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Fishing Lake Fork, Texas
Tom Redington
April 15, 2006
Lake Fork - Freshwater Fishing Report
Lake Fork Report
The spawn continues to roll on at Lake Fork, with a stable weather pattern of warm and sunny days. While the spawn is wrapping up in many protected shallow areas, many new beds are showing up in deeper and more main lake areas. Although sight fishing is the best bet for these lunkers if conditions are right, backing off and slowly working deeper cover is the way to go on windy and overcast days. Based on past years, look for the spawn to continue until mid-May.
In areas where the spawn is winding down, female bass will soon be shaking off their post spawn hangovers and will start feeding heavily. In addition, fry guarding males will be chasing away marauding bluegill with a vengeance. Look for the fast action topwater, crankbait and Carolina rig bite to start in late April and last through June. Shallow or deep, the post spawn and early summer patterns offer the best fishing of the year for numbers of 3 to 7 pound bass and a good shot at a true lunker.
Lake Conditions: Lake Fork’s water level is once again slowly dropping, currently reading 400.57’, or 2’5” below full pool. The water clarity is very clear in grassy areas, whereas the areas without submerged vegetation are slightly stained due to recent winds. Water temps are on the rise, with readings in the upper 60s in the main lake and into the mid 70s in the creeks.
Location Pattern: For spawning bass, fish 8’ and shallower flats in creeks and out in the main lake are holding bass. Many males have been moving up daily in new places, so keep moving until you find an area holding females and pairs of bass. 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 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. 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 watermelon red, watermelon candy and sour melon 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 Lake Fork Creatures in green pumpkin, watermelon candy or black neon are a great option. Finally, on windy and overcast days, moving baits like white spinnerbaits can produce big bass, as well.
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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