Archive for the ‘John Morris’ Category

John Morris Lake Fork Fishing Report Feb 2012

February 4, 2012

FISHING REPORT
FROM:  J & M Guide Service
Spring is just about here and we are seeing the bass move up from their 22 to 28 foot water in to the 6 to 8 foot of water.  They are still relating to main lake points and creek bends.  Since the grass in Lake Fork is still sparse, the fish are relating to small timber.

The baits that work year to year here are Carolina rigged lizards and red rattle Traps.  That is still true for this year.   Added in to this years mix is a red/black/gold 3/8 ounce spinner bait.  The fish are not chasing the bait very far so slow down your retrieve.   I find that a 7 foot, medium/heavy action rod coupled with a 5.1 to 1 gear ratio reel works the best, both for the Rattle Trap and spinner bait.

It is also the time of year to go over all of your fishing tackle and boat, motor and trailer to make sure they are in good working order.  Here a few things that require some special attention. On you boat trailer you want to pull you tires and wheels and pack your wheel bearings.  Check all of your trailer lights for operation and wiring condition.  For your big boat motor, drain and service your lower unit, make sure you check it for water.  Also grease all your pivot points on the big motor.  For your trolling motor, take your prop off and make sure that there is no fishing line around your prop shaft and lube pivot joints as needed.  Now for your boat, a good wash job is always in order after sitting all winter.  After washing it give is a good coat of wax if it is fiberglass. Check all of your boats lights, bilge pump (s) and electronics for operation.

Spring has allot of special challenges here in East Texas.  Rain, wind and sleet come to mind for me.  While going through you equipment always check your rain gear for holes and zippers for operation.  Nothing is worse that being out in a boat in February or March in a 20 mile an hour wind and it is raining.  Stay warm and dry!

Here at Lake Fork, Lake Fork Marina has all of the latest tackle that you need to fish Lake Fork.  Stop in and see the friendly folks and check out the selection of fishing tackle and other goodies.  As always wear your life jacket and kill switch.  See you on the water!

John Morris
J & M Guide Service
1 888-454-7037
bassmr@geusnet.com

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Lake Fork Guide John Morris Winter Report

January 27, 2012

Water level: 6.01 low

If you are into fishing for Crappie, White Bass, and Yellow Bass, you need to be here at Lake Fork.  The Crappie, White Bass and Yellow Bass (Barr Fish) are schooled up and you only need one rod and one bait in your hand.  Now, I suppose you want me to tell you what that bait is!  Well ok if you insist.  It is the Tackle Factor Flash Tail spoon in the Barr Fish color (1/2 oz.).  I have fishing it on a 6 foot medium action  Falcon rod rigged with 10lb. test clear Stren line.  The water is starting to clear up in the deep water so I went to clear line.  Well, now that I have let the cat out of the bag and told you that I am fishing in deep water, we are catching them in 29 to 31 foot of water.  That is where comfort zone is right now.  Where is the question now.  We have been catching on main lake points—not under the bridges.  Use your death finder and locate any small structure off of the points in 29 to 30 foot of water.  Position your boat over the structure and allow your spoon to flutter down to the bottom. Vertically jig the Flash Tail Spoon up and down about 3 feet.  Here is the trick.  Do it very slow!  This week they did not want the spoon jigged up and down fast. 

 

The Largemouth Bass fishing has slowed down.  However, while you are vertically jigging the Flash Tail Spoon for Crappie and Yellow Bass you will catch a few very good Largemouth.  Here is the reason.  The Largemouth are feeding on small Crappie and Barr fish.  So that is why I don’t use line smaller the 10lb. test.

 

The friendly folks at Lake Fork Marina have a good selection of the Tackle Factory spoons.  Stop by and pick a few up before you head to the water. 

 

From all of us here at J & M Guide Service, we hope everybody has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

 

John Morris

J & M Guide Service

1-888-454-7037

bassmr@geusnet.com

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John Morris Lake Fork Report Late Oct 2011

October 27, 2011

WEEKLY FISHIING REPORT

J & M Guide Service

16 – 23 October 2011

This whole month has been a very strange fishing experience. We started off by having the McDonalds Big Bass Splash where 34 bass over the slot were weighed in, to the to the Berkley tournament which only 2 fish over the slot were weighed in, to the Irving Bass Club tournament where there were no fish over the slot weighed in. Quite a drastic change over a three week period.

One may ask what is happening. Let me see if I can clear up what is going on. The lake is turning over and really there has not been any real amount of rain to help the process along. Coupled with the lake turning over the Sabine River Authority is continuing to allow the lake level to fall. The water oxygen content is the lowest I have seen in several years. Now with that being said there is hope on the horizon. Winter and early spring will bring us some much needed rain and snow, which will bring up the water levels provide the fish with some much needed food with the run off.

Lets talk water levels and usable launch ramps. The water level is over 7 feet vertical low. There are three good ramps you can use. The 154 public ramp, the 515 west ramp and the Popes Resort ramp are the best. Caution and courtesy should be taken at all ramps now. With the water down, people are needing to take more time to launch their boat and more time to find a parking place to beach their boat after they take it off of their trailer.

Now for the fishing. Largemouth are being caught using small crank baits and trick worms rigged wacky style. The favorite color trick worm is pumpkin/chartreuse or tomato with black flake. You need to fish the wacky worm with the lightest weight that you can handle. You need this bait to stay in the strike zone as long as possible.

For the white bass, yellow bass we have been using a small ¼ ounce tail kicker bait like a Lil’ George. This style of bait seems to be working best. This bait also has been working for largemouth bass.

Over the next few weeks, as the water starts to clear up the largemouth bass will be doing a lot of schooling. Keep a ¼ ounce Rattle Trap in chrome and black color ready to throw. As the bass come up in a school, throw the Rattle Trap past the school and bring it through the school and hold on because the will try to take the rod out of you hand. “Great Fun!”

For all of your fishing needs stop by Lake Fork Marina, they will greet you with a smile and direct you to the tackle you need.

One last thing, with the water levels falling always wear you life jacket and kill switch with the big motor running.

J & M guide Service

John Morris

E-mail: bassmr@geusnet.com

1-888-454-7037

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Guide John Morris Early July 2011 report

July 8, 2011

It was great to back on the water this week.  Even though our lake is down 4 feet and the water temperatures are reaching 88 degrees the Bass were really biting.   In this report I will break down the day in three time periods.  So with that being said lets get started.

 

Midnight to 5:30 AM:

     Night fishing here at Lake Fork has always been special.  With that being said, the bait selection has not changed over the years.   Three baits which include a 12 inch black worm, a black three bladed buzz bait and a black spinner bait.  This week the black 14 inch V & M giant worm was the ticket.  We used a 3/8 ounce South Bend bullet weight with a 4/0 Eagle Claw LO45 hook rigged Texas style.  With this big worm I suggest at a 7 foot heavy action rod with at least 17 pound test line on your real.  The bite was very light so you had to be on top of your game.  If the rod tip started to load up (get heavy), set the hook.   Just about 5:00 PM the top water bite started and we used the three bladed buzz bait until just after day light.

 

5:30 AM to 10:00 AM:

     I switched to a big white buzz bait around 6:00 AM and fished it to around 7:00 AM. Then we went to a crankbait.  This week it was all about the KVD 1.5 in silver shad color.  We caught numerous Bass around the edges of the grass in 2 to 5 foot of water.  If there was an isolated stick up a round the edge of the grass you need to make several cast in that area because the bass were there.  The fish would really strike the bait hard so hold that rod tight.

 

10:00 AM to 8:00 PM

     Well about 10:00 AM it was time to head for the deep water.  This week the Tackle Factory (Joe Spaits) jigging spoon was the ticket.  We used the ½ ounce spoon in the chrome and blue pattern.  We fished isolated brush piles on ditch and creek drop off’s.  Most of our bites came in about 22 to 24 foot.  They wanted the bait fished vertically, really slow.  When the fish hit the bait it was a very light strike and the rod tip would just get heavy.  Be patient and the fish will bite.

 

For all of you that follow my reports you know I usually have a Safety tip.  Well this report is no different.  This time of year it is all about pumping water.  For the last few weeks the air temperature has reached the high 90’s every day.  This means you sweat a lot and loose a tremendous amount of body fluids and you will get dehydrated very quickly.  You need to drink at least a half of gallon of water every hour.  That seems like a lot but you need to replace the fluids that you are sweating out.  Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are common this time of year if you don’t keep up with your fluids.  “Drink water”!

 

For all of your Lake Fork tackle needs you can see the friendly folks at Lake Fork Marina tackle shop where you can stock on V & M worms and Joes spoons.  Stay cool this week and drink plenty of fluids.

 

J & M Guide Service

(John Morris)

E-mail:  bassmr@geusnet.com

1-888-454-7037

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John Morris Lake Fork May Report 2011

May 19, 2011

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

J & M Guide Service

9 – 16 May 2011

This has been a great week of fishing. The Bass spawn is winding down and the fishing patterns are changing. The Bass are starting to move out into 6 to 12 feet of water and are chasing shad between 5:30 and 9:00 in the morning and 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening.

The bait of choice has been a KVD 1.5 square bill crank bait in the gray with black back color. You want to fish this using an erratic retrieve. This small crank bait has been catching both small Bass and Bass up to 8 pounds. There is no doubt when the Bass hits this bait, they smash it!

When the small crank bait bite stops, the trick worm bite starts. Move to timber in 4 to 8 feet and use a V & M 8 inch Super Finesse worm. Use the watermelon/red color. The way to fish this is to fish it wacky style with a small weight inserted into the nose of the worm. You need to fish it very slowly moving your rod from the 09:00 o’clock position to the 12:00 o’clock position. The fish will hit the worm on the fall and you may not feel the strike you will just see your line moving off. When this happens set the hook really hard.

The Catfish are moving in to spawn now. They can be caught by using a small crank bait or using crawfish looking bait. When using a crawfish, fish it using ¼ ounce split shot 18 inches above the hook, moving it very slowly across the bottom in about 3 to 5 feet of water on sandy points.

For the safety note this week, the lake water level is continuing to fall. There are more and more stumps starting to show. If you are not sure where you are running, please slow down. I have seen two new boats this week with holes in them because of stumps just below the water line. Always use your life jacket when the big motor is running.

We are now taking bookings for Summer fishing trips. So give us a call here at J & M Guide Service 1-888-454-7037. Be safe and have a great fishing season.

J & M Guide Service

(John Morris) E-mail: bassmr@geusnet.com

1-888-454-7037

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John Morris April Fishing Report

April 23, 2011

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

J & M Guide Service

15 – 22 April 2011

The past several days we have seen numerous weather fronts past through the area.  The water temperatures have ranged from 63 degrees in the south part of the lake to the lower 70’s in the upper part of Birch Creek.  The Largemouth Bass have been moving in and out as the water temperatures move up and down.  Our Largemouth Bass here at Lake Fork like  68 to 70 degree water to spawn in.   During the full moon of April we still had bass in Burch Creek trying to spawn due to the varying water temperatures. 

During the past week the Bass have liked two baits, one is V&M Chop Stick and of course the good ole’ V&M Lizard.   I you were fishing the creeks above the 515 bridge, the color of choice is watermelon/red for both the lizard and Chop Stick.  A lot of the creeks south of the 515 bridge are starting to really clear up. So with that being said, watermelon seed has been working better.  The way we are fishing the Chop Stick is with a Eagle Claw LO45 4/0 hook and a small piece of split shot 18” above the hook.  We are fishing the lizard Texas style using an Eagle Claw LO45 4/0 hook and a South Bend 3/16 oz. bullet slip sinker.  Both of the baits you can’t fish slow enough.  The fish are vary finicky so “slow that bait down”.  Most of the good fish are in 2 to 5 foot of water.  Lake Fork Marina has a great selection of  bait and tackle for your enjoyment on Lake Fork.

For those who follow my articles week to week know I usually have a safety tip of the week.  This week we have had two boats sunk here on Lake Fork due to heavy water conditions.  You might ask what is heavy water.  It is rollers (waves) over 4 feet high.  This week we have winds over 30 miles an hour, three different days and we saw rollers over 5 feet on a couple of occasions.  If you have a small boat you should not be on the lake in those kind of conditions.  Plus always wear you life vest!

We are now taking bookings for May and June fishing trips here a J & M Guide Service.  So give us a call at (Toll Free) 1-888-454-7037.  Have a great week and look forward to fishing with you.

J & M Guide Service

(John Morris)

E-mail: bassmr@geusnet.com

1-888-454-7037

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John Morris Lake Fork Report 3/23/2011

March 24, 2011

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

J & M Guide Service

Lake Fork, Texas

 

WOW let the March winds blow, the Dogwoods bloom and the Bass bite.  It has been a great week for the Bass fisherman.  With the full moon on the 19th the Bass moved in to almost of the major and sub-creeks here at Lake Fork.  The fish had to put up with water temperatures moving up and down from 56 to 59 degrees on Sunday and Monday but when Tuesday arrived the water temperatures raised to 65 degrees and by Saturday the water temperatures made it to almost 70 degrees.  The buck (male) Bass were moving quickly into Burch and White Oak Creeks looking for places to make a bed.   We fished the outer edges of the sub-creeks with V & M lizards and V & M Chop Sticks.  Yep you guessed it, the color of choice was watermelon red with chartreuse tail’s.  Use Chartreuse Spike-it on the tails.  We fished the V & M lizard Texas rigged using an Eagle Claw LO45 4/0 hook and a 3/16 slip sinker.  The way we fished the Chop Stick was using an Eagle Claw LO45 hook with a 1/8 ounce split shot about 18 inches up from the hook.  The real secret of all of this is “SLOW”.  You cannot fish these baits slow enough.

 

With the wind continuing to be 20 to 25 miles an hour out of the south in afternoon, boating safety is paramount.  My safety tip for the week is if you have a kill switch on your outboard motor make sure it is attached to your life jacket and by the way wear your life jacket.

 

The friendly folks at Lake Fork Marina has a large selection of V & M products on hand, so stop in and say hello and pick up a good supply of lizards and Chop Sticks.

 

If you need a fishing guide, we have a few dates open in March and April here at J & M Guide Service. (Toll Free 1-888-454-7037)  Have a safe fishing week from us here at J & M guide Service.  Don’t forget to wear your” Life Jacket”.

 

J & M Guide Service

John Morris

1-888-454-7037

E-mail:  bassmr@geusnet.com

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John Morris Lake Fork Report Early March 2011

March 4, 2011

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

J & M Guide Service 

This week we had warming water temperatures and moderate winds.  The water temperatures rose up to 59 degrees, which started fish to start moving up in the creeks to look for their favorite spawning area.  Numerous fish from 3 pounds to 11 pounds were caught this week on a variety of baits.  The two baits we had the best luck with was a

V & M Super High Tail and a V & M 5 inch Chop Stick.  With wind picking up in the afternoon we used an ¼ ounce split shot 18 inches in front of the black and blue Chop Stick.  The way we fished it was just pull along the bottom and every third or forth turn of your reel handle, take you rod tip and move up about 6 inches.  This gives the Chop Stick a slight up and down motion.  Keep an eye on your line because most of the time the fish would hit the bait on the fall and just swim off with it.  The Super High Tail was fished Texas rigged using an Eagle Claw 4/0 LO45 hook.  The best color for the Super High Tail was watermelon red and I dyed the tails chartreuse, (about ½ inch).  We pitched it in the small stick ups in about four to five foot of water.  The bite was very light so keep an eye on the line, if it moves, be setting the hook.

Well our March madness at Lake Fork starts tomorrow.  Please be courteous to your fellow fishermen.  There is 27,000 acres to fish in here at Lake Fork and plenty of fish to go around.

The good folks at Lake Fork Marina have a good selection of V & M products to select from for the up coming Bass spawn here at Lake Fork, so stop in and say hello and stock up on your favorite tackle.  If you brought your wife and she is looking for something to do, go online and check out the Winnsboro City Chamber of Commerce web site or the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce web site for hints on what to do in the area.

If you need a fishing guide, we still have a few openings here at J & M Guide Service for the months of March and April, so give us a call at 1-888-454-7037 (Toll Free).

Good Fishing

John Morris

J & M Guide Service

1-888-454-7037

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John Morris Lake Fork Report Jan 23, 2011

January 25, 2011

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

J & M Guide Service

Lake Fork, TX

16 – 23 January 2011

 

This week we’ve seen water temperatures still at 43 to 45 degrees. The water clarity was just a little stained in the main lake and stained in the back of the creeks. The lake water level has also stabilized at 399.60. The fished have gotten use the 40 degree plus water temperature and are starting to feed again. The baits of choice this week have been a Tackle Factory Flashtail Spoon (1/2 oz), red Rattle Trap and a green and brown 3/8 oz Cyclone jig. The Flashtail Spoon was in the Barrfish pattern and was the most effective around bridge pylons and deep brush piles. The deep brush pile fish were in 20 to 24 feet of water. We caught several small fish with the red Rattletrap. You might want to slow your Rattletrap down. The water is cold and the fish don’t want to chase a bait very far. Our best fish came off of a green and brown jig with a watermelon/red trailer. What I did was take a 6 inch V & M watermelon/red lizard and cut in half and use it as a trailer.

 

Tip of the week: Boat Ramp Courtesy. As we approach the Bass Spawn months March/April or what we call it here at Lake Fork, Spring Madness, here are some tips you keep you out of trouble at the local boat launch ramp.

1. Make sure your tie downs are off.

2. Make sure that your drain plug is in.

3. Make sure you motor totter is removed.

If you do all of this before you get to the ramp it will make the flow of boat launch’s go smoother and no one will get upset at you for holding up the launch process.

 

As always Lake Fork Marina has a great selection of tackle and goodies to make your fishing experience very pleasurable. Don’t forget to pick up a good selection of V & M Lizards while you are there.

 

J & M Guide Service still has openings in March and April for guided fishing trips. You can give us a call at 1-888-454-7037.

 

J & M Guide Service

(John Morris)

1-888-454-7037

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John Morris Lake Fork Report December 2010

December 3, 2010

The fish are moving out of the creeks onto humps and long points. The reason for this is the pumping of water out of the Lake Fork to Lake Hubbard in Dallas. As of today we are down just 3 feet 1 inch. The middle of the week the wind switched from the Northwest to the South and the fishing really picked up. For the Largemouth Bass our choice of baits have been the ¼ ounce Cyclone white spinner bait and the Tackle Factory, jigging spoon in the Barr fish pattern. The Cyclone spinner bait needs to fished very slow around grass off of long points. The jigging spoon needs to be fished on old road beds and humps vertically using a slow jigging motion. A few good Bass are being caught with the Tackle Factory’s flutter spoon in the chrome with chartreuse tape, my favorite.

The White Bass are being caught in great numbers. Fish the Tackle Factory’s jigging spoon in either chrome/chartreuse or Barr fish pattern. They are in huge schools all over the lake. You will catch some pretty good Yellow Bass mixed in with the White Bass.

The Crappie are being caught by using minnows or small root beer with blue tailed jigs.

They are being caught around all of the bridges on the lake at this time.

On a safety note; Lake Fork is down over 3 feet. There are several stumps starting to show where you normally don’t seem them. With that being said, if you haven’t run a route for a while on the lake and you cut a corner short or your not sure where the stumps are, please slow down and idle through the area. Plus, when the big motor is running please wear your life jacket. Lake Fork Marina has all your fishing needs here Lake Fork and don’t forget to pick up a good supply of Tackle Factory jigging spoons.

Here at J & M Guide Service we are now booking trips for the 2011 season, look forward to fishing with you.

J & M Guide Service

(John Morris)

1-888-454-7037 E-mail: bassmr@geusnet.com

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