Winter time fishing is hear on Fork. With the weather changing so much in the last week the water temp has dropped into the 40s and the bite has been tough this week. If you are looking for numbers Lake Monticello is the place to be. But if you are looking to catch a Bass of a lifetime Lake Fork is were you will want to spend your time on the water. Now is the time of year lake fork starts to give up the real Trophy Bass.

This past week most of the bass we have caught have been on lipless crank baits, red has been the best color for me, and water depth 3 to 8  feet over the grass. The best places to look for are at the mouths of the major creeks. Mustang, Little Caney, White Oak, and Pinson, have been good this week. Tuesday  of this week we put 12 bass in the boat that weighed up to 9lbs all on 3/4 oz red lipless crank baits. The key right now is to cover as much water as you can.

These bass are scattered over the grass, therefore when you go down a bank turn around and fish it again. The bass are not chasing the bait you have to get it close to them before they will hit it. So each place you fish, hit it 2 or 3 times before you leave, most of the bass right now are from main lake points half way back in the creeks. By the middle of the month this pattern will be red hot and will be great through February. Right now I am using 15lb test line and a high-speed reel on a 7ft medium action rod, a medium to fast retrieve has worked best for me. Most of the bass are just stopping the bait almost like you hit a stump, so at first don't assume you have hung up If the bait stops go ahead and set the hook.

Throughout the day we have had a lot of short hits, so it is very important to have sharp hooks. I always change the hooks on all of my crank baits. The ones right out of the box just will not do, this pattern is a lot of hard work so do not lose a big fish over a bad hook. Also when casting this much don't forget to re-tie your bait several times in a day, it's easy not to re-tie but it will save you the frustration of losing a big bass, because you had a nick in your line. I always look forward to this time of year, because the next cast you make could be bass of a lifetime.  All of you that are serious about catching a trophy bass mid January and February are hard to beat hear on lake fork, these big pre-spawn bass will be feeding up before they start to get on the beds in March. If your thinking about booking a guide trip now through the spring, Book Early for Best Date Selection. You can reach me at 903-629-5085 or 903-629-7699
Web site http://www.lakeforktexasfishingreports.com

Good Fishing,
David Vance