Weekly Lake Fork Report From Guide Jim Reaneau

[jreaneau]

Well, the week was not too bad. The wind was a factor several days and made some deep spots hard to fish or not fishable at all. The bite this week was not to bad. There were some slow periods but over all the bite was fair for the late fall patterns. There were some shallow fish on Lake Fork Tackle Twitch worm wacky style. The lipless crank bait, ½ and 3/8 ounce spinner baits was another good choice. Look for grass and wood on points and about half way back in the coves. Work the baits just fast enough to keep the bait from getting caught up in the grass. The water has dipped into the mid to upper fifties. The lake is still about 5.5 low. Keep this in mind at all times and be ware where you run. When guides are hitting things you can bet the regular fisherman is going to hit something so be careful. Remember the water temp is at a very dangerous temp. You can’t last long if you are thrown out of the boat or just fall in.
The deep fishing has been strong with several solid fish coming in on jigging spoons, swim baits, Carolina and Texas Rigs, and Drop shot. The key has been to find bait with fish close by and drop a marker and back off and cast to them. The spoon and drop shot can be fished vertical. You will have to do a trial and error to figure out the way they want the presentation. Some days the spoon will only need to be held still about a foot off the bottom and the same for the drop shot. Other days they want a little more movement. The crappie are up on the main lake points. Look for boats or use you electronics and find bait and fish and drop a jig or minnow down to them. The fish are all moving around in different depths. One day they are in 20 feet of water and the next they are in 31 feet. So get the electronics fired up and get to looking. Wear some warm clothes as it will be much cooler on the lake and if the wind blows the air coming across the lake will be cold.
Remember if you fish alone this time of year wear a life jacket, it may save your life. The jacket will insulate you from the water some and from the cold wind when you are running down the lake. Always tell someone where you plan to fish and what time you plan on returning so someone can find you if you don’t show up.
I still have December dates open if you want to crappie or bass fish.
Give me a call.
Jim Reaneau
1-888-918-5088