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Lake Fork Guide John Tanner 47.58 5 Fish day 10-31-2008

October 31, 2008

November 1, 2008

Hello from the great Lake Fork.Water level about one foot low 402.1 water temp 66 degrees water clarity about 2 foot.

November is starting off with a bang! It looks like it is going to be an awesome month and the big ones are starting to bite as the fall patterns go into full swing!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking Mat and Nathan Dailey and boy did the big ones crank it up! It was a total blessing,I praise the Lord for such an awesome day. After fishing the shallows the first hours with not much luck we headed for a little deeper water and I looked at an area were we had been catching some pretty good fish in the afternoon hours. As a matter of fact I had Mat and Nathan with the day before and we saw several big fish on the graph there but couldn’t make many of them bite. Well, it was a different story today. We immediately starting catching fish. Nathan caught a low end slot fish on a Talon Football head jig and I then made a cast to the other side of the structure with my Carolina rig and had a bite. I felt the fish moving off with my bait and set the hook with my Shimano Crucial Rod and the fight was on! Once we landed the beast it weighed over 10 pounds. After we calmed down Nathan was hooked up again and after landing a few more nice slot fish up to 6 pounds on the Jig he then hooked another big mama. She weighed over 9 pounds. Wow what a morning ! We had some lunch and then went back out on the pond. I was headed back to the spot were we caught those big ones and decided to check another spot close by before we made the long run. Well, it paid off right away as Nathan went back to work with the Talon Jig and landed 3 nice slots in the 4 and 5 pound range. Those fish played out and we turned on the Lowrance and checked the other side of the ridge and spotted a good sized group of large fish hanging on a tree on a break line. Well up until then Matt hadn’t caught a fish. Nathan was putting on a clinic from the back of the boat. I guess Mat had enough and started wackin some big ones himself. He made the perfect cast and hooked into a monster. He landed this hog and she weighed over 10 pounds and was nearly 25 inches long. Man we were having a blast. After taking some good photos, and releasing the big girl back to the waters of Lake Fork we re grouped and lined back up on our spot. Mat fires another cast and unbelievably hooks up again. This time the fish was coming to us and thought she was in the 6 pound range. WRONG! She changed directions and came to the surface and jumped and yet another whale! This sucker was fatter than the first one Mat caught. We finally wrestled her into the net and weighed her in at 10 pounds 6 ounces! We had to sit down a minute and get ourselves together. We headed to the marina to get a certified weight on her and take some better photos. Well with time left we hit one more spot. The fish were stacked in there at the mouth of a creek along a little tree line.7 fish in 9 cast on the Jig! After that we kept fishing and in the course of the next half hour we caught 6 more bass in the 4 to 6 pound range. I guess you could say the jig bite is on! What a day and I can‘t say enough about my buddies Mat and Nathan. They have fished with me several times over the last few years and today was by far the best day so far. Oh yea thanks for helping me try to recover the rod and reel that I knocked off of the deck of my Ranger Boat this afternoon. If any one drags up a Shimano 7’6” Crucial with a Calcutta 200TE DC mounted on it PLEASE let me know. I miss it dearly! Fishing on Lake Fork isn’t always like this but when things get right it can be so awesome.

Lake Fork is a special place and is loaded with monster bass. The set ups we were using today was pretty simple. We were Carolina rigging and dragging a football head jig. Once we started smacking them on the jig though it was hard to put it down. On the Carolina Rig we were using 20 pound Gamma and a 12 to 14 pound Leader using Gamma Edge Flourocarbon and a one ounce Tru Tungsten weight. The leader was 4 foot and the hook was a Mustad 2/0 wide gap Ultra Point. On the jig we were using a ¾ ounce Talon Football head Jig on 16 pound Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon. In the grass in the mornings you can catch them froggin and also using a white buzzbait. Look for creeks off of the main lake with a lot of grass in them. Check for bait fish and go at it for the first hour or so. You can continue to catch them shallow during the day on wacky worms and senko type baits but again having a good concentration of shad in the area is key.

I know it is deer season but if you want to catch some Hogs November would be a good time to be here. If you would like to book a trip with us call toll free 1-800-865-2282 or drop us a line at tanner@lakeforkbassguide.com. For more booking info click on the trip info page and for a look at some happy folks holding their Lake Fork giants, click on all of the pages of the photo section.

While you are in the area be sure and visit the folks over at Diamond Sports Marine our local Ranger Boat Dealer. Tell ‘em Tanner sent ya. They carry a full line of Ranger Boats rigged with Yamaha Outboards. Awesome bass fishing machine. Schedule a test ride in the new Z-520, they are unmatched!Good fishin and God Bless,
John and Robin Tanner
Many thanks to my sponsors.

Good Luck if you are headed this way and if we can help out in anyway give us a shout. Please pray for our country as well as our men and women of our armed forces. Also keep my Mom in your prayers as well as The Pughe family. I got a message from Joel today and he said his wife had undergone some cancer testand were to get the results today. He said it had been a tough couple of weeks. Please keep them in you prayers. Read Galatians 6:9

Tags:Lake Fork, Lake Fork Bass fishing, Lake Fork Bass, Lake Fork Fishing Report, Lake Fork John Tanner, lake fork bass report
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Lake Fork Fishing Report Guide Clint Wright 10/20/2008

October 20, 2008

Lake Fork and local Hot Water Lakes: October 20, 2008

Lake Level: Fork: Full

Water Clarity: Clear to stained

Water temp: The water temps have varied around 70 degrees.

Weather: Clear to partly cloudy this week, with highs in the upper 70’s.

News: Lake Fork is cooling down and the hot water lakes are heating up! If you are looking to learn any new techniques or just go out and have a great time, give me a call. The hot water lakes here in East Texas are giving up great numbers of fish, not that the air temp has started cooling down. This past week, 40 – 70 bass per day were common with one 11.00 lb trophy caught.

Fishing Report

Lake Fork: Lake Fork fishing has been on one day and off the next. This is the reason I start booking trips in October on the local hot water lakes. These trips last until the middle of February. The days that the fish are biting on Lake Fork are great. Most of the fish that we have been catching are in the back of the creeks gorging on threadfin and gizzard shad. Two things you must have this time of year is grass and shad. If you find a mixture of these two, you will be in business. Throw a Sebile Flatt Shad or any lipless bait (shad colored) with a high speed reel and burn this bait over the grass and along the breaklines. I like to use 65 lb. Power Pro braid on a Custom Angle Moby Bass Rod in a 7ft. Heavy action, the parabolic bend in this rod is very helpful here. This bigger line makes fishing the grass easy. It will cast a country mile as well.

There is the occasional deep water bite to be had too. Here I use one of my custom painted spoons, a Revenge jig or a swim bait. The two things to look for here is shad and a major depth change. Good electronics are a must for this presentation to work. This is your eyes under the water to help eliminate useless water.

Guide Clint Wright
Lake Fork Day and Night Guide Service
WWW.LAKEFORKDAYANDNIGHT.US
903-342-3497
903-918-9469

Tags:lake fork guide, LAKE FORK MARINA, Lake Fork Fishing Report, lake fork bass fishing report, Clint Wright
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9-30-08 Tom Redington Lake Fork Report

October 1, 2008

Lake Fork Report: Sep 30, 2008

After a couple of tumultuous weeks in early September dealing with many rainy days and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, we’ve had several of the most consistent weeks of weather I can remember at Lake Fork. Every day starts off cool and clear, warming into the mid-80s under mostly sunny skies. Once you figure out the fish it is easy to stay with them, since there aren’t any fronts to change things up. Don’t expect it to last forever though, as fall is just around the corner and we’ll start getting cold fronts and chances of rain on a regular basis once again. And that’s good news, because cooling water temps usually result in good bass fishing at Lake Fork until things turn really cold in late November.

On a personal note, I finished up my season on the FLW Stren Series and did well enough to qualify for the Walmart FLW Tour next year. I’m looking forward to an exciting year in 2009, guiding for lunkers on Lake Fork and also competing against some of the world’s best anglers on the FLW Tour.

Finally, I’m headed to Mexico to fish Lake Baccarac in Nov and Dec this year for trophy bass. Our group had one angler drop out of our first trip due to health reasons, so I’m looking for someone to fill his spot for that trip. It’s Nov 21-26 and we’re flying a charter plane directly to the lake. If you’re interested, please let me know.

Lake Conditions: With no rain and light winds, the water conditions are quite stable at Fork. The lake level is currently reading 402.58’ (about 5” below full pool). Some creeks are quite clear, although much of the main lake is brownish due to the fall turnover. Water temps remain fairly warm due to the sunny days, reading in the upper 70s in most areas. As the water level has dropped this summer, the expansive hydrilla and milfoil beds are really matting up, which makes for good fishing in late summer and fall.

Location Pattern: The best pattern for numbers of bass is fishing shallow grassbeds on the main lake and in the first half of major creeks. Early and late and all day on cloudy and windy days, I’m focusing on shoreline grass, openings in clumps of grass, and the inside weedline. When the sun gets up, concentrate on the deep weed edge in 8’ to 15’. Key on points, inside turns, and along ledges and you’re likely to find more fish. Most of the shallow fish have been in groups, so you’ll fish for a while without getting a bite, and then catch several in a small area. I’m also catching some bass back in the coves along creek channel bends but this pattern hasn’t really picked up yet like it will as the water cools. For bigger bass, concentrate on main lake structure in 15’ to 35’. As the lake settles down from turnover and cools, this pattern will really turn on. Watch your graph closely and key on schools located tight to the bottom if you can find them, because they are normally easier to catch than the suspended schools.

Presentation Pattern: As fall approaches, bass will start keying on shad and most of my lure choices and colors will reflect that preference. Shades of white or chrome are always good choices in the fall on Fork. In the shallows, topwaters are catching fish early and late, as well as Fork Frogs in the lily pads. As the sun gets up a little higher, shallow running crankbaits, small spinnerbaits, and Lake Fork Tackle’s 3.5” and 4.5” Live Magic Shad swimbaits work better, especially on windy banks. When the bass aren’t in a chasing mood, switch to a Texas rigged watermelon/red or watermelon candy 8” Fork Worm or the new Hyper Finesse Worm with a 1/8th oz bullet sinker and work it over the tops of grass and along the edges. For bigger fish, a 3/8 oz watermelon red Mega Weight Jig with a matching Fork Craw or a TX rigged watermelon/red or Bama Bug colored Hyper Freak produce well when pitched to the deep weed edge.

Out deeper, Carolina rigs, drop shots, jigs, and Texas rigs will catch bass from schools located near the bottom on deep structure. I go with a green pumpkin or watermelon red 8” or 10” Fork Worm for my Texas rigs. Meanwhile, watermelon candy, watermelon/red, or green pumpkin Baby Fork Creatures, Ring Frys, and Twitch Worms are on the business end of my Carolina rigs. Drop shots will catch good numbers of fish and the occasional big bass, rigged with a watermelon or green pumpkin Hyper Finesse Worm. When the bass are suspended, Fork Flutter Spoons and deep diving crankbaits in shad or yellow bass patterns are working better than the bottom presentations, and catching some lunkers too.

Here’s hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. If I can be of assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 (days) or 972-635-6027 (evenings) or e-mail me through http://www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com , where your satisfaction is guaranteed.

Good Fishing,

Tom

Tags:Lake Fork, Lake Fork Bass fishing, Lake Fork spoon, LAKE FORK MARINA, Lake Fork RV park, Sharelunker, lake fork lodging, Lake Fork Bass Guide, World Record Bass, Lake Fork Crappie, Lake Fork Bass, Texas State Record Bass, Lake Fork Tom Redington, Lake Fork lures
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Big fish moving up at night

June 25, 2008

Went out for a few hours last night and ended up with some good fish off my usual night hole.

Big fish was a 9.20 24 1/2″ fish caught on a texas rig black/blue Gene Larew Hawg Craw with a 1/4oz Tungsten weight. Fish averaged about 4lbs- Fish moved off around 11pm. Bite kicked up right at dark, 10-14foot holding tight to brush.

Going back again tonight, will give another report-

Tags:Lake Fork, lake fork guide, LAKE FORK MARINA, Lake Fork RV park, Lake Fork Sharelunker, Sharelunker, Lake Fork motel, World Record Bass, Lake Fork Bass
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Professional Lake Fork Guide James Caldemeyer

June 5, 2008

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Lake Fork Trophy Bass Report 6-2-2008 & BIG BASS PICS

June 3, 2008

Lake Fork Trophy Bass Report
Submitted June 2, 2008
By Guide James Caldemeyer

June is here and with it comes the warmer weather as well as a lot of excellent post-spawn feeding action for big bass on Lake Fork. This month is one of my most favorite months for fishing because you can catch a lot of numbers and the quality of those fish is great! For example, I had a client on Wednesday that caught 42 bass with the biggest five weighing 35+ pounds. A 9lb. 10oz. and an 8lb. 4oz. fish anchored that sack! These are the kind of days that you can expect to see a lot of this month and even into the middle of summer on Lake Fork.
The water conditions on the lake are great right now. We are sitting at about 6 inches above full pool at 403.57. I think everyone expected the Sabine River Authority to open the gates this week after recent rains but I spoke to them Friday and they said they did not intend to open the dam up unless we got more rain. This is great for us going into the summer and great for the fishing. The water clarity on the main lake areas is clear 2-3 feet and the water in the backs of the major creeks is not as stained as it has been this spring.
The top water bite has been decent lately early and late on yellow magic’s, white buzz baits and frogs fished over the shallow grass beds/lily pads in 2-8 feet of water. After the top water bite slows, I have been switching over to trick worms rigged wacky style in june bug and any watermelon color. Fish these slow over the grass in the same areas for actively feeding post-spawners. A fluke and a swim bait have also worked well in the same places.
After the shallow early morning bite starts to die, I head for deep water. The deep structure fishing on Lake Fork is phenomenal this time of year and the lake offers lots of points, roadbeds, humps, and ridges for these deep fish to congregate. Using your electronics to these schools of fish can be very rewarding! I use my Lowrance to locate shad and bar fish in 18-30 feet of water where there is some kind of bottom change. The bass will be close by. Once I have marked a school of bass, I have been using a number of different presentations to catch them. The carolina rig has been the most productive. I have been rigging my Shimano 7’6” Heavy action Crucial/Chronarch reels with 20 lb Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon. I use a heavy 1 oz. tungsten weight with a bead behind it attached to a swivel and a 4-5 foot leader. A 3/0 wide gap hook with a centipede, ring fry or Wave Worm Tiki Stick has been very productive. Best colors have been watermelon red, watermelon chartreuse, and chart. pepper. Dragging this rig through these schools of fish with a slow retrieve and an occasional twitch will get your rod bent pretty good! I have also been throwing a 3/4 or 1-ounce Talon football head jig in these same areas and working it just like the c-rig with success. Best colors have been watermelon/chart, green pumpkin, and watermelon gold with a matching trailer. On days that the wind is calm, the fish have started schooling some during the heat of the day. The big flutter spoons, small jigging spoons, DD 22’s, a swim bait and even a drop shot is very effective during this time as well.
If you are interested in coming to Lake Fork to get in on some great post-spawn and summer fishing and would like to book a trip with a full time guide who knows the lake and deep structure fishing, feel free to give me a call at (903)736-9888 or you can email me at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com With school out for the year, now is a great time to bring the kids out for some great fishing for big bass! I would like to thank all my sponsors for their support and to the good Lord for giving me strength. I hope to see you out on the water soon!

Romans 5:8- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer

Tags:903-765-2764, Lake Fork, Lake Fork Bass, LAKE FORK MARINA, Lake Fork Marina and Motel, Lake Fork RV park, Lake Fork Sharelunker, LFMFR, ranger boats, World Record Bass
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John Tanner Lake Fork Audio Report

May 31, 2008

With John Tanner

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James Caldemeyer Lake Fork Audio Report

May 30, 2008

With James Caldemeyer

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Tags:Bass Fishing, James Caldemeyer, Lake Fork, LAKE FORK MARINA
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Tom Redington Lake Fork Report May 26 2008

May 29, 2008

With summer just around the corner, the bass fishing patterns are still wide open at Lake Fork due to a cooler than normal spring and high water. Up shallow, some males are guarding fry and a few bass are still spawning. In addition, tons of shad and bluegill are spawning in the shallow flooded cover, so big bass are still coming from less than 8’. Meanwhile, I’m finally starting to catch some good fish out deep, although the schools are relatively small. As the water warms up, look for the numbers of big bass to increase on the deep structure. In between the shallows and deep is the most productive zone on many days, about 8’ to 15’. I’ve found a number of bass are relating to deep grass edges or the first drop near productive spawning areas as they transition from shallow to deep for the summer. As I stated in my last report, just about any bait in your tackle box will work at some point until the water gets hot, and the fishing will continue to get better as the bass wrap up their spawning rituals and put on the feedbag. From lunkers on topwaters to structure fishing for schools of big bass on crankbaits, swimbaits, and Carolina rigs; it’s hard to beat the summer for numbers of bass in the 3 to 8 lb range, with a shot at a 10+ pounder. Head on out to Lake Fork and find out why the summer is the favorite time for many Fork regulars.

Lake Conditions: After a big rain last week, Fork is above full pool and clearing. The lake level is currently reading 403.54’ (about 6” above full pool). Much of the north end and backs of major creeks are still stained, however, the south end remains quite clear. Water temps warmed steadily this week, reading from 73 to 79 in the main lake, while some muddy creeks are reading in the mid-80s.

Location Pattern: Although most of the spawning has wrapped up, many bass remain shallow on spawning flats chasing after bluegill, fry, and spawning shad in the ever expanding submerged and emergent weeds. For bigger females, fish slightly deeper structure such as points, creek channels, and ledges; any of which are in close proximity to spawning areas. These fish are mostly in 8’ to 15’, often around the deep edge of the hydrilla or milfoil. Deep structure in 18’ to 30’ is starting to turn on, producing mostly big bass. Some days these bass are suspended and other days they’re on the bottom. Most of these schools have been small, so watch your depth finder closely.

Presentation Pattern: First thing in the morning, frog baits like a Fork Frog in black neon or watermelon/red flake/pearl belly are working well some days. Cast these all the way to the bank and drag them across the newly flooded grass, then let them drop after coming across the mat. Other days, poppers and white chatterbaits are working better along the edges of the grass. For bass on the grass flats and in the pads, 4.5” Live Magic Shads and regular Magic Shads are catching some bass. Rig these weightless and try the watermelon red/pearl, watermelon seed/red flake, golden shiner, or Magic Shad colors. For bigger bass, pitch a 3/8 oz Mega Weight jig or a Texas rigged 8” Fork Worm to holes in the grass and lily pads on flats or near stumps on points in the deep weedline. I’m using a green pumpkin/black or a watermelon seed jig with a watermelon/red flake Fork Craw trailer, or a watermelon Fork Worm on the Texas rig. Shad colored medium running crankbaits are also catching some good bass over grass flats and on timbered points. Out deeper, Carolina rigs, jigs. and Texas rigs are catching some really big bass from schools located on the bottom on deep structure. For jigs, I use ½ oz Mega Weight jigs in watermelon with watermelon colored Fork Craw trailers, while I go with a green pumpkin Twitch Worm or Flipper for Texas rigs. Watermelon candy or green pumpkin Baby Fork Creatures, Ring Frys, and Twitch Worms are on the business end of my Carolina rigs. When the bass are suspended, swimbaits or deep diving crankbaits in shad or yellow bass patterns are working better than the bottom presentations, and catching some lunkers too.

Boat for Sale: My 2008 Ranger Z520 boat was new in Dec ’07 and is for sale. It is fully loaded, rigged with a 250 HP Yamaha Series 2 motor with a 6 year warranty (good until 2014). It’s value priced and will save you about $10,000 off the cost of a new boat. For more details and pics of the boat, please check my website (www.lakeforkguidetrips.com) or drop me a note.

Here’s hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. If I can be of assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 (days) or 972-635-6027 (evenings) or e-mail me through http://www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com , where your satisfaction is guaranteed.

Good Fishing,

Tom

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