After a record breaking McDonald's tournament with 35 bass of over 24" being weighed in, the bite has remained strong at Lake Fork. It appears the lake has finished turning over and the deep bass are starting to bite regularly, while very good numbers of bass are coming from the shallows. Whether you like fishing shallow, deep, or in-between, all depth ranges and almost any lure in your tackle box will produce on Lake Fork during the months of October and most of November. The key (and the fun part) will be determining what bait at what depth is best on any given day. Fall is historically the bite time of the year for numbers on Fork, with a decent shot at catching a true lunker as well. And before you know it my favorite time of the will be here—prespawn fishing for lunker bass in January through March. Based on the fishing this summer and in recent tourneys, we're on pace for an excellent fall and spring. And best of all, you'll have much of the lake to yourself on these mild days filled with fall colors because many sportsmen have left the lake to take up hunting.
Lake Conditions: Although we had another good rain this week, Fork's water level has remained essentially the same, currently reading 403.18', about 2" above full pool. The lake is full of aquatic vegetation, with an inside grassline at about 6' and a deep weedline in 8' to about 15'. The main lake is at its clearest in a number of weeks, while the creeks are ranging from clear to muddy. Water temps remain about the same, reading from 80 to 83 in the main lake yesterday.
Location Pattern: The best pattern for numbers of fish continues to be 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, 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'. I've found a number of good schools this past week that were relating to the bottom and easy to catch once you found them with your graph. Other days, the bass are more suspended and a little tougher to catch.
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 have been hot some days, with poppers and buzzbaits leading the way. Other days, lipless crankbaits and shallow running crankbaits have worked better. When the bass aren't in a chasing mood, I'm switching to a Texas rigged watermelon/red or watermelon candy 8" Fork Worm, Twitch Worm, or Baby Fork Creature with an 1/8th oz bullet sinker and working it over the tops of grass and along the edges. In addition, Magic Shads and Live Magic Shads in watermelon/red worked weightless over the grass beds are catching some big fish and good numbers, as well. For bigger fish, a 3/8 oz watermelon red Mega Weight Jig with a matching Fork Craw trailer is producing well when pitched to the deep weed edge. Out deep, watermelon/red Twitch Worms are working well on drop shots, as are Carolina rigged watermelon/red Baby Ring Frys, when bass are located on the bottom. For the suspended bass, swimming weighted 4.5" and 5.5" Live Magic Shad swimbaits, spoons, deep diving crankbaits, and ¼ oz jigs are working best and catching some lunkers too.
My 2007 Ranger Z21 boat is now for sale. I picked it up in late October of last year and it is fully loaded, rigged with a 250 HP Yamaha with a 5 year warranty. It's value priced and will save you about $10,000 off the cost of a new boat. For more details and pics of the boat, please check my website ( www.lakeforkguidetrips.com ) or drop me a note.
Lake Baccarac Update: After being closed for a short summer break, the lodge reopened and is already producing excellent catches. Following is the report from legendary coach Bobby Knight's group, after their first two days of fishing (September 27 and 28). "Opening afternoon, Russ Johnson caught an 11.2 in Norte Canyon. All boats reported excellent fishing. Today, September 27, was a special day for the Bobby Knight group. Ross Jones caught an 11.5 and a 9.9. Also, he caught 30 fish between 7 and 8 lbs. Tim Knight landed an 11.12 and a 10.4. He reported that he caught more fish today than at all his previous trips combined to El Salto. Pat Knight's big fish of the day was a 10.2. Randy Farley caught a 10.2, a 10.0 and six fish over 8 lbs. Chris Cassidy caught an 11.2 and reported excellent, excellent fishing. Coach Knight didn't break the 10 lb. mark today, but we are confident he will tomorrow! On September 28th, as a group the Knight group caught 8 more fish over 10 pounds. Tim Knight found one spot where he caught 23 bass over 6 pounds and 8 over 9 pounds. Crankbaits, rattletraps and swimbaits are working up the river and in the small canyons near the lodge. Topwater is very slow." The lodge was briefly opened for a couple of groups this summer during the break and the results were spectacular for big fish, including a 15.6 caught on July 20 by Wendell Bennett along with a 16.1 caught by Joe Dillard and a 15.2 caught by Tom Secrest on their trip in mid-August. Full reports are available on my website.
There are still a few openings left for this coming season, but the remaining dates are booking very quickly. Anyone interested in fishing Baccarac this winter or spring should finalize 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