Posted By: Fork Guide Justin Margraves
Lake Fork Report 2/9/16 - 02/09/16 08:32 PM
Lake Fork Guide Justin Margraves
Lake Fork Report 2/9/16
It's time! February in Northeast Texas means one thing to us anglers, prespawn! With the air temperatures reaching the low 70s several days last week and more warm weather coming this week has water temperatures on the rise. Last week I saw water temperatures as high as 57 degrees in the back of a few creeks here on Lake Fork and that excites me. As the water temperatures rise and the days start to get longer, fish will start feeding up and making their way to the shallows!
As fish start to make their way to the backs of creeks they will use staging areas to feed before they spawn. Bass will use many different kinds of structures to stage and feed. Creek channels are one of the best places to start your hunt for staging bass! Bass use creek channels as a highway to navigate their way to the shallows, secondary points close to the creek, creek bends, large timber on the side of creek, and areas where the creek runs close to a bank are common staging areas.
Figuring out where a creek runs can be one of the most difficult things to find, most of the time maps are close but not spot on. Timber on the sides of the creek can be your best map of a creek channel. Most of the time the biggest stumps will be right on the side of a creek, also look for leaning timber. Trees that grew on the sides of a creek before the lake was impounded will lean towards the creek.
My go to baits for fishing timber and secondary points close to the creek are very simple. A jig has hands down produced more big bites for me this time of year than any other bait. A 1/2 or 1/4 ounce Santone lures flipping jig in black and blue, black blue and purple, or a black brown and amber is hard to beat! Carolina rigged and texas rigged lizzards, and medium diving crankbaits work well also.
Flat areas in the backs of creeks are also a great place to find prespawn bass. Flooded vegetation, lily pad stems, and laydown logs and stumps are key things to look for! Normally these types of cover a best when found in 6 feet of water and less. My bait selection gets a little bigger in shallow water. A Santone 1/4 ounce black and blue jig, 3/8 ounce got 5 spinnerbait, and a 7/16 ounce swim jigs are some of my favorites for shallow water. Squarebill crankbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, Texas rigged lizzards, and maybe a buzzbait (depending on water temperature) will put prespawn fish in your boat all day long!
If your looking to book a guided trip on lake fork I would love to earn your business! I still have some great dates available in February, March, April, and May. If you have any questions or would like to book a trip you can contact me anytime.
Cell phone. 903 658 5822
Email. Justin2260@aol.com
Website. Justinslakeforkguidetrips.com
Tight lines,
Justin Margraves