Heading to Lake Fork Texas for largemouth

[Aervax]

I have been in the Dallas Texas area visiting a friend the past few days. I am ending the trip the right way, with a guided outing on Lake Fork for trophy Largemouth.

The weather is ridiculous and will definitely effect the bite. High humidity and 106 degrees. Feels like it is cooking my lungs! Haggis anyone?

We are starting in the evening to avoid the worst of it. Fishing until 1 or 2 in the morning. Hopefully, I will be able to report back with some success and pics.

Anyone out there who is from the area, or who has experience fishing for Texas Largemouth, hearing about your experience would be awesome.

 

[OnTheDrop]

Get 'me Eric!

I expect to see you next month for some Salmon!

Cheers,

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Well, it has been a long time since I fished out there, but I grew up in that area and fished Fork a bit.

The lake is on the mend from what I gather. After many low water years the hydrilla is not as extensive as it once was, but if you can find some, particularly if it is adjacent to deep water, you have a very good spot. Right along 154 near the bridge we got many large bass over the years. There is a little RV park right there and we always did good flipping "one-ton" jigs in watermelon type colors. Super Spooks can be incredible at times along the rip-rap there too.

The guide will have you C-rigging I expect. Brush Hogs out on humps. He may have you fishing flutter spoons as well, it can be amazing fishing when it is on. The big largemouth eat little yellow bass, they call them "barfish" locally. They are like a smaller version of a white bass with a slight off-yellow color to them.

Swimbaits were not the big deal then that they are now, so we never fished them when I was a kid, but I would 110% be fishing a weedless swimbait like a 3:16 Mission Fish (or one of my home-brews!) or a bluegill imitation like the extremely good Mattlures Hardgill.

For me, it would be swimbaits, jigs, Super Spooks, cranks, spoons, and C-rigs, probably in that order.

Post up some pix.

SS

 

[Aervax]

Oh man. I wish you were there to help show us how it is done. Air temp was 103. Water temp was 93. Not much going on with the Largemouth.

Lake Fork was 35 feet below pool just a few weeks ago with the drought. After the May and June floods it is full pool. Virtually zero vegetation. Never saw any hydrila.

The poor guide worked his tail off with different rigs and locations. Flukes for suspended bass in the afternoon, football jigs, texas rigged worms and topwater for the rest. We fished to 1:30 A.M. Only 2 bass caught, a 3 and 5.

We did goof off for a bit catching sand bass in the shallows for about an hour before dark. With 3 rods throwing there was hardly a moment without at least 2 fish on at a time. Several triples, too. We must have landed a hundred between us in under an hour. I have to say that was really fun.

Though conditions were tough, I would gladly try it again sometime. Next time I will avoid dog days of August.

Flying home tonight, and I cannot wait to get back to Oregon. Salmon and Steelhead fishing this weekend. Now that is really what it is all about!

 

[Aervax]

SteelmonTanner. I am taking a week off just for fishing in September. I would love to get down your way to the Wilson and Nehalem for Salmon and crab. Let's connect soon. You will be hearing from me.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

WOW! It is totally full?!? That is insane. No, you wouldn't find any hydrilla. It might be years before the grass comes back, although it grows like kelp or bamboo.

I guess I will have to book a trip to Fork in eight years, they should have one hell of a spawn next year. Sorry to hear about the tough trip, I would not have been any help to you. It was never my home lake or anything. Sounds brutal.


SS