Summer has arrived and the month of June is always great to be on Lake Fork. With the kids out of school and summer vacations in full swing, Lake Fork is busy with plenty of people enjoying the lake and the fishing. Whether you are fishing one of the big tournaments or you’re spending time at the lake with family this month, here are some helpful fishing tips that hopefully make your trip more productive.
The lake is currently about 6 feet low still. Clarity is good in most areas with water temperatures ranging from 78-83 degrees. Everyone asks, “Why is the lake so low? The reason is because back in January the Sabine River Authority drew the lake down to make repairs on the dam. Even though those repairs were completed shortly after the draw down, we have received little spring rain to help fill the lake back up. If we don’t receive some rain soon it could be a very low water situation thru summer. Be very careful out there running the lake and wear your life vests everyone!
There are several ways to catch fish shallow as the bass are hungry and recuperating from the spawn finishing up. I like to start the morning off with a topwater. Berkley Bullet Pops, J-Walkers and Cane Walkers have been getting the job done. These fish have been hitting the top aggressively hard and my clients have sometimes been catching two at a time! So much fun!! The bite can be brief though, so you must be on your spots at sunup in order to capitalize on the action. A shallow running crankbait like a Berkley Square Bull has been good in gilly color also. With the bream spawning still, I am also targeting feeding bass around these bream beds with a Santone Swim Jig in 5/16 ounce size. Best colors have been Pakes perch and Bass Candy with a Berkley Chigger craw as a trailer. There have still been a lot of fish hanging around shallow even though there’s not much grass or cover. Pitching a Santone jig or plain ole Texas rigged Berkley Powerworm around standing timber and boat docks has been very productive right now.
The deep bite has really started to turn on over the past few weeks. As the fish finish up spawning you can find schools of fish congregated on points, humps, creek channel bends, roadbeds, ridges, and pond dams in 16-26 feet of water. I will idle over these areas with my Garmin electronics and new Live Scope Plus transducer which is amazing! I look for schools of bass around shad, sand bass, or yellow bass. The big bass will feed on all three. Once I have located a school, I have been using several different presentations. The Carolina rig has been the most effective lately. I am using a 7’6” medium heavy Abu Garcia Veritas PLX Tournament rod rigged with a 1 oz. Elite tungsten weight and 4–5-foot leader with a 3/0 wide gap hook. My best baits have been a Berkley Jerk, 4” Power Hawg, or centipede in watermelon red magic or green pumpkin colors. Texas rigged 10” Power Worms have also been doing very well in the same colors rigged with a 3/8-1/2 oz weight and a 5/0 hook. The football head jig bite has been good for big fish as well. I am using a 5/8 – 3/4 oz. Santone football jig in Mexican Heather, Pake’s Perch, and my ever-popular signature color JC’s Spicy Craw colors with a Berkley Chigger Bug in green pumpkin as a trailer. A lot of these deep fish are suspended over this structure too. A deep diving crank bait like a Berkley Dredger or Magnum flutter spoon do best but don’t forget about a hair jig. Working these baits through the middle of the water column, especially if you have forward facing sonar and know how to use it will get you bit!
Well, I hope this helps anyone that’s coming out this month to chase some big bass. If you would like to fish with me this year, I still have just a few dates available. My 2022 schedule filled fast though so Well contact me as soon as possible if you are just now beginning to plan your trip. I also have gift certificates available for those of you that are interested in purchasing a friend or loved one a guided trip on Lake Fork. You can contact me to make your reservation at 903-736-9888 or send me an email at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com You can also visit my website for more information about Lake Fork and my guide service at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com You can find me on Facebook and follow my official Lake Fork Trophy Bass Guide page at https://www.facebook.com/lakeforktrophybassguide
I really enjoyed my first Bass Cat boat in 2021 and am now running my new 2022 Bass Cat Puma STS for this season. I couldn’t be happier to be serving my customers on Lake Fork as part of the Bass Cat Team and am looking forward to providing more great trips this year out of my new boat! If you’re interested in checking out any of the Bass Cat models, be sure to reach out to R & R Marine in Pittsburg, Texas. They even just got in the all-new Puma STS that everyone is raving about so go by and check it out! Steven Stroman and his crew have amazing sales and service as well as a complete tackle shop with just about anything you need. I would like to thank all my sponsors that are continuing to support me in 2022. I am looking forward to representing them again this year on the Bassmaster Opens Schedule. I appreciate all their support as I serve all my great guide clients on throughout the year on Lake Fork as well! Sponsors: Toyota, Carhartt, Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, I Am Second, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Garmin, Santone Lures, Costa Sunglasses, Power Pole, 3:16 Lure Company, Elite Tungsten, Johnson Communications, and Bass Boat Technologies.
James 1:17 - “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
