Heading into April, the spawn is in full swing at Fork. Prespawn and postspawn bass are still available all over the lake as well. As evidence, we had an 8 lb'er that was clearly prespawn and full of eggs at the back end of a creek way, way up north this week, while we also saw some bass fry on main lake flats on the south end. As usual, I expect the spawn to continue into early May. A strong front with heavy rain muddied or stained much of Fork while raising our lake level almost a foot. The front and new muddy water significantly slowed the bite for us this weekend; however, the new flooded cover will be home to many beds in the coming weeks and a real boon for catching actively feeding postspawn lunkers.
Lake Conditions: Lake Fork's water level is basically done rising, currently reading 401.88', about 1' 1" below full pool. High winds followed by a big rain have most of the creeks muddied, while much of the main lake is stained. Water temps continue to rise, with the main lake reading in the upper 60s and protected bays registering well into the 70s.
Location Pattern: For prespawn bass, concentrate on points, creek channels, treelines, and inside or outside grass lines near shallow spawning flats. 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. Spawning activity has spread from protected bays and typically in the very back ends of creeks all the way to the mouths of creeks as well as onto some main lake flats. Basically, if you can find a 2' to 8' flat with ample grass and wood cover, you'll likely find spawning fish right now.
Presentation Pattern: For late prespawn bass, crankbaits, jerkbaits, jigs and Texas rigs are producing some big fish. 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 green pumpkin jig with a Lake Fork Craw trailer in the watermelon candy color. For the Texas rig, I'll pitch a Lake Fork Flipper or Top Dog Lizard in green pumpkin 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. Once again, shades of green pumpkin and watermelon are top colors.
For spawning bass, white or watermelon 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. My favorite is the Lake Fork Baby Craw. Its tiny size and realistic look catch many bass that will run off the bed when bigger baits are pitched in there.
Lake Baccarac Update: Lots of 10 to 11 pounders are coming from the shallows right now, with fish up to 13 lbs being reported in the last week. 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
