LAKE FORK GUIDE ANDREW GRILLS

The day we filmed this was the first bluebird sky, post-front, east wind day after 6 days of cold rain and strong winds. The bass were definitely not in the mood to eat. However, between the few bass we caught the white bass were very aggressive.

My favorite time of year has finally arrived! Fishing was very good throughout the month of November for me. While we didn’t catch a lot of giant fish, we had some very good days for numbers of quality fish. Naturally, things slowed down after the last week of November where we had extremely cold weather for this time of year. The good news is that drop in water temperature is exactly what we needed and now the bass seem to be recuperating. I love fishing in cold water because it usually means big bites! Of course our overall numbers decrease, but the quality will be there.

Right now we are catching most of our bass in 24-30’ of water. Each day I look at a series of spots until I find them. When I do, I have a flutter spoon, umbrella rig, carolina rig, and football jig to throw at them. Most of our fish over 7lbs have been on Mark Pack’s weedless football jig. The type of structure these fish are relating to are the ends of points, edges of humps, and roadbeds.

I am also very proud to announce that I just placed my order for a 2014 Skeeter FX20! Today I had the honor to meet the nice folks at the Skeeter factory right down the road in Kilgore, TX. I felt like part of the family when I walked through the door. Words cannot describe how thankful I am that I get to do what I do for a living! My office is getting a big upgrade for 2014!

The following pictures are from my last few trips. A couple of the pictures of myself were taken when I was out alone preparing for upcoming trips.

Almost every customer asks the question, “When is the best time to fish Lake Fork?” Well, I always reply, “There isn’t a best time, but if I could pick any month, November would be near the top of the list.” The fishing has been really good this month. We are catching good numbers with size mixed in. Right now I am catching fish on deep, off-shore structure in 15-27′ of water, but as the water gets colder I will be moving to the creeks with a jig. We are coming up on my favorite time of year. Late November through the end of February is a great time to catch a giant bass! While they don’t come very often, a 10 pounder could come on any given cast.

Call (903) 638-1170 to book a trip.

Right now we are getting some much needed rain in the areas around Lake Fork, and it’s a good day to post a report. If you’ve been watching the TFF lately for Lake Fork reports, I’m sure you’ve noticed there haven’t been very many. The fact is that the fishing has been pretty tough the past few weeks.

However, this is still Fork, and a big bass might come on the next cast. While we have had to work for every bite, I have still had the pleasure of seeing several fishermen catch the biggest bass of their lives over the past several days.

November has been one of my favorite months here. While there is usually a good shallow bite this time of year, I look for the deeper, off-shore bite. This can be a lot of fun because it includes throwing a big spoon, crankbait, or football jig, along with several other deep water techniques. My favorite thing about November is that the big fish start to show up.

Lately I have been catching some fish shallow, targeting areas with grass. On some days moving baits have been working, but the most consistent bite has been slowing down with soft plastics.

Here are some recent big fish photos.

We caught some nice fish over the past few days. Numbers have still been on the low side, but keep in mind this is late September. This is not one of the better months to fish Fork. The good news is we are going to get some much needed rain this weekend and some nicer weather to follow. In a few weeks fishing should be getting better. October is generally good, November and December can be fantastic for big fish, so keep that in mind planning your next fishing trip.

(903) 638-1170

Its been a good year for big fish here on Lake Fork. September is one of the tougher months to consistently catch big bass, but we have had some really nice fish so far and some big ones that got away. The numbers have been a little low, but we usually get a big fish on at some point on most days. As always, I try to give my customers the best possible chance to catch a really big fish. Therefore, sometimes we sacrifice some of the smaller bites to do that.

Right now, I am targeting groups of feeding fish early in the morning. In certain areas there are active fish the first couple hours of daylight. I like to throw moving baits at these fish. Lures like crankbaits, spinnerbaits, lipless baits, and topwaters can work well. As the day progresses I will move into other areas with more cover in order to catch the fish that aren’t quite as active. Often, slowing down and fishing a small bait like a dropshot worm can be the only way to catch them. However, there are times when aggressively fishing a deep diving crankbait through the trees can get a reaction bite. This is a very good way to catch big fish this time of year. When that crankbait careens through the branches, the fish react and hit the bait out of instinct.

The McDonalds Big Bass Splash is coming up and the lake will get increasingly busy with competitors practicing and going out with guides to get ready for the tournament. If you are planning on fishing this tournament be sure to give me a call and I will help all I can. Remember that we are nearly 6 feet low right now, and the lake can be very dangerous to navigate. There are a lot of stumps just under the surface in areas where it was safe to run when the lake was full. Be careful!

The weather has been strange all year and July was no exception. The water temps are still very low for this time of year, while it seems hot out, it sure isn’t what the fish are used to this time of year. This has been caused by little cold fronts that are coming through on a regular basis. Finding fish right now can be challenging because they are comfortable in such a wide depth range, they can be scattered just about anywhere. In spite of all that, we are still catching good fish and I only expect it to get better. The hotter it gets, the more consistent the fishing will be. August is generally a very good month on Lake Fork. Lets just hope for some normal weather!

Right now I’m fishing a lot of depths, but I find myself close to 20′ most of the time. I narrow the depth down by keeping a close eye on my Lowrance HDS units. The right depth to be fishing will change throughout the day and everyday. I’ve been throwing all of the summertime lures like crankbaits, spoons, Carolina rigs, dropshots, and heavy shaky heads. My favorite lure this time of year is a Toadwrangler football jig because it consistently produces big fish like the one pictured below. Some days the fish can be a little jig shy, so you’ll just have to evaluate weather they will bite a big ole football jig or not. After a cool front, when the wind is calm and the barometric pressure is high, I’ll put down the jig and opt for a dropshot or shaky head.

If I can help you on your next trip to Lake Fork please let me know!

903.638.1170

The big fish are chomping right now on Fork! The past week has been very good for quality bass. Of course there have been a couple slower days when it takes a lot of work to find fish positioned in deeper feeding areas, but overall the fishing has been consistent.

Right now I’m checking a number of spots until I see what I’m looking for on my Lowrance HDS. Once we find them, I’m throwing a variety of presentations. I have a big spoon, deep diving crankbait, Toadwrangler football jig, and Carolina rig on the deck at all times. The depths I am targeting are relative to the area of the lake and cloud cover. On the northern ends of the lake the bite seems to range from 8′ to 18′. Further down the lake I am spending most of my time in 20′ to 25′. When its cloudy, finding the fish is much more challenging as a rule. On those days I look a little shallower.

The football jig has been producing some very nice fish, several of the big fish pictured below came on Toadwrangler jigs. I use a 3/4 or 1oz jig and fish it in areas where we have caught double digit fish in the past. I usually use a slow steady drag retrieve, and be sure to allow my jig to fall straight down as I bring it over limbs or laydowns. Most of the time the big fish hit it as its falling back down.

We are coming up on one of my favorite months! July is a fantastic time to fish here. The hotter it is, the better the bite seems to be. Its also nice because the heat keeps the crowds down. These fish were caught over the past couple days.

June is a fantastic month, one of my favorites! This year is proving to be the same. Even though things have been running a little late, the bite is very good right now. We have been having good trips on a regular basis. Today we had 3 fish over 8lbs in the boat, with another in the 9-10lb range throw a spoon and bounce off the side of the boat. I say they count if they touch the boat ha ha!

We caught fish today using crankbaits, spoons, and a carolina rigged worm. The best part is that I got to see my customer catch the biggest bass of his life! I see this happen almost every trip and it never gets old.

All the pictures were taken today. If you would like to go fishing in July you need to call soon!

Fishing is pretty good right now on Fork. I love summer, and it seems like the hotter it is the better the fishing gets. What makes it so exciting is the opportunity to locate schools of big bass grouped together on offshore structure. The fishing was pretty good for me last week leading up to the Skeeter Owner’s Tournament. Due to the high volume of boats on the water practicing later in the week, I opted to fish some patterns where there would be less boat traffic. We targeted bass in 1-3’ of water near areas with high concentrations of bluegill. To catch these fish we used Texas rigged soft plastics in bream colors. Getting away from the crowds paid off for my customers. We actually caught several fish in the 8-9lb range doing this, along with a decent number of smaller slot fish. I was fortunate to see customers break their personal best bass 5 of the last 6 trips.

Today I wasn’t expecting much action. The day after a mega-tournament can be tough, but it turned out great. The best thing was only seeing a couple other boats all day. We targeted fish in deeper water today with deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina rigs. We weeded through tons of sandbass, but it was worth it when those 8lb heads came up thrashing!

https://lakeforkguideandrewgrills.com

If you are interested in booking a trip call anytime! 903.638.1170

Here are some pictures from the last few trips.