November is an awesome month here at Lake Fork for catching trophy bass! As the water cools off and the bass begin their annual feeding frenzy there is a huge window of opportunity for many anglers to catch numbers of quality fish, not to mention the bass of a lifetime. The fish are gorging themselves on everything that crosses their path both in shallow and deep water. This leaves them vulnerable to the fisherman who fore go the duck blind and deer stand in pursuit of these big bass.
The lake is in good shape right now despite the lack of rain and low water conditions. Water levels are currently sitting at almost 7 feet low. This makes for some dangerous navigating conditions even in some of the marked boat lanes so travel with caution. The grass is trying to come back in a few areas, which is a good sign and fall turnover process is finishing up as more stability of the water has returned. Water temperatures have been holding steady on most days in the mid to upper 60’s but can fall or rise with the inconsistent weather and cool nights or warmer days.
Most every day we have been starting our day off shallow with some top water action. Great baits to throw right now are a Berkley Bullet Pop, yellow magic, walking baits like the Berkley J-Walker or Zara Spook. Fishing these baits over shallow main lake or secondary points in 2-4 ft of water will draw some big blow ups and most of these fish will inhale the bait. Overcast or rainy conditions have been best for these types of baits although we have caught some fish during the sunny days as well. The Square bull or Warpig have been my go to baits lately for bass that are up shallow chasing shad. Best colors have been sexier shad, gilly, and chrome blue back. White chatter baits and Santone 1/4- 3/8 oz spinner baits on windy banks in 2-6 feet depths for these same shad eating bass. These patterns can be awesome when you get a very cloudy day. As the grass has started to re-emerge this pattern has been good and so has the wacky worm bite. You can catch very large numbers of bass by rigging a Berkley bottom hopper wacky style and fishing it weightless in these same areas. Best colors have been watermelon candy, plum, and red bug. Texas rigged soft plastics like the Berkley Powerworm in 7” inch size has been really good lately as well. I like to stick with darker plastics this time of year. Blue fleck, plum, june bug, and black & blue are best. Fishing these slowly around timber on the points leading into the creeks is best as shad are staging to move back.
The deep bite is still a blast this time of year also. I am using my Garmin Live Scope right now to find schools of bass offshore. And with my Garmin forward facing on patrol, no deep spots or brush piles are safe now. I can find them with ease, and we have a great time catching fish off of them. Most off the bass are in 16-22 ft of water. Humps, points, roadbeds, pond dams, and ridges are great places to focus your efforts on. These big fish will be schooling up in these areas following shad, yellow bass, white bass, and crappie around looking for an easy meal. The Carolina rig is deadly on these deep bass. I like to rig my new Abu Garcia PLX tournament rods and Revo reels spooled up with 20 lb Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line and a 1oz weight, 4-5 foot leader, and a 3/0 wide gap hook. The Berkley Powerbait Jerk Shad, Bottom Hopper, or a good ole 7” Power Worm on this rig. Best colors are green pumpkin, watermelon red magic, blue fleck, or plum. The jig bite out deep is very good for the big ones too. A 5/8- 3/4 oz Santone football jig with a Berkley Pit Boss or Chigger Craw on the back will catch some of the biggest bass out of the school. Best colors on the jig are Pakes Perch, Bass Candy, JC’s Spicy Craw, and good ole Black & Blue. The jigging spoon and tail kicker are also very good right now. A big flutter spoon or small lead spoon in 3/8-1/2 oz sizes are best. Getting over the top of these big schools of fish with these or a Little George can catch some real trophies and is something even the kids or wife can enjoy.
Well, I hope this helps anyone that’s coming out this month to chase some big bass. If you would like to fish with me still this year, I have just a few dates available. My 2023 schedule is also filling fast so contact me as soon as possible if you are beginning to plan your trip for next year. I also have gift certificates available for those of you that are interested in purchasing a friend or loved one a guided trip on Lake Fork. You can contact me to make your reservation at 903-736-9888 or send me an email at
la****************@ya***.com
You can also visit my website for more information about Lake Fork and my guide service at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com You can find me on Facebook and follow my official Lake Fork Trophy Bass Guide page at https://www.facebook.com/lakeforktrophybassguide
I really enjoyed my first Bass Cat boat in 2021 and am now running my new 2022 Bass Cat Puma STS for this season. I couldn’t be happier to be serving my customers on Lake Fork as part of the Bass Cat Team and am looking forward to providing more great trips this year out of my new boat! If you’re interested in checking out any of the Bass Cat models, be sure to reach out to R & R Marine in Pittsburg, Texas. They even just got in the all-new Puma STS that everyone is raving about so go by and check it out! Steven Stroman and his crew have amazing sales and service as well as a complete tackle shop with just about anything you need. I would like to thank all my sponsors for 2022. I appreciate all their support as I fish the BASS Opens and serve all my great guide clients throughout the year on Lake Fork as well! Sponsors- Toyota, Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, I Am Second, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Garmin, Santone Lures, Costa Sunglasses, Power Pole, 3:16 Lure Company, Elite Tungsten, Johnson Communications, and Bass Boat Technologies.
James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
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