1 week removed from my trip to The Fork...just now able to discuss it..

Highlights:

1) Fishing with my Dad and brother for a few days,
2) Meeting and fishing with Pack Man,
3) Meeting Cameron at LFM
4) Oh my...the pie

Lowlights:

1) Not getting my Dad his first DD,
2) Nor my brother,
3) Nor myself (tho I did snap my line on a good 'un that picked up my jig a second time, after I missed her previously)
4) Not meeting Pake (my fault, scheduled trip on school days)

Full moon, combined with a front and falling water temps, and our (or at least mine) limited ability prevented us from lighting it up on the catching side. Pack took us out Tuesday and he worked his butt off to put us on some active fish, but they would not cooperate. He boated a nice 6# slot, and we all put a small slot in the boat, per man, but he showed us some new (to us) areas and helped us to put together a plan. I would recommend his services to anyone looking to hire a guide on The Fork.

Hope remained, forecast called for sunny, fairly warm conditions on Wed/Thurs. We wake up Wednesday morning to cloudy skies, moderate breeze for 6am, but we still had high hopes. Sticking mainly with jigs, we commenced our assault on all things wood out on the lake. The sun never made an appearance and we never found water any warmer than 53*. It was a long day, 4 bass boated to 4#.

Our third and final day arrived with sunshine, and a slight north breeze. Anticipation, mixed with trepidation, I didn't want to let my Dad down in putting him on a pig, well at least a solid fish. Dad was leaving at lunch due to a business deal, so we threw the kitchen sink and just about all pre-spawn category tackle at 'em. When the dust cleared, and Dad drove off, 1 bass had been boated. I almost called Pack for some sort of help, but I chose not to bother him. Too stubborn as well. We ended the day with 4 total, again, and nothing bigger than 4#. Being kicked in the stomach, twice, would've felt better. We loaded up, gathered our belongings and our tattered pride, and went and got our grub on at AJ's.

I very much valued the time I got to spend with my family. I valued the time I got to spend on the water, especially since it was Fork-colored water. And I appreciated the time I got to enjoy outdoors.

I learned a lesson in humility, there are some holes in my game that I need to improve upon. I learned a lesson in tempered expectations, this I will not forget.

All in all, a fun trip, not the greatest fish-catching trip, but one I will not soon forget.

And a shout out to Mark Pack, thanks for putting' up with a rag-tag crew from Waco.

And to Cameron, sorry we couldn't loan you a fresh girl to put in the tank there at LFM...

Y'all save me some for when I get back up there in about 6 weeks...

Great post! I really like how you didn't "expect" anything and you realized that Pack worked hard to put you on fish, had a great time with family and enjoyed yourselves. Fork can be very humbling sometimes, I fish it almost every weekend and have been skunked numerous times! Good luck on your next trip! It should be on then!!!

There are several people who have been fishing Fork for YEARS and still don't have a double digit. I have caught a fair share of solid fish out there but it's not guaranteed. Yes your odds go up greatly of catching a larger than norm fish when fishing a lake like Fork, but there have been some tough days out there here recently. They are in a transition period right now, so don't beat yourself up.

I respect your humility and I have been there myself. Hell I had the kind of tournament this past weekend that makes me scratch my head and assess what I did wrong. That is what I love about fishing and it is what keeps me coming back. Hang in there and it will come.

It's February...F E B R U A R Y....nobody should hang their head this time of year. Sure, there can be the knock out days that might come after a warming trend but just as quickly a cold front is going to shut things back down. I don't think you have any "holes in your game" necessarily. Now, if you have similar results in about, say 6 weeks from now...you might start to worry.

+1

Jeff,
It was great fishin with you and your brother and father...Hang in there you will catch a bigun when you least expect it.

Great post. Fork got the best of me too this past weekend. I think i did catch frostbite thought

I can say this. Some of my best days ever have been in February. Also, some of my worst days ever have been in February. And for Lake Fork, it is the best and worst lake I have ever fished. There is no other lake around East Texas that I have ever fished that can be tough as Fork some days. It is like when they shut down, all of them shut down and you literally have to force them to bite. I have literally spent 6-8 hrs on fork without a bite, load up and hit one of the Wood County lakes for a couple hours on the way home and catch 10-15 real quick. Then I ask myself, what in the world was going on on fork.

Words to live by right there!

Great story.

Anyone who fishes fork much has had a bad stretch. It can be tough. I actually had one during June last year. We boated 7 or 8 fish in two and a half days. Then we suddenly found them and put 35# s in the boat in half an hour. That's what's great about fork. That 1/2 hour made me forget the previous two and a half days.

The fishing last week was some of the toughest I have seen on Fork, so don't feel bad. Everybody struggled. I promise you, one day you'll go back to one of those areas Mark took you to and you will have a day you will never forget.

We all get this anticipation this time of year that it's about to break loose and we're going to catch a bunch of big girls. A few people do, but a lot more get their rear handed to them. Remember guys, the calendar says we still have 5 more weeks of winter to deal with. I fished Saturday and Sunday in nasty cold and guess what? We struggled to catch fish! It will come in time. It's hard to be patient, but we're fisherman, so that's what we have to do.

dude it's fork, no holes necessary to get skunked. fish that see lures everyday (im sorry every lure every day) cold fronts and oh yeah it's freakin February. just because it's when u CAN catch the fish of a lifetime. what happens to most of us is we catch no fish, no time.until that day we cant forget which may be just one bite. what i say is go for it and continue to think just one bite or wait til mid march and have a ball on numbers which fork is great for too. good luck and tight lines