Lake Fork trip #3....We'll get 'em next time.
Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:25 am
I always look forward to our annual trip to Houston to visit my in-laws. They are great people and this is also my time to indulge in awesome Mexican food, get away from work, shop at Bass Pro Shops, and chase my dream of a 10 lb. Lake Fork bass! I'll include some other stuff too for my own entertainment.
This makes me sick!
Texas is known for the beautiful blue bonnets. Bring back memories, Stan?
Had to stop at my favorite store first. That's my 18" long receipt!
Squirrel and nuts
On our way to Fork, we stopped in Athens, TX to check this place out. This is where the ShareLunker program is based. It was a great place to visit. They even had a fishing pond for visitors to fish. They even supplied the rods, reels, and bait.
They had tanks filled with rainbow trout, massive blue cats, crappie, bass, and bluegill.
Big mama
We caught several catfish and this rainbow trout that my sis-in-law was terrified by.
This is a replica mount of the 18.18 lb. Texas state record largemouth caught out of Lake Fork in 1992, I think. What a fish!
I think these are the tanks they use to rear the bass fry.
People familiar with Senkos will find this funny like I did. (on the lure's package it says "custom baits") Gary Yamamoto owns this ranch right next to Lake Fork.
My wife and I went out with pro guide and FLW pro Tom Redington on March 25, 2009. http://lakeforkguidetrips.com He is an excellent guide, real nice guy, and if any of you ever go to Fork, he would be a great choice for your guide.
Started off at the ramp at Lake Fork Marina at around 7am.
Fishing was slow due to the fluctuating weather. All 3 of us were having no success except for a couple of dinks, with my wife catching the first fish as usual. She constantly reminds me about this.
I was using my BPS 6'10" Extreme MH casting rod with a Citica 201E reel that I had just bought a few days earlier during my Bass Pro Shops annual shopping spree! It was spooled with 17lb. Berkley 100% fluorocarbon.
My wife was using her Extreme spinning rod with a Daiwa Exceler 2500 reel. It was spooled with a terrible braided line I took a chance on called Tuf Line Duracast in 24lb. test.
We were using soft plastics with a very small weight. We used Senko type lures and also Lake Fork Live Magic Shads.
Tom rigged my other rod (Texas sidewinder rod/Shimano Metanium MG7/BPS 17lb. fluorocarbon) with a medium running crankbait. This rod was only used sporadically and no fish were caught on the crankbait.
The conditions for the first half of the day looked very promising, but even with Tom hustling to different spots all over the place, it just wasn't happening for us. The one bright spot was the 5 1/2 pounder I caught at around 10am. This is probably the 2nd biggest bass I've ever caught. It bit a senko and fought really hard for a LMB.
Tom said that the bad weather the day before really shut down the bite for us. I believed him because even he couldn't get any bites.
Tom's Ranger boat was so beautiful and super fast. On the far right you can see the huge Rogue minnow that he was throwing. I think the fish in Lake Wilson would be afraid of something that big!
After stopping for lunch, we headed out again, but my wife decided to stay back due to the dark clouds up above. This turned out to be a smart move on her part. Tom and I continued to fish without any success. He really tried hard to find some fish for me and to keep away from the rain clouds. I appreciated his efforts because I had another guide in the past who was just the opposite. Finally at around 3pm, I hook a 4 pounder. I didn't even feel the bite. It was a beautiful fish, but I couldn't take a picture because by this time it was raining and I couldn't get my camera wet. Soon after I released the bass, it started pouring HARD, so Tom fired up the big motor and we speed off at around 60 mph back to the Marina. Let me tell you, Texas raindrops slamming into your face at 60 mph is not a good feeling! We caught a total of 7 fish, with my 5.5 and 4 being the only decent sized ones. I hope to be able to afford another guided trip next year so that I can continue my quest to catch a big hawg.
What an awesome lake!
The tuc in the aquarium at Lake Fork Marina is still there. This time I got a picture. It looks just like the butterfly pavons we have here. This one was driven cross-country from Florida.
That ginourmous bass is gonna eat the kids!
When fishing and shopping are your addictions, you have a major problem!
St. Croix Mojo Bass and Chronarch 51MG
New Texas Sidewinder rod featuring the spiral wrapped guides. A great idea that hasn't caught on with the masses.
Barn owl in my in-law's yard.
Goldfish mini crankbait. I had to get this for my collection.
Me and Sam Houston
After the factory tour, they gave us one free scoop. I went back for 3 more!
My familia at the San Jacinto monument. This is a very important place in Texas' history.
My niece Kayla and nephew Aaron were having a blast catching bluegills at Hermann Park next to the Houston Zoo. We used bologna from our sandwiches for bait!
Crawfish boil at our family get together. Everyone loved it!
This makes me sick!
Texas is known for the beautiful blue bonnets. Bring back memories, Stan?
Had to stop at my favorite store first. That's my 18" long receipt!
Squirrel and nuts
On our way to Fork, we stopped in Athens, TX to check this place out. This is where the ShareLunker program is based. It was a great place to visit. They even had a fishing pond for visitors to fish. They even supplied the rods, reels, and bait.
They had tanks filled with rainbow trout, massive blue cats, crappie, bass, and bluegill.
Big mama
We caught several catfish and this rainbow trout that my sis-in-law was terrified by.
This is a replica mount of the 18.18 lb. Texas state record largemouth caught out of Lake Fork in 1992, I think. What a fish!
I think these are the tanks they use to rear the bass fry.
People familiar with Senkos will find this funny like I did. (on the lure's package it says "custom baits") Gary Yamamoto owns this ranch right next to Lake Fork.
My wife and I went out with pro guide and FLW pro Tom Redington on March 25, 2009. http://lakeforkguidetrips.com He is an excellent guide, real nice guy, and if any of you ever go to Fork, he would be a great choice for your guide.
Started off at the ramp at Lake Fork Marina at around 7am.
Fishing was slow due to the fluctuating weather. All 3 of us were having no success except for a couple of dinks, with my wife catching the first fish as usual. She constantly reminds me about this.
I was using my BPS 6'10" Extreme MH casting rod with a Citica 201E reel that I had just bought a few days earlier during my Bass Pro Shops annual shopping spree! It was spooled with 17lb. Berkley 100% fluorocarbon.
My wife was using her Extreme spinning rod with a Daiwa Exceler 2500 reel. It was spooled with a terrible braided line I took a chance on called Tuf Line Duracast in 24lb. test.
We were using soft plastics with a very small weight. We used Senko type lures and also Lake Fork Live Magic Shads.
Tom rigged my other rod (Texas sidewinder rod/Shimano Metanium MG7/BPS 17lb. fluorocarbon) with a medium running crankbait. This rod was only used sporadically and no fish were caught on the crankbait.
The conditions for the first half of the day looked very promising, but even with Tom hustling to different spots all over the place, it just wasn't happening for us. The one bright spot was the 5 1/2 pounder I caught at around 10am. This is probably the 2nd biggest bass I've ever caught. It bit a senko and fought really hard for a LMB.
Tom said that the bad weather the day before really shut down the bite for us. I believed him because even he couldn't get any bites.
Tom's Ranger boat was so beautiful and super fast. On the far right you can see the huge Rogue minnow that he was throwing. I think the fish in Lake Wilson would be afraid of something that big!
After stopping for lunch, we headed out again, but my wife decided to stay back due to the dark clouds up above. This turned out to be a smart move on her part. Tom and I continued to fish without any success. He really tried hard to find some fish for me and to keep away from the rain clouds. I appreciated his efforts because I had another guide in the past who was just the opposite. Finally at around 3pm, I hook a 4 pounder. I didn't even feel the bite. It was a beautiful fish, but I couldn't take a picture because by this time it was raining and I couldn't get my camera wet. Soon after I released the bass, it started pouring HARD, so Tom fired up the big motor and we speed off at around 60 mph back to the Marina. Let me tell you, Texas raindrops slamming into your face at 60 mph is not a good feeling! We caught a total of 7 fish, with my 5.5 and 4 being the only decent sized ones. I hope to be able to afford another guided trip next year so that I can continue my quest to catch a big hawg.
What an awesome lake!
The tuc in the aquarium at Lake Fork Marina is still there. This time I got a picture. It looks just like the butterfly pavons we have here. This one was driven cross-country from Florida.
That ginourmous bass is gonna eat the kids!
When fishing and shopping are your addictions, you have a major problem!
St. Croix Mojo Bass and Chronarch 51MG
New Texas Sidewinder rod featuring the spiral wrapped guides. A great idea that hasn't caught on with the masses.
Barn owl in my in-law's yard.
Goldfish mini crankbait. I had to get this for my collection.
Me and Sam Houston
After the factory tour, they gave us one free scoop. I went back for 3 more!
My familia at the San Jacinto monument. This is a very important place in Texas' history.
My niece Kayla and nephew Aaron were having a blast catching bluegills at Hermann Park next to the Houston Zoo. We used bologna from our sandwiches for bait!
Crawfish boil at our family get together. Everyone loved it!
LOL 
I'm sure you'll get her one day.
Like you, I'm still waiting for mine two 
