Lake Fork Trophy Bass Report
By Guide James Caldemeyer
Submitted July 10, 2007
July is the month that things really heat up on Lake Fork, including the fishing. With the weather getting hotter, get ready for some HOT big bass action! The fishing lately has been good despite all the rain, run-off and water fluctuations that the lake has sustained. Most trips have averaged 20-30 fish per day with a few days mixed in that are a little more in numbers or a little less. The quality of the bites has been better as most of the fish are good heavy slot fish and boy do they pull hard! Adam and wife Laura Benham had the opportunity to catch some of these nice ones with me today. Thanks guys for the wonderful day on the water! Water temperatures have ranged anywhere from 81-87
degrees in the areas that I have been fishing. The water clarity is clear in most areas with some stained water in the backs of some of the creeks from recent run off and the wind. Lake levels are currently reading 403.60 with 403 being full pool. It has been some time since we've all seen Lake Fork overflowing at its banks. It is awesome to see the lake in such great shape going into summer! The topwater bite has been on one day and off the next yellow magic's, buzzbaits and frogs early. There are plenty of lily pads, shallow grass beds and an abundance of new shallow cover for the skinny water bass to hide in.
The big shallow fish have been cruising the shallows eating lots of bream and shad. A Grand Bass 6 inch Squirm Worm in watermelon/red rigged wacky style has been consistent when the topwater bite isn't. A Rattlesnake in watermelon/red or Ssabednarg color rigged on a 3/0 weighted hook has been great also. Texas rigs or a light Carolina rigged worm has also been catching them along the deeper grass edges. Again, watermelon colors have produced best. Points, creek channel edges and
vegetation adjacent to the deeper water have been the best shallow locations.
After the shallow morning bite ceases, I have been heading straight for the deep water. I personally look forward to this time of year because of the tremendous deep structure fishing that Lake Fork is known for. The majority of the real big fish are out deep this
time of year! The fish that I have been fishing are in anywhere from 22-32 foot. The key has been a depth change in that range. At times the fish are on slow tapering changes in depth such as hump on the bottom or a piece of structure. At others, they are on steep
drops a roadbed, point, pond dam or ridges. These are all great places to check out. The biggest key to finding these bruisers is electronics. My Lowrance X26HD is as accurate as it gets when it comes to targeting deep structure. Knowing how to read your
graph is critical and will save you a lot of valuable time on the water eliminating areas that are not productive. Once you mark these fish on or close to the bottom in these areas you are in action. Carolina rigs have by far been the most productive
presentation. My rigs consist of 7 ft. to 7ft. 6 in. heavy action Shimano Crucial rods and reels spooled up with 20 lb. Gamma Edge fluorocarbon. I am using a 16 lb. fluorocarbon leader that ranges from 4-5 feet in length, 1 oz. tungsten weight and 3/0 wide gap hook.
Best baits have been the Grande Bass Mutant or Rattlesnake in green pumpkin, pumpkin/chartreuse or watermelon red. You'll also want to try the NEW Baby
Rattlesnake in the same colors on a drop shot rig when
the fish are a little more finicky. www.grandebass.com. A ¾ ounce football head jig in black/brown and amber or watermelon red, with a matching trailer, has also done well on these deep spots. If you find that the fish are somewhat suspended you'll want to hit them
with DD 22's, big swim baits, and spoons. At times you will find schools of fish chasing shad out in the depths so you'll want to have one of these rigs lying out on the deck to throw at them when they start blowing up. The deep bite has been better on certain days more than others due to water being pulled at the dam. Florida strain bass are not too fond of current so if you find that a lot of the deep fish are suspended, the gates are probably wide open and you may want to spend more of your time fishing the more consistent
shallow bite. I hope that this report has been helpful to you in your pursuit of a Lake Fork trophy. If you would like to book a trip with me to catch some of these trophy
bass, feel free to email me at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com or just give me a call at
(903)736-9888. I have still have some dates available in July /August or a number of fall dates.
Gift certificates are also available upon request.
Read Philippians 4:13
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
