August is firing up on Lake Fork! The summer fishing here at Lake Fork can be great despite the hot temperatures. Whether you like fishing summer patterns by day or enjoy fishing for big bass during the cover of night, Lake Fork has a lot to offer anglers this month. Here are some tips and techniques that will help you no matter which one you choose.
The lake conditions are still as good as ever with water levels at full pool. The water clarity is fair in most areas on the main lake and the backs of the major creeks with visibility to 2-3 feet. The water temperatures have remained warm and have been ranging from the mid to upper 80’s lately. With surface temps not even hardly reaching the 90’s this year, we could see August become a transitional month for water conditions. It’s not uncommon if the month provides any type of cooler weather to see signs of the lake beginning to turnover.
There is still some great shallow water fishing real early and late in the day. A lot of fish are also biting well at night around the full moon of the month. If shallow fishing is your thing, you’ll want to keep a Texas rigged Berkley 5” General handy. I rig mine on 17 lb fluorocarbon with a 5/16 ounce Elite Tungsten weight and a 4/0 wide gap hook. Best colors for me are green pumpkin and black/blue flake. Flipping this around the shallow timber and docks in 3-8 feet of water has been surprisingly effective for the heat of the summer. You can also pick up a Santone 3/8 ounce Rattlin Jig and flip it in the same type of areas for those big fish, especially at night. I also like to keep my drop shot rod in the line up for some of these finnicky shallow fish. I am rigging mine on a 6’10” medium light Abu Garcia Zenon spinning rod with 10 lb Berkley Nanofil line and a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader. I use a 1/0 hook and ¼ ounce weight most of the time. The best producing worm has been the Berkley 4.75” Bottom Hopper in plum color.
The bite in mid depth areas has been the most consistent lately it seems. With several cooler evenings and mildly hot day temps, it has kept the fish from fully committing to the real deep patterns that we normally see this time of year. With that said, targeting humps, points and other structure in 14-20 feet of water had been very productive. My clients are catching a lot of big fish in these areas using a Santone 5/8 ounce football head jig. Best colors have been Mexican heather, Pakes Perch, and my signature JC’s Spicy Craw tipped with a green pumpkin Berkley Powerbait Pitboss or Chigger Craw. Another great bait for the big fish holding in these areas has been a Berkley Powerbait 10” powerworm. I’m rigging this on a traditional Texas rig with a 3/8 ounce weight. Best colors have been blue fleck, plum, and watermelon red purple.
On the days that it gets really hot, most of the daytime action this time of year is out deep. Lake Fork is one of the best deep structure lakes in the country and I love to chase those schools of big bass during this time of year! My deeper patterns have remained the same as my last month’s report. After the sun gets up good into the day, I am concentrating on deep structure. Humps, roadbeds, points, ridges, and pond dams in depths of 14-22 feet are all great areas to look for these big ole bass out deep. One of my best set ups for numbers of fish right now is a Carolina rig on a 7’6” medium heavy Abu Garcia Veritas PLX rod with a Revo reel spooled up with some 20 lb. Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line and a 15-17 lb. leader. I like to use a 1 oz Elite Tungsten weight and a 3/0 hook. I have been catching a number of fish with the Berkley Bottom Hopper as well as the Berkley Powerbait Jerk. The best colors have been red bug, chartreuse pepper, green pumpkin, and watermelon red. If you want to catch a big one out deep, then you will want to break out the football jig too! A Santone Lures 5/8- 3/4 oz football head jig is hard to beat. My clients are also catching a lot of big fish with me right now on the big shaky heads and big worms. The Berkley Magnum Bottom Hopper in Plum and Red Bug colors has been very effective in the same areas as the jigs. A lot of the fish are suspended and even schooling on shad in some areas. These fish are a little trickier to catch. You need something that you can work in the middle to upper part of the water column. If you follow my social media posts then you know that we have been catching a bunch of big bass on the giant spoons. These bass out deep that are feeding on big gizzard shad love the Ben Parker Magnum spoon. Working it through these schools of fish is a workout that can pay off big. Overall though, let the bass out deep tell you what they want right now because they are all over the place and they move around in the water column. Mixing it up and trying a variety of things on a school of fish helps. Having good electronics is a big advantage too! I love my new Garmins. Knowing how to read them and apply it to your fishing is important. If you are weak in this area, now is the time to get out on the water with me and log some time in getting dialed in.
Well, I hope this helps anyone that’s coming out this month to chase some big bass or fish a tournament. If you would like to fish with me this year, I still have just a few dates available. My 2024 schedule is filling fast though so contact me as soon as possible if you are just now beginning to plan your trip. 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 have really enjoyed my Bass Cat boats the past few years and am enjoying my new 2024 Puma STS for the 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 have the all-new Puma and Caracal 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 that are continuing to support me in 2024. I am looking forward to representing them again this year on the major tournament trails. I appreciate all their support as I serve all my great guide clients throughout the year on Lake Fork as well! Sponsors: Toyota, AFTCO, Bass Cat Boats, Mercury, I Am Second, Omnia Fishing, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Garmin, Santone Lures, Costa Sunglasses, Power Pole, Elite Tungsten, Johnson Communications, EVOLV and Bass Boat Technologies.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
Tight Lines & God Bless,
James Caldemeyer
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