I really appreciate all the comments, I did not mean to insinuate Fork is the best lake in the world, it just just where I am going lol. Thank you all for all of the fishing tips and boating warnings, if nothing else we will definitely be staying as safe as possible out on the water. I will try to reply to as many of you as I can but I did not expect so many! Again, Thank you!
Profile doesn't show location??
Fixed, thanks!
No nerve. I just don't understand the negativity.
No question, the lake is not what it once was. I hear it all the time from the old-timers. But the "#1 disappointment lake in the country"? Maybe if you're only comparing it to Lake Fork of 20 years ago.
I talk to visitors all the time who are amazed by the class of bass we have in the lake, people who catch a new personal best while they're at Fork, sometimes more than once in a trip.
And I hear tournament anglers complain about catching slot fish all day. Really? I'll catch slots all damn day long with a grin from ear to ear!
I fished 8 times last year; in those 8 days, I caught a 10# and an 11.25#. In my book, that's a pretty good year no matter how many times I fished. I don't know another lake I'd be able to do that. I fished Rayburn a LOT of years with nothing bigger than 8.25# to show for it.
I missed out on the early days of Fork but I think it's easy to forget how good we still have it. Maybe I'm just easily entertained...
I'll take a slot fish anytime I release everything I catch anyhow. Heck i'll break my personal best long before I even need an over slot fish lol
So if a person wants to drive from what sounds like the central Texas area to fish, I simply stated go east and you could have a better time.
Good luck
Sorry, didn't mean to start an argument, just looking for a little heads up for Fork. I plan to go to all the well known lakes in Texas eventually, I love getting out and exploring new waters
There's not a better lake to fish in my opinion. If you're a bank beater then yes there's only a few times of year you can really wear them out. But if you try to learn new things and fish off shore and find schools you can still wear them out on fork.
But be realistic with your expectations. No your first cast probably won't be a 10lb fish. It's a lake with a lot of pressure with real fish in it. You're going to have to grind more days than not but they are there and will bite. Key to fork is staying persistent and fishing places that don't look great to the naked eye. But below the water has decent grass or cover and you'll find fish
Really good advise, thank you.
Bring a drop shot with you to Fork also. I have been throwing a wacky senko and yum dinger type bait and a tx rigged weightless senko type bait (reaction innovation pocket rocket). If the water is muddy or if it is cloudy out use colors darker than the watermelon you are bringing.
You might catch some on a jig but I wouldn't give it much time. I haven't had a good jig bite on Fork for a while now.
Bring a top water frog also.
Thank you, I was thinking about adding a black/blue color in case of the mud. I don't have many right now due to that not being an issue so far. I will definitely pick up a frog as well.
Go and Enjoy!
one thing that will really help you have a good time is always remember:
When running, Stay in the boat lanes as lake is full and there are stumps under the water everywhere. Don't be tempted to take the shortcuts. When out of the lanes idle to you spot. This approach will make you trip better no matter if the fish bite well or not.
lots of flooded grass n brush now so you may need to move around a lot.
Any day fishing is a good one.
Awesome man, thanks. I have some practice with submerged timber where I normally fish so hopefully I can make it out without much damage, I will for sure be taking it slow though!
If you are heading to Fork for the first time by yourself, without a guide, your chances or damaging your boat are probably as good or better than catching a giant.
1. Make sure you get a boat lanes chip. Once you get out of a lane, idle, there are stumps everywhere.
2. Get a guide, even they may struggle putting you on fish right now, but at least you'll learn some areas and techniques that have produced fish in the past.
3. I'm concerned about your comment you like fishing shallow. 90% of the bass fishermen out there think the same way. Outside of small window each year which has mostly passed at this point, it can be a tough strategy. You and a whole bunch of other guys will be sharing a few heavily pressured fish.
4. Calibrate your expectations. Fork gets an enormous amount of fishing pressure. Fork regularly humbles some of the best anglers on the planet. It is not an easy lake. For the bass fishing "Mecca" of the world, a whole lot of folks get plain skunked on the lake.
I will definitely be keeping it slow, I do not see a Garmin boat lanes chip though.
I for sure have to get better at that 20' range. With the currents and wind where I normally fish I just end up with my boat or my lure in spots I don't want it to be in really fast. I have just bought a marker buoy though so i'll finally be able to mark fish on the graph then have a static location to stay on them. Getting the boat blown everywhere then losing my exact spot has been the hardest part so far, but i'm sure that comes with practice.
My expectations for monsters and quantity are not high, I can fish all day without a bite and still want to hit the water the next day. I am still very new and reading everything I can so I understand when I have a tough day (it has happened many times lol). I just enjoy trying to figure it all and understand what I could do better in order to not get skunked the next time. The lake has fish in it no doubt, so I won't be blaming the lake, I'll just be looking for ways to improve for the next outing.
Wes, enjoy your trip to Fork. It is a beautiful lake with lots of healthy fish in it. As others have mentioned, the lake can often fish tough, especially for newcomers and even more so for less experienced anglers fishing Fork for the first time.
I am curious, what made you pick Fork for your first trip like this?
I really just came up with a plan that I wanted to see and fish all of the big name lakes, starting with Texas. Whether it's the perfect list or not I had Rayburn, Toledo Bend, and Fork. Then Guntersville and Pickwick after that. Then I just looked for houses to rent on the water at all 3 and picked the nicest property for the price. Since I plan to go to them all (plus more hopefully) the order isn't an issue. I'm always open to suggestions for the next trip, but ill probably make a thread and from the looks of this one it should be pretty successful and opinionated lol.
FACT
FORK IS AN AWESOME CHALLENGE AND WILL LEAVE YOU WITH A HEART ACHE OR A GOOD HEART PALPITATION AS YOU EXPERIENCE THAT HEY I GOT A LUNKER EXPERIENCE !!!
GOOD LUCK.
My ears are hurting now, thanks though lol
Go as light as you can with your baits and fish slow. Pick an area and stay with it. There isn't a cove on Fork that doesn't have big fish, you just need to be patient to get them to bite. Make sure your tackle is stout enough!
Appreciate it, I have been really working on my finesse presentations so hopefully that helps a bit.
Wes our club which is made up of 90% seniors and fishes on Thursdays every other week and we break personal and club records at every tournament.
It is amazing to me that this has been going on in the 2.3 years we have been fishing. Most of our members fish fairly shallow a lot. We have a few that depend on the c-rig but even these guys are not fishing deeper that 20' most of the time.
But like was suggested a lot of fish are caught drop shotting. Numbers and the occasional lunker. We consider fish over 7 lbs a lunker. But I will tell you that a 5 pound Lake Fork bass will give up a dam good fight as well.
One of the main reasons Barry H knows of what he is speaking is the Texas Parks and Wildlife bass survey that has been on going for at least 15 years. Anyone who catches a lunker is encouraged to go to a marina and sign the list with the date, weight, and what lure it was caught on. Those lists are filled with lunker after lunker caught by people from all over the world.
Bu t in reality only about 10% actually take the time to go in and fill it out. Why? It's free. It's interesting. It helps TPWD decide how much stocking is needed. Why? I am part of the 90% who has rarely or never taken the time.
I don't know why. Surely the over I caught a month ago should have been, bit I didn't record it nor any other big bass I have caught at Fork.
Hiring a guide for your first day there is not a bad idea. It will give you an advantage over the other 500 anglers who are going to give it a shot for the first time.
This time of the year most of the guides are pretty well booked up but I am sure you can find someone who is not. But while the spawn (which is mainly over) is a good time to catch a bass of a lifetime, May and June are my favorite months. Most bass are in post spawn and the opportunity to still catch them fairly shallow is optimium.
When the TTBC was fishing here it was in May, both early and late, and they broke records.
Thank you for taking the time to write all of that. I like fishing anything up to 10' right now because I feel comfortable with it and it has gotten me some decent results so far. I really thought I would like dropshotting but I haven't so far. I think it's something that I need to give more practice to, but something about it just doesn't appeal to me so much. I've watched so many videos on it and seen it in tournaments so I understand its potential, but I just can't seem to get into it.
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