LAKE FORK, Texas – We’re off and running at Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Three Presented by TrueTimber from Lake Fork, Texas. As Day 1 competition continues, here are three big things to watch for this week: the spawn cycle, big bass, and of course, the weather.
Lake Fork has a well-deserved reputation as one of the premier big-bass fisheries in the world. The Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Toyota ShareLunker program has been in existence since 1986 and is recognized everywhere for its excellence.
There are three classes of ShareLunkers, the “Legacy Class” is for bass over 13-pounds and they also have recognition for the “Lunker Elite Class,” which is for bass over 10 pounds and the “Lunker Class” for bass over eight pounds.
Lake Fork bass have dominated the program since its inception with 372 entries into the program and we’re bound to have more trophy bass caught this week. The only questions are how many will be landed and what the biggest bass of the week will be.
According to the anglers in the field and local guides we’ve talked to, we’re hitting Lake Fork at a perfect time as bass prepare for their annual spawning ritual.
“They’re coming and there will be some big ones caught,” said Lake Fork guide Greg West. “Right now, there are more prespawn fish than spawning fish, but in the last 48 hours, I have seen quite a few males moving up to the bank.”
West says the bass on Fork will spawn from February to May, depending on the weather, and West noted that the recent full moon was what is pushing the bass to the bank to spawn.
“We had a small percentage of fish that spawned at the beginning of February when we had a little warming trend, but the bass will spawn until May,” West said. “But we’re right in the prime time for the spawn with the way it’s setting up.”
Even with an influx of bass moving shallow, West says fishing for spawning bass may be trying this week due to the water clarity.
“The water is dirty up towards the north on both sides of the lake,” West predicted. “That’s going to make it harder to see the bass on beds.”
Any bass tournament ever contested will be affected by the weather in some fashion, both good and bad. The weather plays an even more significant role early in the year, and the changing weather is sure to be a story this week at Lake Fork.
The 10-day forecast for Mineola, Texas, shows some consistency: consistently wet, with rain or thunderstorms being predicted for every day in the near future. Along with the wet conditions, the air temperature will be in the 60s and 70s after warmer conditions leading up to the event.
The biggest factor with the rain is the dirtier water that will surely follow. This could make sight-fishing more difficult and could throw a wrench into the plans of some anglers. Add in the overcast conditions and looking for shallow bass will be even more challenging.
The 80-angler field will be forced to adapt to whatever Mother Nature throws at them.