Spring is on the way!  We are having some very warm weather, and some bass are moving into the shallow water already.  Valentine's Day for us is when spring fishing really kicks off.  Lake Fork produced a giant 16 pound bass that was donated to the ShareLunker program the first week of February and that made the second lunker for the season.  There was another 13+ bass caught but not donated.  The ShareLunker Program is a great program that benefits old and new lakes as well as the angler that donates the bass.  If you would like to learn more, please visit  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/

  Well, I can tell you that it is plenty hot right now!   Day fishing has been pretty good overall for this time of the year if you can handle the heat.  We have been having some breeze if not downright windy days which makes it a lot more tolerable.  Not to mention drinking lots of water and sports drinks, also wearing a good sunscreen, hat or cap and wearing good fishing apparel that protects yet breathes.  It is so important to stay hydrated and that means starting the day before you plan on being out in the heat. 

  For Day fishing, we are fishing more half days than anything and starting out right at daylight so that we can get our clients off the water before it gets so hot.  On these mornings, we are using some Top water baits or buzzbaits very early over grass.  We are starting to get some really good grass now, but very little on top.  We are fishing a lot of points and humps at various depths depending on the day.  I know this sounds really vague, but it is the truth.  The bass are following the shad and so you have to locate the bass that are willing to bite.  By mid morning we move out to deeper water, sometimes 18 – 25 ft. using drop shots, heavy football jigs, Carolina rigs, plastic worms and some crankbaits.

   One of my favorite times to fish right now is in the evening starting about 5:00 p.m. for some great bites.  We are using some spinner baits, drop shot, and plastic worms in 8 – 25 ft.  The reason for such a depth difference is because of how we are fishing some of the areas and moving back and forth.   Carolina rigs have also been productive in some areas as the bass have been suspending off the bottom.  One of the techniques that we use in some of the deeper water is fishing a heavy 1 ounce spinner bait off the bottom.  I am sure that some of the swim baits will work out there also.

  Some of these deep water areas aren’t just producing good bass, but some great White bass also.  We have been having a lot of fun with the White bass and catching enough to have a great fish fry!  You can catch the White bass on a good number of different types of baits that have treble hooks, but we prefer to use single hook baits whenever possible.  It makes them easier to get off without getting finned.  If you want to have a fish fry, Lake Fork has a large supply of White bass and we will fillet and bag them for you at the end of our fishing trip.  Time for a fish fry!!  The crappie are doing good under the bridges and in brush piles.  Right now you can catch them on minnows or jigs and some really good ones are being caught.  Our water temperature has been running about 85 degrees.

  This is normally my favorite time to night fish, but we have had a lot of wind this year and it seems to pick up during the night.  We are still catching some good bass but the bigger ones have been harder to come by when we have to deal with the wind.  We have had some really good nights however and it is pretty spectacular out on the lake right now, as this is when we have the most meteor showers.  Our night bass have been coming on 7” worms, 12” worms, and jigs.  Some bass coming on spinner baits especially during the dark of the moon.  Most popular time to night fish is 3 or 4 nights before and after the full moon and we are going to have two full moons this month.  I am really looking forward to the next full moon and have high expectations.

  Fall is just around the corner and it should be great this year!  With the grass coming on and the lake having water in it, we should have an excellent fall.  There are tons of shad on the lake, so the Bass and the White bass will have plenty to fatten up on.  We are booking now for fall, so call or email and get your date for a great fishing trip on Lake Fork.  If you just want to go catch fish or learn a specific technique, we can do the job and make it fun.  We look forward to hearing from you and fishing with you.

  Well, here we are… finally getting some rain.  Some very well needed rain, but we still could use a lot more.  There are plenty of ramps for launching.   However, if you haven’t been on the lake in a while, you really need to be careful.  There are still stumps just barely under the surface that can do a lot of damage.  Or, to be on the safe side, just hire us to guide you and that way you don’t even have to go looking for the fish!

  Last week was really nice.  Finally the fall feed was on and should continue till the middle of December.  Tons of shad and lots of schooling bass are in the creeks and on the sides of points.  We don’t have much grass this year so you have to hunt the schools down around the creeks and timber.  That is unless you are lucky enough to be close when they come up to the top.  Last week we boated 232 bass in seven days, and just had one client in the boat all seven days.  We lost about 50 bass, but overall, I call that some pretty good catching.

  With the water cooling off the big bass will start showing up on a regular basis.  Water temperature has been about 62 to 64 degrees in the areas that we are fishing.  A lot of the big bass are going to be caught on jigs and worms in the shallower water (5 ft. – 15 ft.) and on spoons and jigs in deeper water (15ft. – 25 ft.), and should really get going anytime now.

  We didn’t have any really big bass last week, but we really didn’t fish for the bigger ones.  But we did have a lot of the 3 to 5 pound bass that Lake Fork is famous for.  Everybody had lots of fun with just getting the bite and fighting these strong bass to the boat.

  We are again offering our crappie special for this fall.  That’s $325.00 for 1 – 3 people and we furnish all the tackle and baits.  We also fillet your catch and bag them up for you to take home to enjoy.  In fact, we are getting ready to go crappie fishing this Friday.  Should be lots of fun!    The Yellow bass and Sand bass are doing great also.  Catching a lot on jigging spoons. 

  CHRISTMAS IS GETTING CLOSE,  and we offer great gift certificates that will make a wonderful gift for the angler that is just learning to fish or the seasoned angler.  Anglers love it when they can just fish and not have to search for the fish or run the trolling motor… especially when it is windy! 

   Yes, it’s hot, but so is the bass fishing!  Just like the last time Lake Fork got low, the fish kept biting through the summer.  We have been catching 18 – 30 bass on our ½ day morning trips.  Most people are not fishing all day, so most of our day fishing trips start at daylight and finish about 11:00a.m.  You still need plenty of water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a cap or hat.  If you plan a fishing trip or any activity outdoors right now, you can start by drinking plenty of water the day and night before.  It is very important to keep your body hydrated!  While doing whatever activity, if you start getting a headache or feeling bad, you need to get out of the sun for awhile.  This is why night fishing can be more enjoyable during the summer months.

   I think this good fishing will last through the summer, and a lot of fun is to be had.  The neat thing about the day fishing is that we are not fishing over 12 foot of water, and catching some big bass.  That’s Florida strain bass for you!  There are also a lot of bass in the deep water if that is what you like to do.  When we have gone out deep, it is almost like fall and winter fishing where you can catch bass, crappie, cat fish, yellow bass and sand bass all on jigging spoons.  We like to use jigs and worms out deep right now and you can eliminate most everything except the bass and an occasional catfish.

   Most of our bass are coming on Texas rigged 8” worms and flukes when in breaking fish.  The majority of our bass have been over 3 lbs., in fact, we are having a hard time catching under the slot bass.  We are night fishing this week with us just being past the full moon.  Now would be a good time to book a night trip for the last of July and August.  We have been out at night and it’s a lot cooler and some great catching.  Most of the better bass are coming on 10” worms in blue fleck or black and blue, and a 3/8 oz. Johnson Custom Baits jig in 3’ – 8’, on points and timber.

   August and September are going to be really good with the lake down and I don’t think it will be up until October starts and we get some weather out of the Gulf.  October and November always offer up some great fishing on Lake Fork.  These are our two busiest months in the fall and the bass, crappie, yellow bass, and sand bass are very cooperative. 

    We would love for you to fish with us in the fall and if you are locked into having to fish just weekends, try to book as soon as you can, as the weekends always book up first.  We will have a new post soon  after we do these night fishing trips this week and let you know what is happening.  If you are an experienced angler, you don’t have to fish just around the full moon.  The dark of the moon can be a lot of fun also, so you might want to give it a chance.

   Have a great and safe summer!  We look forward to seeing you on the lake!

   Tight Lines,

   Mark and Barbara Stevenson

Special February 2011 Report

February guide trip special:  $300.00 for a full day and $175.00 for a half day guide trip.

  We understand that the economy is slow , so we are rolling back our prices so that you can come to Lake Fork and have a great guide trip to catch the bass of a lifetime, or learn new techniques.  Enjoy this special while it lasts. 

  Super Bowl will be over on Sunday and we all hope to enjoy a great game and good commercials!  Most of the snow and ice will be gone, and the sun will start warming the water.  We have already seen 54 degree water in some areas of the lake, so at least we had a start before this weather hit.  From the end of the second week to the end of February, we will make it easy to get in an early spring trip and save some money.  Book a trip for the month of February and it will only cost you $300.00 for a full day trip, and $175.00 for a half day trip.

  The last 2 weeks of February should be really good.  With this much cold weather now, the bass will really be starting to get active with any warm-up and there has been no pressure on the bass for 3 weeks.  Come fishing with us and you can expect to be using Rattletraps, Spinnerbaits, Jerkbaits, and Chatterbaits for some fine fishing and a chance to catch a giant pre-spawn bass.

  We really don’t have any kind of report for this last week because of the brutal cold.  Mark had to cancel his Wednesday trip, and rescheduled it for later in the month.  We both fished Friday and Saturday, and the bass bit good on Friday around the timber.  Saturday slowed down, but still caught some around the stumps with grass around them.  The fish were caught both days on Traps, Drop-Shot, and Wacky Worms.

Forecast:

  The last two weeks of February will be pretty good this year because the lake is down and there will be lots of the tree lines in the right depth to gang up prespawn bass.  It should be really good for casting those moving baits.  March will be March, as usual! There will be great days and some slow days, but every day you will have a chance to catch a fish of a lifetime.  Spend all of your time in 12 foot or less and you will be in the zone.

  The moving baits such as Spinnerbaits, Traps, Chatterbaits, and Suspending Jerkbaits will help you locate the active areas.  Then you can switch to Jigs, Lizards, and soft plastic Jerkbaits.  Also A light Carolina Rig, which you can really work an area over with really well.

  Give us a call and we will take you out and show you how to locate the big Lake Fork bass!  Let’s go fishing!

  Tight Lines,

  Mark and Barbara

  After thought – Barbara’s broken wrist is healing and she needs to go fishing to get her strength back.  What a rehab program!

   Happy New Year

  We hope you all had a great holiday season!  Wow, it is hard to believe it is already 2011, and time to get your boats out of storage and serviced (for those that don’t fish through the winter).  Also now is a good time to replace hooks that have rusted and organize your tackle for the upcoming season.  Don’t take any chances of missing or losing that big bass you have been after, because of equipment.  One good thing to do is, take a Q-Tip and go around the inside of all your guides on your rods and make sure you don’t have any broken or cracked guides.  If the Q-Tip catches and pulls some of the cotton, you may want to replace that guide, as sooner or later it will cause your line to fray.

  It’s not far from spring, so it’s also time check your schedule and get your trips booked, so you can catch your bass of a lifetime.  We fished just before the New Year and Earl C. from Tulsa caught an 11 pound beauty.  Robert F. and son-in-law fished with me on December 28^th, and no big bass, but Eric caught his biggest bass ever, a fat 5 pounder on a spinnerbait.  The most bass were caught on jigs, fished real slow along stumps with grass around them.  These bass were caught in 2-8 foot of water.  Depending on what part of the lake that you are fishing, the depth will vary with the grass.  But remember, this is Lake Fork!  Although you can catch bass in a lot of different depths of water, we can generally always go to the grass and catch bass.

   Lots of fish in the deep water, as in 20 – 30 foot, but the wind has really hurt us on some days.  When you can get out there, spoons will catch you crappie, sand bass, yellow bass, catfish, and some really good black bass.  All off the same spot!  Drop shot is a great way to go also; using small worms will catch you a lot of small fish in the deep water on the main lake if the wind will let you move around and search the points and humps until you find shad with bass around them.  Swim baits can be another good option for searching out the big bass.

  The way it looks right now, late January and all of February could be really good with the lake down like it is.  We probably won’t get a lot of rain until late February or March.  The last time we went into spring with the lake low we really caught a lot of big bass on Rattletraps, Spinnerbaits, and Jigs.

  If you like to fish the trap and spinners, February would be a good time to come down and we can show you a lot of good places and also catch some great bass.

  We will be at the Texas Fishing, Hunting, and Outdoors Show at Market Hall in Dallas from January 6 – 9^th, 2011.  We will be in booth 346, come on by and see us, and also catch one of our seminars.  We will also be offering a special on trips if you sign up at the show.  We look forward to fishing with you or seeing you on the water this year.

Good Fishing,

Mark and Barbara

It’s the first of September and two good cold fronts have gone through so far.  The water temperature has fallen to approximately 87 degrees.  Night fishing was a lot of fun this summer, but more wind than we would like for the most part.  Now time to get back into day fishing full time.  For the last two weeks there has been lots of schooling bass on the grass points and over small creeks in 14 – 20 foot of water.  These schooling bass have been pretty easy to catch on topwater, spinnerbaits, and small crankbaits.  For the topwater baits, we are using a popping bait, or a Zara spook.  Frogs and Horny Toads are also making a comeback in the early morning.  The Limit Getter in Chartreuse and White or White made by Johnson Custom baits and their 3/8 or ½ ounce Pescado is our best producing spinnerbaits.  Size and color depends on the color and depth of water that we are fishing.

The McDonald’s tournament will be here September 17 – 19^th.  After that is over with the pressure will be off the bass and we will start catching lots of the better bass.   Also, when the water temperature reaches 80 degrees and less… look out!

Right now, to catch the bigger bass, 5 lbs. and over, we are fishing jigs, worms, and big crankbaits in 14-18 foot of water.  This depth seems to be the most active feeding zone for the bigger bass.  Our last four trips out have been half days and once we get on an active spot we are able to catch 15-20 pretty quick.  This trend should last until the last of November, with more and more of the bigger bass showing up.

We are getting all of our fall baits ready by replacing broken or rusted hooks and looking forward to you calling and getting your trips booked for the great fall season.  The lake is in great shape with lots of vegetation and lots of shad to fatten the bass up. 

We will be posting an updated report in about 10 days, so be sure to check back.  Remember, we offer gift certificates for any or no occasion.  Christmas is getting close, and a guided trip is a wonderful gift for anyone that enjoys fishing.

SET THE HOOK,

Mark and Barbara