This photo was sent out to me by Tom Redington, owner of http://www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com
I thought the photo was exceptional so I thought I’d post it here to share with all you bass nutz! The fish was caught on Lake Fork and pulled the scale down to 12.3 Lbs! I’m not certain of any other details but maybe Tom will hop on here and fill all us guys in on the nitty-gritty behind this fabulous fish.
James,
SUPER BASS is all I can say. WOW what a fish. I thought YOU might have gone to TX and had got Lucky, but didn’t see an IDA hat, so knew it couldn’t be you.
Would like to hear a BIG BASS story behind this fish. was it caught this month?? Is this guy an IDA member??
thanks
Jack.. 
Tom is a newly registered member and we’re hoping to get him onboard to provide fishing reports from his neck of the woods. 
That big mama was just caught this past weekend if I’m not mistaken. 
Thanks guys! I caught her Saturday, 2/4. She came on the old winter lunker standby, a black/blue jig with matching Lake Fork Craw. I caught a dink right before that and she swam right at me, so she felt like a dink, too. She came up right at the boat and I started screaming stuff like “she’s huge, get the net, hurry, hurry, hurry”. Like a lot of my big fish, it was all a blur and over really quickly. When she was doubled over in the net and hung over the side, I knew she was a monster.
We used a rubber landing net, dipped her back in the lake between pictures and between weighing her and handled her as little and as quickly as possible. We measured her at 25-1/2″. She was in great condition (fat and full of eggs, without a mark). With a little luck, maybe one of us can catch her next year when she’s 14ish or in ’08 when she’s a 16 lb’er. Gah!
Fishing has been really good for prespawners at Fork lately. For those that want more info, here’s my weekly fishing report, with all of the details on how to catch your own lunker right now.
Michael braved 30 mph winds before catching his biggest bass ever, 6 lb 8 oz, on Feb 5th 
A couple bass over 7 lbs on Jan 31st:
A week of warm sunny days has the big ones biting at Lake Fork. We had a number of big bass this past week, including a 12.3 lb lunker on Saturday. The big bass came on a day of fun fishing with my brother—what a rush! You can check her out and a bunch of other good fish we’ve caught lately on the pictures section of my website.
We’ve been catching a lot more bass near shallow spawning areas, although the cold front and cool-down this week will likely push many fish back to the points and creek channels. Although the fish likely won’t be as active after the cold front, the bass will be consolidated in key areas. Methodically work these staging areas and your chances of catching multiple big bass will be very good at Lake Fork in February. Meanwhile, a number of big bass over 7 pounds were caught in 25’ to 40’ last week on deep structure. Shallow or deep, it’s hard to pick a bad time to catch a lunker on Lake Fork for now until mid-summer.
Lake Conditions: After another good rain last week, Lake Fork’s water level rose 3” to 398.97’, or 4’0” below full pool. The water clarity is clear to stained in most areas, although the high winds and runoff have muddied some areas. Water temps are running from 50-56 degrees in most locations, perfect temperatures for prespawn bassin’.
Location Pattern: As I’ve done for the last 45 days, I’m concentrating on prespawn and staging fish on points and along edges of flats or creek channels. Areas with submerged vegetation (primarily hydrilla, milfoil or coontail) or wood cover will typically have the most active fish; however, don’t overlook coverless points and channel bends as we approach the spawn. Key on stumps, docks, and laydowns within the grassbeds or on any irregular places along the edge of the grass. Main lake grass beds near the mouths of these coves are holding a lot of fish now, as are main and secondary points inside the coves, provided there is deep water nearby. During warming trends, follow bass back into the creeks and check the edges of grass flats and creek channels.
For deep structure enthusiasts, points, roadbeds, humps, flats and ledges in 18’ to 45’ will produce some big fish well into the spring. Since many big bass on Fork don’t spawn until early May, these late bloomers won’t be moving shallow for quite a while. Use your electronics to find the schools of bass and baitfish and work them over with spoons and dropshots. I personally prefer fishing shallow in the spring, so my presentation pattern will focus on that.
Presentation Pattern: My prespawn arsenal is pretty simple for fishing along grasslines and creek channels. First and foremost are red or orange lipless crankbaits in ½ or ¾ oz. Stick with the ½ for grass that is near the surface and go with the ¾ for grass that is deeper. ¼ oz traps work well on the shallowest grass. Buzzing these over the top of the grass on a quick retrieve is working best now, but after cold fronts, letting the trap fall and ripping these out of the grass will trigger most of the bites. ¼ to ½ oz spinnerbaits with double willow blades in white, red, or chartreuse and white will produce some really large bass in the same areas that the lipless cranks work, especially on windy and cloudy days. When the bite slows or the conditions are sunny and calm, I’ll switch to a suspending jerkbait or a jig. Gold jerkbaits with orange bellies and black backs are my primary color. Work these with long pauses over the grass and along the edges. The jig bite is good on some days, especially for big bass. ½ oz black and blue jigs with Lake Fork Tackle Fork Craws in the Blue Bruiser color have been working best for me. For a few bonus fish, work a wacky rigged Twitch Worm or Magic Shad in the areas where you caught fish with the other baits. Shades of watermelon are a sure bet for the plastics.
Cover lots of water until you get bit. Once you catch one, work the area over thoroughly with multiple passes, employing several different baits. Fish tend to stack up in key staging areas during the winter and these spots will replenish themselves with more fish during the prespawn as more and more big bass move shallow.
Here’s hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. If I can be of assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 (days) or 972-635-6027 (evenings) or e-mail me through http://www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com , where your satisfaction is guaranteed.
Good Fishing,
Tom
Wow, H-A-W-G HAWG! I was in Austin over New Years, didn’t fish, but met lots of nice gals 
. If you ever make it this far north, give Bob and I ring, if you think 12 lb Bass are the cats meow, try a 40lb Musky 
!
Quote:
Even us walleye guys would be happy catching bass that size.
Kooty,
Wow, that may be the best compliment I ever received! Most of my walleye fishing buddies back home would cut the line if they hooked one of those “trash fish”. 
Quote:
If you ever make it this far north, give Bob and I ring, if you think 12 lb. are the cats meow, try a 40lb Musky
Amen to that! I grew up in Galena, IL and spent a few years in Milwaukee and Madison, and it is hard to beat catching a big muskie. I had a few 40″ fish, but nothing anywhere close to 40 lbs. Although, I think those high-flying 4 and 5 lb smallies on Sturgeon Bay may be the best freshwater thrill of all! 
Best get running, have to go back to “work” chasing those green fish.
Good Fishing,
Tom
Quote:
Quote:
Even us walleye guys would be happy catching bass that size.
Kooty,
Wow, that may be the best compliment I ever received! Most of my walleye fishing buddies back home would cut the line if they hooked one of those “trash fish”.
Now, that’s what I like to hear. I was afraid you were true blue Texan and didn’t know what a walleye was. Now I know I can ride you about catching the grass carp!! SWEET.
Welcome to IDA!!
my brother in law lives near lake fork and he will be here saturday. i should be there again instead 
Great fish! And I thought I had it good on Minnetonka! What is usually the best time of year for those big girls?
That’s a dandy Tom. I grew up in Elizabeth and we don’t get bass like that in Apple Canyon Lake!
Mike,
For the biggest bass, prespawn (Jan-Feb) and the spawn (Mar-early May) are your best odds. Late May through July is best for day in, day out good numbers of fish from 3-7 lbs, with a decent shot at a bigger fish with topwater early and worms, carolina rigs and cranks out deep. There are 10+ lb’er caught every month of the year at Fork.
AC Jeff, you probably know my cousin’s husband and his brother, Stuart and Steve Ohms. They are in the bass club out there. I usually fish at AC Lake and Lake Galena a time or two every year when I’m home. Great little “secret” lakes.
SUPER looking fish Tom. How about sending us some of that warmer weather so I can forget about my ice fishing plans and start playing with my first love-open water warmer weather fishin. 
Keep those pics comin!!!
Thanks, Bill
Tom, just a fore warning. If Kooty says he is going to ride you. He means it, literally.
Just kidding Kooty. Glad to see your back on the board after the gtg. You coming down my way anytime soon to fish?
Jami
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