Gents and Ladies,

Taking my pops out to Lake Fork for a Father's Day bass extravaganza along with the family. Can't use a bass boat so we are taking a pontoon boat. I'm not thrilled about a pontoon but hey, we'll be fishing so It will be fun. Anyway, we're staying in a cabin off of Berch Creek about 3/4 of the way up that finger. I've never been to Fork and I my bass fishing experience has been limited to shoreline fishing. My first question is Berch Creek, which I'm told is a great area for great bass, big enough for a pontoon boat? Secondly, where are some prime spots that you guys may know of? I hope you guys go some good stuff for me! Thanks!

-Rob

You will not get much help until after this weekend with the Skeeter owners tournament going on this weekend which attracts over 2000 entries including myself but yes you have plenty of room in that area for a pontoon boat and it has good areas. Anchor off on a point or hump and start dragging a Carolina rig or your bait of choice and good luck.

plenty big enoug for a pontoon, if you can find room (lol) there's a roadbed just south of the bridge in Birch, runs the length of the bridge about 100 feet southside of the bridge. There's also a submerged bridge about in the middle on the roadbed. Its on any map so its no secret.
Carolina rigs with big purple/red worms work well. It's no secrect that it's there and there will be a bass boat there about every ten minutes,..
but that's a good place to start,..happy Father Day to you're pops and good luck. T he roadbed maybe coved with sand bass too,..bounce some sliver slabs and have a ball.

Hopefully the wind won't be too bad so you guys can drift in that pontoon and drag a Carolina rig around some points or roadbeds. Boat positioning is the key and that can be a real challenge in a pontoon boat even on a calm day.

Don't know if you will have a trolling motor or not on that rig but if you don't you can use the outboard to position yourself up wind and throw out a C-rig and let the wind drift you across your structure. If you can find a big enough anchor to hold that thing, that might work too. Just be sure to use about 3 times as much rope as you think you will need to get a good angle or it won't stay put. The easiest thing will be to motor upwind and drift down. Just know that if there are multiple boats fishing the same piece of structure you are fishing and you keep firing up the outboard, you may get a few nasty looks.

There have been a Zillion fish caught off the old Hwy 514 roadbed on a C-rig. Some as big as 14 pounds in the past. It parallels the current Birch Creek bridge. Rig up a C-rig with a one ounce weight and a 3 foot leader and a 3/0 hook. Don't make the leader too long or you will be wrapping it around your partner's head (or something in that pontoon) every time you throw.

Fishing under the Birch Creek bridge can also be very productive especially during the middle of the day. A lot of times the bass school under the shadow of the bridge itself. Some of them are really nice fish too. Remember: The current State Record Bass was caught on a minnow by a guy crappie fishing on Fork.

You may want to get a few dozen and just sit under the bridge tied to a piling. Keep an eye out for the fish breaking the surface under the bridge. A live minnow fished about ten feet down will get you bit. All the bridges at Fork have a cross member about 10 feet below the surface that runs between the two supporting columns. The bass like to suspend around the cross members.

As far as the bait on the C-rig, you are only limited to your imagination. A few to try would be a Zoom Centipede or Baby Brush Hog, Trick Worm, Lake Fork Tackle Baby Ring Fry, or whatever else looks good to you. Use either watermelon red flake or green pumpkin colors. Those are the basics.

The main thing is to just have fun. Good luck and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

Very good advice for fishing the Skeeter Owners Tourny as well.

Get there early with that Pontoon ....... put Little Big Town on the boom box and watch the parade of bass boats,,,,, I bet there will be a minimum of 40 boats on that road at one time nad I bet at least 250 will visit it during the day sometime on Saturday. But anchor that pontoon down and have yourself some fun.