Texas Fishing Report from Anglers

Kansas Angler
Online Edition

Web	www.zeiners.com
www.kansasangler.com	cottonwoodmercantile.com

Store | Shopping

Angler Home

Please Support
Angler Sponsors

State
Fishing Reports
Kansas
Region 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Arknsas Fishing Reports
Colorado Fishing Reports
Iowa Fishing Report
Missouri Fishing Reports
Nebraska Fishing Reports
Oklahoma Fishing Reports
Texas Fishing Reports
Moon Phases

Angler Reports
Kansas ~ Arkansas,
Colorado ~ Iowa,
Missouri ~ Nebraska,
Oklahoma ~ Texas

Anglers' Academy
Fishing and Tackle Tips
Tackle Manufacturer Tips
Lure Making Tips

Fishing Guides
Kansas, Arkansas
Missouri, Oklahoma
Texas

Kansas Club Corner
Kansas Fishing Clubs
Tournament Schedule
Tournament Results

Tournament Trail
Contacts | Schedules
Kansans on the Trail

Photo Gallery
Fish Photographs

Kids Cove
Kids Home
News, Information,
Games, Photo Gallery,
Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips

Reader's Nook
The Latest Angler News
Current Articles
Kansas Angler Archives

Angler Links
Manufacturers
State Agencies
Other Links of Interest

Kansas State Info
State Record Fish
License Information

Ks Hunting Reports
Region 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
From Kansas Hunters

Kansas Angler Info
About The Angler
Advertising Info
Contact The Angler

Copyright 1999-2008
No reproduction of any kind.

Texas Fishing Report

Submitted by Anglers Like You

The Angler keep others informed by emailing fishing reports to us. Include your name in the message part of your report if you'd like to receive credit for the report.

A great way to spend your vacation in Texas fishing, is to get a place to stay that feels like home. Timeshares are the answer. Timeshare Sales are one of the leading lodging options. Try the resale market to find your next Texas timeshare.

Free Fishing Days - Kansas June 7 8, 2008, Arkansas June 6 8, 2008, Colorado June 7 8, 2008, Iowa June 6 8, 2008, Missouri June 7 8, 2008, Nebraska May 17, 2008, Oklahoma June 7 8, 2008 and Texas June 7, 2008

Click on Photos for Larger View

April 27, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips - (I've attached pics of Gary (right) with an 8-5 and Louis with an 8-6.) As we enter May, I'm still seeing some spawning pairs in the shallows at Lake Fork. Between the fry guarders, spawning fish and the bass chasing the hoards of shad spawning in the grass, 10' and less has been my best depth range this week. As a result, I expect the shallows will remain the best pattern for a couple more weeks. Meanwhile, a few fish are starting to show up on deep structure and a number of fish are hanging out in mid-range depths (8' to 18'). Just about any bait in your tackle box will work at some point in May, and the fishing will continue to get better as the females wrap up their spawning rituals and put on the feedbag. From lunkers on topwaters to structure fishing for schools of big bass on crankbaits, swimbaits, and Carolina rigs, the annual summer whack-fest is about to begin. Head on out to Lake Fork this summer and find out why May, June, and July are the favorite months of many Fork regulars.

Lake Conditions: With a little less rain this week, Fork is about normal pool and clearing. The lake level is currently reading 402.86' (about 2" below full pool). Much of the north end and backs of major creeks are still stained to muddy, however, the south end remains quite clear. We've been catching the bass equally from muddy and clear water, so don't let the stained water keep you out of productive coves. Water temps were reading from 65 to 70 in the main lake, while we found some creeks as warm as 80.

Location Pattern: I'm finding most of the bigger spawning fish nearer the mouths of coves and on main lake flats in 8' and less. While some bass are spawning in the newly flooded grass and cattails, many are spawning or staging along the inside grassline in about 4'. In addition, many bass are also holding amongst the rapidly burgeoning lily pads. The slightly deeper structure like points, creek channels, and ledges in 8' to 18', adjacent to areas with numbers of shallow spawning bass, is where we've found most of the bigger females. Deep structure in 15' to 30' is also starting to hold a few good fish, but the bite is very sporadic.

Presentation Pattern: Shad colored topwaters, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits have been productive for actively feeding post spawners this week. Concentrate on areas with a lot of spawning shad, bass beds, or bluegill beds for the fastest action. For the bass holding in the newly flooded vegetation, swimming a green pumpkin red/pearl Fork Frog is hard to beat. Meanwhile, for bass around beds and on the spawning flats, 3.5" and 4.5" Live Magic Shads have produced well this week. Rig these on the new Swimbait hooks from Lake Fork Trophy Lures and try the watermelon red/pearl, watermelon seed/red flake, golden shiner, or Magic Shad colors. While some bass are biting on the swim, our best retrieve has been dead-sticking on the bottom, followed by swimming it a few feet and letting it fall back to the bottom, repeating this all the way back to the boat. When the bass are more finicky, a regular Magic Shad rigged weightless or on a light Carolina rig has done well. Try watermelon candy, watermelon/red or bull bream colors for this. For spawning bass, white or watermelon Fork Craws and Merthiolate twitch worms have worked well. Out deeper, 12 oz Mega Weight Jigs in black/blue with blue bruiser or watermelon candy colored Fork Craw trailers or Texas rigged Fork Creatures in the same colors are catching some big bass on points. And swimbaits or deep diving crankbaits in shad or yellow bass patterns are catching some suspended 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.

Tom

April 16, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by David Vance - The fishing on Lake Fork has been good for big fish this week in spite of the windy weather. Today Steve Dacus from Dallas fished with me and caught his personal best bass that weighed 10 lbs 8oz. This bass came out of 10 ft of water on the edge of a grass line. It was a post spawner. Right now on Lake Fork there are several different patterns that are working. One pattern that is working well is fishing secondary points off the spawning plats in 10-12 ft of water with a Carolina Rig and a Crank bait. The bait that has been working for me on the Carolina Rig is an 8 inch Green Pumpkin Lizard and on the crank bait a Norman Deep Little N in shad color. Also right now on Lake Fork there is one of the best flipping bites I have seen in a long time. With the Lake full there is tons of flooded vegetation in 2-3 ft of water. Alot of the bass have spawned under this shallow vegetation and has made it a flippers dream. The bait that has worked well for me is a June Bug or Red Shad Brushhog. This pattern has produced 2 bass over 9 lbs this week for us and several in the 5-6 lb class. Good areas to try right now are Ray Branch, Wolf Creek, and Dale Creek. May is Top Water time on Lake Fork and I think this year will be one of the best with all the new flooded vegetation. If you like throwing a Frog, Lake Fork will be the place to be.

If you would like to book a guide trip you can reach me at 903-629-7699 or my cell# 903-629-5085.

Good Fishing,

David Vance

April 13, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips - (I've attached a couple pics of the Cotton brothers, Brent (center) and Mike (right), with 8-2 and 8-8 lb fish, along with me (left) with a nice prespawn fish) With bass in all 3 phases of the spawn and sections of the lake that are clear, stained and muddy, it's possible to catch big Lake Fork bass on just about any shallow water technique right now. Spawning and post spawn patterns are producing the biggest numbers of fish, with some good ones mixed in. My customers and I concentrated mostly on slightly deeper structure just outside shallow spawning flats, a pattern that catches big prespawners moving into the shallows and also big females on their way back out. With so many bass up shallow right now and so many different patterns working, anglers can concentrate on their strengths and fish the pattern that suits them best-be it flipping heavy cover in muddy water, finesse fishing with light line or sight fishing in clear water, to anything in between. In general, the windier and cloudier the day, the better our fishing results, while sunny and calm winds made things a lot tougher.

I expect the spawn to continue into early May, as it does most every year on Fork. By the end of April, many fish will already be in post spawn and early summertime patterns. As those females feed up after the spawn, the result is our most consistent fishing of the year for numbers of quality fish in the 3 to 7 lb range, with a shot at a 10+. That means topwaters early and all day on cloudy days, and then deep water structure fishing the rest of the day. So if your plans don't allow you to take advantage of the spawn this year on Fork, don't despair, you can still enjoy what most locals consider the best fishing of the year on Fork-May through July.

Lake Conditions : Another couple rounds of storms brought Lake Fork up over full pool once again, currently reading 403.10' and falling fast (about 1 inch above full pool). Much of the north end and backs of major creeks are stained to muddy, but the south end still remains quite clear. We've been catching the bass equally from muddy and clear water, so don't let the stained water keep you out of productive coves. Water temps were reading from 64 to 69 degrees on Saturday, perfect for spawning.

Location Pattern: For prespawn bass, concentrate on points, creek channels, treelines, and inside or outside grass lines near shallow spawning flats. For these big prespawn females, we did better around grass and wood cover in 4' to 10' in the middle to mouths of creeks or on cover on the main lake. For spawning fish, concentrate on the very back ends of large creeks. In addition, flats and protected bays nearer the mouths of coves are also holding some spawners. Spawning activity seems to be sporadic, so you may need to move around to a few coves to find an area with a wave of bedding fish.

Presentation Pattern: For prespawn and postspawn bass, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwaters, jerkbaits, and lipless crankbaits are catching big fish, especially on overcast and windy days. With lots of stained and muddy water, bright color schemes that include a lot of orange, chartreuse or red have worked best. For a big bass, try slow rolling swimbaits through the shallow grass and wood, like a 4.5" or 5.5" Live Magic Shad on a matching Lake Fork Trophy Lures' Ultimate Swimbait hook. On calm days, you'll typically do better by pitching a jig and a Texas rig to shallow cover. For the jig, I go with a 3/8 oz Mega Weight black and blue or green pumpkin jig with a Lake Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser or watermelon candy colors. Meanwhile on the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper or Top Dog Lizard in black neon, green pumpkin or watermelon/red with a 1/8 to 3/8 oz bullet weight and slowly work it around wood cover and in any holes in the grass. For bass on spawning flats, weightless Texas rigged or wacky rigged soft plastic jerkbaits like Magic Shads, Live Magic Shads, Twitch Worms, and Ring Frys become your best option. Shades of green pumpkin and watermelon are top colors in clearer water, while blue bruiser, black neon, and June bug work better in the murkier water.

For spawning bass, white or watermelon Top Dog lizards, Flippers and Craw Tubes work great. 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. Most spawning areas have water that is too muddy to see bedding fish, so pitching Texas rigs and weightless soft plastics to any wood cover and holes in the grass will catch the spawners that you can't see. Work your bait very slowly and keep it in place on the bottom for a long time or you'll pass up all but the most aggressive fish.

Good Fishing,

Tom

March 30, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips - (Photos Darlene and Craig with a couple of nice bass from a couple of trips this week.) Heading into April, the spawn is in full swing at Lake Fork. While muddier than normal water has made sight fishing options limited, blind casting traditional spawning areas has produced good catches. Based on the number of small males I've seen caught in the shallows in the past few days, I suspect another big wave of females will be moving up shortly. Instead of catching the mostly smaller males up shallow, my customers and I have been keying on the 4' to 10' range for the past week and we've caught mostly bigger prespawn females. Best of all, by focusing on the slightly deeper water, you can fish in areas with lots of other anglers and still consistently catch fish.

I expect the spawn to continue through April into early May, as it does most every year on Fork. By the end of April, many fish will already be in post spawn and early summertime patterns. As those females feed up after the spawn, the result is our most consistent fishing of the year for numbers of quality fish in the 3 to 7 lb range, with a shot at a 10+. That means topwaters early and all day on cloudy days, and then deep water structure fishing the rest of the day. So if your plans don't allow you to take advantage of the spawn this year on Fork, don't despair, you can still enjoy what most locals consider the best fishing of the year on Fork-May through July.

As a side note, I added my April article to my website. It details the finesse Carolina rig, one of the most deadly rigs for catching big bass in the spawn in tough conditions. You can check this and all of my other bass fishing articles out at http://www.lakeforkguidetrips.com/fishingarticles.htm .

Lake Conditions: More rainstorms this weekend has Lake Fork rising up over full pool once again, currently reading 403.22', about 3 inches above full pool. With more rains forecast for Monday, expect it to be high and muddy for much of this coming week. Many creeks started clearing this week after being muddy for almost a month now, while the water on the south end remains pretty clear. We've been catching the bass equally from muddy and clear water, so don't let the stained water keep you out of productive coves. Water temps were reading from 61 to 67 degrees on Saturday, perfect for spawning.

Location Pattern: For prespawn bass, concentrate on points, creek channels, treelines, and inside or outside grass lines near shallow spawning flats. For big prespawn females, we did better around grass and wood cover in 4' to 10' in the middle to mouths of creeks or on cover on the main lake. For spawning fish, concentrate on the very back ends of large creeks. As the water continues to warm, flats and bays nearer the mouths of coves will start holding more spawners, too.

Presentation Pattern: For prespawn bass, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and lipless crankbaits are still catching big fish, especially on overcast and windy days. With lots of stained and muddy water, bright color schemes that include a lot of orange, chartreuse or red have worked best. For a big bass, go with a 12 oz chatterbait with a shad colored 4.5 Live Magic Shad trailer and swim it in the same areas you throw a trap or spinnerbait. On calm days, you'll typically do better by switching to a suspending jerkbait or pitching a jig and a Texas rig. Go with gold or clown colored jerkbaits on cloudy days, while silver color schemes work better on sunny days. Work these baits with a few twitches and long pauses. For a real prespawn monster, pitching heavy cover along the first breakline and creek channels is the way to go. I go with a 3/8 oz Mega Weight black and blue or green pumpkin jig with a Lake Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser or watermelon candy colors. For the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper or Top Dog Lizard in black neon, green pumpkin or watermelon/red with a 1/8 to 3/8 oz bullet weight and slowly work it around cover. For bass that have moved onto spawning flats, weightless Texas rigged or wacky rigged soft plastic jerkbaits like Magic Shads, Live Magic Shads, Twitch Worms, and Ring Frys become your best option. Shades of green pumpkin and watermelon are normally top colors, with watermelon/red baits with the tail dipped in chartreuse being the top producer lately.

Good Fishing,
Tom

March 18, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by David Vance - The fishing on Lake Fork this week has been good for big fish. With the last few days of warm weather, the bass have made a major move to the shallows to spawn. Also there has been two fish over 13lbs that were weighed in. To say the least, the spawn is on hear on Lake Fork. Most of the fish we are catching right now are in 2 to 5 ft. of water over the spawning flats. Today we had 22 bass, one that weighed 9lbs. 7oz and one weighed 8lbs. 3oz. All these fish came on a Watermelon Red Baby Brushhog. The way we are fishing the Brushhog is on a Texas rig with a 1/8oz weight. This week we have also caught fish on a June bug Trick worm fished wacky style. Good areas to try right now are Chaney Branch, Little Caney, and Wolfe Creek. These areas have been producing some good fish this week. So far with a cooler than usual March, April is lining up for some great spawning action. Lake Fork is full and in great shape water temp today at noon was 61. One mistake that I see a lot of fisherman make this time of year is fishing too fast. Once these fish start spawning, there strike zone is small and with a slow presentation you will have a much more successful day. So if you are looking for some great Spring fishing, Lake Fork is the place to be.

Good Fishing,

David Vance

March 16, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips - (Photos - Jeff with 8-8 bass caught March 15 and tom with 8-12 caught on March 3) A major warming trend has Lake Fork bass rapidly heading towards the first wave of spawning. After recent days of sun burnt customers wearing shorts, it's hard to believe that we fished all morning in a major snowstorm on March 7th with water temps dipping into the upper 40s. While the bass had been biting very strong in the backs of creeks before the cold front, I've caught most of my fish on an "outside" pattern since then--around grass and timber on points and creek channels leading into spawning areas. As the water warmed back up, the bite was slow for numbers most days with a lot of 6 to 10 fish days, although we did manage to catch some big bass. In addition, Fork anglers donated two fish over 13 lbs this week to TX's ShareLunker program. With a few more warm days and the full moon next week, I expect a major wave of spawners to hit the shallows any day now in warmer areas of the lake. As usual, we'll have waves of spawners move up through April, with a few stragglers on beds into mid-May.

Lake Conditions : Since a few heavy rains brought Lake Fork up well over full pool, the water level dropped steadily, currently reading 402.84', about 2 inches below full pool. The current created by drawing water from the lake pulled a lot of muddy water from the very backs of creeks and much of the lake is stained to muddy. Meanwhile, the south end and some protected creeks remain clear. Water temps were reading from 56 to 67 degrees on Saturday, up considerably from last week.

Location Pattern: For prespawn bass, concentrate on points, creek channels, treelines, and inside or outside grass lines near shallow spawning flats. With the water being cold this week, we did better around grass and wood cover in 4' to 10' in the backs of creeks or on cover on or near the main lake. In many cases, we've caught multiple fish from very small areas, so really work an area over once you've caught a fish there. A few spawning bass are currently located in protected bays and typically in the very back ends of creeks. As the water continues to warm, flats and bays nearer the mouths of coves will start holding spawners, too.

Presentation Pattern: For prespawn bass, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and lipless crankbaits are still catching a lot of fish, especially on overcast and windy days. For a big bass, go with a 12 oz chatterbait with a shad colored 4.5 Live Magic Shad trailer and swim it in the same areas you throw a trap or spinnerbait. On calm days, you'll typically do better by switching to a suspending jerkbait or pitching a jig and a Texas rig. Go with gold jerkbaits on cloudy days, while silver color schemes work better on sunny days. Work these baits with a few twitches and long pauses. For a real prespawn monster, pitching heavy cover along the first breakline and creek channels is the way to go. I go with a 3/8 oz Mega Weight black and blue or green pumpkin jig with a Lake Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser or watermelon candy colors. For the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper or Top Dog Lizard in black neon or watermelon/chartreuse with a 1/8 to 3/8 oz bullet weight and slowly work it around cover. For bass that have moved onto spawning flats, weightless Texas rigged or wacky rigged soft plastic jerkbaits like Magic Shads, Live Magic Shads, Twitch Worms, and Ring Frys become your best option. Shades of green pumpkin and watermelon are normally top colors, with green pumpkin baits with the tail dipped in chartreuse being the top producer lately.

Good Fishing,

Tom

March 6, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by David Vance - Hello from Lake Fork. This past week the fishing has been good on suspending rogues. Black back, gold sides, orange belly has been the best color for me. Water depth five to ten feet of water. The best places to look for is at the mouths of the major creeks. Mustang, White Oak, Birch and Pinson have been good this week. Today we put 15 bass in the boat and one that weighed 10 pounds 5oz all on the suspending rogue. The key right now is to jerk this bait down and as it is suspending, slowly twitch your line. Most of the bass right now are taking the bait and moving off with it. The suspending rogue here on Lake Fork is a great bait to catch Big pre-spawn bass this time of year.

Right now I am using 15lb test line and a high speed reel on a medium action Lake Fork Pro Series Cranking Rod. Also we are catching some fish on a wacky worm. The best colors for me have been watermelon red and green pumpkin. The weather has been up and down and we have had some pretty nasty days. Don't let the nasty weather keep you off the lake. I have caught some of my biggest bass this time of the year in some of the worst weather. Now is the time to be at Lake Fork. The bass are moving to the shallows to spawn and your chances of catching a trophy bass are better right now than any other time of the year. If you would like to book a Guide trip you can reach me at: 903-629-7699 or cell# 903-629-5085.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK GOOD FISHING,
David Vance

March 1, 2008 - Lake Fork - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips -Photos - (Left) Tom Redington with 8-10, (Center) Brian wth 7-4 and (right) Dave with 7-8

Heading into March, the bass are still prespawn on Lake Fork and more big fish are showing up all the time. I'm back fishing daily on Fork again now after fishing the FLW Stren Series on Sam Rayburn in mid-February. I was able to put together a good limit each day using my Fork prespawn pattern and finished with a check in 27th place, good enough to boost me to 8th place for the season standings. Back at Fork, numbers have been inconsistent this past week but the size has usually been pretty good. Even though we've had a number of warm days, cold nights as low as 23 degrees have negated the daytime heating and kept water temps from getting warm enough to trigger a big wave of spawners. I expect the next warming trend we get with a few warm nights should have a flood of bass heading for the flats.

My fishing patterns remain mostly unchanged from my last report and will remain that way for another week or two, when the spawning patterns start to dominate.

As a side note, I've added my March article to my website. It answers one of the most common questions I get, "How do you rig and fish the new Lake Fork Trophy Lure's Live Magic Shad?" It was killer last spring and it's a great producer during the spawn and post spawn. http://www.lakeforkguidetrips.com/fishingarticles.htm

Lake Conditions: Fork is holding steady at less than an inch below full pool, currently reading 402.93'. Because of a big rain a couple weeks ago and some very windy days, many creeks and the north ends of the lake are pretty muddy. Meanwhile, the south end and some protected creeks are quite clear. Water temps were reading from 52 to 57 degrees on Friday and have remained in the 50s for the past couple of weeks.

Location Pattern: Until the spawn starts, I concentrate on prespawn and staging fish on points and along edges of flats or creek channels. Areas with submerged vegetation (primarily hydrilla, milfoil or coontail) for cover will typically have the most active fish. Main lake grass beds near the mouths of these coves are holding a lot of fish now, as are main and secondary points inside the coves, provided there is deep water nearby. During warming trends, follow bass back into the creeks and check the edges of grass flats and creek channels.

Keep in mind, too, that the absolute water temperature is not nearly as important now as the recent water temperature trend. For instance, water temps that are showing 52 degrees can result in slow fishing if the temps were 58 a couple days ago. In contrast, fishing can be great if the temps warm up to 50 while they were 44 a few days before. In general, look for bass on the flats and farther back in creeks during warming trends; conversely, drop back to points and main lake grassbeds after cold fronts. Finally, the day of and the day after cold fronts can be absolutely miserable to fish, but these frontal days after a long warming trend are usually the most productive times to fish.

Presentation Pattern: My prespawn arsenal is pretty simple for fishing along grasslines and creek channels. First and foremost are red, crawfish, or shad pattern lipless crankbaits in 14 to 34 oz. Buzzing these over the top of the grass on a quick retrieve works best some days, but after cold fronts, letting the trap fall and ripping these out of the grass will trigger most of the bites. 3/8 to 1 oz spinnerbaits with double willow blades or a single Colorado blade in white, red, black, or chartreuse and white will produce some really large bass in the same areas that the lipless cranks work, especially on windy and cloudy days. For a true giant, try swimming the new 5.5" Live Magic Shad in the same areas you'd throw a spinnerbait during warming trends. Rig it on the new Lake Fork Trophy Lures 7/0 wide gap hook and swim it slowly back to the boat with a few pauses. When the bite slows or the conditions are sunny and calm, I'll switch to a suspending jerkbait or pitch a jig and a Texas rig. Jerkbaits in gold or silver patterns are my primary colors. Work these with long pauses over the grass and along the edges. For jigs, I go with 12 oz black and blue jigs with a Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser or watermelon candy color. For the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper in black neon or blue bruiser with a 14 to 3/8 oz bullet weight. Work your jig or Texas rig very slowly along creek channels or through deep grass for your best shot at a lunker. When the bite is really slow, weightless soft plastics are starting to produce some buck bass and an occasional good fish. A watermelon or green pumpkin colored soft plastic like the Magic Shad, Ring Fry, Zig Zag, or Live Magic Shad fished slowly on a lightly weighted Lake Fork Ultimate Swimbait Hook has put a few extra fish in our boat several days this week.

Cover lots of water until you get bit. Once you catch one, work the area over thoroughly with multiple passes, employing several different baits. Fish tend to stack up in key staging areas during the prespawn and these spots will replenish themselves with more fish as big bass move shallow.

Good Fishing,

Tom

February 8, 2008 - Lake Fork & Lake Baccarac - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips -

Despite the wind, cold and rain, I've been fishing almost every day on Fork for the past 4 weeks now. As the water cooled and warmed over the past
two weeks, our fishing has been exceptional. By that I mean it was either exceptionally awesome or exceptionally tough! After a good bite in the
first half of January, the extended cold period at the end of the month made fishing very slow and we had a number of 4 to 6 fish trips. Last weekend saw a big warm up and the fishing was awesome on Monday through Wednesday this week. Tuesday was one of my best numbers days ever for February, with the fish biting all day. Right before the second hailstorm of the day at dark, the action was continuous, with fish after fish and a lot of doubles for the last hour of daylight. Numbers slowed down on Wednesday after the front came through but the big fish were on. Bernie from MN caught a 10-00 and a 7-06 that morning, with our biggest 5 fish totaling over 35 lbs for the day. A couple more cold fronts on Thursday and Friday slowed the fishing for us once again, with only 8 and 11 fish caught the past 2 days.

February is big bass time, so concentrate on warming trends and fish patiently in key staging areas. Even on the slowest days we caught some big bass, so fish thoroughly and you might be rewarded with the biggest bass of your life. My fishing patterns remain mostly unchanged from my last report and will remain that way until sometime in March when the spawning patterns start to dominate.

Lake Conditions: Fork is holding steady about 3" below full pool, currently reading 402.77'. The lake is full of aquatic vegetation, with a deep weedline anywhere from 8' to about 15'. The main lake is clear in most areas, while the creeks are ranging from clear to muddy, depending on how much wind exposure they have. Water temps were reading from 50 to 53 degrees on Friday, down from the mid- to upper-50s earlier this week.

Location Pattern: From now through much of March, I concentrate on prespawn and staging fish on points and along edges of flats or creek channels. Areas with submerged vegetation (primarily hydrilla, milfoil or coontail) for cover will typically have the most active fish. While about any grassy area will hold a few fish, start your search in areas that have lots of spawning fish in late February through March. It stands to reason that the coves that hold the most spawning fish in early spring will have the most prespawn fish in the winter. Main lake grass beds near the mouths of these coves are holding a lot of fish now, as are main and secondary points inside the coves, provided there is deep water nearby. During warming trends, follow bass back into the creeks and check the edges of grass flats and creek channels.

For deep structure enthusiasts, points, roadbeds, humps, flats and ledges in 18' to 45' will produce some big fish during the winter months as well. Use your electronics to find the schools of bass and baitfish and work them over with spoons and dropshots. I'm primarily concentrating on the shallow bass, so my presentation pattern will focus on that.

Presentation Pattern: My wintertime arsenal is pretty simple for fishing along grasslines and creek channels. First and foremost are red, crawfish, or shad pattern lipless crankbaits in 12 or 34 oz. Stick with the 12 for grass that is near the surface and go with the 34 for grass that is deeper.

Buzzing these over the top of the grass on a quick retrieve works best some days, but after cold fronts, letting the trap fall and ripping these out of the grass will trigger most of the bites. 14 to 12 oz spinnerbaits with double willow blades in white, red, or chartreuse and white will produce some really large bass in the same areas that the lipless cranks work, especially on windy and cloudy days. For a true giant, try swimming the new 5.5" Live Magic Shad in the same areas you'd throw a spinnerbait during warming trends. Rig it on the new Lake Fork Trophy Lures 7/0 wide gap hook and swim it slowly back to the boat with a few pauses. When the bite slows or the conditions are sunny and calm, I'll switch to a suspending jerkbait or pitch a jig and a Texas rig. Jerkbaits in gold or clown patterns are my primary colors. Work these with long pauses over the grass and along the edges. For jigs, I go with 12 oz black and blue jigs with a Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser color. For the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper in black neon or blue bruiser with a 14 to 3/8 oz bullet weight. Work your jig or Texas rig very slowly along creek channels or through deep grass for your best shot at a lunker.

Cover lots of water until you get bit. Once you catch one, work the area over thoroughly with multiple passes, employing several different baits. Fish tend to stack up in key staging areas during the winter and these spots will replenish themselves with more fish during the prespawn as more and more big bass move shallow. Find some good staging spots and you'll have a milk run of honey holes now through March.

Here's hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. For those of you looking for a guide trip, I'm booked for February, but I do have March 5 and 31 available, as well as a number of good dates for the spawn in April.

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

January 21, 2008 - Lake Fork & Lake Baccarac - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips - 2008 is off to a good start for my customers and me. I spent the first part of this month fishing the FLW Stren Series event on Falcon and caught them well, sitting in 5th place on day 2 before struggling on day 3 and finishing in 19th place. Now I'm back to fishing Lake Fork on a daily basis and although the weather has been chilly, the bass don't seem to mind. We had 11 to 17 fish in the boat on most days this past week, although we only boated 7 fish on one slow day. Early prespawn females are starting to show up in their usual locations, and we caught a lot of fish with big bellies, including a 9 lb 3 oz beauty and a good number of chunks in the 5 to 7 lb category, with only 1 or 2 dinks each day. Regardless of the weather over then next two months, staging fish will continue to show up in the shallows in preparation for the spawn, making this the best time of the year to catch a true giant on Fork. Until bass start to spawn in March, my fishing patterns will remain basically the same. That's good news for those of you who find fish now, as you'll be able to hammer them for the next two months.

Lake Conditions: Fork is holding steady around about 4" below full pool, currently reading 402.66'. The lake is full of aquatic vegetation, with a deep weedline anywhere from 8' to about 15'. The main lake is clear, while the creeks are ranging from clear to stained. Water temps were reading from 47 to 52 degrees on Monday, normal wintertime water temps for Fork.

Presentation Pattern: My wintertime arsenal is pretty simple for fishing along grasslines and creek channels. First and foremost are red lipless crankbaits in 12 or 34 oz. Stick with the 12 for grass that is near the surface and go with the 34 for grass that is deeper. Buzzing these over the top of the grass on a quick retrieve is working best now, but after cold fronts, letting the trap fall and ripping these out of the grass will trigger most of the bites. 14 to 12 oz spinnerbaits with double willow blades in white, red, or chartreuse and white will produce some really large bass in the same areas that the lipless cranks work, especially on windy and cloudy days. For a true giant, try swimming the new 5.5" Live Magic Shad in the same areas you'd throw a spinnerbait. Rig it on the new Lake Fork Trophy Lures 7/0 wide gap hook and swim it slowly back to the boat with a few pauses. When the water looks like a toilet just flushed, it's time to set the hook!! When the bite slows or the conditions are sunny and calm, I'll switch to a suspending jerkbait or pitch a jig and a Texas rig. Jerkbaits in gold or clown patterns are my primary colors. Work these with long pauses over the grass and along the edges. For jigs, I go with 12 oz black and blue jigs with a Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser color. For the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper in black neon or blue bruiser with a 14 to 3/8 oz bullet weight. Work your jig or Texas rig very slowly along creek channels or through deep grass for your best shot at a lunker.

Cover lots of water until you get bit. Once you catch one, work the area over thoroughly with multiple passes, employing several different baits. Fish tend to stack up in key staging areas during the winter and these spots will replenish themselves with more fish during the prespawn as more and more big bass move shallow. Find some good staging spots and you'll have a milk run of honey holes now through March.

Good Fishing,

Tom

tth

December 28, 2007 - Lake Fork & Lake Baccarac - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips - Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks to all of my friends, family, and customers for a fabulous 2007 and I hope everyone has a year of great
catches in 2008. As we head into the New Year, the early stages of prespawn are starting in some areas of the lake. Meanwhile, lunker bass continue to be caught from deep water as well. With big bass smoking jigs, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits now through March, this is my favorite time of the year on Fork. Numbers run lower this time of year; however, the average size of your catch is at its highest for the year, usually in the 3.5 to 5 lb range, with a good shot at bass 7 lbs or greater.

Lake Conditions: Fork came up a little with recent rains and is about 3" below full pool, currently reading 402.72'. The lake is full of aquatic vegetation, with a deep weedline anywhere from 8' to about 15'. The main lake is clear, while the creeks are ranging from clear to stained. Water temps are generally holding in the low to mid-50s, normal wintertime water temps for Fork.

Location Pattern: From late-December through much of March, I concentrate on prespawn and staging fish on points and along edges of flats or creek channels. Areas with submerged vegetation (primarily hydrilla, milfoil or coontail) for cover will typically have the most active fish. While about any grassy area will hold a few fish, start your search in areas that have lots of spawning fish in late February through March. It stands to reason that the coves that hold the most spawning fish in early spring will have the most prespawn fish in the winter. Main lake grass beds near the mouths of these coves are holding a lot of fish now, as are main and secondary points inside the coves, provided there is deep water nearby. During warming trends, follow bass back into the creeks and check the edges of grass flats and creek channels.

When the water looks like a toilet just flushed, it's time to set the hook!! When the bite slows or the conditions are sunny and calm, I'll switch to a suspending jerkbait or pitch a jig and a Texas rig. Jerkbaits in gold or clown patterns are my primary colors. Work these with long pauses over the grass and along the edges. For jigs, I go with 12 oz black and blue jigs with a Lake Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser color. For the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper in black neon or blue bruiser with a 14 to 3/8 oz bullet weight. Work your jig or Texas rig very slowly along creek channels or through deep grass for your best shot at a lunker.

Cover lots of water until you get bit. Once you catch one, work the area over thoroughly with multiple passes, employing several different baits. Fish tend to stack up in key staging areas during the winter and these spots will replenish themselves with more fish during the prespawn as more and more big bass move shallow. Find some good staging spots and you'll have a milk run of honey holes now through March.

Boat for Sale: My 2007 Ranger Z21 boat is for sale and I've reduced the price. I picked it up in late October of last year and it is fully loaded, rigged with a 250 HP Yamaha with a 5 year warranty. It's value priced and will save you over $10,000 off the cost of a new boat. For more details and pics of the boat, please check my website (www.lakeforkguidetrips.com) or drop me a note.

Tom

December 4, 2007 - Lake Fork & Lake Baccarac - Submitted by Lake Fork Guide Trips - With cooler nights and shorter days, the bass at Lake Fork are settling into late fall and winter patterns. With a week of 60s and 70s forecasted, now's a good time to avoid the crowds at Fork and enjoy some good fall fishing. As the water cools, numbers start to run lower on average, although you can catch a boatload of fish on the right days. While numbers start to decline, big fish become more common and will only continue to increase as we move towards the spawn in March and April. Go fishing after several days of stable weather, especially right before a front, and you'll be able to catch big bass in deep or shallow water this month.

With the holidays just around the corner, I do have gift certificates available for those looking for a present for their angling buddies. 2007 has been a fantastic year on Fork, benefiting from ample rains and a full lake. With prespawn starting in late-December, it won't be long until my favorite lunker time of the year is here, January through March. And with the lake in such good shape, Fork should be awesome in '08.

Lake Conditions: Fork is 5" below full pool right now, currently reading 402.58' and dropping very slowly. The lake is full of aquatic vegetation, with a deep weedline anywhere from 8' to about 15'. The main lake is clear, while the creeks are ranging from clear to stained. Water temps are general holding in the mid-50s, good wintertime water temps for Fork.

Location Pattern: Depending on the conditions, the bite may be best in shallow grass or on deep structure. Early and late and all day on cloudy and windy days are typically the best times for the shallow grass bite. When the sun gets up, concentrate on the deep weed edge in 8' to 15' and creek channels running through grass flats in large coves. You'll find fish over the flats more after warming trends, while fronts typically drive them more towards the creek channels or into thick deep grass. Most fish are in groups, so you'll fish for a while without getting a bite, and then catch several in a small area. When the shallow bite is off, concentrate on main lake structure in 14' to 40'. Find the schools of yellow bass and the big largemouth will be with them. Normally, you'll find the fish schooling shallower on windy and cloudy days, while it's not uncommon to catch fish on Fork in the wintertime in 38' or deeper on sunny days after a front.

Presentation Pattern: As the water cools, I start to limit the variety of baits that I throw, sticking with key lures and working areas thoroughly. In the shallows, 1/2 oz chrome, red or crawfish colored lipless
crankbaits and 1/2 oz white spinnerbaits are my top choice for finding fish. When they won't chase, slow down with a suspending jerkbait and you'll trigger inactive bass. Once I've found a school, weightless rigged Magic Shads and Live Magic Shads or wacky rigged Twitch worms in shades of watermelon are catching fish best. For bigger fish, a 1/2 oz blue bruiser Mega Weight jig with a matching Fork Craw trailer is your best bet when pitched to the deep weed edge or stumps along the creek channel. Out deep, Twitch Worms in watermelon or green pumpkin work well on drop shots, as do Carolina rigged Baby Ring Frys, when bass are located on the bottom. Both of these techniques will produce numbers of bass as well as the occasional big fish. For the suspended bass, I start with Lake Fork Tackle's new big Fork Flutter Spoon in the Yellow Bass or Magic Shad colors. These catch fewer yellow bass and are great for catching really big bass. If the bass are finicky and won't hit the big spoons, switch to 12 oz spoons and 1 oz tail spinners and you'll catch some largemouth and lots of yellow bass with these.

Boat for Sale: My 2007 Ranger Z21 boat is now for sale and I've reduced the price. I picked it up in late October of last year and it is fully loaded, rigged with a 250 HP Yamaha with a 5 year warranty. It's value priced and will save you over $10,000 off the cost of a new boat. For more details and pics of the boat, please check my website (www.lakeforkguidetrips.com) or drop me a note.

Website Update: My December fishing article on choosing the right hook has been added to my website. In addition, I've added a discussion forum to my website. It's new, and I'm hoping it will be a great place to find out more information about fishing Lake Fork and my services. Feel free to join the discussion.

Mexico Update: Fishing is off to a very fast start for the 2007-2008 season at Lake Baccarac, with lots of fish over 10 lbs being caught. All Mexico lakes go through boom and bust cycles and Baccarac is certainly peaking right now. I'm also working with a new lodge at Lake Guerrero. The new owners are very friendly and put customer service first, while offering very low rates for such a clean resort. If you're headed to Guerrero this year, let me know and I can put you in touch with them. For more info on a trip to Mexico, please check out my website: http://www.bigmexicobass.com

Good Fishing,

Tom

Source: Texas Anglers like you. Send us a report.

Reports from Texas Anglers - Past Years 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

Kansas Angler Home Page

Website

Shopping Cart

Copyright 1999-2008 by The Kansas Angler - PO Box 357 - Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845 - Phone 620-273-8100
Questions or problems with this website should be directed to webmaster.

Visit Our Sister Sites

Cottonwood Mercantile - River City Associates