WOW is it hot! The summer heat has finally made its
way to east Texas. But don't let the warm weather
discourage you from coming to the lake. Summertime and
Lake Fork can equate to some HOT bass fishing action!
I was privileged to be able to fish with Mr. Doug
Jost and his daughter Rachel yesterday. I must say
that this 11 yr old girl had her mind on fishing and
the warm weather was not going to slow her down. She
persevered in the heat of the afternoon without a
complaint and was rewarded with some real nice fish.
Good job Rachel!
The lake is in great shape for August with water
levels holding steady at 403.60, just above full
pool. The gates at the dam have remained closed and
this has kept the fishing more consistent. Surface
temperatures have been ranging from 85-92 degrees.
Water clarity is fairly clear to slightly stained in
areas.
The shallow bite has been good for small to medium
sized slot fish early and late in the day. Best areas
have been main lake and secondary points adjacent to
deep water, creek channel bends and shallow pond dams.
The presence of good grass beds has been the key to
these areas being productive. Wacky worms worked over
the grass in watermelon candy, watermelon red, June
bug and sour grape colors have produced the best.
Texas rigged worms and drop shot rigs have also done
well in these same colors. The topwater bite early has
produced some fish on certain days with yellow magics,
zara spooks and sammys in shad patterns being the most
productive. You'll also want to keep a shallow running
crank bait handy for some good shallow water action.
Norman Little N's and Deep Little N's have been best
in shad colors and chartreuse/blue back.
Most of my fishing has been out deep for the big
mamas though! Deep structure fishing at Lake Fork is
hard to beat this time of year all the way into the
fall months. This type of fishing is intimidating to a
lot of anglers but once you have learned how to find
fish in deep water, the dividends can be outstanding.
Depths from 20 to 35 feet are where you'll find the
majority of the concentrations of fish. Best areas to
target are main lake points, road beds, humps, ridges,
and pond dams that are relative to this depth range.
Once you have established several areas to consider, a
good graph will show you if fish are holding in on
these spots. A Lowrance is as dependable as they come
and I rely on mine daily to tell me where the fish are
hanging out.
Carolina rigs have been the most productive for me
after I have marked some fish with my electronics. I
use a 7'6" heavy action Shimano Crucial rod and reel
spooled with 20lb. Gamma Edge fluorocarbon, a 1 oz.
weight and a 4-5 foot leader. Best baits have been the
Grande Bass www.grandebass.com Rattlesnake or Mutant
in watermelon red, pumpkin chartreuse or chartreuse
pepper colors rigged on a 3/0 wide gap hook. On some
days the fish prefer the rig worked through them on a
steady pull and on other days you'll want to hop it
some. So try varying your retrieve some when you are
out there and let the fish tell you how they want the
bait worked. Big 10 inch worms like the Zoom Ole
Monster or Berkley Power Worms have been catching some
nice fish as well. Watermelon seed, watermelon red
and blue fleck have been my colors of choice.
There have been some days that the fish are a little
less active and somewhat suspended off the bottom in
these deep areas. Catching them on a Carolina rig or
Texas rig will not be as productive when this occurs.
That is when I grab my Crucial spinning rod and start
working on them with a drop shot rig. I keep my rod
spooled up with 10 lb. Gamma fluorocarbon, a 2/0 drop
shot hook and a 3/8 to 1/2 oz. weight attached about
18 to 24 inches below the bait. Best baits have been
the Baby Rattlesnake in watermelon red and chartreuse
pepper or a 4 inch finesse worm in shades of watermelon or
pumpkinseed.
Another great way to catch these suspended Lake Fork
bass is with a deep diving crankbait, chrome lipless
crank bait, jigging spoon, or swimbait worked at or
just above the depth that these bass are suspending.
At times you will find these fish schooling on bait
fish and will want to have your rod ready to cast into
the school of fish before they move off or quit
chasing shad. The schooling action is awesome and my
clients have caught a number of big fish like this.
This schooling activity should heat up along with the
temperatures of the summer!
If you are planning a trip to Lake Fork to come catch
some of these trophy bass and would like to book a
guided trip, feel free to give me a call at
(903)736-9888 or you can send me an email
lakeforktrophybass@yahoo.com I will work hard to make
your fishing experience at Lake Fork a productive and
memorable one! Read Acts 2:38
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
