I was beginning to wonder if the lake was ever going to come back, it has been literally a month since I have heard anyone PUMPED up about an exceptional day of fishing.  I’m happy to report there are FINALLY some monsters showing up.

First eyebrow raiser I had in month was when an angler brought in a 29″ 12lb bass, while she was somewhat skinny her frame wasn’t capable of being a 15lb fish.   10″ black power worm-

The next day there was an 11.59 caught by a guides client.  Hm…

We had a nice overcast and we had a 9.91lb and a 10.68 brought in within an hour of each other.  With these cooler temps and slow showers I’m hoping the fishing will start being more predictable.  Most of the larger fish seem to be in 10-15′.  Berkley 10″ power worms are the ticket-

Just an update, catch a hawg

Lake Fork Trophy Bass Report
Submitted August 16, 2008
By Guide James Caldemeyer

The fishing on Lake Fork has been crazy this month. Between the 100+ degree days and the rains coming and going, it has kept the bass on a rollercoaster of feeding patterns. One day the fishing is great and the next it is a challenge to get a consistent bite. Regardless, there is always an opportunity to catch a “monster” bass on this amazing fishery and you can expect the fishing to become better as September comes and fall rolls in.
The lake is currently sitting at 402.97, which is right at full pool. This great news as we get closer to fall and will contribute to another season of tremendous fishing. The water clarity is fairly clear to somewhat stained in other areas due to recent rain. Surface temperatures have been ranging from 88-93 degrees.
The shallow to mid-depth bite has been consistent early and late in the day. I have been targeting main lake points and secondary points at the mouth of the creeks in depths from 10-16 ft with good success. There is a lot of deeper hydrilla on the lake right now. If you can locate some good deep grass with baitfish present, you are in business! Best baits have been top waters like a yellow magic, chug bug, or zara spook jr in any variety of shad patterns. Wacky worms and Texas rigged 10” worms fished along the outside edges of the grass beds have been great as well. Best colors are watermelon red, chartreuse pumpkin, plum, and june bug. The jig bite has still been good as well. If you have tried Talon’s football jigs and like them as much as I do, you need to try the “grass jig” as well. www.talonlures.com Its unique head is great for penetrating the grass and getting down to where the fish are. I like to use the Willie’s weed color, Watermelon candy, PB&J or Texas Craw with a matching trailer.
The deep fishing has been good too and you will find some large schools of bass out in the depths this time of year. Points, humps, roadbeds, and submerged pond dams in 22-32 feet of water are great places to look at with your electronics. Once you have located a school of bass, pay attention to their relation in the water column to the bottom. This will give you a better idea on your fish approach. If the fish are on or near the bottom I like to throw a carolina rigged trick worm, french fry, or creature bait like the new “Scorpion” from Wave Worm. Best www.wavefishing.com For equipment, I use a 7’6” Heavy Shimano Crucial rod/reel with a 1 oz. weight, a 4-5 foot leader, and a 3/0 wide gap hook. I also like to throw the Talon football head jig out deep, in the same colors as above, when the fish are on the bottom. For fish that are suspended, the fishing is a little tricky but you can still catch them on a drop shot rigs, deep diving crank baits and big jigging spoons. Working these baits through the fish while keeping an eye on your front graph can be very rewarding when the fishing conditions get tough.
If you would like to come out to Lake Fork and catch some trophy summertime bass or plan a great fall fishing trip to catch that trophy, feel free to give me a call at (903)736-9888 or you can email me at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com You can also visit my website at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com I want to thank all of my sponsors for their support and the good Lord for giving me strength!

Check out Psalms 3:1-4

Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer

Fork fishing is on the rise after a slow time. The fishing is coming back strong with much better numbers and size. Most of my fishing is being done on the main lake in mid depth of water which to me is from 12 to 22 feet of water. I am only using a hand full of baits to catch my fish and it seems like you have to move a lot as you will get 2 to 6 fish off a spot before it is done and ready for a break.

I have been fishing on the main lake for the most part staying on points, humps, pond dams, and brush piles. Use your graph to locate the fish scattered on top of the structure and start throwing till you feel you have covered the area well enough. My best bait has been a texas rigged 10 to 11 inch worm rigged on a 3/8th ounce weight and a 4/0 hook. My best colors have been plum, plum apple, blueberry, and watermelon/red. Work these baits slowly along the bottom and work every piece of cover you come across very well with long pauses. The bites have almost all been very hard and easy to tell when you get a hit. In the same areas I have been catching some numbers and size on a carolina rigged baby brush hog in watermelon/red with a chartreuse dyed tail. I am fishing it on a 7 foot leader and a 1 ounce weight. Once again being slow with it has been a big key to catching fish.

I have also caught a few fish on the outside grass lines on a lit texas rig with a 7 inch worm in the the same colors as above. These edges are located in 6 to 10 feet of water. Try working the bait through the area and any underwater points or holes along the edges.

Also look for some nice fish schooling so keep a trap or shallow running chrome crank bait tied on for some of that action. The big thing is to keep the rod close and ready to fire since they aren’t staying up very long.

I still have August and September dates available for those interested in some great summer fishing. If you are interested in a professional Lake Fork Guide trip for any time give me a call at (903)-216-1867 and I will be happy to help or answer any questions that you may have. You can also catch me at fishinlakefork@yahoo.com. Gift certificates are available for any occasion.

Guide Jimmy Everett
www.fishinlakefork.com

Proudly Sponsored by: Sun Valley Fiberglass (www.svalley.org), Fun-N-Sun boating centers (www.funnsunboats.com), Strike Works Tackle (www.strikeworkstackle.com), SDMI (www.slickfishlure.com), 2M coating (www.2mcoating.com) & www.rockchips.com, Oak Ridge Resort (www.oakridgemarina.com)

Great report by Lance Vick

It is the normal summertime scenario on Lake Fork—lots of hot days and a lot of hot fishing action. Fishing has been good for numbers most days with some big fish mixed in, like the 10 lb 4 oz and 8 lb lunkers we had on our last trip. It appears that the thermocline has developed as usual and many bass are now scattered or suspended, often making for smaller schools that are concentrated in small key locations. The big bass seemed to be mixed in with a lot of smaller bass, so watch your depth finder closely until you find a school, then work them over thoroughly until you’ve caught every bass in the area.

Lake Conditions: A couple weeks without significant rains has Fork’s water level slowly dropping, but still in great shape for the summer. The lake level is currently reading 403.21’ (about 3” above full pool). Most of the lake is now clear, with some stained water on the north ends. Water temps are normal for the summer, reading anywhere from 84 to 89 in the main lake. As the water continues to drop, the expansive hydrilla and milfoil beds are starting to mat up, which should make for good fishing later this summer and fall.

Location Pattern: Early and late, I’m finding good bass feeding on points and flats near or in the main lake. These fish are mostly in 8’ to 15’, often around the deep edge of the hydrilla or milfoil. Deep structure like points, humps, and roadbeds in 18’ to 30’ continues as my main pattern, producing both good numbers and size. Some days these bass are suspended and other days they’re on the bottom. Many of these schools have been small and are relating to a few pieces of isolated cover, so watch your depth finder closely.

Presentation Pattern: First thing in the morning, I’m working shallow grass on the main lake and in the 1st half of creeks. Pitch a 3/8 oz Mega Weight jig or a Texas rigged 8” or 10” worm a few feet inside the deep weedline and work it out slowly. I’m using a green pumpkin/black or a watermelon seed jig with a watermelon/red flake Fork Craw trailer, and a watermelon/red or green pumpkin Fork Worm on the Texas rig.

Out deeper, Carolina rigs, drop shots, jigs, and Texas rigs are catching bass from schools located near the bottom on deep structure. I go with a green pumpkin or watermelon red Twitch Worm or 10” Fork Worms for 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 Twitch Worm. ½ oz Mega Weight jigs with matching Fork Craws are also catching some big bass out deep. When the bass are suspended, swimbaits, spoons, or 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

Most of the fishing I have been doing has been scattered from deep to shallow water. Start by looking for shallow fish around the grass early in the major creeks or main lake points that have grass. If you like to start with a top water this isn’t a bad time to throw ones such as a pop-r type bait or frog up on the edges of the mats or pads. Once this bite start to slows start kicking out to some deeper cover.

Look for areas that are holding bait in the area. Most of the time you can see the shad hitting the top here and there. Look on your main lake points, humps, road beds, and deep creek bends in 12 to 25 feet of water. Once the area is graphed and you have found the fish and shad start by throwing a carolina rigged baby brush hog or creature type bait. I have been fishing these on a 1 ounce weight with a 6 to 7 foot leader. If you find the fish suspended, hitting the bait on the way in, or busting shad on top start throwing a dd22 and bouncing it off the trees or using a stop and go retrieve in open water for these suspended fish. Drop shotting a trick worm on a 2 to 3 foot leader will also catch you a few fish along with a weighted fluke fished in the different water columns very slowly. The weighted Fluke has been the ticket on those days the wind isn’t up.

If your fast enough try to keep a chrome trap around for the schoolies but you better be ready for them because they have not been staying up long.

I still have July and August dates available for those interested in some great summer fishing. If you are interested in a professional Lake Fork Guide trip for any time give me a call at (903)-216-1867 and I will be happy to help or answer any questions that you may have. You can also catch me at fishinlakefork@yahoo.com. Gift certificates are available for any occasion.

Guide Jimmy Everett
www.fishinlakefork.com

Bass have settled into their normal summertime patterns on Lake Fork and the fishing is pretty consistent. Grassy points produced some nice bass early and late, while I’m spending most of my days fishing deep structure for schools of big fish. Once we’ve found a school with our graph, it has been pretty easy to catch at least a few of these fish most days. Some days the fish are more scattered and the schools have been smaller and harder to find, while other days there seem to be big schools on every piece of deep structure. Keep graphing until you find a good school, then fish a variety of deep water techniques until you hook up. Once you do, the bass are coming up and jumping several feet out of the air, then diving back down and pulling like freight trains. Needless to say, we’ve been having a lot of fun on the water for the last few weeks!

As a side note, I’ve added my July article to my website. It covers my approach to fishing shallow in the summer for bass—a great technique when the deep water bass won’t bite or if they’re getting a lot of pressure. http://www.lakeforkguidetrips.com/fishingarticles.htm

Lake Conditions: A few more rains continue to keep Fork’s water level high for summertime. The lake level is currently reading 403.55’ (about 6” above full pool). Most of the lake is now clear, with some stained water on the north ends. Water temps are mild for this time of year, reading from 83 to 86 in the main lake.

Location Pattern: Early and late, I’m finding good bass feeding on points and flats near or in the main lake. These fish are mostly in 8’ to 15’, often around the deep edge of the hydrilla or milfoil. Deep structure like points, humps, and roadbeds in 18’ to 30’ continues as my main pattern, producing both good numbers and size. Some days these bass are suspended and other days they’re on the bottom. Many of these schools have been small, so watch your depth finder closely.

Presentation Pattern: First thing in the morning, I’m working shallow grass on the main lake and in the 1st half of creeks. Pitch a 3/8 oz Mega Weight jig or a Texas rigged 7” or 10” worm a few feet inside the deep weedline and work it out slowly. I’m using a green pumpkin/black or a watermelon seed jig with a watermelon/red flake Fork Craw trailer, and a watermelon/red or green pumpkin Fork Worm on the Texas rig.

Out deeper, Carolina rigs, drop shots, jigs, and Texas rigs are catching bass from schools located near the bottom on deep structure. I go with a green pumpkin or watermelon red Twitch Worm or 10” Fork Worms for 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 Twitch Worm. ½ oz Mega Weight jigs with matching Fork Craws are also catching some big bass out deep. When the bass are suspended, swimbaits, spoons, 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

Lake Fork Trophy Bass Report
Submitted July 9, 2008
By Lake Fork Guide James Caldemeyer

July is a great month for some HOT action on the water! For those that can stand the heat of summer, there can be some real rewarding, fish catching experiences for many anglers on Lake Fork. Whether you like to fish the multitudes of deep structure areas that the lake offers during the day or you enjoy being out under the moon and stars for some tremendous night fishing, now through September is the time to go after a big summertime bass.
Water conditions at the lake right now are good with the lake level sitting at 403.42, which is still almost 6” above full pool. Water temperatures are in the mid to high 80’s and most of the lake has clear visibility 2-3 feet.
The amazing part about this time of year is that you can catch fish on a number of various baits and patterning the fish is simple. The early morning and evening bite is most consistent up shallow. Top water fishing in low light conditions is good on yellow magics, super spook jrs, buzz baits, and frogs. There is a very small window of opportunity for these surface feeders then switching to a wacky style 6” Wave Trick Worm is a good choice. www.wavefishing.com I fish these on a 1/0 hook with a nail in the head of the worm and twitch it over the grass in 3-8 foot of water. Any main lake point with grass on it is a good place to start. Best colors have been watermelon and june bug. A Texas rigged worm is also good in these same areas fished on the outside edge of the grass and around timber. I am using a 4/0 hook and pegging a 3/8 oz. weight on this rig. My baits of choice have been a Wave 10” worm or Tiki Crawdude in green pumpkin, watermelon red or june bug. Flipping the stumps and dropping this rig down in the grass will catch some nice fish up shallow.
On some days I have been bypassing the shallow fishing completely and starting the day in deep water. There are a number of fish feeding early in the morning out on the deep humps, points, ridges, and roadbeds as well. These are the places that you will find large concentrations of fish and can literally load the boat when they are feeding. Knowing how to read your electronics is huge advantage in determining which areas to focus on more. The presence of baitfish is key and where you find bait, the bass will be nearby. Structures in depths ranging from 18-35 feet have been my targets.
Once I have located a group of bass, I have been having great success on a carolina rigged trick worm or french fry. I use a 7’6” Heavy Shimano Crucial Rod with a 1 oz. weight and a 4-5 foot leader. A 2/0 or 3/0 wide gap hook fits these baits well. Best colors have been watermelon red, sour grape, chartreuse pepper and merthiolate. I have also been doing well on a 1/2 to 3/4 oz. Talon football head jig. Talon Lures These are some awesome jigs and have just the right balance & action for fishing deep structure. Watermelon red, Dark PB&J, Green pumpkin, Willie’s weed, Sour grape, Texas craw and Pumpkin gold with matching craw trailers are all great. Let the light conditions, water clarity, and what the fish want best on a given day dictate which one to use. The fish love them all! When these deep fish are suspended or are chasing schools of shad, a swim bait, jigging spoon, or a deep diving crank bait are sometimes the only way to catch them. If it gets too hot and calm out there during the middle of the day, break out your drop shot rod and you may find that the fish will bite it when they will not bite anything else in the same deep areas. I rig mine with a 2/0 hook and a 3/8 to 1/2 oz. drop shot weight 14-16 inches below the hook. Using the same baits and colors as on the carolina rig will catch ‘em.
If you would like to come out to Lake Fork and fish for a trophy summertime bass, feel free to give me a call at (903)736-9888 or you can email me at lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com You can also visit my website at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com I want to thank all of my sponsors for their support and the good Lord for giving me strength!

Read 1 Peter 5:7

Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer

Lake Fork Report: July 8, 2008

Lake Level: Fork: Full

Water Clarity: Main Lake is clear. Most creeks are clear too.

Water temp: The water temps have varied from 82 – 85 degrees.

Weather: Highs in upper 90’s this next week.

News: The McDonalds and Berkley Tournaments are right around the corner. Be sure to book your pre-fishing trips, rooms etc. ahead of time. My 2005 Triton TR-21 with a Mercury 225 Optimax is now for sale. This boat retails new at $60,000 asking $35,000.

Fishing Report
Lake Fork:
Day Report: If you are going to catch fish on Lake Fork during the month of July, you’ve got three choices. These three choices are to fish early, late or at night. Not to say these big fish do not eat during the middle of the day, but its nothing like during low light periods. Due to the heat I will run split day trips to avoid the heat and full night trips during July and August because I want my clients to be successful.
Great times to be on the water are 5:30 am to 10:00 am and 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm. During this time target main lake grass edges. I have found that this year the bass are holding on hydrilla more so than milfoil. If the grass bed has both, that’s a plus. I like to target the edges with a Carolina Rig or power drop rig. On these rigs I am using a Sweet Beaver or Flirt. You will have to play around with colors, it varies day to day. This is a good way to catch 8 pound and bigger fish.
Now, if just catching a boat load of 1 – 5 lb fish is what you want to do here is what’s working now. Rig up a drop shot rig with 20 lb. Power Pro or 14 lb Seagaur Fluorocarbon and fish the edge of hydrilla / milfoil mats. I like to use a Reaction Innovations Flirt 6.95. This works best early and late in the day and can also be used in deeper water.
If you want to brave the 100 degree heat, fish a 1 ounce Revenge jig with a sweet beaver or double wide beaver trailer in 20 – 35 ft. of water around big trees. (target the shady side) Hold tight so they don’t jerk the rod out of your hand!

Folks the night fishing is great this time of year. I have more confidence in catching fish over 10 pounds at night than during the day. In the last month, my clients have caught some really big fish. I use only a handful of baits. I’ll Texas rig a Reaction Innovations big unit or swim a Revenge jig. Last year during the July and August full moon, the boat ramps were so full many anglers were having to park down the highways. So if you plan on coming during these special times, come early and stay late!

Tips:
While running at night wear a pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses with Sunrise CR39 lenses. Bugs, rain etc. can damage your eyes at night. These lenses will not only protect you, but they brighten solid objects as you are running down the lake.

Good Luck fishing and feel free to call me anytime with any questions.

I would like to invite you out to Lake Fork on a professional guided fishing trip. All you really need to go fishing with me is a fishing license. I provide rods, reels, tackle etc. at no extra charge. Digital Photos of your fish will be taken and will be emailed to you at no charge.

Thanks to my sponsors Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Gotcha Distributing, Reaction Innovations, Revenge Jigs, Sebile, Arkie, Power Pro Fishing Line, Seagaur Fishing Line, Gene Lareu, Custom Angle Moby bass rods, Oak Ridge Marina and Hideaway Harbor Marina. I must also thank the Texas Parks and Wildlife for their efforts in keeping this lake great.
Feel free to contact me anytime via email lakeforkdayandnight@yahoo.com or by phone 903-918-9469 if you ever have any questions about Lake Fork or to book your next guided fishing trip on this fine fishery. I hope to see you soon!

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

Sorry for the lack of reports lately, I have been fishing at night during weird hours but I haven’t been catching many fish.  My old summer night holes are really hit and miss this year with fish moving in and back out before I can land more than a couple.  No black spinnerbait bite to speak of this year, only thing producing any bites for me has been the black and blue Gene Larew hawg craw and 10″ Plum Berkley Power Worms.  I decided to do a reorder on plum power worms and found out that Berkley discontinued the color this year, so I am stuck with only 80 for personal use.  (If you have any sources on where to find them please email me cameron@lakeforkmarina.com)

Not exactly sure why this summer bite isn’t as predictable as it has been in recent years, swim bait bite has dried up and about the only thing that is really selling are 1oz and 3/4oz carolina rig weights and the Norman DD22.  Oddly I have not seen or heard of any fish over the 11lb mark in almost 2 weeks, I’m sure a lot of it has to do with the lack of traffic…but it is definitely an off time.

Not a whole lot of traffic during the weekdays.  On the rare day I get to go out I have the most publicly known holes all to myself…but I am finding a TON of suspended fish and very sparse balls of shad on the north end.  I am completely clueless on what the hell these fish are doing.  Seems like the guides that are fishing are having trouble finding a reliable pattern as well, good numbers and size one day and almost a blank the next.

I could really use a few more report writers…feel free to email me at: cameron@lakeforkmarina.com

Tight lines, hope you can figure them out!

Cameron Burnett