The fall fishing really turned on this past week at Lake Fork with the long awaited end to our warm temps. Even after the cold fronts, numbers of bass have been good to great. Big fish have been hard to come by for my customers and me lately, with regular catches of 5 and 6 lb bass, but we haven’t been landing many 7 or bigger for the past few weeks. I know some of you don’t want to hear me complaining about “only” catching 5s and 6s, but that’s the warped reality we live with at Fork. Big fish have started coming into the marinas more regularly again, including double digits in the last few days, so I expect the big bite to return now that the water is cooling again. Until then, we’re having a blast catching loads of quality bass shallow and deep as they feed up for winter.

With the holidays just around the corner, I do have gift certificates available for those looking for a present for their angling buddies. 2008 has been another super year on Fork, with the lake being full and in great shape for the coming season. Prespawn starts in late-December, so it won’t be long until my favorite lunker time of the year is here, January through March. If you’re looking for a fish of a lifetime, prespawn is the time to head to Fork

Lake Conditions: Nearly 4” of rain and frequent cold fronts are rolling over Fork, which seems to have turned on the fishing. The lake level is currently reading 402.42’ (about 7” below full pool). Most of the lake is clear despite the rain, with some stained water on the north ends. Water temps are dropping with the cool nights, reading from 61 to 63 in the main lake on Sunday, while we found temps in the creeks as low as 57 early in the morning.

Location Pattern: Both the shallow and deep fish have bit well some days this past week, but the best pattern depends on the day. Fishing shallow grassbeds on the main lake all the way to the backs of major creeks has produced a lot of fish. Early and late and all day on cloudy and windy days, I’m focusing on shoreline grass, openings in clumps of grass, and the inside weedline. When the sun gets up, concentrate on the deep weed edge in 8’ to 15’. Key on points, inside turns, and along ledges and you’re likely to find more fish. Most of the shallow fish have been in groups, so you’ll fish for a while without getting a bite, and then catch several in a small area. I’m also catching bass back in the coves along creek channel bends. For the deep anglers, concentrate on main lake structure in 18’ to 33’ and you can load the boat when you find them. The best areas and depths change daily, so you’ll need to do some scouting to find the schools each day. Watch your graph closely and key on schools located tight to the bottom if you can find them, because they are normally easier to catch than the suspended schools.

Presentation Pattern: During fall, bass key on shad and most of my lure choices and colors reflect that preference. Shades of white or chrome are always good choices in the fall on Fork. In the shallows, I’m using smaller baits that are about the size of the shad I’m seeing. I’m throwing these lures on the new fluoro/mono hybrid line from Lake Fork Tackle called Fluorohybrid FH. Its zero memory and tiny diameter allow me to boom casts way out there, even with finesse baits. Shallow running crankbaits and lipless cranks, small spinnerbaits, and Lake Fork Tackle’s 4” Hyper Worm are all working well, especially on windy banks. When the bite slows, weightless rigged Magic Shads and Live Magic Shads in shades of watermelon or the Magic Shad color are catching less active fish. Work these slowly with a few twitches and a long pause. For bigger fish, a 3/8 oz watermelon red Mega Weight Jig with a matching Fork Craw or a TX rigged watermelon/red or Bama Bug colored Hyper Freak pitched to timber or grass on points or along creek channels are your best bet.

Out deeper, Carolina rigs, drop shots, and jigs will catch bass from schools located near the bottom on deep structure. Watermelon, green pumpkin, or purple haze colored Baby Fork Creatures, Baby Ring Frys, and Magic Shads are on the business end of my Carolina rigs. Drop shots will catch good numbers of fish and the occasional big bass, rigged with a watermelon or Bama Bug Hyper Finesse Worm. When the bass are suspended, Fork Flutter Spoons, and ½ to ¾ oz slab spoons are working best.

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.



10/26/08

Bass are settling into regular fall patterns here on Lake Fork. Normally, I’m catching fish consistently out deep at this time of year, but the offshore bite has been slow for me lately. I expect it to pick up again soon, and in the meantime, there are a lot of fish chasing shad in the shallows right now. I’m covering a lot of water to catch fish shallow, but you can normally pick up several fish from a single area once you find them. The mild days and the start of fall colors make it a joy to be on the water this time of year, and a big fish or two are just icing on the cake.

With the holidays just around the corner, I do have gift certificates available for those looking for a present for their angling buddies. 2008 has been another super year on Fork, with the lake being full and in great shape for the coming season. Prespawn starts in late-December, so it won’t be long until my favorite lunker time of the year is here, January through March. If you’re looking for a fish of a lifetime, prespawn is the time to head to Fork

Lake Conditions: High pressure has dominated Fork lately, resulting in little rain and light winds, and as a result, the water conditions are quite stable. The lake level is currently reading 402.40’ (about 7” below full pool). Most of the lake is pretty clear now, with some stained water on the north ends. Water temps are slowly dropping with the cool nights, reading from 69 to 73 in the main lake on Saturday.

Location Pattern: The best pattern for numbers of bass is fishing shallow grassbeds on the main lake and the backs of major creeks. Early and late and all day on cloudy and windy days, I’m focusing on shoreline grass, openings in clumps of grass, and the inside weedline. When the sun gets up, concentrate on the deep weed edge in 8’ to 15’. Key on points, inside turns, and along ledges and you’re likely to find more fish. Most of the shallow fish have been in groups, so you’ll fish for a while without getting a bite, and then catch several in a small area. I’m also catching bass back in the coves along creek channel bends. For the deep anglers, concentrate on main lake structure in 12’ to 32’. As the lake settles down from turnover and cools, this pattern will really turn on. Watch your graph closely and key on schools located tight to the bottom if you can find them, because they are normally easier to catch than the suspended schools.

Presentation Pattern: During fall, bass key on shad and most of my lure choices and colors reflect that preference. Shades of white or chrome are always good choices in the fall on Fork. In the shallows, topwaters are catching fish early and late, as well as Fork Frogs in the lily pads. As the sun gets up a little higher, shallow running crankbaits, small spinnerbaits, and Lake Fork Tackle’s 3.5” and 4.5” Live Magic Shad & Hyper Worm swimbaits work better, especially on windy banks. When the bass aren’t in a chasing mood, switch to a Texas rigged watermelon/red or watermelon candy 8” Fork Worm or the new Hyper Finesse Worm with a 1/8th oz bullet sinker and work it over the tops of grass and along the edges. For bigger fish, a 3/8 oz watermelon red Mega Weight Jig with a matching Fork Craw or a TX rigged watermelon/red or Bama Bug colored Hyper Freak produce well when pitched to the deep weed edge.

Out deeper, Carolina rigs, drop shots, jigs, and Texas rigs will catch bass from schools located near the bottom on deep structure. I go with a green pumpkin or watermelon red 8” or 10” Fork Worm for my Texas rigs. Meanwhile, watermelon candy, watermelon/red, or green pumpkin Baby Fork Creatures, Ring Frys, and Twitch Worms are on the business end of my Carolina rigs. Drop shots will catch good numbers of fish and the occasional big bass, rigged with a watermelon or green pumpkin Hyper Finesse Worm. When the bass are suspended, Fork Flutter Spoons and deep diving crankbaits in shad or yellow bass patterns are working better than the bottom presentations, and catching some lunkers too.

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.


10-1-08
After a couple of tumultuous weeks in early September dealing with many rainy days and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, we’ve had several of the most consistent weeks of weather I can remember at Lake Fork. Every day starts off cool and clear, warming into the mid-80s under mostly sunny skies. Once you figure out the fish it is easy to stay with them, since there aren’t any fronts to change things up. Don’t expect it to last forever though, as fall is just around the corner and we’ll start getting cold fronts and chances of rain on a regular basis once again. And that’s good news, because cooling water temps usually result in good bass fishing at Lake Fork until things turn really cold in late November.



On a personal note, I finished up my season on the FLW Stren Series and did well enough to qualify for the Walmart FLW Tour next year. I’m looking forward to an exciting year in 2009, guiding for lunkers on Lake Fork and also competing against some of the world’s best anglers on the FLW Tour.



Finally, I’m headed to Mexico to fish Lake Baccarac in Nov and Dec this year for trophy bass. Our group had one angler drop out of our first trip due to health reasons, so I’m looking for someone to fill his spot for that trip. It’s Nov 21-26 and we’re flying a charter plane directly to the lake. If you’re interested, please let me know.



Lake Conditions: With no rain and light winds, the water conditions are quite stable at Fork. The lake level is currently reading 402.58’ (about 5” below full pool). Some creeks are quite clear, although much of the main lake is brownish due to the fall turnover. Water temps remain fairly warm due to the sunny days, reading in the upper 70s in most areas. As the water level has dropped this summer, the expansive hydrilla and milfoil beds are really matting up, which makes for good fishing in late summer and fall.



Location Pattern: The best pattern for numbers of bass is fishing shallow grassbeds on the main lake and in the first half of major creeks. Early and late and all day on cloudy and windy days, I’m focusing on shoreline grass, openings in clumps of grass, and the inside weedline. When the sun gets up, concentrate on the deep weed edge in 8’ to 15’. Key on points, inside turns, and along ledges and you’re likely to find more fish. Most of the shallow fish have been in groups, so you’ll fish for a while without getting a bite, and then catch several in a small area. I’m also catching some bass back in the coves along creek channel bends but this pattern hasn’t really picked up yet like it will as the water cools. For bigger bass, concentrate on main lake structure in 15’ to 35’. As the lake settles down from turnover and cools, this pattern will really turn on. Watch your graph closely and key on schools located tight to the bottom if you can find them, because they are normally easier to catch than the suspended schools.



Presentation Pattern: As fall approaches, bass will start keying on shad and most of my lure choices and colors will reflect that preference. Shades of white or chrome are always good choices in the fall on Fork. In the shallows, topwaters are catching fish early and late, as well as Fork Frogs in the lily pads. As the sun gets up a little higher, shallow running crankbaits, small spinnerbaits, and Lake Fork Tackle’s 3.5” and 4.5” Live Magic Shad swimbaits work better, especially on windy banks. When the bass aren’t in a chasing mood, switch to a Texas rigged watermelon/red or watermelon candy 8” Fork Worm or the new Hyper Finesse Worm with a 1/8th oz bullet sinker and work it over the tops of grass and along the edges. For bigger fish, a 3/8 oz watermelon red Mega Weight Jig with a matching Fork Craw or a TX rigged watermelon/red or Bama Bug colored Hyper Freak produce well when pitched to the deep weed edge.



Out deeper, Carolina rigs, drop shots, jigs, and Texas rigs will catch bass from schools located near the bottom on deep structure. I go with a green pumpkin or watermelon red 8” or 10” Fork Worm for my Texas rigs. Meanwhile, watermelon candy, watermelon/red, or green pumpkin Baby Fork Creatures, Ring Frys, and Twitch Worms are on the business end of my Carolina rigs. Drop shots will catch good numbers of fish and the occasional big bass, rigged with a watermelon or green pumpkin Hyper Finesse Worm. When the bass are suspended, Fork Flutter Spoons and deep diving crankbaits in shad or yellow bass patterns are working better than the bottom presentations, and catching some lunkers too.



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