A couple big ones from a recent field trip with my brother. He's holding one just under 12 lbs, along with one just under 10 for me:
Alvin and Collie caught a number of nice ones:
A nice one for me while working on an article with an outdoor writer:
With many cloudy and rainy days, the shallow bite at Fork has remained good with all of the flooded grass, aquatic vegetation, and reasonable water temps. Until the rains stop and the water temps warm up, the deep bite will remain a little inconsistent. Some days we have found good schools on the bottom and you can catch a number of big fish very quickly. Other days, we're finding only small schools out deep or lots of suspended bass, so it's more of a one here and one there approach. As we move into our hot and dry season in July, look for water temps to rise quickly and the ever popular deep bite will turn on with it.
Lake Conditions: Lake Fork's water level has continued to creep up during June, currently reading 402.97', less than 1" below full pool. With more rain today and a chance of storms all week, Fork is in great shape this summer with lots of newly flooded vegetation and deep grassbeds all over the lake. While there are thick hydrilla and coontail beds in some areas of the lake, milfoil really seems to be coming on strong in many areas of the lake this year. 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 have stayed moderate because of the rains and overcast days, reading in the upper 70s to low 80s in most areas.
Location Pattern: Many bass are remaining shallow near spawning flats and chasing after bluegill, fry, and shad in the shallow grass. Although the bass are feeding in only 1' to 8', most of the bass and especially the bigger fish, are holding near deeper water. Look for creek channels or ledges on the edge of flats or find grass on main lake points or flats next to quick drop-offs. Deep structure in 14' to 33' is once again 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, poppers and Spooks are working well and these baits have worked all day long if it's cloudy. Once the bass stop chasing topwaters, switch to a spinnerbait or a wacky rigged watermelon or Junebug Twitch Worm in the same areas and you'll continue to catch fish. For bigger bass, pitch a Mega Weight jig or a Texas rigged Flipper along the deep weedline and key on any timber in the area. I'm using a green pumpkin/black or a watermelon seed 3/8 oz jig with a watermelon/red flake Fork Craw trailer and a green pumpkin or watermelon/red flake Flipper on the Texas rig with a 3/16 oz sinker. Out deeper, ½ oz Mega Weight tungsten jigs in green pumpkin/black with watermelon candy or Blue Bruiser 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. In these same areas, drop shotting watermelon candy or watermelon/red flake Twitch Worms are catching lots of keeper sized fish. Or switch to a Carolina rigged watermelon/red flake or Killer Craw colored Baby Fork Creature and steadily drag it along until you find a piece of wood, then slow it way down and get ready for a big one. When the bass are suspended, swimbaits or deep diving crankbaits in shad or yellow bass patterns are working best and catching some lunkers too. Light line and a stop and go retrieve are working best with the crankbait and the swimbaits.
Lake Baccarac Update: Fishing has remained very good since the end of May. Here are a few snippets from recent reports. Tommy Baxter reports excellent fishing trip with fish up to 9 pounds caught up around the ranch. At one point Tommy reports catching 17 fish in a row that weighed 107 pounds. Glen Burda caught 11.4 and 10.5 and his partner also catching two over 10. Don Regus while fishing with guide Jesus caught 11.9, 11.7, 11.6, 10.1, and 10.0 on the morning of the 28th. David Lundsford reported that his group has had a great trip with 4 out of 6 in his group catching fish over 10 pounds. On May 31st Jeff Hannes while fishing with Chino caught 2 over 8, 1 over 10 and a true trophy that weighed 14.8 pounds, while using spinning gear rigged with 17 pound test. Jack Prewitt caught 4 fish over 10 pounds. Bill Cromer's first day on the water caught 2 over 10. Most fish are on the main lake suspended in 18 feet of water. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and swimbaits are all catching these fish.
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