Lake Fork sits in Rains and Wood Counties on Lake Fork Creek and Caney Creek, tributaries of the Sabine River, about 70 miles east of Dallas. When Lake Fork was built, the engineers left 80% of the standing timber. Tree stumps are all over the lake underwater. Boat lanes are marked in major branches of the lake with Sabine River Authority buoys.

Is Lake Fork Good Fishing?

Yes, Lake Fork is a legendary largemouth bass fishing lake. Lake Fork holds the record in 2017 for 33 of the 50 biggest largemouth bass ever caught in Texas, which were fished out of Lake Fork that year. Over 300,000 people visit the Lake Fork each year because of the great fishing.

What Kind of Fish Does Lake Fork Have?

Other popular game species in Lake Fork include spotted, hybrid striped, white, and yellow bass, bluegill, bowfin, blue, channel, and flathead catfish, common carp, black and white crappie, longnose and spotted gar, redear sunfish, and warmouth. 

Lake Fork is a V-shaped lake with hundreds of coves and inlets that spiderweb around it. There are over 300 miles of shoreline to fish, along with points, humps, channels, and ledges. The engineers left 80% of the standing timber when they built Lake Fork. Tree stumps are all over the lake underwater, leaving treacherous underwater hazards. Duckweed, milfoil, and hydrilla provide vegetation.

Boat lanes are marked in major branches of Lake Fork with Sabine River Authority buoys. Buoys indicate the paths without tree stumps. The timber presents a navigation hazard as well. The boat lanes are not highways, so drive them with caution. Fall, winter, and spring are the best seasons to fish Lake Fork. Night fishing is ideal in the hot summer months.

White bass, crappie, and sunfish fishing is exceptional at times. Giant catfish roam Lake Fork and are productive year round. Hybrid stripers and white bass run in packs chasing schools of baitfish and can be caught anywhere from the surface to the deeper river channels. Canoes and kayaks also provide access to areas not easily reached by bigger boats.

Are There Striped Bass in Lake Fork?

There are a lot fish species in Lake Fork, but no striped bass. There are hybrid striped bass.

What's the Biggest Fish Caught in Lake Fork?

The Texas state record is an 18.18-pound largemouth bass caught at Lake Fork. This record has stood since 1992.

Top Lake Fork Fish Species and Limits

Black Bass

For black bass, also called largemouth bass, the length limit is a 16-24” slot. Bass 16 inches and less or 24 inches or greater in length may be retained. Only one bass 24 inches or greater may be retained each day. For smallmouth bass (if present), minimum length = 14 inches. No minimum length on spotted, Guadalupe, and Alabama bass (if present.) Daily bag limit for all species = 5 black bass in combination.

White, Striped and Yellow Bass

For striped and hybrid striped bass, minimum length limit = 18 inches and daily bag limit = 5 in any combination. For white bass, minimum length = 10 inches and daily bag is 25. There are no bag or size limits for yellow bass.

Carp

There is no minimum length limit or daily bag limit for common carp.

Catfish

For channel and blue catfish, their hybrids and subspecies, 25 in any combination - only 10 can be 20 inches or greater in length. For flathead catfish, minimum length = 18 inches and daily bag limit = 5.

Crappie

For black and white crappie caught from DEC. 1 through the last day of FEB., there is no minimum length limit and all crappie caught must be retained. From March through November, minimum length is 10 inches. Year-round daily bag limit is 25 crappie in any combination.

Gar

For alligator gar, daily bag limit is 1 fish of any size. No bag limits on other species of gar.

Mandatory Harvest Reporting - All alligator gar harvested from the public waters of the state other than Falcon International Reservoir must be reported within 24 hours to the department via mobile app or online. Report your harvest with "My Texas Hunt Harvest" app.Certain areas may be temporarily closed to alligator gar fishing when optimum spawning conditions occur. Get details.

Sunfish

There is no minimum length or daily bag limit on bluegill, redear, warmouth or other species of sunfish.

Trout

For rainbow and brown trout, their hybrids and subspecies, there is no minimum length and daily bag limit = 5 trout in any combination.