Dillon with a long but skinny nearly 24" bass:
A couple representative recent big bass:
What you're looking for, a huge school of bass on the edge of a drop:
A day off spent at a local lake with my sister and her boyfriend fishing tail spinners and the new Fork Flutter Spoon for white bass and hybrids:
After a much warmer than average fall, a big rain and cooler nights seem to have the bass on Lake Fork shifting to more of a fall pattern. Until a couple days ago, water temps were staying in the low to mid-80s. Contrast that to this time last year, when water temps were running 68 to 72 degrees. In the last few days I've noticed a distinct shift in bass position in deep water from summertime structure to my favorite traditional fall deep structure locations, with tons of shad and yellow bass showing up in those locations as well. At the same time, I'm finding a lot of shad starting to move into shallows, so I expect the back of creek pattern to pick up shortly as well. For the past 3 weeks, my customers and I have enjoyed excellent action most days for numbers of keeper sized bass shallow early and then all day out deep. While some good fish were mixed in, most of our bass were under 3 lbs, with some 5s and the occasional 7 pounder being the exception instead of the rule, with catches between 40 and 60 bass some days. As much fun as the action is, I'm more of a trophy hunter and am looking forward to getting into the lunkers again. With the water finally cooling, expect the bigger bass to become more prevalent both shallow and deep, while good numbers of keepers should continue through November. The fall is typically our best numbers time of the year, so it's an excellent time to get a child or a non-fishing buddy hooked on bass fishing.
Lake Conditions: Fork is exactly at full pool right now after a 2+" rain on Monday, currently reading 403.00' above sea level and dropping very slowly. The lake is full of aquatic vegetation, with an inside grassline at about 6' and a deep weedline anywhere from 8' to about 15'. The main lake is slightly stained, while the creeks are ranging from clear to stained. Water temps cooled 5 to 10 degrees recently, reading from 74 to77 in the main lake yesterday (Wednesday).
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 are the best times. 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 black 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, Twitch Worms in shades of watermelon are working well on drop shots, as are Carolina rigged Baby Ring Frys, when bass are located on the bottom. Both of these techniques will produce numbers of bass as well as big fish. For the suspended bass, I've had some excellent days recently on Lake Fork Tackle's new big Fork Flutter Spoon in the Yellow Bass color. The dying shad action of this big bait while it flutters is irresistible to the bass and it was the only bait we threw on several days this month and most of September. Big fluttering spoons have been the secret bait of Fork guides for the past 3 years and now the secret's out, so try them out on Fork or your home lake while they're hot!
More information on fall fishing patterns is available in my two most recent articles on shallow and deep fall fishing: www.lakeforkguidetrips.com/fishingarticles.htm
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: Fishing is off to a very fast start for the 2007-2008 season at Baccarac. I've updated the fishing reports on my website and they are staggering. In the past few days, one group of 6 anglers had 23 bass over 10 lbs in 4 days. Another angler at the lodge caught 6 over 10 pounds in one day!! All Mexico lakes go through boom and bust cycles and Baccarac is certainly peaking right now. 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