Good morning from Lake Fork, Texas—Artificial Lure here, bringing you your Wednesday fishing report on this steamy August 13th, 2025. As the sun peeks over the treeline at 6:45 AM and with sunset expected tonight at 8:15 PM, anglers are heading out early to beat both the heat and that late summer lull.

Weather-wise, we’re in the thick of a classic East Texas August—highs topping 97°F by mid-afternoon, plenty of humidity, and a light wind from the south keeping things just bearable on the main lake. Surface water temperatures are running hot—pushing 88 to 90°F, especially on those shallow flats and main lake points. According to recent Lake Fork locals on Instagram, some “ole war-torn” largemouth beasts have been coming up despite the bathwater conditions.

Tidal charts from NOAA say we’re running a late morning high tide today, peaking just before lunch—right around 10:48 AM. While tides aren’t a dominant factor on Fork, those slight midday bumps often get baitfish moving in creek bends and around timber edges.

The bass bite has been a tale of two days: topwater magic in the early morning and late evening, then a grind during the blazing afternoon. Bass Fishing Daily reports that the best action is still happening in the last couple hours before sunset, with poppers and frogs drawing violent strikes around the edges of hydrilla and main lake grass. Those surface bites tail off fast once the sun gets high, so plan accordingly.

Moving to tackle talk: as the water temps have soared, the summer pattern is full-on. Strike King Rage Tail Blue Craws have been a top choice when flipping timber or dragging through brush piles in 8–14 feet of water—a strategy several Lake Fork guides are leaning on for those post-sunrise hours. At night or low light, consider classic jitterbug topwaters or the latest glow-in-the-dark crankbaits, as recommended in recent reviews of night lures for 2025. Lures with a subtle glow or a loud rattle like the Trussend Papa Plopper can also give you an edge at dawn or dusk, especially near lighted docks or bridge pilings.

On the numbers side, Lake Fork continues to show out both for quality and quantity. Several reports from this past weekend mention solid stringers of slot bass—lots in the 4 to 7-pound range—with a handful of double-digit hawgs caught near Little Caney. Crappie anglers are getting in on the act too, according to Louisiana Sportsman, filling coolers with big slabs stacked deep on brush around 22 feet. A few adventurous souls have even tangled with catfish by baiting up under the 515 bridges, pulling out channels and blues with punch bait and cut shad.

For hot spots, two areas stand out this week:
- **SRA Point**: Early mornings with walking topwaters round sunken timber.
- **Little Caney Creek**: Midday brush pile action for bass and crappie—bring your plastics and be patient.

Best live bait is still big wild shiners for those targeting a true giant, but plastics and jigs are putting up serious numbers. Don’t overlook classic night tactics—late night and pre-dawn are giving up bass for those tossing glow lures near the main lake points and dock lights.

Whether you’re after trophy bass, a slab crappie fry, or just soaking up a Lake Fork sunrise, the fish are still biting—you just gotta be smarter than the August heat.

Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s fishing report. Remember to subscribe for tomorrow’s on-the-water updates, and until then, tight lines! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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