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Lake Fork Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The trophy bass factory of Texas: more 13-pound ShareLunkers than any water in the state.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Lake level
399.06 ft -3.94 vs pool
Air / High
98 / 99 F
Wind
S 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08018800, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Fork locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The gauge reads 399.06 ft, 3.94 ft below pool, easing 0.18 over the week. Today brings a mixed sky, wind S around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 99. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 98 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Lake Fk Res nr Quitman, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08018800. Conservation pool is 403 ft.

399.75401.03402.31pool 403399.06 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low99 / 73 F
WindS 8-9 mph
Pressure1012.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain33% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:58 / 19:42
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 99/73 F, wind 9 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Fork: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Lake Fork calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Fork today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 91 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 17 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Texas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Largemouth bass: 16-24 inch slot, 5 per day (only one over 24"). Crappie: 10-inch minimum, 25 per day. Confirm with TPWD.

Access

Lake Fork Marina, Oak Ridge Marina and the public ramps at 515 and 2946 are the main launches. Several fishing piers around the bridges.

About this water

27,264 acres on Lake Fork Creek (Sabine basin), Wood/Rains/Hopkins counties. Impounded 1980, managed for trophy bass by TPWD and SRA.

Fishing Lake Fork: the full guide

Built on purpose to grow monsters

Lake Fork was impounded in 1980 and managed from day one as a trophy largemouth fishery: Florida-strain genetics, a 16-to-24-inch slot limit, and forests of standing timber left in place. The result is historic: the Texas state record (18.18 lb) and roughly half of the biggest bass ever entered in the ShareLunker program came from this 27,000-acre reservoir on Lake Fork Creek.

Fishing the timber

Fork is a flooded forest. The storied pattern is working the edges of the old creek channels where timber meets deeper water: jigs and big Texas-rigged worms pitched to standing trees, deep cranks on the points between them. In spring the big females slide up the creeks (Big Caney, Little Caney, Birch) to spawn in the backs; in summer the giants suspend on main-lake timber and humps 18 to 30 ft down.

The slot, and what it means for you

Every bass between 16 and 24 inches goes straight back in the water: that is the engine of the trophy machine. Fish over 24 inches can be kept only alive for ShareLunker donation in season. Bring a camera, not a stringer. The crappie fishing around the 154 and 515 bridge pilings is superb and much less famous than it deserves.

Common questions

Why does Lake Fork produce so many giant bass?

A deliberate recipe: pure Florida-strain stockings since before impoundment, a protective 16-24 inch slot limit, flooded timber everywhere, and fertile water. The lake was designed to grow the state record, and it did.

Can I keep a big bass from Lake Fork?

Only outside the slot: under 16 inches, or one fish over 24 inches per day. From January through March, bass over 13 lb can be donated alive to the TPWD ShareLunker program.

Is Lake Fork good for anything besides bass?

The crappie fishing is genuinely excellent, centered on the 154 and 515 bridges and the timber edges, and big catfish roam the creek channels. But yes: this is the bass pilgrimage.

Is fishing good at Lake Fork right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Tawakoni27 miLake Cypress Springs28 miLake Bob Sandlin31 miLake Palestine43 miLake Athens43 miLake Tyler48 mi
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