August is firing up on Lake Fork! The summer fishing at Lake Fork can be great despite the hot temperatures. Whether you like fishing summer patterns by day or enjoy fishing for big bass during the cover of night, Lake Fork has a lot to offer anglers this month. Here are some tips and techniques that will help you no matter which one you choose.
The lake conditions are still as good as ever with water levels less than a foot low of full pool. The water clarity is fair in most areas on the main lake and the backs of the major creeks with visibility to 2-3 feet. The water temperatures have remained warm and have been ranging from the mid to upper 80’s lately. With surface temps not even reaching the 90’s at all so far this year, we could see August become a transitional month for water conditions. It’s not uncommon if the month provides any type of cooler weather to see signs of the lake beginning to turnover.
There is still some great shallow water fishing real early and late in the day. A lot of fish are also biting well at night around the full moon of the month. If shallow fishing is your thing, you’ll want to keep a Texas-rigged Berkley 5” General handy. I rig mine on 17 lb fluorocarbon with a 5/16 ounce Elite Tungsten weight and a 4/0 wide gap hook. The best colors for me are green pumpkin and black/blue flake. Flipping this around the shallow timber and docks in 3-8 feet of water has been surprisingly effective for the heat of the summer. You can also pick up a Santone 3/8 ounce Rattlin Jig and flip it in the same type of areas for those big fish, especially at night. I also like to keep my drop shot rod in the line up for some of these finicky shallow fish. I am rigging mine on a 6’10” medium-light Abu Garcia Premier rod with 10 lb Berkley Nanofil line and a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader. I use a 1/0 hook and ¼ ounce weight most of the time. The best-producing worm has been the Berkley 4.75” Bottom Hopper in plum color.
The bite in mid-depth areas has been the most consistent lately it seems. With several cooler evenings and mildly hot day temps, it has kept the fish from fully committing to the real deep patterns that we normally see this time of year. With that said, targeting humps, points and other structures in 14-20 feet of water had been very productive. My clients are catching a lot of big fish in these areas using a Santone 5/8 ounce football head jig. Best colors have been Mexican heather, Pakes Perch, and my signature JC’s Spicy Craw tipped with a green pumpkin Berkley Powerbait Pitboss or Chigger Craw. Another great bait for the big fish holding in these areas has been a Berkley Powerbait 10” power worm. I’m rigging this on a traditional Texas rig with a 3/8 ounce weight. The best colors have been blue fleck, plum, and watermelon red-purple.
On the days that it gets really hot, most of the daytime action this time of year is out deep. Lake Fork is one of the best deep structure lakes in the country and I love to chase those schools of big bass during this time of year! My deeper patterns have remained the same as last month’s report. After the sun gets up good into the day, I am concentrating on deep structure. Humps, roadbeds, points, ridges, and pond dams in depths of 18-28 feet are all great areas to look for these big ol bass out deep. One of my best setups for numbers of fish right now is a Carolina rig on a 7’6” medium-heavy Abu Garcia Villain rod with a Revo reel spooled up with some 20 lb. Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line and a 15-17 lb. leader. I like to use a 1 oz Elite Tungsten weight and a 3/0 hook. I have been catching a number of fish with the new Berkley Lug Worm as well as the Berkley Powerbait Jerk. The best colors have been red bug, chartreuse pepper, green pumpkin, and watermelon red. If you want to catch a big one out deep, then you will want to break out the football jig too! A Santone Lures 5/8- 3/4 oz football head jig is hard to beat. My clients are also catching a lot of big fish with me right now on the big shaky heads and big worms. The Berkley Magnum Bottom Hopper in Plum and Red Bug colors has been very effective in the same areas as the jigs. A lot of the fish are suspended and even schooling on shad in some areas. These fish are a little trickier to catch. You need something that you can work in the middle to upper part of the water column. If you follow my social media posts then you know that we have been catching a bunch of big bass on the giant spoons. These bass out deep that are feeding on big gizzard shad love the Nichols Lures Ben Parker Magnum spoon. Working it through these schools of fish is a workout that can pay off big. Overall though, let the bass out deep tell you what they want right now because they are all over the place and they move around in the water column. Mixing it up and trying a variety of things on a school of fish helps. Having good electronics is a big advantage too! I love my new Garmin 8612 Touch screens. Knowing how to read them and apply it to your fishing is important. If you are weak in this area, now is the time to get out on the water with me and log some time in getting dialed in.
Well, that about covers everything that’s going on at Lake Fork this month. I wish everyone that’s finishing up summer vacations and family time before school starts back a safe and memorable trip. If you are thinking of coming out this summer and would like to book a fishing trip with me this year, feel free to contact me anytime. I still have a few dates available, but you’ll need to contact me soon. I book up fast! If I’m not available, I will recommend another great guide that can help you. You can always count on talking to me personally when you call to book your Lake Fork trip because I care about my clients. I would enjoy the opportunity to take you or your group fishing and help you catch the fish of your dreams!
If you are in the market for a new boat this year, it’s a great time to look into the new 2019 Ranger 520L and 521L as its Ranger’s flagship model and is very impressively laid out with features. If you haven’t seen it yet you can stop by Diamond Sports Marine and Fred will be glad to show you around. He even has a few rigged out with the all-new Mercury Pro XS four stroke. My new 2019 521L has been great this year with the new Mercury motor! Test rides are also available so feel free to contact me or call the dealership at 903-383-7829 and we will get you out on the water for a ride in one. I would like to thank all my sponsors that support me fishing the FLW Series and guide service on Lake Fork: Toyota, Carhartt, Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, I Am Second, Leer, Berkey, Abu Garcia, Garmin, Santone Lures, Costa, Power Pole, 3:16 Lure Company, Rigid Industries, Bass Forecast, Elite Tungsten, Bass Boat Technologies, and Fabtech Motorsports.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
You can reach me by email at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com or you can call or text message me at 903-736-9888 Also, please visit my website to find out more information about Lake Fork bass fishing and my guide service.
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
