Lake Fork Lunkers

[DTro]

As I sit here watching the BMC I am reading an article in In-Fisherman about the Lake Fork Lunkers. Anyone else read this article? Very interesting, almost fasinating. 3355 bass over 7lbs have been reported and included in the survey. They ranged in length from 17" to 29" and weight from 7lbs to 16lbs. Here's the good stuff. By FAR the best month was march (some 1300 fish) and even to narrow it down further the full moon phase in March. I'm not sure what month that relates to here, but probably not during the legal season

[senkoskipper]

Yea, definitly a lunker lake. I have fantasies of fishing that lake.

[mamohr686]

I've fished fork several times and it is not easy. Plan on spending a few days just figuring out how to navagate and to unhook lures from the underwater forest. I highly suggest a guide for your first trip. March is the busy time and on the weekends you can walk across the boats, many days I've had 3 boats within casting distance all from outside of texas. I've had much better success fishing neighboring lakes like quitman, holbrook, hawlkins, big creek, and others because it is much easier to find fish and get a pattern going. You won't catch the numbers like you do in MN but lots of fish in the 6-7 lb range in a week. We have managed to land several fish in the 9lb range on other lakes but the biggest so far on fork has been a 7 for our family out of 4 week long trips. Lake athens is my favorite because it fishes like MN lakes and has some serious lunkers.

[BAIT956]

Everything Mark says is true. I spend winters at Lake Fork and summers in Minn. (I thank God every day)

If you are going in March and want to hire a guide, especially a reputable one, get on it very early. The best ones are booked solid. This reservoir is over 27,000 acres of flooded timber, so you get an idea of how many boats are out there. In March, I only fish on weekdays. Weekends are a zoo. All fishing boats though, blessedly, no waterskiers or jet skies due to the submerged timber.

Fork is also an overlooked (not by locals) winter crappie fishery. Limit 25, no cull rule from Dec.1st to March 1st.

[senkoskipper]

so since your down in lake fork in winter, is that an open invite to stay at your place if any of us decided to tke a week off to fish in tx ?

[BAIT956]

Sorry guys. As much fun as it would be to have lots of FM buddies down to stay there, I'm sure my landlord, neighbor would not think so.

Their privacy is held very closely and I'm allowed as more of a watchdog than anything else. Maybe a Yankee jester too. I can recommend good places to sta though.