False Texas Fresh Waters Fisheries Center. This is in keeping with the theme of the trip to Lake Fork by giving visitors a look at a production fish hatchery. Educational exhibits can be seen, as well as an aquarium that gives native Texas fish a natural environment to be studied in. A mu-seum and hall of fame can also be seen at this location. There are so many things to see and experi-ence at Lake Fork, that it makes an ideal place to visit alone or with a group. Everyone will have something to do there. And if all else fails -- FISH! A Recent Trip These record catches have been what has kept fishing enthusiast Guy Downing visiting Lake Fork for years. Guy has fished this particular lake over a dozen times in the spring, early summer, and even at night in the middle of the summer, to avoid that Texas heat. And his most recent trip may not have faired as well as other times, but it did not disappoint either. I asked Guy why he chose to keep returning to this lake and he immediately told me it was “ the quality of the fish”, where it is common to catch 3 to 7 pound bass. Guy went out for his first visit of the year post spawn. Hoping to make a catch like he had in the past, of over 9 pounds, him and a buddy began their day fishing the west shore early in the morning. Since the waters are still cool there this year, these waters would be the first to warm and yield some hungry bass. In the first cove, they each started with dif-ferent baits to find their fish. Guy threw in a dead stick watermelon and pumpkin seed fluke on a stiff action rod with a bait caster reel and a number 3 or 4 hook, while his buddy threw spinner bait. In this particular lake, fisher-men use 50 to 80 pound braided test line. This is because the lake is not only lined with tall, beautiful trees, but it is also filled with all those

False stumps. When a bass is hooked on a line, it can be hard to tell if it is truly a bass, or just an old tree stump messing with your mind and your reel. And when a bass is on the hook, it can certainly take you for a spin around the stumps if you aren’t careful. So of course, heavy test line is needed. Guy describes the fish as big and lazy in this lake, so spinner baits receive a lot of taps as you pull it back through the water, letting you know where the fish lie. Some will bite, but some of the big ones are waiting to see what else you have for them to try. Thirty minutes into it, a small 2 pounder was caught. Guy’s buddy then caught a bass over 6 pounds with his spinner bait. They continued to work the shoreline, where they could see old spawn beds guarded by large male bass. Like any angler, they looked longingly into those waters at those big fat bass, wishing they could catch just one. And naturally, they did give it a try. But they eventually moved on to more interested fish, instead. A couple of hours into their trip, they sat in a particular spot and witnessed a nearby angler pull fish after fish out of the water within a 30 minute time period. Attempting to still keep their distance, they pursued a similar spot to try their luck and their skill. Duck Call Cove was their next stop, which they have nicknamed “ Seven Pound Cove”, because it always seems to be the spot where they catch their seven pounders. And true to its name, Guy received a tug on his line and a fish that had a lot of fight. So much so, he believed it was hung up on one of the lake’s numerous stumps. The line just wouldn’t move. And neither did Guy, fish or stump, he was going to get it in. After some tugging and persis-tence, he finally landed his biggest catch for the trip, which was a 7.2 pound bass. After that excitement, Guy’s buddy then switched over to a Carolina rig with an 18 to 24 inch leader, and using a lizard as slightly larger plastic bait, he was ready to catch bigger fish. This is when he man-aged to catch his third and final fish of the day, a bass that was a little less than 5 pounds. Maybe it was not as big as he had hoped for, but it was still a very nice catch. Their fishing ended in the early afternoon. It was a decent day of fishing on Lake Fork. Guy had pulled in altogether over 18 pounds of bass that day. When it was over, they released their catches back into the lake and headed for home. It was a satisfying trip overall. And they would definitely be back again soon. Guy Downing with a recent 7lb Fork bass, a bass any angler would be proud of... A few thoughts from Jeff Kirkwood , Lake Fork Guide If youíve never fished Lake Fork you have definitely missed out in the world of bass fishing! Lake Fork was built for the largemouth bass. Everything you can imagine fishing for bass Lake Fork has. From Lilly pads, milfoil, hydrilla, coon- tail, to standing timber, ridges, roadbeds, islands and many main lake points. You can fish until your heart is content on any or all of this type of cover. Before making the trek to Lake Fork you must understand that Lake Fork is like any other lake in the country. Theyíre not going to just jump in the boat or jerk on the line because Bass Fishing The Fork, by Katie Rawls