September is here folks! I’m always excited for this month to arrive as summer leaves us and the beginning of the fall season ushers in cooler temperatures as well as some fantastic bass fishing. There are a number of anglers getting ready for the Annual Mad Dog Moore and Bob Sealy’s Big Bass Splash this month. The lake is doing well and shaping up for some big catches to be brought to the scales. Here are some tips that may help you land that winning tournament fish or help you catch your new personal best while you are visiting Lake Fork.

Lake Fork is currently holding fairly steady at just over 1 foot low. With fairly mild summer and most of the hot days behind us the evaporation rate has slowed considerably. Water temperatures have been ranging in the low to mid 80’s. These lower temperatures have caused the lake to go thru its initial phase of “turning over”. This is when the water on top of the water column cools and becomes heavier. It then falls to the bottom and pushes the warmer water below up. This process will progress as the month moves along and affects the fish and the fishing considerably as the water clarity diminishes as well as the oxygen levels. The fishing during this time of year can be very tricky to say the least. With the lake conditions in transition and weather that changes daily you have to be ready to conform to whatever the fish want on a daily basis. On some days I will have up to a dozen rods on the deck of my Ranger boat ready to attack at every angle both shallow and deep.

Fishing shallow is the most consistent bite this month as the lake finishes its transition period. I like to target water that’s 15 feet or less. As the shad move up shallow the bass will follow. Top waters lures are an EXCELLENT way to get the day started. I am throwing a variation of popping, walking, and frog style top water baits around shallow grass beds, pepper grass, or lily pads but my “go to” bait this fall so far has been the new Santone Lures Lake Fork Braid Buzz. It’s a heavy duty buzz bait that drives these Lake Fork bass crazy. I’ve been having some real good days with it when the conditions are right! Just make sure you have the proper equipment to throw it on. You’ll need a 7’3”-7’6” medium heavy rod and a high speed reel like the Abu Garcia Revo Rocket which is a 9:1 ratio reel but a minimum of a 7:1 ratio is best. The most productive color for me has been just plain white. There is a lot of grass showing up on certain parts of the lake right now and the fish are moving heavily towards it. Some of this grass is on main lake and is scattered all the way to the back of some of the creeks. After the top water bite slows down, I am switching to wacky style worms like the Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper 6.25 or a weightless Havoc Jerk and fishing it slow around the same vegetation. Best colors have been June bug and watermelon candy in the Bottom Hopper and disco shad or watermelon silver color in the Jerk. I have also been using a Texas rigged 7” or 10” Berkley Power worm to probe the grass and any standing timber close by these areas. On my Texas rig I am using a 5/16 to 3/8 oz Elite Tungsten weight. I tie a 4/0 hook to 15 lb test Trilene 100% fluorocarbon. Match this with a 7’3” med hvy Abu Garcia Villain 2.0 rod and Revo MGX reel and you will be in action! Best colors are June bug, watermelon candy, blue fleck, and plum. When the fish are active or the wind is blowing good I have been fishing a Berkley Pitbull square billed crank bait, or lipless crank bait like the Berkley Warpig. A 5/16 oz Santone swim jig with Havoc grass pig trailer has been good also as well as a shallow running swim bait like the Berkley Hollowbelly or 3:16 Lure Company Mission Fish and Rising Son. If you come across a school feeding on the bank you can really catch them this time of year!

The deep bite is fairly unstable in September but if the right conditions present themselves it can be outstanding. Its during this time of year especially that I rely heavily on my new Garmin 7612 units to locate fish. It makes quick work of finding the schools of deep bass! I will look for fish to be holding on main lake points, roadbeds, humps, and ridges. The presence or lack of thermocline has been wavering this month as the fall transition begins. When the bass have a lack of thermocline in the water column they tend to be more scattered and suspended. When the thermocline is in tact, the bass are more condensed in the relative depths. So, again with the lake in transition, you have to be aware of what the water conditions are before you can decide what the best techniques and presentations are to use. When I see the bass suspended around bait in the water column I am using a deep diving crank bait a lot. Any shad color is great but I like one with some chartreuse in it as well. I will throw mine on the Abu Garcia Revo Winch rod and reel. The rod is 7’6” and the reel has a great 5:1 cranking ratio for working it out deep. I can make really long casts with this combination too. The Alabama Rig is also a great choice for these schools of bass as well as a big flutter spoon. Working these baits in the 20-28 foot range is best right now but some fish have started moving shallower. When the bass are on the bottom and grouped up good I am using a Carolina rig mostly. I like my Carolina rig on a 7’6” medium heavy Abu Garcia Villain 2.0 or all new Fantasista Premier rod with a Revo reel spooled up with some 20 lb Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line and a 15-17 lb leader. I like to use a 1 oz weight and a 3/0 hook. I have been catching a number of fish with the new Berkley Powerbait Rib Snake as well as the Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper or Back Slide. The best colors have been blue fleck, watermelon, and green pumpkin and chartreuse pepper. If you want to catch a real big one out deep then you will want to break out the football jig as well. A Santone Lures 5/8-3/4 oz football head jig with a Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk trailer is a hard combination to beat. I am throwing this in the same areas as the Carolina rig and dragging it or hopping it through these deep schools of bass. Best colors right now on the jig are JC’s Spicy Craw, Mexican Heather, and Bass Candy.

That should about cover things regarding what’s going on at Lake Fork this month. I wish everyone luck that are fishing any of the tournament. Please be safe on the water! Be sure to operate your boat safely, wear a life vest, and a kill switch. I hope this report helps you have a productive trip to the lake. If you are headed to Lake Fork in pursuit of a trophy bass and are looking to book a guide, I would enjoy the opportunity to take you or your group fishing. I am a full-time guide on Lake Fork exclusively and guide here 250+ days a year. I still have a few summer dates available and am already taking fall/spring reservations. Both of which are excellent times for catching big bass on Lake Fork as well. I also have gift certificates available for those of you that are interested in purchasing a friend or loved one a guided trip on Lake Fork. You can contact me to make your reservation at 903-736-9888 or send me an email at [email protected] You can also visit my website for more information about Lake Fork and my guide service at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com You can find me on Facebook and follow my official Lake Fork Guide page at https://www.facebook.com/lakeforktrophybassguide 
Good luck to all the tournament anglers headed to the lake this month to start pre-fishing for the coming month’s big events! Also, while you are here, be sure to stop by Diamond Sports Marine located on highway 154 just north of the bridge. They have already started to receive the new year model 2017 Ranger Boats in stock. You will not want to miss the opportunity to check out the new Z series bass boats as well as the all-new Ranger aluminum series. These boats have some amazing features are definitely eye catchers! Give Fred a call at 903-383-7829 to set up your personal demo ride in a Ranger Boat.

I would like to thank all of my current 2016 sponsors for supporting my FLW Series tournament fishing and my guide service on Lake Fork: Toyota, Carhartt, Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, I Am Second, Leer, Garmin, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Santone Lures, Costa Sunglasses, Power Pole, Rigid Industries, Road Armor, Fabtech Motorsports, Royal Racks, and Elite Tungsten.




Tight Lines & God Bless,
James Caldemeyer