As the grass and lily pads become more established, the top- water bite will explode! Currently, the fi sh are in all three phases of the spawn (Pre-Spawn, Spawn, Post-Spawn). This makes fi shing a lot of fun because you can catch ’em a lot of different ways.

One way is with a top-water bait. In May, the top-water bite really takes off. My three favorite top-water baits are Yellow Magic, Lake Fork Trophy “Fork Frog” lure and a Talon Buzzbait. I’ll fi sh the Yellow Magic along the outside edges of the grass beds. The key to getting bites on the Yellow Magic is to work the bait with several quick pops, then let the bait sit still for several seconds. A lot of bites will come when the bait is sitting motionless.

Once the grass and lily pads begin to top out, I will use the Talon Buzzbait and the LFT Fork Frog. For the Yellow Magic, I’m using 15-lb. PowerSilk fi shing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 “WeightLess Worm” rod.

As a majority of the fi sh begin to move into the post-spawn phase, another way to catch ’em will be to use a Carolina-rigged LFT Baby Creature bait. When fi shing the Carolina Rig, concentrate most of your efforts on the secondary and main lake points leading away from the spawning flats.

Using the Carolina Rig is a great way to catch a lot of fi sh as well as catch a big female recovering from the spawn. For the Carolina Rig, I’m using 32- lb. FluoroHybrid fi shing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 Carolina rod.

Another great post-spawn pattern is to fish perch-colored crankbaits in front of the spawning areas. The big females are out in front of the spawning area, waiting for an easy meal as they recover from the spawn. Fish those crankbaits anywhere you think the fish have spawned. For the crankbait, I’m using 26-lb. FluoroHybrid fi shing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Bu-Coo Rod. The crankbait pattern was really strong the last two weeks in April. I expect it to get even better throughout May.

May is one of the best months to be on Lake Fork for all the aforementioned reasons. I hope each of you gets a chance to be out on the water this month and enjoy some great bass fi shing on Lake Fork.

I’m sure glad to see some warm weather in the forecast! Water temperatures are beginning to warm and the fi rst wave of spawners are arriving in the shallow spawning flats.

On March 22, James Quisenberry from Emory caught one of the first big pre-spawners. The fi sh weighed 15.61 pounds and was entered as the 489th entry into the Texas Parks and Wildlife Share-Lunker program. It was Lake Fork’s 245th entry into the program.

Throughout the month of April, depending on which part of the lake you fi sh, a majority of the fi sh will be in the pre-spawn or spawn phase. Now that fish are starting to pull up into shallow water, the following are a couple of suggestions to help you catch more fish.

Concentrate most of your efforts in and around spawning areas in the backs of major creeks and coves. Look for areas that have hard bottoms, such as sand, clay and/or rock. The key to success during this time of year is to fi sh very slowly. A great bait for those spawning areas is the Lake Fork Trophy Lures’ Hyper-Stick. Cast the Hyper-Stick to any visible beds or cover located in the spawning area and let it freefall to the bottom. Many times the fish will hit the Hyper-Stick as it lays motionless on the bottom close to the cover. Watch your line because the bite can be very subtle at times. For the Hyper-Stick, I’m using a 26-lb. FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 Cara Amistad rod.

During this time of year, when the fi sh get locked onto their beds, my #1 “go to” bait is a Texas-rigged Lake Fork watermelon seed/red flake, Baby-Hyper Freak, rigged with a 3/8-oz. Tru Tungsten bullet weight. The small profile makes for an easy meal and bass really like that bait.

Another great bait for catching fish off the beds is a Lake Fork 1⁄2-oz. black n blue MPack jig with a blue bruiser Craw trailer. For both the jig and Texas rig, I’m using 32-lb. FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 Pro Grass rod. For anglers who do not like to fish a weightless worm, or when high winds and stained water make it difficult to see the fish on beds, I recommend using a Sun Perch Phenix Vibrator Jig with a matching LFT ‘Live’ magic shad.

I have had a lot of success fi shing with the vibrating jig in the backs of creeks and pockets. Watch your line and pay special attention to the vibration of the blade. If the blade stops vibrating, make sure you set the hook. I’m not feeling a lot of the strikes; the blade just stops vibrating! Contact Heath at 903-440-2358 or e-mail Heath@LakeForkFishingGuide.com.

With the unusual cold and lower-than-normal water temps, the fish are at least 2-3 weeks behind in their annual spawning process. But even with coolerthan- normal water temps, fish are still moving up shallow and getting ready to begin their spawning process. A lot of the big pre-spawn bass are setting up in the shallows and are just waiting for water temps to warm. I’m expecting the first wave of spawners to hit the banks around the next “New Moon.”

As always, weather will be a major factor regarding when and where fish will begin spawning. Every day brings new challenges and as weather conditions change, so do the fish. But look for the ‘bite’ to really pick up as the water temps rise. I’m sure the fish are as ready for some warm weather, just as anglers are.

The following are suggestions to help you stay on top of the fish. From early morning through midday, I recommend c o n c e n t r a t i n g your efforts on main lake points and secondary points leading into spawning areas. You’ll look for areas that have healthy (green) hydrilla close to deeper water.

Usually, as the water temp drops, fish will pull back to the outer edges of the grass as the cold front passes. Reactiontype lures, such as the lipless crankbaits/spinnerbaits/chatterbaits, will help you locate and catch some fish. You’ll use those lures along the deeper outside grass line.

One technique that works well and is great bait for catching big fish is using a slow-rolling a 3/4-oz. Talon spinnerbait along the outside edge of the grass. Also, a deep diving jerkbait can be a good choice when the fish will not react to the spinnerbait. When retrieving the jerkbait, let the bait sit still with long pauses between jerks. Once you have located a group of fish, really slow down and cover the area thoroughly with a Lake Fork 1⁄2- oz. black n blue MPack jig with a blue bruiser Craw trailer or a Texas-rigged blue bruiser, green pumpkin or watermelon seed/red fl ake Lake Fork Top Dog Lizard rigged with a 5/16- oz. Tru Tungsten bullet weight. You’ll fish the jig and/or Texas rig slowly along the outside grass line. For both the jig and Texas rig, I’m using 32-lb. FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 Pro Grass rod.

In afternoons as the water temp trends upward, start working your way to the back of the creek channels/ditches that lead into the large spawning fl ats and bedding areas. The fish will migrate along the creek channels and ditches to the backs of the pockets. Fish all the typical staging areas.

Again, you’ll want to find areas that have healthy (green) grass along with some wood in the mix. Continue to use the aforementioned lures, the only difference being that you’ll fish them more shallow. When the water is warming and the big pre-spawn females are on the move, the new Lake Fork Hyper- Stick can be deadly. You’ll cast the Hyper-Stick to any visible cover located along the creek channel or ditch and let it free fall close to the cover.

Be sure to watch your line because the bite can be very subtle. For the Hyper-Stick, I’m using 26-lb. FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 Cara Amistad rod.

Contact Heath at 903-440-2358 or e-mail Heath@LakeForkFishingGuide.com.

When a cold is front passing through and the water temperature is trending down, I recommend you concentrate your efforts on main lake points and secondary points leading into the spawning areas. You’ll want to look for areas that have healthy (green) hydrilla close to deeper water. Usually, the fish will begin to pull back to the outer edges of the grass as the cold front passes. Reaction type lures such as the lipless crankbaits/deep diving crankbaits/spinnerbaits will help you locate the fish. You’ll want to fish these lures along the deeper outside grass line. One technique that works well is slow rolling a 3/4oz Talon spinnerbait along the outside edge of the grass. Also a deep diving jerkbait can be a good choice when the fish will not react to the spinnerbait. When retrieving the jerkbait, you will want to let the bait ‘sit’ still with long pauses between jerks. After contact with the fish, then really slow down and cover the area thoroughly with a Lake Fork ½ oz black n blue MPack jig with a blue bruiser Craw trailer or a Texas Rigged blue bruiser, green pumpkin or watermelon seed/red flake Lake Fork Top Dog Lizard rigged with a 5/16 oz Tru Tungsten bullet weight. You’ll want to fish the jig and/or texas rig slowly along the outside grass line. For both the jig and texas rig, I’m using 32lb FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 “Pro Grass” rod.

After a cold front has passed and the water temp begins to trend upward, you’ll want to start working your way to the back of the creek channels/ditches that lead into the large spawning flats and bedding areas. The fish will begin to migrate along the creek channels and ditches to the backs of the pockets and start setting up on typical staging areas as the water temperature increases. Again you’ll want to find areas that have healthy (green) grass. You’ll continue to use the lures mentioned above the only difference will be you’ll be fishing them more shallow. When the water is warming and the big prespawn females are on the move, a ‘Lake Fork Magic Shad’ can be killer. You’ll want to cast the ‘magic shad’ rig to any visible cover located along the creek channel or ditch and let it free fall close to the cover. Be sure to watch you line because the bite can be very subtle. For the ‘Magic Shad’, I’m using 26lb FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 “Cara Amistad” rod.

Heath at 903.440.2358 or Email Heath@LakeForkFishingGuide.com

The water level on Lake Fork is currently 402.94’ (just below full pool) and the lake is in really good shape heading into January. The water clarity for a majority of the lake is clear with approximately 2’+ visibility in most areas. The recent rains have caused the water color to be somewhat stained in the upper ends. The water surface temperatures on the main lake has dropped into the low 50’s and water temps in the backs of the creeks have been running in the upper 40’s. The water surface temperatures in the backs of the creeks will vary daily depending on the weather and the amount of rainfall/runoff received. There’s still a lot of “good” hydrilla and coontail moss all over the lake. Some of the better (i.e. Greener) hydrilla can be found on the southern ends of the lake.

In January, I recommend you concentrate your efforts on main lake points and secondary points that have healthy (green) hydrilla. Also, the creek channels/ditches that lead into the large spawning flats should not be overlooked as they too will hold some big fish.

On the main lake points and secondary points with healthy hydrilla, I suggest using your favorite lipless crankbait. The lipless bait that has been very successful for me has been the ½ oz Red Eye Shad in the “Sexy Shad” color. Another good lipless bait is the XR50 & XR75 in the “Rayburn Red” color. For the lipless baits, I’m using 26lb FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 “Cara Amistad” rod. This is a great combo for ‘rippin’ the lipless baits out of the grass!! And for the days, when the Bass do not want to bite the lipless bait, you may want to switch over to a spinnerbait. I have been fishing a Talon spinnerbait over the top of the grass and along the outside edge for the grass beds. The unique design of the Talon spinnerbait allows it to come through the grass easily and not get hung up.

When fishing the creek channels/ditches, the jig/trailer and the texas rig are great choices after a cold front has passed and you’re faced with sunny blue bird sky conditions. During these conditions, my bait of choice is a jig/trailer fished very tight to cover. For the jig/trailer, a ½ oz black n blue MPack jig with a blue bruiser Lake Fork Craw trailer is a great combination. For the texas rig, a blue bruiser, green pumpkin or watermelon seed/red flake Lake Fork Craw Tube rigged with a 5/16 oz Tru Tungsten bullet weight is hard to beat. You’ll want to fish the jig and/or texas rig slowly along creek channels and ditches. Make sure to pay special attention to any type of cover you can find along the edges of the creek channels and ditches. Also, make multiple presentations to any wood cover before moving. For both the jig and texas rig, I’m using 32lb FluoroHybrid fishing line by Parallelium and a Falcon Cara T7 “Pro Grass” rod. You really need heavy line and a stout rod when you’re trying to get those big ol’ bass out of heavy cover!!

Contact Heath at 903.440.2358 or Email Heath@LakeForkFishingGuide.com

Lake Fork Trophy Lures

The mission of Lake Fork Trophy Lures is to provide innovative, quality (pro-tested and proven) fishing lures made in the U.S.A. and other fishing products to both tour professionals and everyday fisherman at fair prices with exceptional service.