BUDA13...that's great!

I agree. 4 lbers galore! I love that LAKE!

I haven't fished Fork in the spring in two years and to go out blind and catch 40+ fish! Life is GOOD!

I knew that one was coming. It's just that I can't fish!

Judging by the results of tournaments and the actual numbers since the late 1990s...not fish stories about the big one that got away, or anecdotal tales of whoppers that swirled in the mist and muck...it appears that a whole lot of anglers either don't know how, or forget how to fish when they get to Fork, too!

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard or read in the last ten years that:

1. If you can't catch fish on Fork, it's just because you aren't much of a fisherman; or

2. Conditions are just now getting right. The fishing is just about BUST OPEN at any second!

LOL.

take a guide trip with Randy Oldfield(sp?)...

Exactly. Ask him, Stroman, Barnes or Loomis what they think about the possibilities. They may or may not say there is one in Fork,but I will bet a good chunk of change though that they think there is.

Would that be the same Randy Oldfield whose team weighed in one fish...and 1.85 pounds...in the Media tournament Saturday?

http://www.mediabass.com/2k8/TX/FORK/2.html

I know Fork fairly well and I have always wanted to take a trip with Randy to pick his brain! He's as legendary as them Cali boys!

Look, I'm not on here to call anyone out, but I fished a tourament with one of those guys recently. I won't say what he weighed in...but let's just say it made our 4.4 pounds look like a huge sack.

It's a slot tournament. I don't see how you can judge someones fishing by how many 15.99" fish you catch and how fat they happen to be?

That is why I fish Fork for fun!

Many hours, the main brood fish gone for 15 years, the lack of fertal warters, fishing pressure. I agree, it has been a monster for big fish. I have taken 15 over ten pounds 13.10 being the largest. But would have to agree no 20 LBer still there.

LOL yah, it is the same Randy Oldfield that had a 15.65 in the heat of the summer night fishing year before last. That was legit to, witnesses, certified scales.

Same Randy Oldfield that boat swing 8lbers when jig fishing...lol


Razorback,

Step up yo game, Fork is kickin ur rear and you are a quite bitter being.

LOL. This thread has become comical now and pretty much ran it's coarse. I'll just leave it at this. I'd love to you see you (Razor) compare your skills to any one on that list your doubting. It'd be a laugh at best. But you believe what you want to and your right, there are not big fish left in Fork and the guys that have cut their teeth here don't know what their doing. I guess BBT didn't catch 40 the other day either since you can't.

Ok King here the deal. You don't even know me by saying I can't fish and besides I lived in Alba when there was no lake. Walked all the creeks hunting them. Put four old cars on a friend land before it was flooded. No one knows where but me and him. The fishing was the best the first 10 to 15 years and had slow down a lot. We also have 40+ fish over 10lbs. None over 17lbs. NOT ONE WAS A BEDDING FISH. This is my Lake of chose. You need to show a photo of the dead 20lb, we know this is not true because it would have been all over the news(papers,mag,tv,Forum,)and someone at Fork would have told me. BASS-KING I THINK NOT remove the B from bass maybe.

I guess the three replica's and pics don't exist then.

If you took all the large fish caught from Cali "tanks" out of the all-time top 50 list, Texas would still have very few entries. The truth is that the large lakes in Cali have larger lake records than most of the lakes here. Teen fish are fairly common throughout Cali. Just a few days ago two 13s were weighed in at the FLW on the Delta. That is just from the guys that were in the one tournament. I would bet there were more fish that size caught in practice and by fun fishermen.

Fork may have a 20 pounder. It doesn't really matter. It is the best place to fish within a reasonable distance of my house, so I fish there. I go out there and throw my goofy Cali baits and see if the Texas fish will cooperate. When I really want to slay them, I buy a plane ticket and have my buddy take me to Clear Lake or the Delta. The NorCal lakes are in a totally different league all together.

HAHAHAHAHA, that is a riot.

I'll do better than show you a picture...hell just go to Mustang resort and see the mount and photo Brian Duplechains son found it in Mustang. I'll give you his phone number if you want to call him a liar...lol lol. It is a true story.

I was under the impression that around the same time a 19.70 was found near Oakridge as well, I saw a photo of it but the photo I saw the fish looked live.

I know Tony Clark found an 18lber floating near Johnson lake, I have the photo of it in the office.

Replica's are just what they imply. Show the photo.

This has turned even funnier!

Thanks for the good laugh!

I never said...nor do I believe...that I am a better fisherman than any of those guys.

But you know, it's funny. When anyone else (me included) struggles on Fork, it is because we can't fish. The lake is just LOADED with fish, but we just aren't good enough, or smart enough, or don't know the lake well enough to catch them.

But when guides on the lake go out and don't catch jack...

What is the explanation then?

LOL.

Top 25 of All Time.


1.) 22.25 pounds; Location: Montgomery Lake (Georgia); Angler: George Washington Perry; Date: June 2, 1932.

2.) 22.01 pounds; Castaic Lake (California); Robert J. Crupi; March 12, 1991.

3.) 21.75 pounds; Castaic Lake (California); Michael Arujo; March 5, 1991.

4.) 21.69 pounds; Lake Dixon (California); Jed Dickerson; May 31, 2003.

5.) 21.20 pounds; Lake Casitas (California); Raymond D. Easley; March 4, 1980.

6.) 21.01 pounds; Castaic Lake (California); Robert J. Crupi; March 9, 1990.

7.) 20.94 pounds; Lake Miramar (California); David Zimmerlee; June 23, 1973.

8.) 20.86 pounds; Castaic Lake (California); Leo Torres; Feb. 4, 1990.

9.) 20.75 pounds; Lake Dixon (California); Mike Long; April 27, 2001.

10.) 20.25 pounds; Lake Hodges (California); Gene Dupras; May 30, 1985.

11.) 20.13 pounds; Big Fish Lake (Florida); Fritz Friebel; May 19, 1923.

12.) 19.70 pounds; Lake Mission Viejo (California); George Coniglio; March 31, 2006.

13.) 19.50 pounds; Lake Miramar (California); Keith Gunsauls; Feb. 29, 1988.

13.) 19.50 pounds; Castaic Lake (California); Mark Balloid; May 28, 1990.

13.) 19.50 pounds; Lake Casitas (California); Randy Crabtree; April 9, 2002.

16.) 19.44 pounds; Lake Dixon (California); Mac Weakley; May 20, 2003.

17.) 19.25 pounds; Lake Miramar (California); Chris Brant; March 22, 1998.

18.) 19.19 pounds; Lake Morena (California); Arden Charles Hanline; Feb. 17, 1987.

18.) 19.19 pounds; Lake Wohlford (California); Steve Beasley; Feb. 3, 1986.

20.) 19.15 pounds; Lake Ikehara (Japan); Kazuya Shimada; April 22, 2003.

21.) 19.06 pounds; Lake Miramar (California); Sandra W. DeFresco; March 14, 1988.

22.) 19.04 pounds; Castaic Lake (California); Dan T. Kadota; Jan. 8, 1989.

23.) 19.03 pounds; Success Lake (California); Larry Kerns; Jan. 27, 2001.

24.) 19.00 pounds; Lake Tarpon (Florida); Riley Witt; June 26, 1961.

25.) 18.94 pounds; Lake Isabella (California); Keith Harper; April 7, 1984

The 20 pounder is on the wall at Mustang.

Happens all the time. They obviously weren't good enough to catch them that day either. I'm sorry to offend you but I never blame a bad day on the fish or the lake. I've seen too many days where I had next to nothing and someone else whacks them and vice versa. Happens every day and not just Fork. Fork does not put out the numbers it used to, I'll never argue that. But, this lake has a tremendous amount of fish in it. It would blow peoples mind to know how many fish they fish over the top of.

Its hard to say what Fork would have or can do. The LMBV hit mostly large fish in 2000, those fish would have been on the next cycle or up-swing.

Whether Fork has a 20 lber or not doesn't matter. All of her 17 ers and state record put her head and shoulders above all the others.

Forage is an important aspect of the growth of large bass. But!!! You take away the mild winters in SoCal, and you take away the 365 day growing season and you'll see less huge fish.

Give Fork 365 days a year to grow and you'd see some bigger bass.

How many 20 lbers comes from Northern Cali, where trout is stocked like it is in So Cal?

Hodges is a Socal lake that don't stock trout, she has a 20 pound record.

Mild growing seasons 365 days a year are the key to growth. A bass doesn't live in stressed heat or cold winters in socal.

Maybe with this Global Warming, we'll have 8-10 years of mild winters, were our bass can grow 365 days a year.

We don't need trout, we have crappie, yellow bass and tons of shad and crawdads, and tilipa south.

haha

I have a lot of fun arguing with people...but I'm out of this thread after that. lol, wow.

I'm sure if you saw the picture you'd claim it was shopped right? lol

I'm out, have fun guys lol

I'm just glad I was around in 1980 to see the miracle unwound, anyone who was around from 1980 through 1995 saw the best BIG bass fishing around period. I remember the day Mark caught the 17lber, dosent seem that long ago. What a lake she has been.