Personal Bests Could Be in Play During Stage Two of the 2022 Bass Pro Tour
QUITMAN, Texas – While the air temperatures may be low when the 2022 Bass Pro Tour rolls into Texas and the MLF pros fish Lake Fork, look for the big-bass weights to be high: a few 10-pound-plus bass may be caught.
“We ‘e going to be there early,” said Bass Pro Tour angler Jeff Sprague. “We may get fewer bites, but the bites available can be phenomenal. An angler has a great chance for a personal best, and if it’s tough fishing, the bass are big enough that you could only catch three in a day and still be in it. Reaction bites or slow-moving baits may both play.”
Texas is Sprague’s home field and he’s racked up three Top-10 finishes during the first three years of the MLF Bass Pro Tour. He’s also the 2020 Challenge Cup Champion. Sprague has more than 20 Top 10s in his career.
“February can be the most volatile time of the year here,” Sprague said. “How good the fishing is usually depends on the weather. We should see a few bass caught over 10 pounds, if not larger.”
About the fishery
Lake Fork provides over 27,000 acres of bass-filled water. It’s riddled with submerged timber, making it tough to navigate at times. Submerged vegetation also exists in the form of hydrilla, milfoil, and a variety of other plant species.
As far as big bass, the Texas state record fish of 18 pounds, 2.8 ounces was pulled out of Lake Fork along with more than 65% of the Top 50 largest bass caught in Texas. A fish needs to be 24 inches in length or weigh at least 8 pounds to qualify for the Toyota ShareLunker Program.
Look for boathouses, docks, hydrilla, and points to be solid locations for the Bass Pro Tour anglers to locate scorable bass. The submerged brushpiles planted in the lake and bridge pilings can also produce behemoth bass. The local Lake Fork Sportsmans’ Association (Friends of Reservoirs Chapter) works with Texas Parks and Wildlife to build and install the man-made fish attractors. They are located throughout the lake.
The last time the Bass Pro Tour fished Lake Fork, Tennessee pro Ott DeFoe was victorious. Though, the last day of that event was fished on a different lake, Athens.