Jim from SC caught a 6 pounder on a Top Dog lizard and also caught a 7 lb'er on film while jumping with a red lipless crank in its mouth:
Chad caught this nice one on Lake Fork Tackle Baby Ring Fry:
Greg caught his biggest bass ever and Dan caught a lunker too, using a Top Dog Lizard and a Baby Ring Fry:
A couple of my better bass from this week, including a 10 lb 4 oz trophy:
Many warm and sunny days resulted in a big bass catching spree at Fork and kicked off the spawn in earnest. While numbers were up and down this week, size has been very good most days, including a 10.25 pounder we caught yesterday. In addition, dozens of giant bass have been reported at the local marinas this week, including two 13s and a 15.32! With our cold winter, the spawn is just starting and I'd estimate that only 10% of the bass population is spawning right now. As is usual, lunker bass will be spawning throughout April and into mid-May.
Lake Conditions: Lake Fork's water level has remained relatively stable, currently reading 400.89', about 2' 1" below full pool. Many areas that were quite stained last week are clearing nicely, while the backs of some creeks remain muddy and most of the lower end of the lake is clear. Water temps continue to rise, with the main lake reading in the mid-50s and protected bays reading into the upper-60s.
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 bass are currently located in protected bays and typically in the very back ends of creeks, with more beds showing up daily. 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 and lipless crankbaits are still catching some big fish, especially on overcast and windy days. On calm days, you'll typically do better by switching to a suspending jerkbait or pitching a jig and a Texas rig. These baits also produce most of my biggest bass in March. 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 color. 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 watermelon baits with the tail dipped in chartreuse being the top producer lately.
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 new 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: With the water on a warming trend, 10 pounders are being caught daily in the shallow water, including some giants on topwaters. There are still a few openings left for May and June (historically one of the best times for trophy bass). I'm starting to plan my group trips for Fall & Winter 2007/2008. Our trip last year was fun and productive for double digit bass; let me know if you want to be part of the lunker action. 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