LAKE FORK GUIDE ANDREW GRILLS

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.

The weather is finally cooling down and we are getting some much needed rain. Temperature wise we have actually been close to a month behind. Now we are starting to see the bite pick up as the fish transition into fall patterns.

I’m focussing on shallow water primarily. There is an abundant supply of shad and bream shallow and more fish are moving in to feed up for winter.

Early in the morning, I’m fishing shallow points and flats with topwaters and swimbaits. After the sun comes up I move out a little deeper, 5-10′, and am using jigs and shaky heads around the bigger timber. Covering water is important. When we do get bit there are usually a decent number of fish in that area.

I’ve also been throwing big swimbaits quite a bit. They’re a good tool to locate bigger fish. Even if the fish don’t bite, they will often follow the bait back to the boat.

Below are some big fish we have caught recently. A couple of the photos were taken while out scouting alone on days off. November is a great month and I still have some good weekdays open. Please let me know if I can help!

The weather is finally cooling off and it is definitely affecting the fish. Fishing is improving on Lake Fork but is still pretty slow on most days for size. This month I will be running trips on some nearby lakes as well as on Lake Fork. There are some very good smaller lakes in the surrounding area that get much less pressure and still offer some big bass!

Fish are in the fall transition right now. Many are on their way to shallow water. Because we have had such a gradual cool down, some deep fish are still holding on offshore structure, however there aren’t enough fish in deep water to make that a viable pattern in my opinion. 

This month we will be focussing on shallow water. Swim jigs, chatterbaits, swimbaits, and Texas rigs are among the techniques that are effective right now. 

If you would like to enjoy some fall fishing, let me know! I still have a few weekdays left this month. Keep in mind that November is one of our best months and I have some good dates still available.

Here are some fish we caught on our last two trips.

As we endure the hottest part of the summer here on Lake Fork, catching fish can be a challenge but there are always some bass biting somewhere. With daytime highs between 100 and 110 degrees, I have been focusing on fishing at night or during the morning hours. My customers and I have managed some good sized fish lately and we have had some good trips for numbers as well. 

With the strong presence of the thermocline set in near the 20ft depth, fishing right above that zone has been key when fishing deep. There are also some fish fairly shallow. Some other nearby lakes have also been productive recently. I always try to give my customers the best opportunity to have a good trip, and once in a while that means fishing another lake. 

Here are some pictures of our recent catches. A few of these were taken while I was alone scouting for upcoming guide trips.

“Summer School Bass”

August can be one of the most difficult months to consistently catch quality bass here on Lake Fork. The deep fish have been pressured for a couple months and can be tough to catch. The shoreline usually holds some fish, but chances for good sized bass are slim. A great alternative is keeping an eye out for surface activity.

While it can be difficult to abandon the typical areas and techniques that worked so well all summer, I find I have some of my most productive days targeting “schooling bass”. Because fish are on the move, I try to be as well, watching for surface activity or birds. When we see a bird dive or a bass break the surface, it is often just the tip of the iceberg and a big time feeding frenzy is taking place below. Its also important to check areas where you’ve seen schooling activity in years past. It isn’t unusual to find bass using the same areas year after year, even though there may not be any noticeable structure nearby to attract them.

In order to catch these schooling fish, I put my slow moving, bottom crawling techniques aside. This is the time to reach for moving baits that will appeal to bass from the surface, or even those suspended in the water column. There are quite a few presentations that will work. However, my favorites are a walking topwater bait, a soft plastic jerk bait, and a big spoon.

A Spook is a great choice for a walking topwater bait. There are many other brands that work as well, and some work better on certain days. I like to have a couple sizes on hand in order to see which gets bit best, and to find out if there is potential to draw a bigger fish with the larger bait (even though it might not get as many bites). Many of us are tempted to fish these baits too slow, in order to entice a bass to bite, but I prefer a fast, erratic retrieve to get the fish to react out of impulse. I use 15lb monofilament line for this application.

Zoom’s Super Fluke is probably the most popular soft jerk bait, and I use both the standard and magnum sizes. I will rig these weightless on an EWG hook with 15lb fluorocarbon line. A moderate retrieve with a twitch and pause cadence can be effective, keeping the bait on or just below the surface. I also like to deadstick them, and count them down to the suspended fish I see on my sonar. This is a great way to get down to the bigger fish.

Finally, a spoon is one of my favorite lures any time. It will work great for catching the better quality fish in the midst of schooling activity. I let the spoon go to the bottom, then crank 3-5 times and allow it to fall back down. M-Pack Lures’ Structure Spoon is one of my favorites. I like it because the unique weedguard gives us the liberty to fish it wherever the fish are without worrying about snagging. This just hit the market and is available at some of the marinas around the lake or at mpacklures.com.

As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of ways to catch schooling bass, these are just my favorites. Hopefully these tips will help you put a few more fish in your boat and give you an extra perspective during what can be a tough month to catch them. If you would like to book a trip with me, you can reach me at (903) 638-1170 or email me andrew@lakeforkguideandrewgrills.com or visit my website: www.LakeForkGuideAndrewGrills.com.

Andrew is a professional guide on Lake Fork and is sponsored by Skeeter Boats, Nautical Mile Marine in Tyler, Costa Sunglasses, Under Armour, and M-Pack Lures.

In the heat of the summer here in east Texas, trophy bass can be hard to come by with any measure of consistency. However, one technique comes to mind that has produced numerous double-digit sized bass for us during the summer months, and that is the football jig. While other techniques might put more fish in the boat, its hard to beat a football jig for quality fish. 

Football jigs are popular across the country. Most of the various brands of football jigs are designed for lakes with less cover and smaller fish than what we’re used to here in east Texas. Many come with a light weedguard and a light wire hook. While these characteristics are great for the hookup ratio in deeper water, they’re not ideal for the size fish and cover here. That is why I choose to fish football jigs made with our bodies of water in mind.

My favorite jig is the M-Pack Lures jig. M-Pack Lures offers a fantastic flipping jig, but their football jig is the one I use most this time of year. One of the most frustrating things about jig fishing is getting hung up. The M-Pack Lures football jig has the structure guard weedguard which is very convenient when fishing heavy cover because it doesn’t hang up nearly as often as other jigs.

The first thing I look at when choosing a football jig is the hook. I like a big, sharp, beefy hook because we’re dealing with big fish here on Lake Fork. The last thing you want is to lose a giant bass because the gap wasn’t big enough or the hook straightened out. The M-Pack Lures jig features a 5/0 Gamakatsu hook which is more than enough to handle the biggest fish our lakes have to offer. 

Choosing the right equipment is very important as well. I use 20lb test fluorocarbon line and a long, heavy action rod. The fluorocarbon line is a bit more sensitive than monofilament line. You’ll need all the added sensitivity you can get when you get a light bite in deep water. As for the rod, I prefer a long rod so I can quickly take up slack on the hookset. When fishing the bottom in 25-30′ of water, there’s going to be a significant bow in the line. A longer rod will help make up for this. The rod I’m using now is 7’9”, and I feel like it is just right.

My color selection is pretty simple. I feel like many of us put too much emphasis on subtle color variations. During the summer, I like to stay with natural colors. Shades of green pumpkin, watermelon, and brown are great choices. M-Pack Lures offers a wide variety of great summertime colors. If I had to choose only one, it would probably be “mean green”.

I use two types of retrieves with a football jig. If the fish are on or near the bottom I simply drag the jig back slowly. I feel like the rocks and roots along the bottom impart plenty of action, so I rarely do much with my rod other than a slow, steady crawl. The other retrieve I use is a “stroking” retrieve. Stroking a jig is ideal when fish are suspended a few feet off the bottom, or when its necessary to trigger a reaction bite. When stroking a jig, I snap the rod upwards on semi-slack line. I repeat this all the way back to the boat. The structure guard on the M-Pack Lures jig comes in handy here because it allows you to fish the jig much more aggressively through cover without burying the hook in timber. I’ll usually try both retrieves when fishing an area. 

There are some days when you can load the boat with good numbers of quality fish on a football jig. However, to me its a tool for bigger fish. There’s always at least one rigged up on my deck during the summer months. Hopefully this will give you some ideas that will help you put a few more big bass in the boat this summer. 

Here are some nice fish we’ve caught recently on Lake Fork guide trips.

Another great trip with longtime customer, Bud and his son Jake! I warned them that the fishing may be tough but they came anyway and I’m glad they did. 

The lake is nearly full pool for the first time in years and that means lots of flooded vegetation. We figured out some key stretches and caught some good numbers of quality bass.

We had a great trip under tough conditions! We were on a larger group trip with 12 other guides and our boat led the pack with big fish. Jeff and Joe were so much fun to fish with. They knew that we were facing tough conditions with bluebird skies and North wind, but we stuck with the big fish pattern and it paid off. Best 5 weighed 35 lbs.