LAKE FORK GUIDE ANDREW GRILLS

Incredible afternoon on Lake Fork today! I usually don’t mention much about numbers, but this afternoon was incredible. On a late half-day trip we boated 37 largemouth in only 3 hours, losing probably 8-10 fish at the boat on crankbaits (several of those fish were over 7lbs). Along with the largemouth me and my customer caught over 70 white bass. What a fun day! The kicker is that we only had two bass under 4lbs! They were all good quality fish. A day to remember for sure. We actually caught several fish that were bigger than most pictured, but the action was so fast and furious we didn’t take the time to take pictures. The wind was howling and just the time it took to unhook fish we would blow off the spot. This kind of action is not typical, but this is why we love Lake Fork!

If you would like to book a trip with me, please call (903) 638-1170

https://lakeforkguideandrewgrills.com

I have a few opening left this month, and a few more for June.

This spring has been crazy weather wise. You can see in a few of the recent pictures we were bundled up like it was February! There have been small waves of fish come and go, just to be pushed back off with the severe cold fronts we have had on a weekly basis. However, we are still catching some nice fish.

I’m really excited about this month. May is one of the best months to fish Lake Fork and I believe it will be a very good one this year! Look forward to starving post-spawn fish setting up on deeper structure. This is when I have a carolina rig, football jig, deep running crankbait, and spoon on the deck. Dont forget about the early morning topwater bite. It can be a ton of fun, and if we have some vegetation pop up, the frog bite can last all day long. Its tough to beat a yellow magic or a frog. A Spook or sammy is good as well.

There are specific areas where these fish show up. Right now, I look at the first staging area on the way out of a spawning flat, but you will be suprised how fast they will show up on some regular “summer” spots. Expect to catch some fish in very deep water as well. The thermocline wont set up for a bit, so fish have the option of very deep water. Once it really warms up, the thermocline will push fish out of the extreme depths. I’m looking forward to trying out the strike king 10XD on the deeper fish! https://lakeforkguideandrewgrills.com

Lake Fork is fishing good right now. The water temperature is 59-62 degrees from the dam to the head of the lake. I expect it will drop a little this coming week because of the cold front, but I believe the bite should hold up. I believe some prespawn staging fish will hold back, and stay where they are, while fish that are already on beds will stay. There will also be a wave come up with the full moon, despite the cold front. It’s shaping up to be a good spring. I think we will have several waves of fish coming up over the next month, instead of almost all at once like last year.

There are a couple dependable patterns going right now. The location is definitely the key. Some areas of the lake are fishing great while other places where we usually catch them this time of year aren’t holding catchable fish. There are a lot of fish on beds on the upper half of the lake on both arms. I am doing some sight fishing for the spawning fish with a wide variety of Texas rigged plastics. I like craws, tubes, and lizards. I will experiment with colors on tough to catch fish. If they’re catchable, there is usually a certain color or profile the fish will respond to. Sometimes it takes a natural color, but often it’s a bright flashy color that gets the fish to respond. When I see a bigger female, I usually use a jig. Something about a jig just has big fish appeal, and bigger fish seem to respond to a jig well. I also have a much better hook-up and landing ratio with a jig for bed fish. Sight fishing isn’t for everybody, so I don’t do it all the time. However, if you want a good chance for a trophy fish it is a good way to do it right now.

Another pattern is fishing for prespawn fish. These fish are still actively feeding and are fatter than ever. I’m targeting these fish on points, secondary points, and break-lines in 5-20 feet of water near spawning areas. I know, that’s a pretty wide range. The depth is secondary to the structure. These fish are relating to the drop-offs more than a certain depth. I’m using Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, and shaky heads for these fish. I have experimented with several colors and many are working. I think the main thing is fishing extremely slow.

I hope this helps you catch them on your next trip to Lake Fork.

I am still available for some April dates and have a few for May as well. (903) 638-1170

These pictures are from the past few days here.

This is the 10lb 14ounce hawg Charlie caught with me. This was his personal best, and his dad was with us to enjoy it. She came on a carolina rig in 19’ of water.

Now is the time to catch a giant! The water temerature is ranging from 51-53 degrees. I’m looking for big fish in creek channels adjacent to spawning flats and on secondary points. Fish are making their way to spawning areas in waves in the warmer areas of the lake. I’m using shakyheads, jigs, lipless crankbaits, and square billed crankbaits to catch ’em. When its cloudy and windy its hard to beat a lipless crankbait. Squarebilled cranks are working better when its more calm. When we get tough conditions I reach for a shakeyhead on light line. And, ofcourse if you’re looking for that one big bite, a jig is a great choice.

Right now I have 2/27, 3/6, 3/7, 3/13, 3/14, 3/30, and 3/31 open.