It continued to be windy and cold her at Lake fork this week. The water temperatures dropped 2 to 3 degrees, back to the mid 60’s. The water clarity is still stained in the upper creeks and lightly stained in the lower portions of the lake. The Bass fishing was just fair this week due to the high winds and stained water. The only thing that stayed constant was the Zoom watermelon/red fluke bite. We dyed the tail chartreuse to make it stand out in the stained water. The next thing that was constant was the Buddy’s Custom Baits watermelon/candy/red Stick O and Boss Hog baits remained a great go to bait in the afternoons. We wacky rigged the Stick O bait and dyed the tail chartreuse. Since we were fishing a lot of Hydrilla, we put a nail in the head of the Stick O bait to get the Stick O down in the dense Hydrilla. I rigged the Boss Hog on a ¼-ounce shaky head jig and flipped it around isolated small stumps and in the buck brush. You might note that we also dyed the back tails of the Boss Hog chartreuse. On our equipment list, this week is our ranger 520c powered by an Mercury 250 Pro XS, ABU Garcia reels, Duckett rods, Stren line, Buddy’s Custom Baits and Zoom soft plastics.
The Crappie fishing remained great this week. The Crappies are still in 2 to 4 foot of water trying to spawn. The basic minnow rig is the best way to catch a limit of Crappies in a very short period.
The White Bass are on the move back to deeper water. Look for them in 10 to 12 foot of water. The ¼-ounce white and orange Crappie jig tipped with a minnow is still the easiest way to catch them.
The Catfish are also in the shallow water getting ready to spawn. Minnows were the bait of choice. Punch bait also worked on a number 6 treble hook.
I believe the Bass spawn is going to last into May this year due to the water conditions and weather. I have a few days open for guided Bass trips in May and June. Give me a call at (903) 413-6919 or E-mail me at [email protected]. Have a great fishing week and be courteous to your fellow anglers and guides!
