Fork had its time. Nuff said.

It was April in the early 90s, Dean Stroman was our guide, It was me and my Dad and my Grandpa, my new son was at home, that is why the other two generations were visiting, they were there to meet him. We fished Fork for the first time, our first guided trip for Bass ever. Dean was patient and taught us all how to Carolina rig a watermelon french fry with about a 5 foot leader...we caught them all day...we caught them just like that for years to come. Unknown to me at the time, that trip would be the last time I ever fished with my Grandpa, he being the one who taught me how to fish on a little lake on the Oregon coast. Is Lake Fork the best ever??? It is to me!!!

Exactly.

They even sprayed the bushes on the bank. I went into a cove near Glade creek and the bottom half of the bushes on the bank were orange and dried up.

I don’t know how many lakes in Texas are slot lakes, but Ivie & Fork are and both produce large bass. Why aren’t more lakes in Texas slot lakes? I understand Falcon & Amistad would be a wash due to Mexico, but many other lakes could benefit from NOT being fish filet factories.

Yes.....tons of new cover. Fork had a mini revival after the drought with all the new willows and cover in the water. Now that cover is mostly gone and the grass spraying goes on and on. Just no cover for except for those suspended top of trees offshore fish that yet to be tapped hard.

Or draw the lake down 10-15 feet naturally or on purpose for two years to let cover grow back and things to rejuvenate a bit. Second year after filling back up it would be off the chain. And we could recover a ton of tackle. Lol Agee the spraying needs to stop. Even the pond weed and other natives species now get sprayed.

OH's current record has less to do with what is hot and more to do with how good the anglers are with the new electronics. As those that can work them real good all lakes everywhere will wake up and start producing giants.

Actually I think it has already started looking at all of the SAL's being turned in from lakes you never hear of producing the big girls.

Holbrook=LJames or maybe the trinity river.

Don’t insult the trinity like that

Every year I get to choose where my son and I go fish for spring break and every year I choose Falcon.
We have not yet had a day our biggest 5 are less than 30lbs.
Several trips were close to 40lbs. I don't know of another lake that can consistently kick out fish like that every trip.

Ivie isn't a slot lake. It's just a 18" minimum with 2 small ones allowed. But I would be ok with them putting Fork's slot on Ivie

Maybe but if Fork had 13s-16s in it right now the same would be happening there. If they ain’t there you ain’t catching them regardless of skill and electronics

I think if you take the heading of this post and eliminate the question marks you have your answer! I’ve only fished fork a handful of times over the last 20 or so years definitely not in its the prime. My biggest bass was there just throwing a crank bait while ideling in to the main lake! I’m about hour and a half from ivie and have only been there a couple times over the last 5 years! Not worth the headache right now to me to fight the crowds! I think the big picture is not on the inter web! If you want to know how this happened look at the water levels? East texas lakes must have grass/ West texas lakes flourish when the water level comes back and the original cow pastures are under water again! New Growth!

so many different regulations. Do you remember or have any insight how/why they came up with those regulations for Ivie? Sounds like the state had high expectations for the lake, but what made them think that? I was a bit too young when they built it, to remember anything about it.

I remember hearing all kinds of stories from Fork in the mid 80s-90s, and I don't doubt them. But from 92-98 I would be hard pressed to believe that ANY lake in the U.S. put out more 9+ pound bass than Rayburn. It may not have produced as many 13+pounders but it put forth many. It currently is only a shell, of what it was back then.