Lake Fork Bass Fishing Report

February is finally here on Lake Fork! With it brings some early signs of spring on the horizon. It is a an absolutely awesome month to catch the fish of your dreams as some of the biggest bass in Lake Fork start to prepare for the annual spring spawn. I expect to see several Share Lunker Program bass brought in between now and the end of the spring spawn on Lake Fork. There was already one fish contributed from Lake Fork on December 12 by Gary Sims that weighed 15.02 lbs. This is exciting as we move into spring and the reality of fishing Lake Fork is that you could hook on of these giant bass on any given cast.

The lake is still in great shape despite low water levels. The lake is currently 4 feet low but I anticipate spring rains should raise Lake Fork some over the next few months. Water temperatures are back up into the low to mid fifties degree range after bottoming out in the 40’s during the month of January. There is still some grass growing in areas around the lake and could really burst out if we have water levels rise. The overall clarity of the lake is good with stained water mostly in the backs of some of the creeks and other windblown areas.

The primary patterns for bass this month revolve around their pre-spawn activity. As the water warms the fish will begin migrating into the creeks from the depths into the shallower water. I always stress to anglers that are coming to Lake Fork this time of year that water temperature is everything! Its important to be observant about the water temperature as you move around on the lake. Having great electronics like the Lowrance HDS Gen2 that I use helps. It will give you an accurate reading of surface temperatures and help you eliminate less productive water. The bass are generally going to focus on the warmest water that they can find and the fish in those areas are going to be the most active. I like to look for areas that temperatures are increasing daily. A good place to look first is in the creeks and pockets that are protected from the north. These areas do not cool as fast during a front and often times warm up quicker, especially the ones furthest north on the lake. If I am in temperatures between 52-56 degrees, I consider that ideal for pre-spawn bass activity. If it gets any warmer than that you can expect them to start spawning.

One of the best baits for targeting these pre-spawn Lake Fork bass are baits like the Sebile Flatt Shad or any other lipless crank bait in the 1/4-3/4 oz size range. Anything red on Lake Fork is always great but I like to mix it up with chrome, white, and some chartreuse colors also. Main lake points and secondary points are always great places to start. I like to fish these baits in the 2-8 foot depth range as many of the bass will be holding around shallow cover looking for a meal and often times just up there sunning themselves on a warmer day. If you can find clumps of vegetation those are best. The fish will lay in the hydrilla and smoke a lipless crank bait as it comes by! Some of the biggest fish of the year are caught this way.
Lake Fork is going to be awesome this spring but the lipless crank bait isn’t the only way to go. You can also hammer a big one with a jig! These big female bass crave crawfish this time of year so anything that resembles one is fair game. I like to use a flipping model like the Talon jig in a 3/8 or 1/2 oz size. My favorite colors are black and blue, black/blue and purple, Bama bug, green pumpkin, and tx craw with a great matching trailer like the Berkley Powerbait Chigger Chunk or the New Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk. You will find the jig fish out a little deeper until the water warms up. I usually find them on the points and channel bends in 8-14 feet of water. Having practiced your flipping or pitching technique all winter while you had cabin fever really pays off. These bass will be tight to cover so pitching your jig right directly next to a stump or dock as opposed to a foot away from it will mean the difference between bites or a lack thereof. Be persistent if you decide to pick up a jig and go after the big ones. It is often times a technique of fewer bites but it can pay off big! On a slower day or during a cold front I like to break out a jerk bait. My favorite is a smithwick rogue or the mega bass 110 in gold, pro blue, or clown colors. These baits worked slowly through the same areas can produce when nothing much else will.

There are some fish that are holding out deep but I seldom target those fish right now as I am focused on those that are ready to start making their move to the shallows in preparation for the spring spawn. If you like to fish out deeper you will find schools of fish in 25-32 feet of water. These bass usually go for a smaller more finesse approach like a drop shot, a small spoon, or tail kicker.

I am excited about this New Year and the bass fishing on Lake Fork! If you are thinking of coming out and would like to book a trip this spring, feel free to contact me before I fill up. I still have a few choice dates available and will work hard to put you on the fish of your dreams! You can contact me to book your trip by email at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com or give me a call at 903-736-9888. Also, visit my website to find out more information about Lake Fork bass fishing and my guide service.You can also keep up with me by joining my Facebook page. I just picked up my new 2013 Ranger Z520c and man is this new boat model awesome! I will definitely have some excited customers when they get to ride in this thing. Be sure to go by Diamond Sports Marine on Hwy 154 here at Lake Fork and see these new 2013 Ranger Boats. If you are in the market for a new boat this year and would like to take a test ride, feel free to contact me or the dealership at 903-383-7829 and we will get you out on the water in one! I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for another year that He has blessed me with as well as all my 2013 Sponors: Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, I Am Second, Abu Garcia, Interstate Batteries, Lowrance, Talon Lures, Elite Tungsten, Hambys, Navionics, Simms, and Power Pole.

Psalms 100: 4-5 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer

Lake Fork Trophy Bass Fishing Report January 7, 2013

Happy New Year everyone! It’s hard to believe that another year has passed already and it is Twenty- Thirteen. The 2012 fishing year on Lake Fork was spectacular and I expect this year to be as good or better. We saw a lot of real big fish show up this fall including a 15.02 pound bass that entered the Share Lunker program as the second fish in Texas and the first of the year for Fork. There were also reports of other bass over 13 lbs that were caught and released as the anglers chose not to donate the fish to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s program. I expect we will see more fish of that caliber come spawning time this spring and a lot of other great bass to be caught as well.

Lake Fork is in great shape right now despite low water conditions. We are currently sitting at 398.50 which is right at 4 ½ feet low. We had another relatively dry summer and fall which didn’t help us rebound completely from the record drought of last year. If we have normal precipitation amounts this spring though, we could find ourselves at or near full lake levels again soon. I’m keeping the spring rains in my prayers LOL
The water conditions are great with fairly clear water 2-3 ft in most areas except the backs of some of the creeks and windblown areas. The water temperatures have been in the 50-55 degree range which is normal for this time of year. I’m excited to see a lot of the grass that is rebounding continue to hold on even though we have had some below freezing nights. I think if the temperatures will remain mild, we will see a lot of new grass in a lot of different areas this spring. The hydrilla is always fun to fish in!

The best pattern for me in January is always in the shallow to mid-depth regions. I like to target main lake areas or secondary points at the mouth of any of the major creeks. A lot of fish hold out in these areas until the water temperatures rise in the spring and the backs of the creeks are conducive for spawning. I start off shallow in the 2-8 ft range and fish reaction baits like a red/orange lipless crank bait. If you can reel it past, rip it off the grass, bang it off a tree, etc… These fish will react to it and bite it. Other great choices for reaction baits are a ½ oz Talon spinner bait with a single Colorado blade in chart/white or black/chart. I also use a ½ oz chatter bait a lot this time of year in white or chart/white. Covering water and making lots of casts at cover along the bank will pay off. Remember to hit everything at different casting angles to ensure that you are covering the areas thoroughly. If you catch a few fish in a certain stretch of bank be sure and back track and make multiple passes through that area. There is always a key feature holding fish in these areas. Sometimes it’s a depth change like a ditch or drain, bottom change from rock, to sand, or vegetation that is causing the fish to hold there. If the fishing gets tough up shallow I like to back off a little deeper and throw a little heavier lipless bait like a ¾ oz model. I will also break out the suspending jerk bait on an Abu Garcia Villain rod with an MGX reel so that I can cast it long distances. The jerk bait can really save the day especially when it’s cold and the sun is up high under calm wind conditions. I like to throw gold, orange, clown, and Pro blue. I like to use a smaller line on these like 12 lb Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon if I can get away with it. Otherwise if I am in heavy cover I opt for 15 lb. I will also pull out to the creek channel edges this time of year and flip timber. The depths I target are 8-16 ft. With the low water conditions you can really read the water and tell exactly where the creeks run through the middle of the areas you are fishing. I will take a Talon 3/8 oz or 1/2 oz flipping jig and pitch at every tree along the channel edges. Pay attention to the direction the wind is blowing as the fish will position themselves a certain way on the timber according to wind direction and channel drops. I like to focus on areas where the creeks make a bend and especially if it makes a bend near a point or any other bottom structure. My favorite jig colors in January are black/blue, black /blue/purple, Texas craw, or Bama bug. I will trail my jig with a Berkley Power bait Chigger Chunk or the “New” Havoc Pit Chunk in matching colors. The big mama bass on Lake Fork can’t resist this jig combination!

Look for the deep bite out there too as there are lots of fish still roaming around out in the depths. I will look at main lake structure on my Lowrance HDS Gen2. I also have the new Gen2 Touch and they can’t hide from these state of the art electronics. I will look forward schools around bait in 18-25 ft. Sometimes the bass are suspended but you can catch them on Talon big dandy spoons or a small slab “t-spoon”. Tail kickers are also very productive as well as drop shots and single tail Berkley grubs on a 1/4-3/8 oz jig head. I like to use watermelon red, smoke, pearl, chart pepper, and red shad colors during the winter. I get a lot more bites out deep using very light line and spinning gear also. I am using the new 10 lb Berkley Nanofil on my Abu Premier spinning reel and tying in a fluorocarbon leader of the same test. Alabama rigs can really smoke the schools of fish so you will always want to keep one of those close by. You can rig it with Berkley Swim Shads or Hollow Belly swim baits and 1/8-1/4 oz jig heads if you are not using the weighted swim baits.

I am excited about this New Year and the bass fishing on Lake Fork! If you are thinking of coming out and would like to book a trip this spring, feel free to contact me before I fill up. I still have a few choice dates available and will work hard to put you on the fish of your dreams! You can contact me to book your trip by email at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com or give me a call at 903-736-9888. Also, visit my website to find out more information about Lake Fork bass fishing and my guide service at https://officiallakeforktrophybass.com You can also keep up with me by joining my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/james.caldemeyer.caldemeyer I just picked up my new 2013 Ranger Z520c and man is this new boat model awesome! I will definitely have some excited customers when they get to ride in this thing. Be sure to go by Diamond Sports Marine on Hwy 154 here at Lake Fork and see these new 2013 Ranger Boats. If you are in the market for a new boat this year and would like to take a test ride, feel free to contact me or the dealership at 903-383-7829 and we will get you out on the water in one! I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for another year that He has blessed me with as well as all my 2013 Sponors: Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley, I Am Second, Abu Garcia, Interstate Batteries, Lowrance, Talon Lures, Elite Tungsten, Hambys, Navionics, Simms, and Power Pole.

Psalms 100: 4-5 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer

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