Lake Fork Trophy Bass Report
Submitted June 2, 2008
By Guide James Caldemeyer
June is here and with it comes the warmer weather as well as a lot of excellent post-spawn feeding action for big bass on Lake Fork. This month is one of my most favorite months for fishing because you can catch a lot of numbers and the quality of those fish is great! For example, I had a client on Wednesday that caught 42 bass with the biggest five weighing 35+ pounds. A 9lb. 10oz. and an 8lb. 4oz. fish anchored that sack! These are the kind of days that you can expect to see a lot of this month and even into the middle of summer on Lake Fork.
The water conditions on the lake are great right now. We are sitting at about 6 inches above full pool at 403.57. I think everyone expected the Sabine River Authority to open the gates this week after recent rains but I spoke to them Friday and they said they did not intend to open the dam up unless we got more rain. This is great for us going into the summer and great for the fishing. The water clarity on the main lake areas is clear 2-3 feet and the water in the backs of the major creeks is not as stained as it has been this spring.
The top water bite has been decent lately early and late on yellow magic's, white buzz baits and frogs fished over the shallow grass beds/lily pads in 2-8 feet of water. After the top water bite slows, I have been switching over to trick worms rigged wacky style in june bug and any watermelon color. Fish these slow over the grass in the same areas for actively feeding post-spawners. A fluke and a swim bait have also worked well in the same places.
After the shallow early morning bite starts to die, I head for deep water. The deep structure fishing on Lake Fork is phenomenal this time of year and the lake offers lots of points, roadbeds, humps, and ridges for these deep fish to congregate. Using your electronics to these schools of fish can be very rewarding! I use my Lowrance to locate shad and bar fish in 18-30 feet of water where there is some kind of bottom change. The bass will be close by. Once I have marked a school of bass, I have been using a number of different presentations to catch them. The carolina rig has been the most productive. I have been rigging my Shimano 7'6' Heavy action Crucial/Chronarch reels with 20 lb Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon. I use a heavy 1 oz. tungsten weight with a bead behind it attached to a swivel and a 4-5 foot leader. A 3/0 wide gap hook with a centipede, ring fry or Wave Worm Tiki Stick has been very productive. Best colors have been watermelon red, watermelon chartreuse, and chart. pepper. Dragging this rig through these schools of fish with a slow retrieve and an occasional twitch will get your rod bent pretty good! I have also been throwing a 3/4 or 1-ounce Talon football head jig in these same areas and working it just like the c-rig with success. Best colors have been watermelon/chart, green pumpkin, and watermelon gold with a matching trailer. On days that the wind is calm, the fish have started schooling some during the heat of the day. The big flutter spoons, small jigging spoons, DD 22's, a swim bait and even a drop shot is very effective during this time as well.
If you are interested in coming to Lake Fork to get in on some great post-spawn and summer fishing and would like to book a trip with a full time guide who knows the lake and deep structure fishing, feel free to give me a call at (903)736-9888 or you can email me at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com With school out for the year, now is a great time to bring the kids out for some great fishing for big bass! I would like to thank all my sponsors for their support and to the good Lord for giving me strength. I hope to see you out on the water soon!
Romans 5:8- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
