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Fishing Lake Fork, Texas
Tom Redington
October 9, 2005
Lake Fork - Freshwater Fishing Report
Lake Fork Report
After a long awaited cool down, Lake Fork has slept off its hangover-like effects of the fall turnover and great numbers of bass are being caught in depths of 3” to 30’. Small fish are dominating the catch right now; however, with the cooler temps, big fish are being caught now on a more regular basis. Best of all, you can catch bass on just about any lure or technique during October. You name it—from topwaters all day on cloudy days, schooling bass, spinnerbaits and crankbaits in the shallows to Carolina rigs, drop shots, and jigging spoons for deep bass—numbers of bass will be caught on all of these techniques this month.
Fork’s water level has continued to slowly drop, currently sitting at 399.89’, about 3’1” below full pool. The water clarity is still slightly stained in the main lake from the turnover while it is crystal clear in most coves. Water temps are down considerably after the recent cold front, with temps sitting in the mid-70s.
For the bass’ location pattern, you’ll find our green friends spread all over the lake. In contrast to the summer pattern when bass position was predicated on deep structure, many bass are now following shad and are feeding actively along edges of cover and structure. Whereas deep structure was they key, now the presence of baitfish is the predominate indicator for a productive spot. Once areas with shad are located, seek edges or funnels that allow schooling bass to corral bait and optimize their feeding opportunities. Typical examples or this are where cover and structure meets, like deep grasslines on points, timber along creek channel bends, or treelines along old fencerows. Out deeper, points, humps, and ridges are starting to hold good concentrations of bass that are grouping up with the shad and yellow bass in anywhere from 14’ to 30’. I typically find the schools shallower on cloudy days and deeper on sunny days, although there are frequent exceptions to this rule.
Once fish are located, the depth of the bass and the cover present has dictated the presentation pattern. For example, in areas where bass are feeding over grass that is 2’ or less below the surface, topwaters, burning spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits have excelled. In areas where the grass is deeper, say 6’ below the surface, medium running crankbaits, jigs, and soft plastic jerkbaits have worked better. The key lure has changed daily, depending on the conditions, so experiment with your presentation until you hook up. Having issued that disclaimer, following are the baits that have been working best this past week. Early and late, the topwater bite is hard to beat. Shad colored Pop-R’s and Chug Bugs have produced fast action around pad fields and over grass mats. For a shot at a bigger fish, slow roll a watermelon/pearl Lake Fork Frog just below the surface in pads and around heavy grass on main lake points with deep water nearby. During the day, wacky rigged Lake Fork Twitch Worms in watermelon on sunny days and June bug on cloudy ones have been consistent on deep grass lines, as have shad colored Magic Shad soft plastic jerkbaits. On windy or cloudy days, ¼ oz spinnerbaits with double willow blades in shad colors have excelled. Out deeper, Carolina rigged Baby Ring Frys in Purple Haze or Chartreuse Fire and ½ oz silver jigging spoons are producing big numbers and some lunkers once schools are located. Find the schools of yellow bass and the largemouth will be there as well. Trust your electronics, as I’ve watched a number of fish come up and strike my bait on my Lowrance X-25 graphs this week.
And don’t let the high fuel costs keep you from fishing. Bass are holding in all areas of the lake right now. Launch from one of the many ramps at Lake Fork that has a couple large creeks and deep water nearby and you’ll be able to catch fish shallow and deep without making a long run. Or for those of you that like to see more of the lake, swing by the new Ranger Boats dealer at Lake Fork, Diamond Sports Marine. The new Yamaha High Pressure Direct Injection 2-strokes and quiet and clean 4-strokes are much more efficient than traditional 2-stroke outboards. And when paired with a new Z Comanche Ranger, you’ll be able to fish in comfort, even on the windiest and nastiest of days (which, of course, will be your next day off).
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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