The bass fishing here on Lake Fork has been slow for numbers this month. February is not a big numbers month. Anyone who says it is are most likely fishing a power plant lake, not Lake Fork. If you're looking for both numbers and size mid-March, April, May, June, are prime time! But if you're looking only to catch a trophy bass and beat the crowd who will be here in March and April, now is the time to start being on Lake Fork as much as you can. With big pre-spawn bass just now starting to move up, your next cast could be a bass of a lifetime. Right now most of our bass have come on lipless Crank Baits, Suspending Rogues, Jigs, and Chatter Baits. These baits will produce some big bass this time of year. The bass we have been catching this week have come from mid-lake to the dam on main lake and secondary points.

The weather is a lot warmer this year than last year at this time, and they're calling for above average tempters this winter. It looks like they are right so far, and if the weather stays mild, big pre-spawn bass will start moving in early this year. Creeks that turn on early are Long Branch, Glade, Running Creek, Wolfe, Little Caney, and North West Bay. I have been keeping my boat in five to ten feet of water and fishing the outside edge of the grass, a medium to fast retrieve on the lipless Crank Baits have worked best. Right now the bass are very scattered, so fish these areas 2 or 3 times before you leave and come back later in the day and hit them again. The best bite has been 10 am until dark. This pattern is always good for catching big bass in February.

There are several different ways to fish lipless Crank Baits this time of year. The most common way is reeling it straight back to the boat. Another is the yo-yo retrieve in which you are pulling the bait straight up with your rod and pulling in the slack and repeating this over and over above the grass. There's also ripping the bait when the bait hit’s the grass and you use a sideways motion to rip the bait out of the grass. My favorite is reeling it in straight with slight twitches of the rod every 4 to 6 cranks. Try all of these retrieves and let the fish tell you how they want it. On the suspending Rogue, the colors I like are black/gold/orange or blue/chrome/orange. Fish these baits on the edge of the timber and grass lines in 8 to 15 feet deep water. The retrieve I use is very basic jerking the bait down with a pause twitch-twitch- pause.

Starting the year off with a full lake and all the new flooded cover I think this is going to be some of the best spring fishing we have seen in years here on Lake Fork. I always look forward to this time of year because it's the start of our Big Bass Season, and on Lake Fork, you're just one cast away from catching that bass of a lifetime. If you would like to book a guide trip and get in on some great spring bass fishing, now is the time to call. My March, April, May, and June books up fast. Book now for best available dates. Call 903-629-5085 or check out my Web Site www.lakeforktexasbigbass.com

Good Fishing,
David Vance