 |
Fishing Lake Fork, Texas
Tom Redington
March 20, 2006
Lake Fork - Freshwater Fishing Report
Lake Fork Report
Last week at Lake Fork was exceptionally warm and sunny, with many bass starting to pull up all over the lake to spawn. With most kids out of school for spring break, it made for a very enjoyable and successful week of fishing, including several father/son & mother/son trips. In every case, the sons outfished their parents and me, just as we hoped. Over the weekend, a major weather system moved in with cold rain, delivering well over 5” of much needed precipitation in most areas. Much cooler temps are forecast for this coming week, so look for the bass to be bunched up in staging areas in close proximity to spawning flats. The cold muddy water and post-frontal bass can make for slow fishing until you find them; however, if you can locate a concentration of staging fish, you’ll have found the mother-load of lunkers.
Lake Conditions: Lake Fork’s water level is on the rise and will continue to come up for the next couple of days. As of 7 AM on Monday, Fork is up almost a foot to 399.94’, or 3’0” below full pool. The water clarity was clear to stained in most areas last week, now the wind and runoff has the backs of creeks pretty muddy. Water temps have dropped significantly, with readings of upper 50s to low 60s, depending on the area of the lake.
Location Pattern: For spawning bass, fish 8’ and shallower flats in the backs of protected bays and creeks. Spots with large areas of shallow flats that are blocked off from the cooler main lake water have been holding the most fish. Waves of new fish have been moving up daily in many places and spawning fish are starting to show up in new areas of the lake every day, not necessarily all in the North end of the lake. Areas with a hard bottom and ample grass or wood cover will usually hold the most bass. For a shot at true lunker, concentrate on any drop-offs, creek channels, or points around spawning bays. Females will stack up on these deep water sanctuaries until conditions are right to spawn. After spawning, those same lunkers retreat quickly to those same areas.
Presentation Pattern: For late prespawn and spawning fish, I have four main patterns. For fish on the bed, white or watermelon Lake Fork Tackle Top Dog Lizards, Flippers and Craw Tubes are my mainstays. White baits allow you to clearly see your bait on the bed, while more natural shades of green are often needed to catch the more finicky bass. My new favorite is the Lake Fork Baby Craw in white or watermelon. Rig this little bait with a stout 2/0 or 3/0 hook like the Gamakatsu EWG Superline hook on 25 lb fluorocarbon or 65 lb braid and you’ll be ready for even the shyest bedding lunkers. When conditions don’t allow you to see the beds, in water that is too deep to locate spawners, and around staging areas, soft plastic jerkbaits like the Lake Fork Magic Shad and Twitch Worm rigged weightless in shades of watermelon are often catching the most and biggest bass. Fish these slowly with a couple twitches and a slow fall to the bottom on slack line. For true lunkers, repeated pitches to heavy cover on and around spawning flats with Texas rigged Top Dog lizards and creature baits like Flippers in watermelon or black neon are a great option. Finally, on windy and overcast days, moving baits like white spinnerbaits and ½ oz lipless crankbaits in shades of orange are producing some big bass. Just about any lure in your tackle box can catch fish well during some point in March, so keep an open mind and adjust your presentation to the current conditions for best results.
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:
|
|
|
|
