The pick-up was slight but the pull was âweighty” and as my line slowly moved off towards deep timber normal excitements of hooking a good bass began maxing-up as this bite occurred while fishing Lake Fork and my adrenaline was REALLY PUMPING!
I was immediately aware on arrival that I was about to enjoy a very interesting fishing experience upon meeting the participants of this media event with Texas Parks & Wildlife Biologists, Fisheries Dept; Heads, Aquatic Plant Agents, Lake Fork Fishing Guides, Outdoor Writers, P.A.A. Pro/Bass Anglers, Share-A-Lunker Officials, and Membership of the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Assn; in attendance to enjoy a workshop on Lake Fork, TX.
âFork” stands alone within its identity without having to be explained as to what âFork” is about. Mention âFork” to any angler of knowledge and they’ll immediately recognize the name as âTHE” premier lunker bass lake in ‘not only’ the nation, but the world. With Fork producing most of the top-50 heaviest bass in the popular Texas âShare-A-Lunker” program, topped off with the 18.18 lb Texas State record bass, this is not a boastful retort but a factual response. And now, the LFSA, PAA, and TP&W plan on taking Fork a step above its already âLegendary Status” to a class of its own as a âWorld Record Producer!”
An invite by the LFSA, Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association, (a guardian group for Lake Fork) to attend their media event on October 31 of 2006, had me pulling into Oakridge Resort & Marina, located on Hwy-154 out of Quitman, TX. This strategically located resort embraces some of the finest crappie, catfish, and bass fishing that Lake Fork has to offer. In fact, some of the largest of these three species that were caught during this media event were hooked within site of Oakridge Marina.
After an informal mixer the night before had introduced us to the attending writers, TP&W officials, and our fishing guides, early morning found me loading my camera gear aboard the Triton BASSMaster Classic rig of Clint Wright, owner/operator of the ‘Lake Fork Day and Night’ Guide Service that specializes in bass and crappie trips. But for today our search would be for what Lake Fork is famous for, Florida Strain largemouth black bass. Enjoying the day with us was Aaron Jubar, a TP&W aquatic grass biologist.
The thunder and lightning of an outgoing warm front and chilly rains of an incoming cold front kept us beached at first light. But when the weather finally allowed us back on the lake, Clint ‘zoomed’ us past the hump-n-spoon anglers in the main-lake area, heading straight into the grass and timber of the protected bays. âThe big boys should be still be feeding shallow, Clint advised, and I feel we can latch onto a couple by working the grass-edges and timber brush.” But ‘Ma-Nature’ wasn’t done yet as shifting cold-front winds and stormy warm-front skies battled for dominance, keeping us whirling from cover to cover where we managed to catch a few below slot bass, but losing several Muy Grande’s on top-waters and ten inch mega-worms. We had our chances BUT our hooks remained lunker-less for our first day bassin’ on Lake Fork!
AJ’S Fish-house, located on Hwy 17, hosted our evenings meal and seminar program, which attracted such BASSMaster Classic and FLW titlist and Bass/Pro luminaries as Jay Yelas, Takahiro Omori, Gary Klein, Kelly Jordan, and Alton Jones, all of whom spent time honing their bassin’ skills on Lake Fork. The PAA Bass/Pros (Professional Anglers of America) enlightened us on the upcoming âToyota Texas Bass Classic, âa new concept bass tournament format to be held on Lake Fork. âWe feel that this new tournament system will have far reaching positive effects on the fishery of Lake Fork, Gary Klein stated, that will both protect the #1 natural resource of Lake Fork, the Largemouth Black Bass, and promote the special lunker management program that has developed such a premier bass fishing phenomenon such as Lake Fork has become.”
Lake Fork, TX, a 27,000 surface acre facility located north of Tyler and south of Sulphur Springs, was formed in 1985 after damming the upper Sabine River. TP&W stocked the reservoir with 100% Florida strain largemouth black bass with the intention of creating a ‘lunker-bass’ fishery for Texas. And it wasn’t long after initiating their fish management programs of slot limits and creel restrictions that Fork began producing most of the Lone Star States heaviest bass, hosting the present State Record largemouth bass of 18.18 lbs caught by Barry St. Clair in 1992. Lake Fork now harbors a graduated 16 inch by 24 inch slot limit, which means that anything in between the 16 to 24 inch are ‘non-keepers’ allowing only one bass kept over the 24 inch maximum per day as part of its 5 bass daily creel. To protect Fork’s premium lunker bass fishery the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Assn; was formed by a group of concerned sportsmen as a guardianship for protecting Fork’s incredible fishery that annually attracts thousands of bass anglers from our nation, and the world. Bass tournaments were scrutinized and limited to avoid damage from the fishing pressure and stress of live-welled fish. But the financial impact of tournaments became an important issue of importance for the lake area commerce, and a happy medium was researched and agreed upon by the LFSA, TP&W, and PAA Bass/Pros on a new concept bass tournament, The Toyota Texas Bass Classic, which is presently scheduled for April 9 -15 – 2007.
The Texas Bass Classic event involves a Pro/Am style format tournament followed by a PAA style shootout that will be ‘catch & release’ only. Tournament teams will be accompanied by trained observers who will weigh, record and release all bass caught by their assigned angler teams. But, with this event expecting to draw 25,000 spectators to watch the weigh-ins, viewing of the daily catches will involve ‘real-time’ fishing action transmitted from the lake to three widescreen TV monitors at the tournament site for viewing by the public. Spectators will actually be able to watch the fishing action as it happens as well as enjoy the daily âpaper” weigh-ins at the âToyota Texas Bass Classic” tournament complex to be located on the grounds of the Sabine River Authority office off of Hwy-288. Visitors will also be entertained with sportfishing displays, pro/bass seminars, big bass aquarium, and a free concert by Nashville Country Star, Clay Walker. This special event promises to become a âClass Act” folks.
âOperation World Record”, a new fisheries program being developed by TP&W fisheries biologists is an endeavor at producing the next World Record largemouth black bass through a program of selective genetic breeding. Using Budweiser ShareLunker’s with pure Florida strain largemouth genetics, TP&W fishery biologists hope to produce a strain of largemouth bass that will have superior growth rates. Research to evaluate the growth rates of these selectively bred bass is ongoing and should start providing positive results soon. The Budweiser ShareLunker program is made possible through support from Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Since 1991, Anheuser-Busch, in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, has contributed millions of dollars in funding to support conservation causes and fishing, hunting and outdoor recreational programs in Texas.
Our 2nd day of bassin’ dawned under ‘blue-bird’ skies and chilly 38 degree temps, but with the comforts of a tasty Oakridge Resort breakfast warmly tucked within our bellies, we headed out to hopefully locate, hook, and land a Lake Fork lunker. Shallow grass and Tom Mann flukes were soon working nearby structure when, even before the warmth of the rising sun had a chance to deice my nose, Clint set his hook into our first fish of the day, a ‘chunky’ 19 ½ inch bass weighing 5 lbs-11-ozs. After photos and ‘high-5s” the bass was safely released. Luckily, I hadn’t put my camera away yet, when after only a few more casts, Clint reared back on another hook-set that put a 20 ½ inch bass weighing 5 lbs-2-ozs in the boat. Both bass were dark and healthy grass bass that bore the strong genetics of their Lake Fork pedigree. After another ‘ego’ photo, congratulatory ‘high-5’, and live release session, we continued to fish in hopes of hooking the âBig Oneâ.
But after spending the morning fishing grass, humps, ridges, timber, and points with flukes, DD-22s, C-rigs, spoons, and drop-shots, catching a few more bass in the 2 to 3 lb class, our day had already peaked from our early morning high-five’s. Despite warming weather promises for afternoon possibilities, noon/thirty found me packed and trekking my way south to Lake Sam Rayburn with the memories of this unique fishing trip imaged and scribbled for writing this story.
Lake Fork has become a ‘Mecca’ for bass anglers and needs to be visited at least once by every serious basser for experiencing the possibilities of catching their lunker of a lifetime. Which is ALWAYS but one bite away on Lake Fork. But be advised to bring plenty of adrenalin as your glands will be exercised to the max!
For info: âOperation World Record” contact TP&W – Toll Free: (800) 792-1112.
For info; Toyota Texas Bass Classic contact Dave Terre – (903)-566-1615-ext-202.
For info; Lake Fork Sportsman’s Assn; contact Micheal Rogge- (903)-850-8855.
For info; Oakridge Marina & Resort contact (903) – 878-2529.
For info; Lake Fork Day & Night Guide Service (Clint Wright) contact (903)-918-9469.
This Ed Snyder/Outdoors report sponsored by; The Stump Restaurant & Club-Lake Fork Sportsman’s Assn;- Bass Buster Inn– Fishing World.com- LSRPA-By: Ed Snyder / Ed Snyder Outdoors
