October is already upon us which brings in some amazing fall fishing with it. Lake Fork is in tremendous shape right now and the fishing will only get better as the month rolls along. With all the hunting seasons getting started, you will find a lot less fishing pressure on the lake which is always great when you’re out there in pursuit of lunker bass!
Water conditions on Lake Fork are both good and bad right now depending on where you go on the lake. With the annual fall “turn over” taking place in areas of the lake, it can make the fishing a little tricky. Water temperatures are 76-82 degrees and the lake level is 402.52 about 6” inches below full pool. The water clarity is fairly clear mid lake to the south end. A lot of the water up north is stained from the lake turning over and I have been avoiding some of these areas.
I have been catching fish on a number of different patterns and baits the past week. The shallow fishing has been best for me lately in depths ranging from 2-12 foot. Top water baits are good early and late on yellow magics in shad patterns, buzz baits and frogs fished over the shallow vegetation. I love cloudy cool days in the fall because this pattern is great all day! Wacky worms, shaky worms, and flukes have been real productive in the grass as well. Best colors have been blue fleck, june bug and watermelon colors. Texas rigged 8” and 10” worms and the new Wave Worm “Swim Bug” have also been good with a 1/8 to 3/8 oz. pegged weight and 4/0 hook. Flipping these baits in the grass has been good. This pattern will get better as the water cools as well as the jig bite, shallow crank bait and spinner bait.
The deep fishing is a little off right now as the lake goes through its annual water change. There are a lot of fish suspended right now but you can still catch them on deep diving crank baits or a jigging spoon. Look for the deep fish to start getting in some big schools on the bottom in 16-24 foot of water to feed up for winter. I will have my 7’ 6” heavy action Shimano Crucial and new Curado E7 spooled with 20lb Gamma Edge fluorocarbon and a 1 oz. weight with a 4-5 foot leader ready for them. Fry type baits and creature baits will produce some good numbers of heavy Lake Fork trophies!
If you would like to plan a fishing trip on Lake Fork, now through November is going to be an outstanding time to come catch the fish of a lifetime! To book your guided trip, feel free to give me a call at (903)736-9888 or you can shoot me an email at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com I still have a few available days in October/November and would enjoy helping make your trip to Lake Fork a productive and memorable experience.
I would like to thank the good Lord for blessing me in so many ways and to my many sponsors for their support. Good luck to everyone coming out for the Berkley tournament this week and be safe out there on the water. Wear your life vests and kill switch! Keep a bottle of Sure Life’s “Catch and Release” or “Please Release Me” formula in your boat to keep your fish alive also.
My Ranger Z520 w/ Yamaha 250 HPDI is for sale at an extremely great price if you are in the market for a new boat with out paying retail prices. It has had a sponsor wrap on it all year and will look like it came off the showroom floor when removed. This boat is loaded, and priced to sell at $41,900, a savings of about $13,000. Contact me for more info.
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer