Hey everyone,

Two of my buddies and I are coming down from Ohio (via car!) to fish the Fork this weekend. We've never been there, and chances are we won't have the time to come back in the next few years (we're all finishing up med school and starting intense residencies up North). Really, we all realized we had a few days off together and were sick of staring at ice up here so planned a spur-of-the-moment trip.

There's a ton of great information on youtube and other websites about the great lake ya'll have down there. As far as I've gathered, it's imperative for us to target pre-spawn bass with jigs, rattle traps (red, orange, chrome, gold), and slow-rolled spinnerbaits. If I understand it correctly, we should focus on primary and secondary points where a few of the go-to creeks dump into the main lake. As for cover, I've read to focus on standing timber (especially the trees closest to the creek beds) and any grass I can find.

Am I way off, or does that gameplan seem decent enough for us to bump into a few bass over our four days? I would really appreciate any and all advice people are willing to share. Private messages are great too if people don't want it all over the internet. I'll keep the intel to myself, and seeing as I'm stuck up in Ohio for the next half-decade I don't think you have to worry about me exploiting it personally (aside from a handful of weekday club tournaments, we are not competitive anglers). I don't have much to offer in return other than smallmouth bass advice for anyone considering a trip up to Lake Erie or Traverse City or a couple of cold beers at a bar near lake fork this weekend.

Tight lines,

Pete

Great advice guys, thanks!
The three of us are renting a 19' bass boat for four days. Sounds like we have our work cut out for us, but we're all excited to give it a crack. Sure beats staring at the foot of snow covering everything up here right now.

book the guide early before they get all booked up and you can't get one.

It will be impossible to get a good guide under last minute restrictions, book NOW to get your date. I highly recommend getting a guide the first day so you can find out the ins and outs if running the lake and getting in a good pattern for the rest of your trip

Stick with fork and im pretty sure you are one if your buddies will have a chance at a fish of a lifetime.

Fork isn't the Fork of old. It's low, grass is mostly gone and your "go to creeks" you've found on the net are more than likely less than 4 feet deep now, not a good depth for "prespawn" bass.

Save 1 day's rental money and get a good guide, that will at least give you an idea for a few patterns and also an idea on how to get around the lake somewhat....