Lake Fork Trophy Bass Fishing Report
Submitted April 6, 2009
By Lake Fork Guide James Caldemeyer
The spring fishing on Lake Fork so far this year has been like a roller coaster along with the weather. One day it is 80 degrees and sunny, the next it is 30's for lows and 50-60 degrees for a high. The wind has also not given us much relief. I think it has blown 25-30+ mph more days than not but that's typical springtime fishing and regardless of the conditions there are still a number of bass up shallow and spawning which makes for some great fishing on Lake Fork! In recent days we have still managed to boat 20-30 fish despite the weather not allowing me to get to some of the places I'd like to be fishing. No worries though as many of the fish have yet to spawn and the conditions will only get better as the weather becomes more consistent.
Lake conditions are great right now with the water level sitting 402.94 which is about full pool. The water temperatures have been fluctuating some with the cooler weather and warm days but most areas are ranging from the high 50's to low 60's early in the day and reaching mid to upper 60's in the afternoon. As far as water clarity, it has been a constantly changing thing on the north end of the lake. One day the area you are fishing is clear and then the next, the wind blows in and stains it up pretty good. The south end of the lake is where you'll find the most consistent amount of clearer water right now.
The patterns that I am fishing right now are directed towards the abundance of fish that are spawning. Best areas have been flats in the back of the major creeks or in the back of pockets leading into these creeks. I am using a few different baits to entice a bite but primarily weightless rigged soft plastics and concentrating on water depths of 2-6 feet. A wacky rigged senko type bait or finesse worm has been very effective lately on spawning fish. Best colors have been shades of watermelon, green pumpkin/red, and black/blue. I am rigging a 2/0 hook with a 1/32 oz. weight molded into the hook and fishing these baits very slowly in these areas. It takes a lot of patience to fish as slow as you need to fish these things in order to get bites but if you can discipline yourself to fish SLOW you will catch fish. Flukes, texas-rigged craw worms, and/or 6" lizards are also good choices fished with as light of a weight as possible. Sight fishing is also a great way to catch a big fish right now but I have not spent much time at it due to the amount of wind. If you get a calm day with some sun though you better be looking. I am using the new Oakley Straight Jackets with the "fishing specific" Shallow Blue lenses and I can see even the deepest of beds with them. I am also throwing a swim bait some right now for a those real big fish. April is a great month to be throwing one if you are in pursuit of a Lake Fork giant! Huddleston now makes the new 6" weedless swim bait that is great for slow-rolling over these shallow grass flats that the bass are spawning on and they come in a variety of colors www.huddlestondeluxe.com Lake Fork Marina has a good stock of them as well as the new Oakley Sunglasses so go by and check them out. As the month rolls a long there will also be a number of fish that are guarding fry as well as fish already moving in to their post-spawn pattern. Topwaters like a yellow magic and a buzz bait will start getting some action as well as a shallow running crank bait. A Mann's Baby Minus 1 is a killer on these fish as well as floating jerk baits. As the fish start moving out to deep water they'll be suspended at first and a DD 22 will do well on these hungry Lake Fork pigs!
I am finally getting my Mercury Pro XS broke in on my new 2009 Ranger Z520 and I must say it's an excellent combination. These new Mercury's are gas/oil misers! I put about 20 gallons of gas and 2 gallons of oil in it two weeks ago and both my gas gauge & oil reservoir levels have hardly moved during the break in time. Not to mention the smooth ride the new Z520 has in rough water! If you get a chance to go by the local Ranger Dealer (Diamond Sports Marine) on Hwy 154 at the lake, you've got to check these bad boys out!! Or you can call Ben Hogan at (903)383-7829 to set up an appointment for a demo ride with myself or one of the other Ranger Pro Staffers. If you are planning to head to Lake Fork this year and would like to book a guided trip, I still have a couple dates in late June and July dates available. Feel free to shoot me an email at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com or you can reach me by phone at (903)736-9888 to make your reservations. You can also go to my website at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com I want to thank you all of my sponsors for their continued support and quality products as well as to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His love, grace, and forgiveness. Without Him and His blood on the cross there would be no hope for any of us!
Read 1 Peter 2:24
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
