Tommy with another jig lunker, just under 7 lbs:
Les & Marvin with a couple good swimbait bass, including a “spotted” bass
Jim and Scott from Canada enjoyed the warm days and big Fork bass:
A couple big jig and Fork craw bass for me, including an 8 lb 9 oz beauty
Fishing has been inconsistent at Lake Fork this past week. When the deep bite has been on, fishing is good and we’re catching mostly postspawn females in the 4 to 9 lb range. Other days, we’re only finding a few small schools out deep and I’ve had to resort to shallow water fishing, where the bite has been sporadic at best. Flipping jigs and Texas rigs up shallow will produce some good bass but lower numbers, while weightless plastics often produce better numbers but mostly smaller fish. And on a few days, it was slow on just about everything. As we move out of the spawn and into postspawn and summertime patterns, fishing will stabilize and good fish will be caught on more predictable patterns. And once the summertime patterns get going, late May, June, and July is my 2nd most favorite time of the year, with big fish coming regularly on swimbaits, crankbaits, and Carolina rigs out deep and on jigs along deep weedlines.
I’ve also added a fishing articles section to my website, with monthly articles on techniques to help you catch bass on Fork or on most any other lake. You can check them out at http://www.lakeforkguidetrips.com/fishingarticles.htm .
Lake Conditions: Lake Fork’s water level is the highest it has been in almost 2 years heading into summer, currently reading 401.91’, about 1’ 1” below full pool. With normal rains in May and June, Fork should be in great shape this summer with lots of newly flooded vegetation and deep grassbeds. Due to all of the vegetation, most of the lake is clear right now, although a few places are stained from runoff and wind. Water temps continue to rise, currently reading in the mid 70s to mid 80s.
Location Pattern: While almost all of the spawning has wrapped up, many bass are remaining shallow on spawning flats and chasing after bluegill, fry, and spawning shad in the ever expanding submerged and emergent weeds. For bigger females, fish slightly deeper structure such as points, creek channels, and ledges; any of which are in close proximity to spawning areas. Deep structure in 18’ to 30’ is where I’ve caught most of my big fish this week. Some days these bass are suspended and other days they’re on the bottom, and most of these schools have been small, so watch your depth finder closely.
Presentation Pattern: First thing in the morning, frog baits like a Fork Frog in black neon or watermelon/red flake/pearl belly are working well some days. Cast these all the way to the bank and drag them across the newly flooded grass, then let them drop after coming across the mat. Other days, poppers are working better. For bass on the grass flats, 4.5” Live Magic Shads and regular Magic Shads are catching some bass. Rig these weightless on an Owner 4/0 or 5/0 Wide Gap Plus hook and try the watermelon red/pearl, watermelon seed/red flake, golden shiner, or Magic Shad colors. For bigger bass, pitch a 3/8 oz Mega Weight jig or a Texas rigged Flipper to holes in the grass and lily pads on flats or near stumps on points and creek channels. I’m using a green pumpkin/black or a watermelon seed jig with a watermelon/red flake Fork Craw trailer and a green pumpkin or watermelon/red flake Flipper on the Texas rig. Out deeper, ½ oz Mega Weight Jigs in black/blue with watermelon candy colored Fork Craw trailers or Texas rigged green pumpkin Twitch Worms are catching some really big bass from schools located on the bottom on deep structure. When the bass are suspended, swimbaits or deep diving crankbaits in shad or yellow bass patterns are working best and catching some lunkers too.
Lake Baccarac Update:
As in the past seasons, the May/June lunker period at Baccarac is producing once again! Check out the recent reports. Orlean Smith and his fishing partner Leo Osburn from OK on May 4th caught 10 fish over 10 pounds using topwater and swimbaits. Donny Harkey in Leo's group caught 2 over 13. Out of the 12 fishermen in Orlean's group, 20 fish over 10 where caught. In total, the lodge has added 36 more fish over 10 pounds to the trophy board this week. Stephen Jones, Executive V.P. of the Dallas Cowboys, caught a 12.4 the first 20 minutes on the water at Baccarac. Joe Hickman caught a 12.7. Pryor Blackwell caught 10.0 and the list goes on. There are still a few openings left for this season, while the fall and winter of 2007/2008 are booking very quickly. Anyone interested in fishing Baccarac next season should start finalizing their plans soon, as the lodge only holds 24 anglers and many of the premium dates are already booked solid. For more info on a trip to Baccarac, please check out my website: http://www.bigmexicobass.com .
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
