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Fishing Lake Fork, Texas
Tom Redington
May 28, 2006
Lake Fork - Freshwater Fishing Report
Lake Fork Weekly Bass Report
Big bass continue to be caught at Lake Fork, including several 10 to 11+ lb bass coming into Lake Fork Marina in recent days. While my customers and I didn’t catch any tens last week, most days we are catching good numbers of bass along with some big fish mixed in. The bass are scattered right now, with some still shallow in the very backs of creeks, while others are setting up in deep summertime locations in the main lake. Versatility has remained the key. In general, we’ve done better in the shallows on windy and cloudy days, while the deep bite has been best on sunny and calmer days, especially in the afternoons. As the heat builds and more bass move deep, June is shaping up to be its usual structure fishing big bass whack-a-thon. If you want to learn how to use your graph to read deep structure and then catch big bass with Carolina rigs, worms, swimbaits and crankbaits, now’s the time to head to Lake Fork.
Lake Conditions: The past week has been dry and hot, dropping Lake Fork’s water level to 400.48’, or 2’6” below full pool. Without some significant rains in June, Fork will probably be very low by the end of the summer. Although this makes for tougher navigation, the bass will be consolidated and easier to catch once you get to them. The water is currently clear in most areas, except for wind blown locations. Water temps continue to rise, with readings in the upper 70s to mid 80s. Submerged vegetation, including hydrilla, milfoil and coontail, is growing rapidly in many areas and spreading in coverage and height. In addition, the lily pads are really starting to pop up and increase in density on the south end of Fork.
Location Pattern: My location and presentation patterns haven’t changed much from my last report. 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.
Presentation Pattern: As for your lure, let the cover, conditions, and the depth of the bass you are fishing dictate your choice. With the fish being so spread out, virtually everything in your tackle box will catch fish at some point during early June, so stay flexible. Following are the baits that have been working best for us this week. Topwaters have been sporadic lately, so I’ve been doing better early with shallow running cranks over the grass. Depending on the depth of the grass, select one in a shad or bluegill pattern that will occasionally hit the top of the grass. In addition, around shallow vegetation and pads, wacky rigged Lake Fork Twitch Worms and Magic Shads in green pumpkin and watermelon candy are working well early and during the day. Texas rigged baits like Lake Fork Flippers in black neon or watermelon/red are also producing big bass when flipped to wood cover near grass or pads. Deep diving crankbaits like a Norman DD 22 in shad or bluegill patterns fished for suspended bass on deep points or dug into the tops of 10’ to 16’ points and ridges are producing some big fish and good numbers. Go with 10 lb test and hang on after you come through submerged brush. Finally, Texas rigged and Carolina rigged Lake Fork Baby Creatures and Baby Ring Frys in watermelon red & green flake and green pumpkin are catching bass in 12’ to 33’.
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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