It was a hot week here at Lake Fork. The water temperatures are in upper 80’s and the water clarity of the lake is good. The Bass fishing is great. The Skeeter Owners Bass Tournament just finished and 17 over the slot fish were weighted in. An 11.06 pound Bass won the over the slot prize and a 3.02-pound Bass won the biggest Bass under the slot. The Strike King Gizzard Shad KVD 1.5 was still the top bait from daylight to 0745. After that we went to the Carolina rigged Buddy’ Custom Baits watermelon candy red Boss Hog. Oh, by the way do not forget to dye the tails of the Boss Hog chartreuse. The best water depth was between 22 and 24 feet on top of brush piles. Several small fish are being caught on a drop-shot rig in 16 to 23 foot of water using a Zoom purple finesse bait or a Buddy’s Custom Baits tomato finesse bait.
The Crappie fishing was still good this week. We did have to change our Crappie jig color to blue/white with a chartreuse tail. Joe Spaits 1/8 ounce Crappie jig worked the best. Look for them in 22 to 25 foot of water over isolated brush piles. When the Crappie fishing slowed down, we tipped the jig with a minnow.
The White Bass fishing remained good. The better White bass are in 26 to 30 foot around old trees and isolated brush piles. Rely on your electronics to pin point their location. If you have structure scan on your electronics use it to located isolated schools of White Bass. Blue and white Joe Spaits ¼ ounce Crappie Jigs tipped with a minnow worked just fine.
The Catfishing was great this week. We found the better Catfish in 22 to 24 foot of water around brush piles. Use ¼-ounce blue/white/chartreuse Joe Spaits Crappie jigs tipped with a good-sized minnow. You will have fun!
On our equipment list this week is our Ranger Z520c powered by a Mercury 250 Pro XS, Lowrance electronics with structure scan, Duckett rods, ABU Garcia reels, Stren line, Buddy’s Custom Baits and Strike King KVD crankbaits.
The summer heat is with us. Here at J & M Guide Service we have several days open for Bass, Crappie and White Bass guided fishing trips for July and August. Give us a call at (903) 413-6919 or E-mail us at [email protected]. Have a safe fishing week and stay hydrated.
