Lake levels, dam outflows, schedules

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Current Lake Levels

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Texas Parks and Wildlife Facilities Map of Lake Fork

2003 Trophy Bass Study Results & comments

I have read this book and highly recommend it. A great book for the anyone planning on a Fly Fishing Trip to Texas.

Lake levels, dam outflows, schedules

Sabine River News and Info

Current Lake Levels

Tools for Post Spawn Fishing

Texas Weather

Texas Parks and Wildlife Facilities Map of Lake Fork

2003 Trophy Bass Study Results & comments

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There are several reports on the lake during the week from different guides. You can scroll down for more or click on a guide name above.

Rickie White

Lake Fork fishing Report Updated April 20, 2013

This has been my best spring since 2010 (when the lake was full). Even
with the lake down 4-5 feet, the spawn has been awesome. I've found
about 3 times as many big fish as I did last season - and I only have
one explanation why. This year, we had a cold front every week (mostly
Thursdays). So, the water temp stayed around 60 degrees for almost 2
months. When the water is cooler, the females will sometimes stay on
the beds for a few days. But once it gets up in the 70s, the females
are rarely around the next day. Since the cooler temps kept the
females around the nests for 3 times as long, I was able to find 3
times as many big fish.
That's the best explanation I can think of for why I'm finding more
big fish on the beds. But I think most fishermen have had a much
better year this year than the previous couple of years. I think we're
about 3 weeks behind a normal year. I'm finding grass in a lot of
places. But some of the places where I normally find a lot of bedding
bass only have sprouting grass. So, I think we still have a decent
amount of spawning bass that still haven't moved up.
Right now, I'm fishing several different patterns. Sight fishing is my
specialty. So, I will fish for spawning bass as long as I can find
them. This is still my best pattern. However, the topwater bite is
hard to resist in May. I can usually put some fish in the boat between
first light and sunup on a topwater. Then, once the sun comes up I'll
look for bedding bass. Right now, there's a lot of fish that are
guarding fry. Being able to recognize this is key. If you think a bass
is protecting eggs in a nest, when in reality they are guarding baby
bass that have already hatched, you will not likely catch that fish.
You must be able to read those fish (or see the fry) in order to take
advantage of the protective instincts.
May is a month where you can catch a fish on any bait in your box. I
may have a dozen different rigs and catch one or 2 fish on each and
not catch 3 fish on any. This is a time to be prepared to let the fish
tell you what they want. There are plenty of fish shallow and plenty
of fish deep. I'm catching most of my fish in 2-4 feet. But I'm also
running some deep divers in 20 feet and getting white bass most every
cast - and a bass every once in a while.

I have 2 clients with boats for sale. One is a 2008 Ranger Z-19 with a
Mercury Pro XS 225 and only 6 hours on the rig. See
http://www.bassfishing.org/ranger/
The other is a New 2013 Triton 20XS that was won in the McDonalds
tournament at Sam Raburn last Month



5-14-13
As for water temp and water level, this has been the most consistent
season I can recall. It has been between 4 and 4.5 feet low since
January. The water temps were in the upper 50s in early March. On
April 11, the water temp was the same.
Sight fishing has been great this year. We've boated a few over 10 and
a bunch of 8 and 9 pounders. Normally, the sight fishing isn't so good
when the water is low. But this year it has been good. We have a
decent amount of grass and we haven't had enough rain to muddy up the
coves.
As a general rule, when the fishing is good - I'm too busy to do a
fishing report. So, I wait until the fishing slows down and then put
up a report. But what good is that for you as a reader? I set up a
Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LakeForkFishingGuide where I
plan to post pictures and updates to it on a regular basis. So now you
have a way to find out when the fishing IS good instead of when it WAS
good. If I understand correctly, you can "Like" my page - then my
posts and pictures will show up on your Facebook wall.


If you are interested in learning about sight fishing for bass, you
don't have to wait until next year. I expect to be sight fishing until
mid May - and I've got about 5 days still open. See my ebook at
www.bassfishing.org/spawnbook
If you are interested in a guided trip, you can book online at
http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

I'm booking now for summer night trips. June and July are my best
months. We fish from 8:30PM until sunup (if you can last). I have more
trips with 20 bass averaging 4 pounds on summer night trips than any
other time of the year. Book yours now!

See our recent pictures at
http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm

If you would like to receive my fishing report notifications by email,
go to www.bassfishing.org/dbaccess/fishingreportrequests.cfm
All you need is your name and email address. If you are receiving
reports by email and wish to discontinue receiving them, simply go to
www.bassfishing.org/reports/unsubscribe.cfm

Good fishing and good luck. You can't catch them if you don't go.

Website/Articles by Professional Guide Richie White


3-17-13
Lake Fork is looking good this year. It is still over 4 feet low, but
in better shape than it was this time last year. I'm seeing a lot of
new vegetation (mostly moss and millfoil), so it should be a good
year. Water temps are still in the 50s on the main lake, but the backs
of the coves are getting up in the 60s on these warm afternoons.
Fishing has been good this week. I've been boating good fish and
seeing a lot of fish caught around us (bass and crappie). We got an 8
pounder and a 9 pounder yesterday and a 8.25 the day before yesterday.
I've been primarily sight fishing, which is primarily what I do when
the water temps get warm enough. See my ebook at
www.bassfishing.org/spawnbook
Right now, there isn't a lot of places that have bedding fish and calm
water. But we are finding a few places and it should get better in the
next couple of weeks. We are catching most of our bedding fish on
tubes, lizards, and ring fries. But that's just what I fish the most.
There is a ton of baits you can catch them on when they are bedding.
In fact, I caught one on a cigarette butt and one on a plastic bag
last year (on my video page).
I set up a Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/LakeForkFishingGuide. I plan to post pictures
and updates to it on a regular basis, so subscribers can have a way to
get up-to-date information.

If you are interested in learning about sight fishing for bass, you
don't have to wait until next year. I expect to be sight fishing until
mid May - and I've got about 5 days still open.
If you are interested in a guided trip, you can book online at
http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

I'm booking now for summer night trips. June and July are my best
months. We fish from 8:30PM until sunup (if you can last). I have more
trips with 20 bass averaging 4 pounds on summer night trips than any
other time of the year. Book yours now!




See our recent pictures at
http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm


If you would like to receive my fishing report notifications by email,
go to www.bassfishing.org/dbaccess/fishingreportrequests.cfm
All you need is your name and email address. If you are receiving
reports by email and wish to discontinue receiving them, simply go to
www.bassfishing.org/reports/unsubscribe.cfm

Good fishing and good luck. You can't catch them if you don't go.

Website/Articles by Professional Guide Richie White



2-3-13
Sorry for the delay on fishing reports. I've been remodeling my
website most of the winter - and I've still got a lot of work left.
I've added some new pages, and redone a lot of pages. But the biggest
chore was learning some new technology and making my pages size to fit
tablets and cell phones (notice how you can resize the page and it
changes the number of columns).

This looks to be a great year for Lake Fork. Saturday, there was a
16.04# bass caught - and in December there was a 15.02# bass caught on
Fork. And we still have the best part of big fish season ahead of us.

I have been fishing Fork almost exclusively this year. Monticello
hasn't been generating, so the water temps haven't been prime for
winter fishing. That has really put the pressure on Lake Welsch, so I
haven't been fishing there like I normally do in winter. In fact, the
only trip I've made there was to do a show with the In-Fisherman.
Those fish have really been taking a beating, but if you want to catch
active fish in shallow water, that is the place to go.
I've been catching most of my fish on Fork in 25-40 feet of water, in
a number of different spots. Best baits are drop-shot worms, football
jigs, swim-baits, tailspinners, and deep diving crankbaits. The drop-
shot has been the best for numbers, while the other baits have been
catching bigger fish. Last trip, we got 15-20 fish.

The lake is still just under 4 feet low. The rain we got last month
didn't do much for the level. But its still in better shape than it
was last year. Water temps are just above 50 degrees in the main lake.
The 10-day forecast shows 60+ degrees most every day. This will get
the bass moving around. I expect to be fishing a lot shallower in the
coming days.

I'm still offering my wintertime special through February 15th. We
fish Lake Fork from 12:30 PM until dark for $150 for one person or
$175 for two people.
I have a few days still available in late Feb and early March for pre-
spawn fishing. If you are interested in a guided trip, you can book
online at http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

See our recent pictures at
http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm


12-10-12
After sending out a couple of gift certificates this afternoon, I got
to thinking maybe it would be a good idea to mention the idea. Guide
trips make great Christmas gifts. Every year, I have wives give guide
trip gift certificates to their husbands for Christmas. Yet, I'm not
sure I have ever mentioned the idea in a report. Well now I have. If
you are interested in giving one, send me an email. If you are
interested in receiving one, find a clever way to tell your wife you
want a guide trip for Christmas.
As I mentioned in my last report, the weather looked great to rival
the last December that had water temps over 60 degrees - where I had a
day with well over 100 bass. This past week was the week and we caught
numbers that could rival that year. As is usually the case, when we
get good numbers, the size isn't great. But it was a lot of fun while
it lasted. But now that we are getting a big front, the forecast calls
for temps typical for December. This means water temps will be under
60 degrees to stay.
With water temps under 60 degrees, 100 fish days are gone. Your odds
of a giant are better, but so are the odds of a slow day. Duck hunters
and crappie fishermen will outnumber the bass anglers. We will
practically have the whole lake to ourselves for bass fishing from now
until mid-February. I will be available for guiding on Fork throughout
the winter for clients looking for that giant. But I will also be
fishing Monticello and Welsch for more active bass in the winter.
Monticello has a 14-24 inch slot, so it has a good number of big bass.
Welsch has some big bass as well, but is better for numbers, warmer
water, and more active fish. Both places have warm water in the
winter, so you can't rule out any baits. There's nothing like catching
a fish on a topwater bait under freezing conditions.
I will be offering my wintertime special for the die-hard fisherman
from now until early February. We are mainly out for big fish. We fish
Lake Fork from 12:30 PM until dark for $150 for one person or $175 for
two people.

If you are interested in a guided trip, you can book online at
http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

See our recent pictures at
http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm


If you would like to receive my fishing report notifications by email,
go to www.bassfishing.org/dbaccess/fishingreportrequests.cfm
All you need is your name and email address. If you are receiving
reports by email and wish to discontinue receiving them, simply go to
www.bassfishing.org/reports/unsubscribe.cfm

Good fishing and good luck. You can't catch them if you don't go.




12-3-12
When the water temps fall below 60 degrees, you can expect the bite to
slow down - as it has in the past couple of weeks. But the size of the
average fish always tends to get bigger. I don't know what happens to
all the little bass once it gets cold. But as a general rule, the fish
I catch from December through February are 2-3 times as big on average
than the fish I was getting in the Fall.
On my last couple of trips, the water temp was 58-59 degrees and I
noticed a big decrease in numbers (unless you count white bass). We
caught some big fish. so my clients have been happy. But it is
frustrating to see the action slow down, knowing that it will get
slower as the water temps decline. Fortunately, we have a very
positive 10 day forecast. I expect to see 60s again one last time
before the water temps plummet. I recall a few years ago we had a
warming trend where the water temps got back up in the 60s and we
caught over 100 bass on a December day on Fork. This week has the
potential to repeat that experience.
Most of the Fall season, I've been fishing a deep pattern. Spoons have
been my best bait, followed by a drop-shot, then a C-rig. The latter 2
only catch bass. So, they are good to throw when you know the bass are
feeding - or if you you don't want to deal with the other species.
But, the spoon will give the most action because they catch most every
species. On the spoons, we've been catching about 10 fish of another
species to every largemouth. So we haven't gone long without some kind
of action on them. White bass seem to be more abundant than they were
just 2 weeks ago, but yellow bass and smaller largemouths are getting
more scarce as the water temps decline and the bigger bass have been
feeding. Our best depths have been 16 to 27 feet.
After the next big front, the bite will slow down to the point that
only the die-hard will be bass fishing. Duck hunters and crappie
fishermen will outnumber the bass anglers. We practically have the
whole lake to ourselves. I will be available for guiding on Fork
throughout the winter for clients looking for that giant. But I will
also be fishing Monticello and Welsch for more active bass in the
winter. Monticello has a 14-24 inch slot, so it has a good number of
big bass. Welsch has some big bass as well, but is better for numbers,
warmer water, and more active fish. Both places have warm water in the
winter, so you can't rule out any baits. There's nothing like catching
a fish on a topwater bait under freezing conditions.

If you are interested in a guided trip, you can book online at
http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

See our recent pictures at
http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm


If you would like to receive my fishing report notifications by email,
go to www.bassfishing.org/dbaccess/fishingreportrequests.cfm
All you need is your name and email address. If you are receiving
reports by email and wish to discontinue receiving them, simply go to
www.bassfishing.org/reports/unsubscribe.cfm

Good fishing and good luck. You can't catch them if you don't go.






11-2-12
all fishing is in its prime right now. The latest cold front got the
water temps down to around 65 degrees in the main lake, which is prime
fishing. Last trip was one of my best number trips of the year. The
bass like those cold mornings where it starts off around 45 degrees
and the water temp is still 65. After lunch, we've been catching more
fish over 5 pounds, but the numbers haven't been as good.
The first couple of days after the front the bite slowed down. Then,
gradually it's been better and better. Now it is at its prime and the
bite will probably slow down as the temps get back up. Then, we'll get
another front and start the cycle over again. So you want to go before
it gets slow again.
We've been catching most of our bass on drop shots and Carolina rigs
in 16-25 feet humps. The yellow bass have been so plentiful this year
that if you throw a small spoon you can expect to catch 15-20 of them
to each bass. That's fun for a little while, but most people get bored
catching tiny fish. The good thing is that the big bass will be around
them. So, if you throw bigger baits or plastics you can often catch a
big fish when they come around.

The shallow bite is not as consistent as the deep bite, but there is
still some good grass around that hold fish. Early and late in the day
are by far the best time to go shallow. I'm on such a good deep
pattern that I prefer to use my electronics and fish where I can be
certain there are fish. So, I haven't been spending much time in the
shallows.

This is the best time of the year to take a beginner or a kid fishing.
This is also the best time to learn how to read electronics or teach
someone to throw a baitcaster. Since we are catching most of our fish
deep, we are using heavy baits. Heavy baits are easy to throw on a
baitcasting reel. So, most anyone can fish them.

If you are interested in a guided trip, you can book online at
http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

See our recent pictures at
http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm


If you would like to receive my fishing report notifications by email,
go to www.bassfishing.org/dbaccess/fishingreportrequests.cfm
All you need is your name and email address. If you are receiving
reports by email and wish to discontinue receiving them, simply go to
www.bassfishing.org/reports/unsubscribe.cfm

Good fishing and good luck. You can't catch them if you don't go.



10-12-12
The Fall action is here. The last cold front got the water temps down
into the 60s and the action is as good as it ever was. The bite was
slow for the first 2-3 days after the front. But they turned on after
that. For the last couple of days, the action has been awesome. This
week, I've had good numbers and quality fish at night, daybreak, and
afternoon.
The morning bite has been great on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits around
the grass. The best action is from first light to sunup. So, timing is
critical. Once the sun comes up, that bite will slow down and I've
been doing better with the deep fish.
I don't know what happened to all the white bass that seem to have
taken over the lake last year. But this year, I'm finding a lot more
yellow bass than white bass. That is a good thing. For one, they are
much better eating than white bass. But mainly because the big bass
feed on them. So you can be confident that if you're catching yellow
bass, you are fishing where big bass are - or will be at some time.
Spoons are the best baits to catch the yellow bass. They primarily
feed on shad. So, anything that mimics a shad will catch em. The
spoons will catch largemouths too, but the yellows are so plentiful,
that's what you'll catch the most of. If you just want to catch
largemouths,fish plastics or jigs in the same areas. If we're deeper
than about 15 feet, I prefer a Carolina rig or drop shot rig. Rarely
will they catch anything but largemouths, although occasionally you
will catch a white or yellow on a plastic - and they will often hit
the weight if it is shiny. Often, a deep diving crankbait or swim bait
will bypass the yellow bass and catch mostly largemouths. But if there
are white bass around, you will catch them most of the time. It's a
good idea to have an assortment of baits. The way the fishing was this
week, you should be able to get bit on all your confident baits.
This is a great time to take a beginner or a kid fishing. There are
certain spots where you can catch 50 yellow bass in 30 minutes. Yes -
a fish everytime the bait hits the bottom. They aren't very big, but a
big fish usually comes around once in a while. And there is no size or
number limit on them. Kids love it!
This is also the best time to learn how to read electronics or teach
someone to throw a baitcaster. Since we are catching most of our fish
deep, we are using heavy baits. Heavy baits are easy to throw on a
baitcasting reel. So, most anyone can fish them.

If you are interested in a guided trip, you can book online at
http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

See our recent pictures at
http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm


If you would like to receive my fishing report notifications by email,
go to www.bassfishing.org/dbaccess/fishingreportrequests.cfm
All you need is your name and email address. If you are receiving
reports by email and wish to discontinue receiving them, simply go to
www.bassfishing.org/reports/unsubscribe.cfm

Good fishing and good luck. You can't catch them if you don't go.

See our recent pics at http://www.bassfishing.org/pictures/recent.htm Check out my new guide booking site at www.fishingguidenow.com You can book online at http://www.fishingguidenow.com/bookonline.cfm?guideID=2

  Good fishing and good luck. You can't catch them if you don't go.

Edit

Tod Redington

Lake Fork fishing Report Updated July 19, 2012