Every year when the schedule is announced, it’s exciting to look down the list of waterbodies we’re going to fish. There are always a few that standout because they are new or you know they are going to be fun. Places like the St. Lawrence River, Lake Guntersville, Santee Cooper Lakes and especially Lake Fork stand out because of the shot at big fish.
Lake Fork has been on the schedule for six of my seven years on the Progresssive Bassmaster Elite Series so there is some familiarity with it for me, but it’s always different every time we visit. Going there, you know that if you catch some fish, you’re going to have some big ones mixed in. Somebody almost always catches a 10- pounder during these events.
Texas does an amazing job looking after their lakes and managing their top-notch bass fisheries. They have a world-class stocking program, where they breed the biggest fish to create the fry they use to stock the lakes. It’s hard to think of a state that has as many great bass fisheries as Texas does. I always really enjoy getting to fish anywhere in the Lone Star State.
What makes Lake Fork stand out from all the others for big fish? As far as major tournament lakes go, I don’t think anywhere compares to Fork, at least as far as catching them throughout the year. Other lakes might contend at certain times, but Fork always kicks them out.
The first thing is all bass between 16 and 24 inches are protected on Fork and must be immediately released, so nobody is keeping them. The habitat is great, with plenty of standing timber, rock and grass. There is plenty of bait, and of course the stocking program is the best.
Another thing that is great about Fork is anglers can fish their strengths, whatever those may be, especially in May. There will be fish shallow, in the timber and on offshore structure so you’re going to see anglers catch big ones in a variety of ways. While there will certainly be some finesse tactics employed and some scoping, you’re going to see anglers catch fish with hardware like topwaters, crankbaits and big swimbaits as well.
We may not see heavier weights across the board like last year. The last Elite event was during the prespawn February and the entire Top 10 broke the century mark. But the winner will most certainly crack that magical 100-pound mark. If it did happen again however, I wouldn’t be surprised.
I’ve been to Fork in May a few times and have had some good events so I’m looking forward to it. This has been the toughest start to a season in my career so I’m planning to go to Lake Fork and turn things around. It’s a ruthless sport when you don’t catch a few breaks here and there. The Elite field is so good now that if you make mistakes, they will make you pay.
I missed the cut at Lake Hartwell by a few ounces, but I fished better on Day 2 so there was a small victory there. There won’t be any pouting over here; I just need to buckle down and finish the season strong to try and sneak into that Classic in Knoxville next year. Obviously, I want to be there.
If you like following the Elite Series and watching Bassmaster LIVE, you will enjoy the coverage next week, and you’re going to get your eyes full of big bass. Lake Fork is a special place, and I’m looking forward to spending the week out there.
