Lake Fork Marina Fishing Report

John Tanner May Lake Fork Report

lfmfr — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:42:20 +0000

May Bassin on Lake Fork

Greetings anglers from the big bass capital of Texas. May is a super duper month to fish here on Lake Fork. There are a lot of patterns that will catch big bass during this month due to all the different stages the bass are in this time if year. Depending where you are on the lake the bass can be in different stages. It is all according to how far along they are in the post spawn. The fish on the northern reaches of the lake are usually further along because they typically spawn earlier than those down on the south end of the lake. Those that are done are either guarding fry or if the fry deal is over they are hunting down and feeding on the shad.

We usually have a shad spawn in may so look for big concentrations of bait on the bank and you will usually do well around them. This is usually a early morning deal so keep that in mind. We usually still even have some spawning this month so don’t let that surprise you. Are you confused yet? Well, let me simplify it for you a litle bit. Try to find the banks where the shad are spawning in the mornings and try to catch them on topwaters like Berkley Frenzy Poppers, Talon Buzzbaits and soft plastics like the Berkley Jerk Shad in pearl white color rigged weightless on a 4/0 Mustad Mega Wide Gap Hook. Another good pattern is to fish the bluegill beds. Alot of big bass will feed on these bluegill after the spawn and will devour frogs, wacky rigged sof plastics like a Berkley Heavy Weight Sink Worm and even a blue gill colored Berkley Holly Belly swim bait. Later in the day look for fish on the humps and deep points as alot of the early spawners will already be out on the deep stuff feeding up on shad. Carolina rigged Berkley Havoc Bottom Hoppers are a great choice as well as deep running crankbaits and 1/2 ounce Talon Jigs in black/blue with a Berkley Chigger Craw for a trailer in green pumpkin color.

Hopefully this will help you this month while you are in search for you Lake Fork trophy bass. Some of these patterns were already working last month and shaould keep getting more solid as the month rolls along. I look forward to May every year and catch some really big ones during the post spawn. It is a hoot!

If you would like to book a guided trip with us this summer and do some awesome off shore fishing or set up your fall trip call 903-569-7451 or drop me an email at tanner@lakeforkbassguide.com. Summer is a great time to brush up on your sonar skills. You can also check us out on the web at www.lakeforkbassguide.com or our other website www.tanneroutdoors.com. Look for me as well on facebook under John Tanner.

Thank you for reading this article and hopefully it will help you catch more and bigger bass.

When you are in the area stop by and visit the folks at Diamond Sports Marine our local Ranger Boat and Mercury Outboard dealer and tell ‘em Tanner sent ya.

Please pray for our country and our troops as they protect our freedom every day. Also pray for the sick and the lost. Got Jesus?
Read John 3:16.

Please support these fine sponsors www.rangerboats.com,
www.mercurymarine.com,www.purefishing.com, www.mustad.no,
www.oakley.com, IPM, www.talonlures.com,www.hambysbeachbumper.com.

Good fishin and God Bless,
John and Robin Tanner

John Tanners Lake Fork Guide Service
FLW Touring Pro
Public Speaker – Fishing Seminars, motivational speaker

Website www.lakeforkbassguide.com
Email tanner@lakeforkbassguide.com

James Caldemeyer May Lake Fork Report

lfmfr — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:40:44 +0000

May has arrived and what a great month it is for trophy bass fishing on Lake Fork. The weather is warming and early summer patterns are starting to take shape. You can catch fish just about any way you want to right now which gives many anglers the opportunity to catch fish using their favorite baits. Whether its shallow water top waters, or deep structure Carolina rigs, to anything in between, you can have a blast catching lots of Lake Fork bass right now.
The lake level is currently right at 2’ low. Water clarity has been clear 2-3 ft in most mid lake to south areas with the exception of windy days stirring the water up in certain areas. The water up north remains fairly stained. Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 70’s. The warm weather is already setting in so it will be interesting to see what kind of summer this starts out to be. I pray that it is not as dry or hot as last summer.
The shallow fishing has been excellent early and late in the day. The shad have begun spawning on windy banks all over the lake and the bass are close behind them. Top water poppers, buzz baits, shallow crank baits, spinner baits like the Talon 3/8 oz Shibui, and 5-6” Berkley Hollow belly swim baits have all been very good fished from 2-6 ft depths. Anything shad with white on it or shad patterns is best. The action can be short in the morning so you have to get out early to take advantage of the action. Days with cloudy overcast skies can be outstanding all day long on this pattern.
Mid depth fishing in 10-18 ft has been real good also. There are still some fish staging to move up and spawn as well as others that are holding in these depths to feed up after spawning. Best areas in these depths to target are points, creek channel bends, roadbeds, and humps. You can also catch these fish on a number of different baits. Deep diving crank baits in shad or bream patterns are great. The jig and Carolina rig also get the nod. I have been using a 5/8 oz Talon football head or the new Talon Roto-Rooter. Putting your favorite plastics such as a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss or your favorite craw trailer has been very effective. Green pumpkin, Big Texan, California and watermelon red have been the best colors.
As the bass move out from spawning you will find them starting to gang up on real deep structure areas. These bass are hungry in numbers and man is it fun when you get on a big school of them. I rely on my new Lowrance HDS Gen2 electronics to show me where these fish are at and how they are relating in the water column. It really makes it hard for them to hide! Deep humps, roadbeds, points, and ridges in 18-24 ft have been where they are holding. Some days they are on slow gradual breaks and other days they are on the steeper drops. Once I have established a nice school of fish with my electronics I am breaking out several different baits according to depth the fish are in. For suspended bass I am fishing deep diving crank baits and swim baits. Any shad pattern will do. Cranking these baits down to the fish or yo yo retrieving them through the school can draw some big bites! When the fish are on the bottom I am quickly picking up my Abu Garcia Veritas rod and Revo MGX combo. I like to fish with a 7-7’6” medium heavy rod spooled with 25 lb Trilene 100% fluorocarbon and a 17 lb leader. I use a long leader that is usually 4-5 ft in length. A 1oz Elite Tungsten weight is mandatory for me and my clients. If you have not ever used tungsten for your rigs you might want to try them out as there is a huge difference in sensitivity and I believe the tungsten weight makes a more appealing sound to the fish which in turn draws curiosity to the area you are dragging your bait. The tungsten is also a lot smaller so it is not as bulky as lead and less likely to get hung up. I have been rigging a 4/0 hook and Berkley Power Worm or Havoc Bottom Hopper in blue fleck or watermelon candy. The Talon football head jig is awesome this time of year in these same areas. I opt for the ¾- 1oz size out in these deep areas. Best colors are PB&J, green pumpkin, watermelon candy, and willies weed. I like to use a twin tail grub like the Berkley Havoc Deuce in matching color as a trailer.
Good luck to all the tournament anglers headed out this month for the big tournaments. I hope this helps you in your quest on Lake Fork for a trophy bass. If you are interested in coming out for some big bass action this spring or would like to just take an instructional trip to learn about electronics, seasonal patterns, or some new techniques on Lake Fork this summer, contact me anytime. I still have a few dates available and want to remind anyone that is considering reservations with me contact me as soon as possible. I book up extremely fast so get your 2012 date now before my schedule is full. You can reach me by phone at 903-736-9888 or drop me an email at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com You can also visit my websites for more information about trophy bass fishing on Lake Fork www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com or www.jamescaldemeyer.com
Again, a big thanks to all my sponsors: Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, I AM SECOND, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Interstate Batteries, Lowrance, Power Pole, Hamby’s, Talon Lures, Line & Lure Conditioner, BTS Protectant, Navionics, Oakley, Sure Life, and Elite Tungsten.
Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Tight Lines and God Bless, James Caldemeyer
For trip information visit: www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com

Bass fishing on Lake Fork is ON

lfmfr — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:30:13 +0000

Since the full moon this past weekend I have witnessed some of the best deep water fishing in years. Carolina rig, strolling dd22′s, spoons, football head jigs….to give you an idea here are the big fish we have had weighed in in the past few days. Lake Fork Water level is at 1.90 ft low.

5-8 8.08

5-8 11.61 (Brian Duplechain’s Client)

5-9 11.80 (Eddie Garret’s Client)

5-10 10.17 (James Caldemeyer)

5-10 Tony Robinson 11.43

John Morris May 2012 Fishing Report

lfmfr — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:49:49 +0000

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

FROM: J & M Guide Service

What a great week to fish here at Lake Fork, TX. During this week we had warm weather all week. It got a little breezy on Saturday and Sunday but we were able to keep on fishing. The water surface is a solid 75 degrees but the water on the Fork side stayed stained due to the wind.

The Large Mouth fishing was very good, with a lot of fish being caught on small crank baits such as the KVD 1.5 in the shad color (silver & black) pattern. Fish up to 10 pounds were taken with the little crank bait this week. With the Summer pattern already starting, we found the ¼ oz shaky head jig also was working. We used a V & M pencil worm in watermelon/red color, it worked the best with the olive color shaky head. You need to fish it slow and once in a while bounce the shaky head off of the bottom. This allowed for a lot of action. Oh yes, dip the tail of the worm in some chartreuse dye, for maximum visibility in the stained water.

The White Bass were biting really well. They could be caught by using a chrome/chartreuse spoon or an Alabama rig. White and chartreuse shad were the best trailers for the Alabama rig. You could catch 3 or 4 White Bass at one time. This rig has revolutionized the White Bass fishing industry!

The Crappie fishing slowed up this week. The Crappie are scattered out and headed back to the deep water around bridges.

Catfish fishing continued to be good. They were mostly caught on cut bait.

“SOMETHING NEW” Here at J & M Guide Service, we are now offering both White Bass and Black Bass guided fishing trips. So give us a call or send us an E-mail so we can get you started with the great experience of White Bass fishing here at Lake Fork.

While you are at Lake Fork, stop by Lake Fork Marina and pick up all of the latest tackle. By the way the soda’s are good and cold also.

One last thing, don’t forget to wear those life vest while the big motor is running. Have a great fishing week.

J & M Guide Service

(John Morris)

E-mail: bassmr@geusnet.com

Toll Free: 1-888-454-7037

Lake Fork Super Moon 2012 Night time is the right time!

lfmfr — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:30:47 +0000

Saturday May 5th was a night I will not forget. I wasn’t fishing, but coworkers and I ended up weighing 4 overs throughout the night. Zach Hughes brought in a 9lber from Saturday morning and I weighed another 9lber for a customer that night. We also had a 10lber and an 11.08 weighed. 2 of the fish came on blue fleck power worms.

With the heat here, night fishing is the way to go…beat the crowds and the heat.

Guide John Morris Lake Fork Report 4-27-12

lfmfr — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:47:36 +0000

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

J & M Guide Service

16 – 22 April 2012

This week we saw water temperatures continuing to rise to the middle 70’s and the wind continuing to blow 10 to 20 miles an hour, keeping the water heavily stained. The spawn is over for the Largemouth Bass and is just about over for the Crappie and Sand Bass.

It is time to get out your little crank baits and jigs. Let’s cover crank baits first. I have been using a KVD 1.5 in the normal shad color pattern. A small Bandit 100 crank bait in the shad color will also work great.

Now it is time to get serious about pitching and swimming a jig. We used 3/8 oz and ½ oz J & M jigs. The recommended color is black and blue with a black with blue claw trailer. The way we have had the best success is just pitching the jig past the structure or stump and letting it fall to the shady side. Let it set for a moment and then jig it up and down a couple of times and let it set. If the fish doesn’t take it, pull the jig out and move it to the next stump or structure.

The trick worm is another way to catch Largemouth Bass this time of year. We have been fishing the full size Zoom chartreuse/pumpkin trick worm around docks and patches of grass. Again, the bite was very light.

The Sand Bass are moving back out of the creeks on to main lake humps and deep creek bends. They can be caught by using The Tackle Factory ½ oz flutter spoon. We found that the yellow bass pattern worked the best. The technique we used was just vertical jigging the flutter spoon up and down over the school of Sand Bass. The bite has been very light so you need to pay attention to your line.

The crappies are back at the bridges and can be caught using chartreuse and pink small crappie jigs and medium size minnows. You will find the yellow bass mixed in with the crappie at this time of year.

While you are Lake Fork, be sure you stop into lake Fork Marina to get the latest in tackle and get a few snacks while you are there. They have a great selection of the Tackle Factory spoons. On a safety note; while running your big motor, make sure you wear your life vest. The life you save might be your own.

J & M guide Service

(John Morris)

E-mail: bassmr@geusnet.com

Toll free: 1-888-454-3073

Lake Fork Crappie Guide Terri Moon April 2012 Report

lfmfr — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:53:44 +0000

I receieve a lot of emails and comments from people trying to book trips through our website for Terri Moon. Please call her at 903-383-7773 or tx2moonfish@msn.com

This has been an exciting month for crappie. We’ve found them in many depths through their transition. The bridges are producing crappie 8-16ft, while the staging crappie are found in timber 5-10ft and spawners 1-5ft. There are a lot of options if the weather or wind is a factor. With the crazy weather this year our water temps jumped up unusually fast and sent all the species on the fast track to the shallows. Generally the spawn drags out for a couple of months or so due to major fronts dropping water temps, but that has not been the case this year. Right now water temps are optimum and hopefully won’t affect the spawn. I am not ready for these 90+ degree days! (And I don’t think the fish are either)

As far as catching the crappie, we are using different approaches for the different depths. At the bridges we are using double rigged jigs about a foot apart. The colors producing have been cinnamon with chartreuse tails and grey with blue tail. Some days they want it straight down and some days they want it moving on the fall. For the prespawn depths we are using single jigs 1/8th oz with a Lake Fork Tackle Live Baby Shad in blue and pearl or a shad color around the timber. Then for the shallow fish we are using 1/16th oz roadrunners with chartreuse or white or a minnow on a slip bobber. So pick your favorite way of fishing and hav esome fun! Right now you never what you’re going to catch at any depth- they are all on the move.

It’s also exciting that our lake level has finally returned to only about two foot below full pool after the last set of storms that moved through. Just be extra careful out there because many stumps are just below the surface. Also keep a close eye out for floating logs while traveling around the lake. It’s just a beautiful site to see water levels finally on the rise. Also I want you to know both boat ramps are back open at Lake Fork Marina! YA-HOOO! The boat slips are also back in service!! Be sure to stop by their tackle store and check out their latest baits and tackle.

Lake Fork Andrew Grills Mid April 2012 update

lfmfr — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:28:49 +0000

I looked for big fish today with a big swimbait, jig, and crankbait. I didn’t load the boat but I’m happy with a few things I figured out. I had a big fish on a Santone jig today that will haunt me for a while… she won But, it is refreshing to get a jig bite again. Seeing a lot of bass fry in the shoreline grass that was flooded. Looks like the spawn has went well so far this spring.

Guide Tom Redington Lake Fork Report and Pics April 13, 2012

lfmfr — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:18:48 +0000

Although some bass are still up spawning, we’ve been catching mostly postspawn fish over the past couple of weeks on Lake Fork. A few prespawn fish are showing up every day though, so I suspect we’ll still have some fish on beds for a couple of more weeks. A quick look in the newly flooded grass around the lake reveals a ton of bass fry this year. All of the shallow cover, fry, plus the bluegill and shad spawns will have many fish staying shallow and biting aggressively for a couple months. Case in point, the first couple of hours each morning has been by far our best bite, with bass schooling up and busting shad on very shallow points. The best location changes daily, but once you find them, it’s fast action until the sun gets up. On overcast and windy days, bass will continue to aggressively chase in the shallows all day. If it turns sunny and slick, you can either slow down with soft plastics in the shallows or head to deep water, as more and more bass are showing up daily on deep structure.
As the bass feed up after the spawn, the result is our most consistent fishing of the year for numbers of quality fish in the 3 to 7 lb range, with a shot at a double digit. So if your plans didn’t allow you to take advantage of the spawn this year on Fork, don’t despair, you can still enjoy what most locals consider the best fishing of the year on Fork—May through July. In addition to catching a lot of big fish, it is also the premier time to learn how to read your electronics to graph big schools of bass on deep structure.
Many bass like to suspend in postspawn and my April article talks about how to catch them in more detail. http://lakeforkguidetrips.com/fishingarticles/april2012.htm
Lake Conditions: The spring rains have the lake up 6’ from last fall and there is newly flooded cover all over the lake. The lake level is currently 401.09’ and holding steady (about 1’ 11” below full pool). Water temps in the main lake are in the low to mid 70s, with creeks running warmer. The rising water and wind has Fork more stained than normal, especially on the northern half of the lake and in the backs of major creeks. In general, I like the clearer water on the cloudy and windy days, while I feel more comfortable in muddier water when it’s sunny and calm.
Location Pattern: For the last of the spawners, check out the main lake flats and short pockets on the southern half of the lake. The slightly deeper structure like points, creek channels, and ledges in 1’ to 8’, adjacent to areas with numbers of shallow spawning bass is where we’ve found most of the bigger females, staging on their way back to deep water. On the northern half of the lake, timber or flooded grass flats and clay points will continue to hold numbers of fish until the bluegill and shad finish their spawns and temps turn hot. Some of the early spawners are showing up on offshore structure in 12’ to 25’ as well.
Presentation Pattern: Just about every category of lure in the tackle box will work at times during the coming month, it’s just a matter of finding the best bait for the conditions. Topwaters are not only fun to fish, but also producing some really big fish so try your Lucky Craft G Splashes, Kelly J’s, and Gunfish. Best of all, you can work these baits all day long in the postspawn and catch good fish, especially if you are in areas with lots of bass fry. I’ve started throwing my topwaters on the fiberglass Dobyns Champion 704CB GLASS model rod. It weighs no more than a graphite stick and has a very soft tip. Little poppers like Yellow Magics, Pop-R’s and G-Splashes are small and often hard to cast, and then you miss a lot that bite them or jump off many that do. The soft tip of the Dobyns fiberglass rod will fling those little baits way out there and the slower action of fiberglass allows the bass to better take your bait, plus it keeps them on the treble hooks even when lightly hooked. I know that sounds like an infomercial, but since I switched to this rod, I can’t stop talking about how much I like it. Seeing monster bass explode on a topwater is pretty awesome, but it is way better if you actually get to hook and land them too.
While in the shallows, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and vibrating jigs work well in shad or bluegill color schemes. ½ oz spinnerbaits, Lucky Craft LC 1.5 or BDS 3 square billed cranks, and bladed jigs with 3.5” Live Magic Shads will all catch good bass, especially on the windy and cloudy days. If the action slows, try a Hyper Stick or Ring Fry on a 12” leader and a ¼ oz weight on a Carolina rig and drag it around the same areas. With all of the flooded shoreline grass, it is hard to get a crankbait or spinnerbait through a lot of the weeds without fouling. A weightless TX rigged soft plastic jerkbait has been best in this situation, like a Hyper Stick or Magic Shad. Bass often hit them on the slow dying fall, but it seems like working them fast with short twitches triggers strikes better on most days.
On offshore structure like humps and points, deep diving cranks and Fork Flutter Spoons will catch suspended fish while Carolina and TX rigs will get the bottom dwellers. The key is to first locate fish on your graph, then let their position dictate your lure selection. With the new DownScan sonar from Lowrance and detailed maps from Navionics, finding those once secret deep holes is now a lot easier. Lots of bass suspend early in the season and super deep cranks like Lucky Craft’s Flat CB D20 are very effective. Fork Flutter Spoons will trigger a lot of these same fish too as they slowly wobble down through the schools like a dying shad. When bass group up on the bottom they are easier to catch. Simply keep a Carolina rigged Baby Fork Creature or a TX rigged 10” Fork Worm in front of them long enough and they’ll eat sooner or later.
Here’s hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. If I can be of assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 or e-mail me through http://www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com , where your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you’re in the Lake Fork area and need any boat service or want to check out the new line of Ranger boats, stop by www.DiamondSportsMarine.com on Hwy 154 on the East side of Fork, Ranger Boat’s #1 dealer for 2011.
Good Fishing,
Tom

Lake Fork Guide Andrew Grills April 9, 2012 Update

lfmfr — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:42:20 +0000

Right now there are fish in pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn. The sight fish are pretty skittish after all the pressure, but there are a few that are fresh that just came up with the full moon. There are also some fish moving back out to the main lake points, and some on secondary points,inside the creeks. On the north end of the lake fish are getting ready to put the feed-bag on, mid lake fish are in the post-spawn funk, and fish on the south end of the lake have been spawning or are about to.
Today we did well with topwaters early and deep running crankbaits later. It was a great day to be on the water.