Jacksonville Progress
April 01, 2008 02:27 pm
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Bass fishing on Lake Fork is really good according to professional bass fishing guide Randy Oldfield. I’ve fished with Oldfield off and on for the last ten years. Nowadays he is booked solid in the spring, and appointments are hard to get.
I called Oldfield last week to inquire about the bass fishing. Oldfield said, “It’s been too windy this week to go out except for Monday. Last week we (Randy and clients) caught three over 10 pounds. Bingham Hightower, a 13-year-old boy from Cushing, Oklahoma, caught a 10.6 pound bass out of an 8-foot deep creek on a Sienko. I had just caught a 10.14 pound bass on a jig out of the same area. On Friday my friend Jim Simmons caught a 10.12 pound bass out of the same spot.” Oldfield caught his on a jig, and the other bass were caught on a Sienko. Oldfield said that some of the bass had already spawned out and had retreated to the creek bed.
Oldfield said, “Fish are on beds all over the lake. We had been catching a lot of fish up north until the rain and muddy water really messed things up. The windy day really hurt the fishing. I don’t go out on windy days, but other guides do. Most of the time they only catch 7 or 8 bass when the weather is bad.”
On the south end of the lake there is a lot of grass, and lots of big bass have been caught on the edge of grass.
Oldfield said, “We got a lot of water during the rains, and the gates were open for three weeks, and this hinders the fishing. There is a decent spinner bait bite in the dingy water, but I keep fishing a jig. I will only get 5 or 6 bites on the jig, but there are all quality size fish. The majority of our fish have been caught on a Sienko type lure. Lizards have been good too.”
ldfield also likes to fish Lake Cypress up close to Mount Pleasant, Texas. Oldfield said, “We really whacked them good last Wednesday. The bass were averaging from 2 to 5 1?2 pounds. The Sienko was the best bait. One other guide who fished behind us caught a lot of Kentucky bass on a Sienko with a 1/8 oz. weight that ran from 1 1?2 to 2 1?2 pounds. Cypress sure has a lot of big Kentuckies.” All of the grass is gone because they put in a lot of grass carp a few years ago that really hurt the bass fishing.
According to Oldfield, the spawn will go through mid-May. He has caught some of his largest stringers in May, but you have to know where to find them. That’s why Oldfield has done so well guiding over the years. He knows when and where the big bass show up.
Oldfield can be reached at 1-800-894-0385. I recommend him because he’s always been able to put me on the big ones on Lake Fork.
Miller can be reached at gonefishing813@peoplepc.com
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