James Caldemeyer's Lake Fork Trophy Bass Weekly Fishing Report May 23, 2013 Hey everyone! Another week has passed here at Lake Fork and a lot has happened. The legends of Lake Fork tournament this past weekend yielded a record number of contestants as well as fish caught over the slot. The big ones are definitely active feeding and with the recent rain we had Tuesday the lake is in great shape. Whether you are headed out for some recreational fishing with the family this Memorial Day weekend or you are coming out for one of the big tournaments, here are some tips that will help you catch the winning fish and your trophy bass of a lifetime. The bass are definitely moving heavily into their post spawn patterns although there are still a few fish finishing up spawning. Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 70's. Its hard to see in the backs of some of these creeks because of the recent rain and stained water but don't be surprised to see a good number more show up next week during the full moon and the settling of fresh water. Look for these late spawners in the backs of main lake pockets and the deeper creeks. The best baits for spawning bass right now has been weightless worms like a wacky rigged 6" Berkley Havoc Bottom Hoppers or New Powerbait Rib Snake, Texas rigged Havoc Craw Fatty, and a 6" Berkley Power Lizard. Best colors have been Okeechobee craw, green pumpkin, watermelon candy and red bug. The bass are still very shallow 2-6 feet and many are guarding bass fry. These fish are very aggressive and will hit just about anything you throw near them. The top water bite has been excellent! The bass are demolishing popping baits, walking baits, and buzz baits early and late. Any shad color or white is best. The deep bite is picking up with the warmer temperatures setting in. This is exciting because you can really catch a lot of quality fish off shore after the bass are done spawning. These bass are very hungry and in large aggressive schools. Best depths this past week to find them has been 16-22 feet. Roadbeds, humps, points, ridges and pond dams are very productive areas to look. Once you locate a school of bass you can catch them on a variety of different baits. The Carolina rig and Talon football head jig has been best when they are close to the bottom. I like my Carolina rig on a 7'6" medium heavy Abu Garcia Villain or Veritas 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 Elite Tungsten weight and a 3/0 hook. I have been catching a number of fish with the new Berkley Rib Snake as well as the Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper. The best colors have been watermelon and green pumpkin. If you want to catch a big one out deep then you will want to break out the football jig too! Talon Lures 3/4 - 1 oz football head jig with a Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk trailer is hard 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 are green pumpkin, willies, and California. A lot of the fish are suspended and even schooling on shad in some areas. These fish are a little trickier to catch. You need something that you can work in the middle to upper part of the water column. The deep diving crank bait, swim bait, jigging spoon or an A-rig are all great choices. Let the bass out deep tell you how they want it and what they want right now because they are all over the place. Mixing it up and trying a variety of things on a school of fish will pay off. Having good electronics is a big advantage too! I love my Lowrance HDS Gen2 Touch screen. Knowing how to read the sonar and apply it to your fishing is the most important thing though. If you are weak in this area, now is the time to get out on the water and log some time in out deep. I hope this information helps you in pursuit of a trophy bass on Lake Fork this week. I want to wish everyone well that is coming out for the upcoming tournaments on Lake Fork! If you are thinking of coming out and would like to book a trip this summer for some great deep-water action, feel free to contact me. It's a great time to learn your electronics and catch lots of fish. I do a lot of instructional deep water bass fishing trips this time of year. I still have a few dates available and will work hard to put you on the fish of your dreams! You can contact me to book your trip by email at [email protected] or give me a call at 903-736-9888 Also, visit my website to find out more information about Lake Fork bass fishing and my guide service at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com You can also keep up with me by joining my new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lakeforkfishingguides I am running the new 2013 Ranger Z520c and man is this new boat model awesome! All my clients love fishing out of this boat! Be sure to go by Diamond Sports Marine on Hwy 154 here at Lake Fork and see these new 2013 Ranger Boats. If you are in the market for a new boat this year and would like to take a test ride, feel free to contact me or call the dealership at 903-383-7829 and we will get you out on the water for a demo in one! I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for another year that He has blessed me with as well as all of my great 2013 Sponsors: Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, I Am Second, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Interstate Batteries, Lowrance, Talon Lures, Elite Tungsten, Hamby's, Navionics, Simms, Hydrowave, and Power Pole. Matt 11:28: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Tight Lines and God Bless, James Caldemeyer