Lake Fork Fishing Report: Summer Patterns Heating Up

Good morning folks, this is Artificial Lure with your June 6 Lake Fork fishing report—let’s get right to it.

The water’s holding steady in the low to mid-70s, sitting just above pool, thanks to some recent “below average” temps; the lake’s stained but healthy, and summer patterns are starting to take over. Sunrise was at 6:16 AM, and you’ll catch your last daylight today around 8:27 PM. Winds have shifted back out of the south, which is warming up those north-facing pockets and bringing fish back in, especially for that hot afternoon bite.

Bass action has been good, especially early when shad are still spawning on main lake points. Your best shot at a big one in the mornings is tossing squarebill crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or a topwater right on those grassy points. As the day heats up, start dragging shaky heads or Carolina rigs with big worms or flukes off points and roadbeds—look for that 12-15 foot range. If you’re after deep fish, focus on humps and channel swings in 20-25 feet; deep-diving crankbaits and football jigs are drawing strikes from post-spawners. For the shallow game, frog patterns are dynamite around the hydrilla and lily pads early and late in the day, especially in those thick mats that the bass are using for cover.

Crappie fishing is really hitting its stride as we get deeper into summer. The big slabs are stacking up now among the little ones, and you’ll find them schooled up on underwater bridges, roadbeds, brush piles, lay downs, tire reefs, and timber in anywhere from 14 to 32 feet. Best bet is minnows, soft plastics, or hand-tied 1/16 ounce jigs pegged with a light egg weight if the wind’s up. Keep your bait above the fish and action is almost guaranteed.

Channel cats are still cruising shallow, 2-4 feet, especially near brush and docks. Clouser minnows and punch baits will put some in the box. And don’t overlook the bream bite—big bluegill have moved up shallow and are hitting wooly buggers and small jigs.

A couple local hot spots for you: the 164 Bridge area is producing solid stringers for just about everything, from cats to crappie. Another can’t-miss location is any point with grass—especially the mid-lake lily pad fields and the shallower creek arms, which are full of juvenile baitfish right now. Fish the first couple hours after sunrise or get back out there for the evening bite for your best shot at numbers and quality.

Best baits this week: topwaters at dawn, chatterbaits, and squarebills for aggressive bass; deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina rigs as the sun climbs. For crappie, focus on small jigs or minnows, and for cats, punch bait or shad on a Carolina rig in 6-15 feet of water.

That’s your Lake Fork report for today. Thanks for tuning in—be sure to subscribe and join me again for more tips and timely on-the-water updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.