January Lake Fork Guide Trip Special

[Tom Redington]

Prespawn bass fishing is my favorite time of year and is the best time to catch a monster bass on Lake Fork. Prespawn starts in late December and runs through mid-March on Lake Fork, home of 32 of the 50 all-time largest bass caught in Texas (as a side note, 50th place is 15.38 lbs and no other lake has more than 2 entries and Fork has all 6 of the fish in TX that are over 17 lbs). Many of my customers’ and my own very largest bass are caught during this period, with average trips yielding 8 to 12 bass per day and the average size being in the 4 to 5 lb range, plus a good shot at catching bass of 7 lbs or bigger. The bite can be better or worse depending on the fronts, with a number of days with catches of over 30 good bass, while I’ve had trips catching as few as 2 for a whole day. The pattern is very simple—spinnerbaits, jigs, and lipless crankbaits, fished on points, grass flats, and creek channel bends near spawning areas. To fish the jig and spinnerbait well you have to cast next to trees on the creek channel and low water conditions make the stumps on the creek channels and timberlines visible. After being over full pool for the past couple of years, Fork is currently 7’ low and it is shaping up to be perfect for prespawn fishing. The lower the lake gets, the less places for them to roam and the more they group up in key locations.

January is our coolest month in north Texas, with average daytime highs of 52 at the beginning of the month and 55 degrees by the end of January. Depending on the fronts, high temps can be in the lower 30s to the lower 80s. Due to the cooler temps, fishing pressure is very light during the month. As a result, I’m offering my annual special during the month of January. Book a 2-day guide trip and I’ll add an extra half day trip for free. Book a 3-day or longer guide trip and I’ll add an extra full day trip for free. In addition, I worked with the most popular resort on Lake Fork to secure special hotel pricing as well.

I do get some folks each year to come along and fish, but a lot of days I can’t talk anyone into braving the cold. Even without customers, I find it hard to stay off the water when the big ones are pulling up. A few pics from recent January bass:

My customers:

On my days off:

Here’s my biggest ever, 12.3 lbs, she came just after the end of January on 2/4/06

Full details on my guide services are available on my website, http://www.lakeforkguidetrips.com . If big bass, open water, and our “cold temps” sound better than -20 and ice fishing, drop me a line. The big bass and I eagerly await your company.

Good Fishing,

Tom

tom@lakeforkguidetrips.com

214-683-9572