing the deep divers through fish suspended down 10’ to 20’ in submerged treetops or chasing schools of bait in open water has produced fish over 8 lbs. I personally prefer fluorocarbon line for my deep diving crankbaits because its low stretch allows a lot more feel on long casts while coming through timber. Finally, Texas rigged and Carolina rigged Lake Fork Creatures and Baby Ring Frys in watermelon and green pumpkin are catching bass in 18’ to 38’ on humps and ridges where we’ve graphed schools of bass.

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

More Fishing Reports:

 

Trophy bass guide trips on famous Lake Fork. My mission is to help you learn the skills to catch lots of big fish on Lake Fork—skills that will also help you catch more and bigger fish on your home lake and any other lakes you fish. In addition, I will focus my efforts on your goals for our trip—whether you want to learn a new technique, find fish for an upcoming tournament, learn the current patterns for a week’s visit to Fork, or just have an enjoyable day with friends, family or a client.

Contact Info:


2407 Shooting Star Dr
Royse City, TX 75189
Phone: 214-683-9572
Alt. Phone: 9726356027
Email the Author
Visit his Web Site
Browse Photo Gallery
Display Find-a-Guide Listing


Copyright © 1997-2024, CyberAngler - All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy :: Terms of Use
For Questions and comments please use our Feedback Form
Back to the Top