I have a few days open before the McDonalds Tournament due to a couple of cancellations.

The McDonalds Tournament is just around the corner and the fishing is getting good with some good quality fish being put in the boat. I look for this year to be a good one with temps cooling down a little and the bad weather getting here a week before the tournament instead of during it. I’m sure you guys fishing this tournament will appreciate it, especially those who have fished it the past 3 years or so.

Look for shallow fish early around the grass from the main lake to the creeks. Grass is the key. Look for the edges of the grass located in 4 to 10 feet of water. This will be best for numbers of fish not for catching the over fish. Start out with a soft plastic jerk bait or stick bait like a fluke, yum dinger, or centipede in shades of greens and browns. Fish these baits weightless with a twitch and pause technique. Once the fish start to slow down on the weightless baits you should be able to pick up a few extra fish by throwing a shaky head or drop shoting a small finesse worm in watermelon/red. Just flip these baits along the edge of the grass for some good size unders.

For those looking for an over fish early try getting out deeper on main lake points, pond dams, road beds and channel bends located in 8 to 14 feet of water. I have had good luck throwing a 10 to 12 inch worm in plum, plum apple, blackberry, or blue fleck. I have been rigging them up on a Texas rig with a 3/8th ounce weight and a 4/0 hook. The bites have been easy to detect and the fish are fighting hard so beef up your line to 20lb at least.

Once these bites slow up try kicking out to deeper water. Try looking for and then graphing areas such as points, channel bends, brush piles, road beds, pond dams, humps, and ridges located in 18 to 24 feet of water. This is where I have found most of my fish the last few weeks and the seem to only be ganging up better in these areas. I have had my best luck working a Carolina rigged fluke or small creature bait in watermelon/red or watermelon candy. Being slow has been the key but fish to 9lbs have been coming on the rig the last few weeks for me. I have also caught some nice fish and good under fish drop shoting a twitch worm in watermelon. If you get on fish and they shut down or start suspending on you brake out some 1 ounce spinner baits or shad colored swim baits and start working them in the depth you see the fish suspended on the graph.

I still have September , October, November dates available for those interested in some great summer fishing. If you are interested in a professional Lake Fork Guide trip for any time give me a call at (903)-216-1867 and I will be happy to help or answer any questions that you may have. You can also catch me at fishinlakefork@yahoo.com. Gift certificates are available for any occasion.


Good luck and be safe on the water,

Guide Jimmy Everett

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Jimmy Everett’s Lake Fork Guide Service
(903) 765-3980 or (903) 216-1867
Email: jimmy@fishinlakefork.com
For trip information visit: www.ets-systems.com/jimmyeverett