On Lake Fork in January, where will you be fishing for black bass?
Fishing guide, John Morris (888-454-7037, www.jmguideservice.com) will be fishing main lake points, preferably south of the Hwy. 515 bridge. “The lake being down like it is, the fish are holding on the main lake points on isolated timber, and I will be fishing with jig or a big swim bait,” says Morris.
All of his clients want that one big bite. “When they get bit it’s going to get really interesting. In January you are not going to get a lot of fish. Most of the fish will be in the 5-10 lb. class.”
He’s keys on isolated timber in water anywhere from 4 - 14 feet deep. Choice of jig color depends on the water. If January provides lots of rain, Morris probably will tie on a black/blue jig. Right now he’s using a Water Melon Red with some green and chartreuse in it.
“Fish the jig very, very slow; you cannot fish it slow enough. At this time of the year these Florida strain bass get real lethargic. The trouble I have with customers is I can’t get them to slow down. They keep wanting to move it, move it. At this time of the year, you move it a little bit, and let it sit, move it a little bit and let it sit. They will pick it up as it falls down; you have to be on top of your game. If you feel a tick, you need to be setting the hook-a very sensitive bite.”
He prefers monofilament over braided line on his reels. “I only use braid in limited instances. Braid is too hard on my equipment, too hard on my body. I palm my reel and all the line runs right over my finger. As hard of hook set we have, I have been cut clear to the bone twice on my finger. The line is really hard on reels and guides on your rods. I know a lot of guys are using it and they like it. It’s a good sensitive line.” His choice in monofilament is 17 lb. test, clear blue fluorescent Stren.
“If the water temperatures stay down like it is right now, 52 degrees, I will use an Uncle Josh #11 black pork Frog trailer on the jig. That’s a little old school. Most everybody is using plastics.” Morris likes Uncle Josh pork rind because it’s soft and pliable and has scent in it.
If the bass are out in deeper water, 18-20 feet of water, he switches to a 6 -10 inch swim bait (Berkley or Lake Fork Trophy Lures) on a ¾ oz screw lock lead weight head. Color choice is shad with a black or blue back.
“A lot of guys jump up to a 1 oz. lead head. I use 1 ounce when I get out in 25-30 ft of water. Fish it just fast enough to give it some motion. When the bass get lethargic like they are now, their metabolism goes down where they don’t eat as much and they don’t use that much energy. You just about have to hit them in the head with the bait.”
