LAKE FORK GUIDE ANDREW GRILLS

Trophy bass fishing on world famous Lake Fork

Tag – lake fork swimbaits

May 7 Lake Fork Report

Lake Fork has produced some big fish for us the past few weeks! I have been having some great trips so far this year. Of course, there have been a some tough days here and there, but that’s to be expected with all the rain we’ve had. All in all, this has been one of my better spring seasons for quality fish. Numbers aren’t that great for anybody, but we are catching good quality.

The water level has been all over the place the past week, but it’s stabilized now. SRA has the lake just a little below full pool today, and I’m sure they’re relieved. Lake Fork looks pretty good right now considering how muddy it could be. Even the upper end areas don’t look too bad.

The fish are all over the place right now. Well, they’re not really all over the place, they’re actually in just a few places. However, you’ll find some shallow, and a few out deep. We are in that tricky transitional period that occurs every year at some point in May. It by no means marks the end of shallow fishing, but more fish are moving into their deeper patterns daily.

I’m excited about the next few weeks. May and early June were great last year for the most part here on Lake Fork. I have some different techniques and areas I’m looking forward to trying.

The following Scripture has really helped me this season. It’s one of those you hear all the time, but I have relied on this promise more than ever lately. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5 and 6.

Here are some big bass from our recent trips!

Lake Fork Report with Big Bass!

It’s hard to beat April fishing here on Lake Fork. I always look forward to this month because things start to get more consistent. The cold fronts are normally a little more spread out and the crowds aren’t quite as bad as the spring break crowds of March.

At the time of this report the water temperature is around 60 degrees. A couple cold fronts over the past few days have kept it a little lower. The water level is .31’ below full pool. We’ve had a lot of rain, but the powers that be have been keeping it a little below pool. The fish could use every inch of shoreline vegetation the lake has to offer during spawning season. 

The fishing has been great on some days and tough on others. We’ve had a lot of rain so far this year and the water level has fluctuated a good bit. When the water is rising or steady, all is well. When the level is dropping they seem to get stubborn. The muddy water, changing level, and cold fronts have kept us guides guessing. A couple days of stability usually rings the dinner bell.

This month is always a great shallow water month. We all love topwater fishing and there’s probably not a better time to do it. Shallow crankbaits and small to midsize swimbaits are big players as well. The key is covering water until you find them. Once you locate some fish, they’ll probably hang out there a few days. Timing is important as well.

Hopefully this helps point you in the right direction on your next trip to Lake Fork. If I can be of any assistance on your upcoming trip please don’t hesitate to contact me.

These are from our most recent trip with return customers Brett and Tyler! I have a lot of pictures to post, but not enough time for now. These will have to do. I don’t usually post duplicates of the same fish but that first one sure was fat. So, the first two picture are both of one fish.

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Brian and Kayla put it on them too!

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Lake Fork Guide Report for June (Pictures Included)

Lake Fork is in great shape right now as summer approaches. I feel like we had another good spawn this year. This makes the third year in a row where we’ve had noticeable success with our spawn, and we should see better numbers of fish in the upcoming years. 

Having good cover in the form of flooded vegetation or aquatic vegetation is critical for the survival of freshly hatched baby bass. Thankfully, we’ve had an abundant amount of it over the past three spring seasons. 

Lake Fork is right at full pool. That’s a great thing as we head into summer. The water is still in the low to mid 70’s due to some recent “below average” temperatures.

May was a pretty good month for fishing. Numbers were great on the good days, and we had a lot of big fish as well. I’m betting June will be another good month.

Right now we are transitioning from the more shallow patterns of spring, to traditional summertime fishing. While fish can still be caught shallow all summer, the majority of the quality bass will be deeper.

We are already finding bass on deep offshore structure, and many more will show up out there soon. The depth they are holding really just depends on the area of the lake, but at the time of this report most of the deeper fish seem to prefer a depth somewhere in the mid 20’s. I find them a little more shallow on the upper ends of the lake.

I have two favorite techniques for early summer here on Lake Fork: deep crank baits and football jigs. These just seem to work best for me for bigger fish. Sure, I can catch some on big worms or Carolina rigs if I have to, but I prefer the other methods for now.

For the jig, I use a Santone football head in 3/4 oz. and 1 oz. I use several different colors. My favorites are “beans and carrots”, “pb&j”, and “Mexican heather”. If the water is clear, ” bullfrog” is my top choice. 

I use several different crank bait brands, but the one I throw the most is the DUO Realis G87. It’s a Japanese bait that casts extremely far and dives deeper than 20′ with ease. Lake Fork Marina and Oak Ridge carry this brand and the colors I use. I primarily use the deeper diving 20A model.

The problem with offshore fishing on Lake Fork nowadays is seemingly everybody knows how to do it. Even the less obvious areas are getting hit pretty hard. The key may be finding some “off the wall” area that everyone else will overlook. I used to fish deeper offshore structure exclusively throughout the summer, but now I supplement some shallow to mid-depth patterns because of the increasing pressure from anglers out deeper.

Hopefully this report points you in the right direction. As always, I’m happy to help any way I can so feel free to contact me before your trip.img_2791img_2817img_2782img_2792

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May 1 Lake Fork Report with Pictures!

 

May has arrived and the weather has continued to keep us guessing here on Lake Fork. Some heavy rains and the flood gates being open have kept our water level fluctuating over the past few weeks. The higher water couldn’t have come at better time for the fish. The flooded cover and new vegetation is the perfect protection for the newly hatched bass fry, and we will reap the benefits of this years spawn for years to come. This make 3 years in a row that we have had good protection for the hatch in the spring time. Lake Fork should continue to impress in the future!

As for the fishing right now, it has been a challenge to keep up with the changing conditions. However, we have managed to have some great days on the water this past month. May is usually much more stable weather-wise, and I believe it will be a fantastic month of fishing.

The bass are finished spawning for the most part, and that means they’re hungry and actively feeding in recovery. The spawning ritual takes a lot out of them, so when they’re done licking their wounds they put the feed bag on so to speak. May is probably the best month to fish Lake Fork for consistency and numbers of quality fish.

There are many ways to potentially catch them throughout the month of May. I will be starting most of my mornings with topwaters. If there is wind or clouds, that bite could extend throughout the day. Afterwards, I will continue to fish shallow early in the month. Pitching texas rigs, carolina rigs, and swimbaits will be my first options.

I normally concentrate in areas where fish make pit stops on their migration from spawning areas back out to the main lake. Points and secondary points are the primary structure they use this time of year. As the month progresses, some fish will start showing up on deep offshore structure. There are already a few fish on some deep spots. This is when I use my electronics to find them.

When I’m targeting deep fish this month a Santone football jig will be my first choice. It produces so many quality fish for me, it’s my first recommendation for a big bite. Deep cranks, carolina rigs, and spoons are also going to be useful tools.

Hopefully this report gives you some ideas that will help you this month. If you need any assistance on your upcoming trip, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

The following pictures are some highlights of our recent trips.

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April 4 Lake Fork Report with lots of Big Bass Pictures!

What a month March was for big bass! The spring fishing season is going by fast here on Lake Fork. Right now, the water temperature is ranging from 65-70 degrees just depending on the area. The lake level is just under 2′ low.

Unusually warm temperatures throughout March and February triggered many of our fish to move up and spawn. Normally, the spawn is staggered out in stages from the upper ends of the lake down to the dam. Fish move up in waves and there are usually plenty of prespawn and postspawn fish, as well as fish on beds all at any given time. This year it sure seems like most of the fish moved up over the past few weeks.

That’s a great, however short lived scenario for bed fishermen. Not so good for those of us who target hungry pre and post spawners. The good news is that dilemma is almost behind us. April will be a month of postspawn feeding action. All those bass that moved up in March are going to be feeding up this month.

Areas to look for large groups of fish will be the mouths of spawning areas, secondary points on the way out, and main lake points as well. Topwaters will be good early, and there will be some days where the action continues into the afternoon. I’ll be focusing primarily on shallow areas, so square bills, swim jigs, chatterbaits, and light carolina rigs will be important tools.

I’m really looking forward to the fishing this month. I think it will be good, very good. If I can be of any assistance on your upcoming trip, please don’t hesitate to call.

Below are some pictures of big bass boated by my customers and I over the last few weeks here on Lake Fork.

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March 8, Lake Fork Report and Big Bass Pictures!

Fishing is good on Lake Fork right now. The lake is in great shape this year and our overall numbers of fish are better at this time and than in the last several years. We are now reaping the benefits of the good spawns we had in 2015 and 2016.

Lake Fork is currently 2.04 feet below full pool. I would prefer it to be full right now, but we have to be thankful it’s not lower with all of the water Dallas has been pumping. There is still a good amount of shallow cover to protect this year’s hatch.

The water temperature is ranging from the upper 50s to the low 60s across the lake. We had an unusually warm February, and things are shaping up for an early spring. We actually caught a 9 pound fish in early February that appeared to be spawning. The warmer weather definitely made the bigger fish harder to pattern. However, now that we are into March, big fish are moving into spawning areas on the mid to upper end of the lake, and pre-spawn staging areas as well.

I’ve been finding fish and very shallow water out to about 12 feet deep. Most of my catches have been point related and near timber. Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, and swim jigs have been producing well for me. I’m also catching some nice fish and swim baits.

If I can be of any assistance to you on your upcoming trip to Lake Fork, or if you’re looking for a Lake Fork guide, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

 

Here are some of our recent catches. I try not to do more than one photo of the same fish, but below there are couple giants worth a second look!

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