August Fork Night Report

Just a quick report on my recent night trip on Fork. The bite at Fork during the day can be as brutal as the heat with high pressure setting in, but for those willing to get on the water in the still of the night it can be very rewarding. The last trip out produced 40 fish with numerous 5 lb fish and several pushing 8 lb. not to mention break offs due to the heavy cover and techniques being used. Fish are moving to the shallows at night feeding up on bream, crawfish and big shad. The summer heat has their metabolism in high gear and these fish want large offerings.

Areas that are producing best are main lake grass lines near deep water. The fish can be targeted in 8 to 12 ft on the outside edge of grass beds and later on up shallower along retaining walls and inside edges. Although the lower lake levels from evaporation are making the inside edges more rare, if you scout around before dark you can find some of these areas to hit later. Baits can vary depending on amount of cover, type of cover, and depth I�m targeting. I have had my best luck on big baits especially for the large bite, 10-12 inch plastics and other types of baits with a large profile are working great.

A word on safety, be sure before you hit the lake that all your equipment is in order. Lights in good working order with extra bulbs in case your running light goes out. Make sure you know exactly where your safety equipment is (throw cushion, life jackets, etc.) and that you have more than one working flash light. Lastly be cautious, I am still witnessing people on the water fishing without their lights on or using illegal forms of running lights. I ran up on a boat near the lane who had a short light pole that could not be seen over his engine. He told me he did not like the light to shine in his eyes at night and the shorter pole was better for him to fish with. I also witnessed boats pulling into areas to fish and turning out their lights. Another hazard is being careful of other boats running on GPS. A lot of these guys rely on it so much that they find themselves looking at the GPS screen more than the watching what�s coming up in front of them. Remember there are others out there to watch for and buoys sometimes drift from there original positions, I know we all have seen buoys out there busted up from someone plowing into them in the dark.

If everybody just takes a little caution we can all have a great time on the water fishing at night. I currently have several openings if anybody is interested just give me a holler, or if you just want to talk fishing and want to know more about the bite on Fork.

Be Safe and Good Luck!

Pics from my last trip:

Great report, James.

Excellent saftey reminders, as well.

Great safety info.

Had a night fish at Fork myself a couple weeks ago..
Thanks for the report.

Super report and very nice fish.

those shorts didn't scare the fishes away,..?

Thanks James, hoping to get out there friday.

Thats why I took him out night fishing! LOL! He's always wearing stylish shorts??

Not really a night trip if I remeber but real early in the morning.

Thanks for the help!!

I could stand to catch a few like those. Gotta get out there with ya soon James.

Great tips James! Also, bring a spotlight for those guys that are paying more attention to their GPS than what is in front of them, shine the spotlight at them just for a second so they do know you're there, better safe than sorry! Good luck to all!

Yep, I always use the spot. With people on the lake without proper lights its a must.

Does not having a moon at night effect the bite? or does it matter?

The full moon does have an affect. The moon can position fish and narrow down targets at night. You fish the moon light just like the day in that you target shaded areas near light. Bass are ambush predators hiding in the darkness at the edge of any light waiting for an opportunity for an easy meal. There are other forms of artificial light that create similar opportunities (dock lights, lights on boat ramps, etc.). Full moons do have a tendency to draw more fish shallow due to the fact that so many prey species spawn on or during the full moon (shad, bream, and crawfish). Of course there are always exceptions, my recent trip had less than a quarter moon, and it did not rise until 2 am. I still managed 40 fish keying on available light sources.