Lake Fork Report 10/06/09

The fishing has picked up with bass already into fall patterns. Bass are chasing shad and getting fat in preparation for winter. The fishing is only going to get better from here out once the fish settle into their routines. We�ve just had the full moon this past weekend and the big bite has really come on with fish up to 8 lbs being caught.


Conditions:
Lake is currently above full - pool, and is rising due to recent rains. Water temps have been between 70 and 75 degrees. Water clarity has improved over most of the lake, despite recent rains, and winds with the northern ends still a little stained.

Areas:
The fishing has been great this past month with numbers up to between 25 and 40 fish a day. Big fish up to 8lbs and lots of 2 to 4 lbs are being caught. The deep bite has been a little slow due to cooler temps and the influx of fresh water from recent rains. Best areas have been around secondary points and primary points. Fish have been holding on grass and weed lines from 1-6 ft deep around theses points . The shallow fish have been scattered from the points to the backs of the creeks. A lot of the fish are moving chasing shad so its important to cover water, if you get bit work the area quickly and then move on. Be sure your throwing past the visible cover working your baits through the brush and grass. Pay close attention to what kind of cover the bites are coming from ; some days the bite is better on shallow floating vegetation and other times outside weed lines are best. Some fish have also moved into the backs of the major creeks, and there is some schooling activity in those areas.

Presentations/Lures:
You can catch fish on a wide variety of baits this time of year. Lipless rattle baits and shallow cranks in shad colors are working well right now . Rattle baits worked around the outside edges and across flats 3 to 6 feet deep can be awesome. Be sure you have good hooks and a good cranking rod so you don�t loose a lot of fish. One of the biggest mistakes I see, are people trying to use a stiff rod on cranks or not having quality hooks on there bait. Spinner baits are also working well on days where there is some chop on the water and scattered clouds. With the cloud cover the past few weeks, I have been throwing top water lures and weightless plastics all day. Walking type baits have been drawing most of the big fish bites, but just about any type of top water will work this time of year. The biggest fish actually came on a buzz bait in about 7 ft of water. If you have a weak heart, bring your nitro-glycerin pills, �cause this is heart attack fishing! Bites can be explosive, and its hard not to set the hook on the blow up at times. Be sure you have a follow up bait handy for any fish that misses your bait and it is ready to cast immediately. Wacky rigs, and of course the circus rig, are producing a lot of good quality fish too. Speaking of heart attack fishing, there is still a pretty good bite in the lillypads using frogs, flukes and tubes. The pads stems are getting tough now, so its imperative you have heavy equipment and line for this type of fishing now. If a fish gets its head down just keep tension on the line, put your trolling motor on high, and go in after it. If you prefer to work deeper, I am still getting some fish on drop shots, carolina rigs, spoons, and jigs, around outside weed edges and other deep structure out to 25 feet. Best colors for plastics are natural hues in brown or green. Best jig color has been black/blue, P.B.& J., and Texas smoke.

Pics:





I still have a lot of availability, so any one is interested in booking a fun day of fishing, with the opportunity for a fish of a life time, just give me a call. Or, if you just need some info or have a question, feel free to give me a call as well or email me.
Thanks and be safe!

Thats sounds great. My wife and I are going to be there Friday around noon. Got a place to stay on Mustang Creek. We have had this trip planned for about 2 months. We are absolutely ready to get on the water. I'm keeping track of the weather but not sure how its going to turn out. This is our first trip to Lake fork so I'm really hoping its not raining too much. How do you think the weather will be and affect the bite? This is our first trip to Lake Fork and look forward to many trips. Any tips or tricks will be greatly appreciated. I've been doing lots of reading and looking at the recent fishing reports so I'm hoping we catch them at the right time chasing shad.

I know you didn't ask me.... but I have made a lot of trips to Fork and I would say your chances of catching them biting is 50-50. Don't go there expecting to load the boat.... if you have never been you should have a great time just seeing the lake since everything will be new to you. If you catch something it will be a bonus.

I'm sure we will have a great time. I love being near the water. I'm really trying not to get my hopes up on catching alot of fish. But I plan on fishing my tail off hoping that it pays off and can land a few fish. I'll have 2 and a half days so maybe I can get one good hour.

Mappy-
If I had a few days to fish Fork, I would hire a guide for a half day to "see" the lake and to learn something new. I fished with James 3x last year and learned alot. The C rig is something to experience and James is the man with that rig.

Good Luck.

Im planning on going with a guide next spring. This trip was for me and the wife to have some fun on the lake. So we are pretty much on our own.

well go out and have some fun and good luck.. i bet if you give James a holler he'd give you a little more detailed starting points if you were interested

I'm hoping to fish Fork tomorrow as well. First time for me so I am looking forward to seeing the lake and catching some fish!

mappy306, these frontal passages will get this fish feeding more aggresively. Although there might be some lulls after each passge, the fish are in Fall mode and they turn into eating machines trying to put on weight before winter. Find the shad and you will find the fish.
Shoot me a pm or call me if you need more info or help on the lake.

new-old1, good luck on your first trip to Fork. If you need any assistance on the lake just give a holler.

Thanks Scott, If you ever get back down here from Ohio give me a shout and will do it again. Same deal !

Thanks James. I truly appreciate that. All the reading and looking online is giving me some preparation. I was hoping to catch the bass on the feed before winter so for you to say that makes me feel like I might have picked a good time. I have some things in mind: using a couple of pop-rs as soon as I can get out of bed, i also got a zara spook i haven't got wet in a while (not sure if this is even a good chice this time of year but i need the practice), i have some spinner baits lined up and i want to keep those just under the surface, im thinking about using some crankbaits -- and a couple of lipless cranks ( i want to get these near structure and find some grass), I really want to get back in the creeks or find some boils in the water. If that doesn't work i have a few worms and I'll just take my time and try to work my way around. That is my plan. I'm sure it wont work out just right but I'm sure I'll have a good time. I'll be calling you for a trip in the spring. Hope I can come back and get a picture for you guys to see how my 1st Lake Fork experience turned out.

new-old1 -- Good luck to you! Be safe. Hope you have a good time and hope they drag your line out a little bit.

Thanks mappy, same to you, maybe we will cross paths.

How did it go mappy? Sucked for us, windy and cold, no fish, only fished about an hour and didn't get to see much of the lake due to weather and time.