Last year, I was invited to go fishing at the trophy bass capital of the world, Lake Fork in Texas. Since then, I have hardly been able to wait for the week long trip to come. On Thursday night I headed south with my friends Ross and Don as we made the 12 hour drive to Emory, Texas. We were heading down earlier than the rest of the group, as I had to be back at work on Thursday. We finally made it to our hotel, after being delayed by storms and traffic, around 10 Friday morning. A quick stop for some last minute supplies at Lake Fork Trophy Lures, led us to meet LFT Lures owner, and the host of The Big Bass Battle T.V. show, Mark Pack. He was a very nice guy, and gave us some adivice about the lake and even went over a map with us to show us some areas. After that we were off to the lake hoping to tie into some of the trophy sized bass the lake is known for. However as soon as we launched we knew we had made a mistake. The strong winds for the day had made the main lake impossible to travel. We quickly loaded the boat back up and headed for a different ramp. We found a large cove that afternoon, where the wind was not as bad, but we called the day off after only an hour of fishing due to the conditions. Day 1 = zero fish. This would unfortunantly be just the first of many humbling experiences that Lake Fork would give us. Me and Ross headed out for a windy Day 1. One of the many stump areas that Lake Fork has to offer. My poor Ranger boat took a beating trying to troll around all of these as the week went on. Saturday After going over the map the night before, we decided on a ramp close to the main lake, but out of the wind as it was still gusting to 30 mph. Again we battled the conditions as the day wore on, but we were still without a single fish as we put the boat up and headed for lunch. Once we met up with the others, we all headed to a large creek on the north side of the lake to finish the afternoon up. One of the boats got into some fish, and were able to boat two 5 pounders in the first 30 minutes out there. However, it was the same story for us, as we headed back with nothing to show for our efforts. Sunday We followed 2 of the other guys that knew the lake better than us on this morning as we headed for a ramp down by the dam. Both of us struggled, as the boat in front of us only caught 1 and lost another 5 or 6 pounder. However, we were finally able to get the skunk out of the boat as I caught this little dink on a wacky rigged senko. He wasn't exactly what I had pictured for my first Lake Fork bass.... That afternoon, the boats struggled to catch fish again, but Ross was able to pull in this 4 pounder right at dark on a shallow red crankbait. Monday Lake Fork is currently 4 feet below normal pool. As a result, there is nearly no grass growing on the lake, meaning that the fish were going to be holding very close to the stumps and you just had to plug away and flip to as many stumps as you could. So on Monday morning when we finally found a lot of grass growing, in the back of the cove, and out of the wind, we knew we may be onto something. It didn't take long for me to flip a Sweet Beaver creature bait into the grass and pull out some decent fish. Ross also connected on solid fish later in the morning. We were still without any big fish though. Part of the grass patch that became known as our honeyhole for 2 days. Me going to work with the flippin stick, and some of the bass from that morning. That afternoon we headed to our honeyhole again. Around 5:30, Don called out that he was hung up on something, and then suddenly a big 'ol bass jumped from the water on the end of his line. He fought the fish to the boat, and we finally had a big fish on the board. After a few congrats, my very next cast landed my best fish on the trip. It was a pretty fun few minutes as we caught them back to back. Right before dark I got another hit, and the fish wrapped me up on a stump. As we trolled over to it, Ross reached down to grab the fish and tried to lift it up, but it threw the hook. We only caught 2 fish that afternoon, but we definantly had a blast with them. Don's bass weighing in at nearly 6 pounds. Mine tipped the scales at just under 5 pounds. Tuesday We again headed to the honeyhole area, and after a few casts with senkos, we all switched over to topwater frogs. We never put them down as the morning wore on, and we ended up with some nice fish in the boat. Frog fishing has got to be the most entertaining way of fishing I have ever found, and when the fish are on them, it's a blast. A few of the bass who thought the frog lures were an easy snack that morning. We also had an alligator show up close to the boat for a few minutes. Definantly something we are not used to seeing while fishing. That afternoon we went back to the honeyhole, but the fish were not hitting the frogs like they were that morning. Don was able to connect with a decent fish, and right at dark I hooked into a good one. I threw a senko at the edge of the grass, and soon after I saw the slack in my line take off. The fish stripped drag out of my Pflueger reel like it was nothing as I struggled to gain any ground on the fish. After fighting the bass for some time, it finally wrapped me up around a log and quickly broke the line. I knew I had most likely just lost the type of bass I had came to Texas looking for. Our view as we headed in for the night. Wednesday The winds finally left, and running the main lake became safe again. We were up early for our last morning of fishing and made the run to a large creek we had been dying to try out. As soon as I dropped the trolling motor on a long slopping point, Don hooked a fish. Over the next few hours we caught several largemouths and white bass on Rat L Traps and wacky rigged senkos. Me and Ross, both lost fish at the boat that we were not able to get a look at. We also fished an area close to where FLW Pro, and Lake Fork guide, James Caldemyer was fishing, so it was pretty neat to share an area with someone like that. Ross got hooked while trying to pick a fish out of the water right before we left. It definantly wasn't anything that was enjoyable to watch get yanked out. Right before noon we decided that we better pack it up and head back for Illinois. The fishing and weather had not been what we had expected, but the trip was a blast. We didn't time it too good, as once the winds left, the fishing exploded. We talked to the guys that were staying until Saturday and they caught over 100 largemouths and white bass, including a 6.8 pound pig after we left yesterday. While I didn't catch the fish of a lifetime, I will definantly be returning to Lake Fork next spring.
Sounds like it was a great time.... BTW... When something like that happens to your buddies, you record it and upload it to youtube
Haha I was laughing too hard at him cussing, while trying to yank it out with a pair of needle nose, to even try to help him with it. He was finally able to cut the top layer of skin off and yank the hook out. I should also add that one of the guys in our group was trolling in front of us a few yards when he lost his balance and fell over the side of the boat with his brand new Duckett rod and Revo STX reel. To make matters worse, his wallet fell out of his pocket in the water, and his cell phone was ruined.
Looks like it was a pretty fun trip. I remember the feeling of a treble hook in a finger all too well. I was lucky enough to have a 3 pound bass flopping around on the other hook connected to the lure though, I wanted to cut my finger off
Sounds like a great time, and a couple of great fish for you guys as well! A trip like this is on the bucket list for sure. I can't believe they have a frog bite down there already, most of the lakes just opened up around a week ago up here and there are more lakes an hour or so north that are still locked up.
It was definantly worth every penny spent on it. The whole trip inlcuding food, gas, license and lodging only ran each person about $450 for 5 nights. If you get the chance to go, you won't have any regrets. Falcon Lake and Lake Okeechobee are 2 others that I would love to fish one day. However, I'll probably settle with Lake Fork for the next few years to come. What's even more impressive than a frog bite in mid April is that the locals were saying that over 80% of the females on Fork are already in post spawn. I only saw 1 bed with fish on it the whole trip.
Looks like alot of fun, especially when you find them on top water! I discovered the sweet beavers last year and they are now one of my go too lures. Someday when the lakes in Minnesota are ice free maybe I will fish again Thanks for sharing
looks like a blast! thanks for taking the time to post! hope ur buddy's finger is ok, price you pay i suppose, but dang gone that thing looks painful!
If you are able, make the trip to Falcon next year. You will forget all about Fork. Falcon is unbelievable.
It is worth the long drive. Trust me. And you get to drive through the vast nothing that is west Texas.
