LAKE FORK GUIDE ANDREW GRILLS

This has been a fantastic year so far for big bass here on Lake Fork. However, our overall numbers of fish have been lower. That wasn’t the case this week! We had good numbers and some really nice fish as well. I’m still catching fish shallow but some big ones are already showing up deep. I believe the key to our success on the better days has been covering a lot of water and hitting productive spots a few times throughout the day. Letting an area rest and replenish for a couple hours is adding to our numbers considerably.

I’m checking deep spots every afternoon and already graphing some wolf packs of bass on deep structure. Over the next several days I expect more fish to migrate to these areas. The shallow bite should remain consistent for weeks to come with all the shallow vegetation and normal lake level.

Here are some nice ones we caught on recent trips.

What an unusual year it has been so far! Water temperatures are still in the mid to upper 60’s and the lake level is slightly above full pool. We had a some heavy rains over this past week, therefore the water is somewhat stained and the gates are open at the dam to keep up with the rising water. These conditions make for some tough fishing here on Lake Fork.

However, I’ve been very fortunate to have very understanding customers the past two weeks who have been willing to go for broke and try to catch a giant bass. My philosophy is if we aren’t going to catch many anyway, the ones we do catch might as well be big! 

Things will stabilize eventually and fishing will get back to normal, but until then we will continue to do our best to put a few big bass in the boat on a daily basis.

Here are some trophies from the past two weeks:

Lake Fork is in great shape right now, considering the amount of rainfall we’ve had. The lake level is back down to full-pool now, although it reached nearly two feet above that at its’ highest point last week. Surprisingly, the water looks pretty good in most areas. The slightly stained water and flooded cover will provide much needed protection for our fish as the spawn continues.
We are ahead of schedule this year with water temperatures in the mid 60’s, even on the South end of the lake. Some areas are getting above 70 degrees already! There are some fish on beds in nearly any creek or pocket on the lake, with more to come. There are even some post-spawn fish biting already. 
So far, this week has been pretty good for big fish and numbers. I’m attempting to stay on bigger, prespawn fish as they move into spawning areas. Often, this means sacrificing quantity for quality, but some decent numbers can still be caught even when targeting big fish. The best bait so far has been a Smashtech Convict swimbait. It’s a 7” weedless bait that can be presented in heavy cover without hanging up. It is responsible for most of the big fish pictured recently in my boat. The Convict is available at Oak Ridge Marina, or can be ordered on Smashtech’s website. The key areas have been around the flooded brush and patches of grass. I’m focusing on areas close to spawning flats, these may be secondary or main lake points, shallow pond dams, or even straight stretches leading in.
At times, when the bite really slows down or there is no wind, I can hit shallow areas and cast a weightless soft plastic to pick up some numbers. I’ve been having best results with a rattlesnake or senko rigged wacky style on a weedless hook. The key is to find some areas with grass or flooded brush. Finding the right flooded cover takes some time, as most of the visible cover is very shallow. I’m doing better around the vegetation that is in 3 feet or more of water. Pockets on the main lake or in bigger creeks have been good. I think slowing way down has helped a lot. We catch most of these fish while the bait is sitting totally still for a few seconds.
Hopefully you’ll find some of this information useful, whether you want to swing for the fences and get a big one, or play it safe and catch some numbers. 
The fish pictures below are from the past week. It’s been great to see personal best records in the boat nearly everyday!
   
    
   

I have to admit, I’ve been I little lazy about posting fresh reports over the past few weeks. I’ve been too busy fishing! 😀 

A quick update on current Lake Fork conditions: Lake Fork is .25 feet above full pool. We have some rain in the extended forecast so that may fluctuate in the near future. Water temperatures are in the upper 50’s to low 60’s. The fishing has been a little slow for numbers but decent for size. This will likely improve over the next couple weeks as fish move into spawning and prespawn areas. Other nearby lakes are often producing better for now. These lakes get much less pressure than Lake Fork, and if a short drive is what it takes to give customers the opportunity for a great trip, I don’t hesitate.

Below are some big fish highlights from the past few weeks. Keep in mind some of these big fish were taken while I was alone scouting.

We had a great time this year at the 4th Annual TFF Lake Fork Guide Tournament! This is a fun event where guides along with one or two customers each get to compete for bragging rights and some prizes. This year there were 33 Lake Fork guides entered. 

Our team had a good day with a 2nd place finish and a 5 bass total of 27.56lbs. Congratulations to Gary Paris and his team for the win. If the weather holds up we are in for some heavyweight bass this month!

Here are some pictures from our day.

Here are couple good ones while I was out scouting. Fork is muddy to stained even on the lower end from all the rain lately, but there are still some good ones to be caught. A dry forecast ahead should make it better. Water temps around 48-50 for now.
I still have some dates open the last week of January and some good weekdays in February. Let me know if I can help if you are looking for a Lake Fork Guide.

If you’ve been watching national news lately you know we’ve been having some crazy weather here in east Texas. Lake Fork was almost 8′ low this time last year, but with record rainfall we are above full pool. We had some flood issues right after Christmas so Lake Fork is now high and muddy. 

This is a tough scenario for fishing and it will take a week or so for things to settle down and the bass to get comfortable again. One good thing is we have many other good bass fisheries near Lake Fork where we can go have a chance at some big bass.

If you’re interested in booking a fishing guide on Lake Fork please don’t hesitate to call! I still have some great spring time dates and keep in mind that February, although cold, is the best big fish month of the year. Here are a few nice ones like you’ll have an opportunity to catch on Lake Fork this winter!

   
    
 
Nice double double on the umbrella rig

I love this time of year! The next three months are the best of the year to bag a true trophy Lake Fork bass. If you’re serious about an opportunity at a double digit, you can’t beat winter.

I have some good days still available for guide trips. Also, for December and January The Minnow Bucket Marina is running a special on their already low rates for the hotel. Rent one night, get one free! Two days of fishing are better than one.

Here are this week’s big bass pics, and it’s only gonna get better.