Lake Fork Sizzles in the Summer - Topwater Bass, Crappie, and Catfish Bite Strong Podcast By cover art

Lake Fork Sizzles in the Summer - Topwater Bass, Crappie, and Catfish Bite Strong

Lake Fork Sizzles in the Summer - Topwater Bass, Crappie, and Catfish Bite Strong

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 It’s your local angling expert, Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lake Fork fishing report for Sunday, July 6th, 2025.

The dog days of summer have set in over East Texas, and Lake Fork’s water is currently stained with the temperature hovering around 82 degrees, sitting just a tick above normal pool. Sunrise came at 6:19 AM and sunset’s lined up for 8:36 PM; with this much sunlight and a mostly bluebird sky, fish are pushing into their summer routines.

Largemouth bass action remains classic Fork — and July means the bite’s best early and late. According to Lone Star Outdoor News, topwater baits like Spooks and poppers, frogs in the flooded grass, and old faithful crankbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics are all getting results. Midmorning, the bass pull off to deeper structure: humps, ledges, and standing timber. The Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour just wrapped up at Lake Fork, and the pros proved the quality’s still off the charts—12 bass for over 52 pounds took top honors Saturday, with several giants weighed in, including a whopping 10.8-pound bucketmouth caught by Justin Atkins on a finesse worm in the bushes. Pressure’s high, so downsizing to finesse worms or using a shaky head with a Berkley MaxScent Bottom Hopper is putting more fish in the boat.

Crappie are a touch slower now with the heat, but those fishing at night under the bridges or lighted docks are still scraping up some nice slabs. Small jigs and minnows around brush piles in 15–22 feet of water are the ticket. Catfish are fair on prepared baits and cut shad, with the best bite coming from deeper flats and sloping points.

Bait recommendations: For bass, keep a frog handy for any remaining flooded grass and pads, and don’t leave the ramp without a Carolina rigged soft plastic (think Googan Bandito Bug, Berkley PowerBait or a classic Senko). Early and late, a walking topwater or popping frog can trigger those aggressive surface bites. For crappie, it’s hard to beat a 1/16 oz. chartreuse jig or lively minnow. Catfishermen should stick with punch baits or fresh-cut shad.

Hot spots today include:
- The timber just north of the Hwy 515 bridge — big bass have been pushing up early, then sliding out to the edges of the timber as the sun gets high.
- Little Caney creek arm, especially around main-lake points and deeper grass.
- Both Mustang and Williams Creeks are also running strong for crappie at night and early morning.

No tides to speak of here, but watch for the south breeze to pick up late; a little chop on the main lake can push bait and fire up the bite on windblown points.

With the summer pattern in full swing and big bass still proving why Lake Fork is legendary — including all six top Texas bass records coming from these waters — it’s as good a time as ever to get out early, fish smart, and, more often than not, hold on tight!

Thanks for tuning in to today’s Lake Fork fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily local tips and hot bite alerts. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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