Desperate at Fork....updated results page 2

Heading to Fork again this Saturday morning. I've hardly had any luck at this lake, but the thoughts of a monster keep drawing me back. Could someone please give me some solid information. You can PM me if you want to keep it private, but don't worry I go there maybe once a month so you won't have to worry about me hammering a spot everyday. Oh yea it's my birthday on Saturday and I want to catch some fish! Thanks family

My advice: don't get your expectations up. That lake is extremely tough unless you fish it a ton. I've been 3 times this year and caught one fish. She just so happened to be 8 and a half lbs, but there was a lot of sitting around not catching fish during those trips. That's just Fork. You can luck into a bite occasionally and it might be the best fishing you've ever had. But much more often than not, you would have caught more fish going to your local lake and throwing a spinnerbait, worm, or crankbait around good structure.

For the guys who fish it all the time, it really is an awesome lake. The plethora of slot fish make it unlike almost anything else around. But it just gets beat up too hard to be an easy lake to fish for the occasional visitor.

Happy birthday though! Good luck!

It's just a super tough lake. If you aren't mentally in a spot where you can go out there with the expectation of a tough day it might not be the right lake for you right now. The spawn is now wrapping up as well. That lake has had ENORMOUS pressure the past two months. I've been skunked with big name guides out there before. As we move into summer the offshore spots should offer a little more consistency. Break out your 6XD and cast your arm off on offshore humps/points and you'll get bit.

There is a shad spawn going on early in the mornings. Most clay points on the main lake have some fish chasing. Throw a top water or square bill and you'll get bit. Later in the day you can throw a weightless fluke up to the edge of the alligator grass and fish it very slow back to the boat. Hope this helps.

I would start out early in Dale Creek or Williams throwing a frog up to the bank. Good Luck.

+1

Sent you a PM.

If I were you, better listen to this man. He's right on the money, that shad spawn in the mornings don't last very long. Like he said look for points with activity, bridge rip rap, concrete ret walls. If you have 2 days to fish the second day can be laid out better in the mornings if you figure it out the first day. The gator grass is better up north than down south imo.

Thank you everyone for the information.

Last Sunday was phenomenal. I was fishing alone and caught 32 bass. 2 were over 7lbs and a few more in the 5-6lb range. Over half of them were over 3.5lbs. It was just a great day for numbers!

PM sent

sent you a PM

Along with all the other advice throw a finesse worm on a drop shot. You might need to experiment with colors to see which they want. Last weekend a Zoom finesse worm in green pumpkin/gold was working well. I was fishing it in 4-8ft of water.

All of the above mentioned will get you bit right now!

Are there gators in gator grass??

Pm sent

If your super desperate, just head up to East Fork about 2 hours before close.

Yep, that will get you bit.

Fishing on the weekends is twice as tough as during the week and I feel for those who can only fish the weekends. The spawn is still going on mainly south so fishing shallow will still work but I feel points and humps will produce the biggest and numbers of fish. I launched at 154 this morning around
6:30 and caught 2 right off the ramp. Shad were everywhere. All the fish I caught today were in 3 FOW or less. Hope you have a great day on your birthday but go with the idea of enjoying the day and treat yourself to one of those fabulous chicken fried dinners at Oak Ridge.

Go flip/pitch docks.....

Can't remember the name of the cove but find "Bass Haven at Lake Fork" RV park. East side of the lake below the 515 bridge.

From that end of the cove (may be called "Possum something" on a topo map) and all the way to the main lake is a great spot. Leaving the RV park area towards the main lake you will find a big open area on the right (south side area). Work the grass lines. Don't just fish them once and leave. Come back again and again. About halfway from the RV park and the open area is a good crappie spot. One lake guide was by himself and caught a lot of crappie on minnows.

Found that the most effective bait in this area is a green pumpkinseed or watermelon red super fluke. Dip the tip of the tail in chartreuse garlic dye. You can fish it without a weight or add a small lead weight clipped about 12 inches from the lure. The key is fish it slow - slow - slow. If that doesn't work, fish it slower.

Might also want to try a black or watermelon red lizard rigged the same way.

Throw an underpin around main lake points and secondary points early!!! Top water is on fire too! I've been doing pretty good on a 1/2 oz blakemore underpin with a keitech trailer (4.8") or a spook, yella magic, or a Sammie on top. Later in the day just get out on points and Start graphing! You will find something... if you find a wad of whites just remember the big girls will be close to them somewhere... good luck maybe I'll see ya out there!

Sent you a screenshot of a map

Tried everything everyone said and caught one bass. One. So disappointed. Idk why I can never do well at Fork. Drives me nuts

Don't try to fish the way other folks fish. Stick with what you have the most confidence in.

Might be swim bait time. Just sayin

Fished a tournament out there today. Weighed 5 good unders. Caught them on square bill crankbaits on a shallow point with shad spawning. Then hit the back of a couple pockets and caught more on a frog. Fished deeper mainlake points with a Carolina rig and caught about 20 slot fish, biggest 5 were over 35 pounds. They are there, you just have to keep looking. Fork is usually feast or famine!!

Tell me where we went wrong because I thought we were set up perfect. Launched at West side 515 ramp at 515am. Got set up on the main point in glade and when the sun came up there were multiple heron type birds munching shad on the shore. Could watch them eat shad over and over. I thought we were perfect. Hit this spot for an hour with not a bite. Finally went south to long branch point and picked up our one fish on a swim bait. We fished everything we could think of. Square bills, carolina rigs, spinner bait, swim bait, jig, frog, etc. I would get a guide if I could afford it, but hell may be about time.

Fished mainly with a swim bait and that's what I caught the 13.5 incher on

If you are fishing tomorrow again. Pm me.

Just yesterday unfortunately. I don't have trouble catching fish at any other lake, then I drive 2 hours to fork and can barely land a single fish.

Hopefully you were at the 515 East ramp. Its a long way from 515 West to Swampyman

Yes West side of the east arm

I haven't fished Fork in over a year so I am probably not the one to give advice but here goes. Fish fork the way you like to fish. Once I stopped trying to do what I was reading I started catching fish out there way more consistently. You can catch them flipping, cranking, or how ever you want. Good luck, I hope you figure them out.