HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  It’s a new year and we are finally getting rain.  The lake is up over a foot and more rain is forecasted for the end of the week.  The ground is saturated so we should get more run-off from any rain we get in the near future.

We are only fishing with clients about two days a week right now, but the bass are biting very well.  The water temperature is 52 to 53 degrees in the morning and coming up on sunny days.  If someone wants to learn how to fish a jig, now is a great time to take advantage of the bite that we have going on now.

Some really big bass will be caught throughout this month.  Lake Fork has two bass in the Share A Lunker program already.  The first on was caught by a friend of ours (Eddie Horn) on November 25, 2006 and weight 13.79 pounds.  The second bass was a joint effort with the honors going to seven-year-old Parker Chambers. The bass weighed 13.4 pounds and was caught on December 28, 2006.  What a great Christmas present.  I believe we will see February, March, and April produce some big numbers of big bass as well.  This spring should be one of the best we have had in years, with the new water and good grass, everything should come together really good.

You can fish shallow or deep right now, and catch fish!  On my trips for the last two weeks we have been fishing shallow.  Most of the good bass (over 7 lbs.) have been coming on ¼ or 3/8 ounce jigs in 5 to 8 foot of water along grass edges or shallow creeks.  The best colors have been Pumpkin Perch or Pumpkin Neon in the Mark Stevenson Lake Fork jig with a Junebug Lake Fork baby creature on the back as a trailer.  Some bass are starting to come on spinnerbaits, traps, and I have started catching some on jerkbaits lately.

The deep bass are coming out of 25 to 35 feet of water on jigging spoons and drop-shot rigs, fished very slow.  Right now I just can’t catch any big bass in the deeper water.  I know the bass are there I just can’t get the big ones to bite so I’m staying shallow for the big bass.  A lot of it just depends on your style of fishing and what you like to do.

Crappie fishing is in full swing right now, so if you are ready to have a fish fry, now is the time to get out there.  You can find crappie in anywhere from 25 to 45 foot of water.  A lot of the crappie will be suspended and can be harder to catch, so I try to find areas where the crappie are closer to the bottom with bait fish around.  Minnows have been great, but the jig bite is finally on.  We like the black/chartreuse, pumpkin/purple, pink/blue, and a ¼ ounce jig head with a chartreuse crappie assassin.  You may have to go in and out on some of the deep-water points to find a good concentration.  I like to do what I call a controlled drift if the wind will let me, if not I will use an anchor.  If you have to fish for suspended fish, carry a black marker or tape and mark the depth you are catching the fish in on your line so that you do not have to try to judge it right on each drop.

Give us a call for your spring fishing trip before the day you want is gone.  It’s time to catch a big one!

               Great Fishin’
               Mark, Barbara and A.R.

A R Sachtleben sachtl@peoplescom.net 903/765-3619

Mark Stevenson  stevensn@peoplescom.net 903/765-3120

Barbara Stevenson  stevensn@peoplescom.net903/765-3120

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Have a look at our:
'06 Lake Fork Fishing Report
'05 Lake Fork Fishing Report
'02-04 Lake Fork Fishing Report
'01 Lake Fork Fishing Report
'00 Lake Fork Fishing Report
'99 Lake Fork Fishing Report
'98 Lake Fork Fishing Report
'97 Lake Fork Fishing Report

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