James Caldemeyer’s
Lake Fork Trophy Bass
Monthly Fishing Report
June 2017

My absolute favorite month of the year is finally upon us! June is such an amazing fishing month each year here on world famous Lake Fork. I look forward to June because the bass have progressed into their post spawn feeding regimen and that means lots of hungry bass around the lake to catch. You can catch a lot of fish right now and big ones too! Oh man do they fight hard!

The lake is in great shape and up a bit from recent storms. The water levels are currently at 403.20, which is 2 inches above full pool. The clarity of the water is slightly stained in most areas on the upper north end and clear to about 3 feet on the south end of the lake. The recent surge of rising water levels has triggered some great new vegetation growth all over the lake. Water temperatures are ranging from 74-80 degrees but you can expect those temperatures to rise as we progress through the month.

Right now the fishing is great just about everywhere you go on the lake both shallow and deep. The biggest problem has been deciding which groups of fish to go after. Most of the bass have finished up spawning and are hungry! The top water fishing has been very good this year with whopper ploppers, yellow magics, and zara spooks in shad patterns getting the best action worked early and late around main lake points. The explosions on these baits are fierce. As the shad are finishing up their spawn a square billed crank bait, white spinner bait, chatter bait, or a 3:16 Lure Company swimbait fished in the same areas are doing well also. These fish are very aggressive and will pound these baits as you reel them through 2-6 feet of water. The bite isn’t lasting long in the morning so get out early if you want to take advantage of this bite!

There are a large number of big fish in mid depths this year due to the rise in water and mild temperatures. The bass have been feeding early and late on shad around 12-16 feet of water. My go to bait for these bass have been a 10” Texas rigged worm in blue fleck, tequila sunrise, and plum or watermelon candy. There’s nothing like the scent of a Powerbait worm to attract the bite of a monster bass. I am using a 3/8 oz. Elite Tungsten weight and a 5/0 hook for these worms and fishing it slowly around the trees on points, humps, road beds, and creek bends. You can also catch some fish in the same areas on deep diving crank bait like a DD 22. Any shad pattern will work fine. I prefer a little bit of chartreuse color on the bait.

The deep bite has really started to turn on over the past couple of weeks. As the fish finish up spawning you can find schools of fish congregated on points, humps, creek channel bends, roadbeds, ridges, and pond dams in 18-28 feet of water. I will idle over these areas with my Garmin electronics and look for schools of bass around shad, sand bass, or yellow bass. The big bass will feed on all three. Once I have located a school I have been using several different presentations. The Carolina rig has been the most effective lately. I am using a 7’6” medium heavy Abu Garcia Villain rod rigged with a 1 oz. tungsten weight and 4-5 foot leader with a 3/0 wide gap hook. My best baits have been a Berkley 7” Powerworm, jerk, lizard, or centipede in watermelon or green pumpkin colors. The football head jig bite has been good for big fish. I am using a ¾-1 oz. Santone Lures football jig in my signature color J.C.’s Spicy Craw, Mexican Heather, Fouzman, and PB&J colors with a Berkley Havoc “Deuce” or “Pit Chunk” in green pumpkin or watermelon as a trailer. A lot of these deep fish are suspended over this structure too and a deep diving crank bait, a big spoon, umbrella rigs, or a swim bait do best. Working these baits through the middle of the water column will get you bit!

I hope this report helps you on your next trip here to the lake. Good luck to all the tournament anglers coming out and be safe out on the water. I also want to wish all the Dads out there a Happy Father’s Day! If you are headed to Lake Fork in pursuit of a trophy bass and are looking to book a guide, I would enjoy the opportunity to take you or your group fishing and show you a great time on Lake Fork. Also, if you are interested in learning deep structure fishing and how to read electronics, now through the end of the year is the time to book with me. My summer and fall schedule is already filling fast so get your reservations in now for best available dates. 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 [email protected] 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 Guide page at https://www.facebook.com/lakeforktrophybassguide/ 
Good luck to all the tournament anglers headed to the lake this month! Also, while you are here, be sure to stop by Diamond Sports Marine located on highway 154 just north of the bridge. They have all the new 2017 Ranger Boats in stock. You will not want to miss the opportunity to check out the new Z series bass boats as well as the all-new Ranger aluminum series. These boats have some amazing features are definitely eye catchers! Give Fred a call at 903-383-7829 to set up your personal demo ride in a Ranger Boat.

I would like to thank all of my current 2017 sponsors for supporting my FLW Series tournament fishing and my guide service on Lake Fork: Toyota, Carhartt, Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, I Am Second, Leer, Garmin, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Santone Lures, Costa Sunglasses, Power Pole, Rigid Industries, Road Armor, Fabtech Motorsports and Elite Tungsten.

Isaiah 25:1 - O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.


Tight Lines and God Bless,
James Caldemeyer