Ok so we gave up at 1 PM, but really, 3 dinks and we threw to kitchen sink too. Not full moon, but it was real bright out last night. Started with an east wind but switched to south later.

Weren't fishing shallow much.

Can't think of any more excuses while pre-fishing for Mad Dog.

I've been asking myself that question all year.

Same here! Fork hates me!

As is normal lake fork, we went out with little e and caught right at twenty. Not bragging just sayn it's when and where. It was not fast and furious but still beat workin

Met a guy at the 154 ramp that was taking a 27" fish to be weighed. Huge head and silver dollar eyes. That one and one other were the only bites he got all day.

Crappie were dead for me till the wind switched, Still a tough bite.

Gman

Mother Fork hates everyone!

August

Hard..any size to them? We could have caught some of the million or so schoolers in the 5" to 8" that are everywhere right now but choose not too after figuring out what they were.

Nothing out of the ordinary.....mutha Fork is always tough. Those fish talk to one another and they share info with each new generation.

Lake Fork is on

I believe a 12.76 was caught today

Not enough fish per acre ! IMO

That must have been the fish I saw. I was getting ready to load when he came in.


Gman

Fork is fishing great right now. But if you're a bank beater it's tough right now. Find the murkier fresh water and there are fish loading up there

Bruce- we had 2-3 dinks, 4-5 slots, the rest were great unders, something I haven't seen in quite a while. The three of us probably had 5 fish 10-1/2 to 11# sack, and it was a grind. We started about 7 and wore out about 4:30. Clark is right about beating the bank, although as eveyone knows that fishes Fork, that can change on a daily basis.

For the past week or so early top water bite in less than 2 ft has been pretty good with fish up to 5 lbs.

Once the sun comes up just move out to the break line and throw a Carolina rig in 10-12 ft or a NXS crank bait by Norman and you can pick up more numbers but stay around the main lake and anywhere there is wind.

thanks Harold, Clark and Mark

between 6 pm and 8pm had 11 fish largest was 7.75 the smallest was the size of my hand but a good two hours

This time of year, does the full moon do anything for
the fishing?

KB I guess I'll find out because I'm going on Saturday again.

My step dad wanted me to post his 12.76 he caught yesterday at fork. 27 and 1/4 inches. He said he only had one other bite for the 3 hrs he was out there.

We stayed at LFM, the 12# was weighed in there. The fish was released but don't think it survived. It was found by the boat slips struggling. It was strange it was strong and healthy but wouldn't swim off, my buddy said he believe the rib cage/spine may have been broken. He said it felt funny along the side.

RIP

Turtle bait

Damn, that sucks....good looking fish

It's air bladder was full, that's what he felt along the side of the fish, air bladder is full fish can't swim down , can only float on its side, it'll try to swim down but float back up, must of caught deep.

His boat was in 25-26 ft of water
Casting up into about 18 ft and he was dragging a c rig back

Don't think it was an air bladder issue, we both have fish for a year or two. That was our first thought, maybe it was just the fish's time.

I'm no animal rights activist or anything, and I love to hunt and fillet a mess of crappie. it wasn't the fishes "time" by any means. Big fish from deep water don't like to be handled like that, it takes a toll on them. Ive never understood why guys drive 20 mins back to the dock to take a picture or weigh a 12 lb fish. Carry scales in your boat if you want to know what it weighs. Unless you have a potential state/lake record and have a 18lb fish whats the point? There are 12lb fish caught in this state almost daily. It may be a fish of a lifetime, but you don't have to drive it all the way to the marina if you plan on releasing it anyways. If youre going to keep a 12lb fish and eat it that's fine, you caught it. Just my .02. I doubt the guy thought the fish would die, but you can bet it wasn't just coincidence.

Exactly how many legit 12's have you caught?

I know it was his fish and all, and he can do anything that his little heart desires with that fish, but it still hurts me a little when I see this. If you do not know how to fizz a fish and you fish in the summertime, do yourself and the sport of bassfishing a favor and learn how. It's easy to do!

What I was asking, nobody tried to help the fish, put back in the tank and fizz it or at least let it stop stressing out? They just threw it back in the lake and let struggle and die? Something doesn't add up, yet people wonder why fork is going downhill trend.

Maybe 5-6, though 3 of those are from private lakes. I wasn't knocking him for the fish, simply saying I don't understand running a fish 30 mins away just to weigh it.

Maybe 5-6, though 3 of those are from private lakes. I wasn't knocking him for the fish, simply saying I don't understand running a fish 30 mins away just to weigh it. If he was in a tournamnet it's understandable, or if he wants to keep it. Just taking it to get weighed and your picture made is what doesn't make sense.

It amazes me how someone can take something try to twist it to a personal attack "how many have you caught" you guys crack me up. I'm going back to just reading

from dealing with large bass on the live release boat I can tell you right now that they stress out not just from being caught deep but also from spending time in live wells.

That bass might have survived if it had been fizzed and kept up right in the water for awhile, not dumped in some low oxygen canal near the boat dock.

But if she was pretty old it is possible even after she had been fizzed and worked in oxygenated water and dumped into deep water she might have died anyway. There is no way for us to know unless we find the body later.

So we did go fishing today, but instead of for bass we went for crappies. Caught 15 between 11" and 15" with a whole bunch of bass and crappie dinks.

I boated around 25 today. Lost probably about 15 beside the boat. Most all were caught on crankbaits. Good luck to all.

Why was Fork so hard? 30 years of intense pressure will make for some educated fish.

And as for the 12, I have no problem with a guy taking a fish he can legally keep to the marina to weigh it. It's his fish. Maybe he thought it was close enough to be a SAL? Legit 12 lb fish are not caught daily in Texas. That's a monster.

ive fished fork since the 80's, mostly with guides during the glory years. always tore em up with a guide. when on my own I have some killer days and nights and some horrible ones, but only go maybe a dozen times per year. that's a [censored] shoot for a one day outing no matter what spot you fish, just not enuff time to just go catching. they are always biting somewhere but looking for them can take a full day or three sometimes to find them in a feeding mood. guides get to follow them, that's how they make a living. pull up on active schools at the right time, catch some and move on to the next.

1 fish is in a pond..can be picky..5 fish in a pond and they try to get it before the others do.
Maybe, there are less fish in Fork chasing bait?

Their all scattered, lake full they have more structure to hide in and stay versuses the lake being 7 feet low, where there's less structure for them to hide and stay.

Love to see the pic of one of the 5-6. A true 12 pounder is as rare as hen's teeth. Wasn't meant as a personal attack at all bud. Sorry you took it that way. The statement you made was just indicative of another armchair quarterback that has never caught a fish that size passing judgement on someone that has.

Just to clear things up a little, it was late when we discovered the fish. A lady actually scooped it up and brought it to our attention around 9pm. So we don't know what happened to the fish from the time he released it to when we tried to help the fish ourselves. The fish could have very well went down when he released it and who knows resurfaced later. Just speculating on what happened and what was wrong with the fish. I guess we should have just kept the info to ourselves. But to answer the original post, we caught fish mostly schooling activity all over the lake mid to late afternoon.

I'm no animal rights activist or anything, and I love to hunt and fillet a mess of crappie. it wasn't the fishes "time" by any means. Big fish from deep water don't like to be handled like that, it takes a toll on them. Ive never understood why guys drive 20 mins back to the dock to take a picture or weigh a 12 lb fish. Carry scales in your boat if you want to know what it weighs. Unless you have a potential state/lake record and have a 18lb fish whats the point? There are 12lb fish caught in this state almost daily. It may be a fish of a lifetime, but you don't have to drive it all the way to the marina if you plan on releasing it anyways. If youre going to keep a 12lb fish and eat it that's fine, you caught it. Just my .02. I doubt the guy thought the fish would die, but you can bet it wasn't just coincidence. [/quote]


Exactly how many legit 12's have you caught?
[/quote]

Maybe 5-6, though 3 of those are from private lakes. I wasn't knocking him for the fish, simply saying I don't understand running a fish 30 mins away just to weigh it. If he was in a tournamnet it's understandable, or if he wants to keep it. Just taking it to get weighed and your picture made is what doesn't make sense.

It amazes me how someone can take something try to twist it to a personal attack "how many have you caught" you guys crack me up. I'm going back to just reading
[/quote]

Love to see the pic of one of the 5-6. A true 12 pounder is as rare as hen's teeth. Wasn't meant as a personal attack at all bud. Sorry you took it that way. The statement you made was just indicative of another armchair quarterback that has never caught a fish that size passing judgement on someone that has.
[/quote]

]

I'm no animal rights activist or anything, and I love to hunt and fillet a mess of crappie. it wasn't the fishes "time" by any means. Big fish from deep water don't like to be handled like that, it takes a toll on them. Ive never understood why guys drive 20 mins back to the dock to take a picture or weigh a 12 lb fish. Carry scales in your boat if you want to know what it weighs. Unless you have a potential state/lake record and have a 18lb fish whats the point? There are 12lb fish caught in this state almost daily. It may be a fish of a lifetime, but you don't have to drive it all the way to the marina if you plan on releasing it anyways. If youre going to keep a 12lb fish and eat it that's fine, you caught it. Just my .02. I doubt the guy thought the fish would die, but you can bet it wasn't just coincidence. [/quote]


Exactly how many legit 12's have you caught?
[/quote]

Maybe 5-6, though 3 of those are from private lakes. I wasn't knocking him for the fish, simply saying I don't understand running a fish 30 mins away just to weigh it. If he was in a tournamnet it's understandable, or if he wants to keep it. Just taking it to get weighed and your picture made is what doesn't make sense.

It amazes me how someone can take something try to twist it to a personal attack "how many have you caught" you guys crack me up. I'm going back to just reading
[/quote]

Love to see the pic of one of the 5-6. A true 12 pounder is as rare as hen's teeth. Wasn't meant as a personal attack at all bud. Sorry you took it that way. The statement you made was just indicative of another armchair quarterback that has never caught a fish that size passing judgement on someone that has.
[/quote]

I may have been An "arm chair quarterback on this one, my scales read 12.08, caught at lake ivie, but it wasn't official. However the fish was released within secs of catching her and did swim Away.


Hope this suffices you so I can still have an opinion with your permission

WOO WHO Clark3 those are Hawgs !

Nice. You have my permission to continue passing judgement.

It's tragic to hear the demise of a true trophy fish regardless of the cause...
I spent wed-sun on Fork, I haven't seen the numbers of 5-7 inch blk bass schooling like they are in, I don't remember.
It was a wonderful site I can tell you that. I would have to leave the area, didn't want to educate, or kill any of those small fish with a badly placed hook. Very exciting, at first I thought they were sandbass the schools were so big... You guys please leave those little guys alone when you find them.

Oh yeah, nice feeeshes Clark3

Could the fact that he's holding it wrong have played into the fish not doing well? Everyone I've talked to about handing big fish says to support them under the belly and never hang by the jaw alone unless you want fish for dinner.

Just a heads up. He said the fish took off strong and healthy.

Well there ya go everyone. We got all excited over nothing.