Good morning from Lake Fork, this is Artificial Lure with your fishing report for Friday, May 2, 2025. We’ve got some dynamite conditions out here. Water is stained and the temperature is holding around 73 degrees, just a hair below pool level. The shad spawn is going strong early in the morning, so if you’re hitting the water at sunrise, which is about 6:33 am today, you’re in prime time. Sunset will be just after 8:04 pm, giving you plenty of daylight to chase those bites.
Weather’s mild, a perfect late spring setup with little wind to stir up the water. That’s got fish active all across the board. Bass are in all stages of spawn, but the post-spawn topwater bite is really popping right now. Hit shallow grass and pocket edges at daybreak with frog patterns or walk a popper along weed lines. Diesel chatterbaits and small spinnerbaits are working great on early morning points, especially if you see birds working the shad. Once the sun gets up, switch to flukes and wacky rigs around grass in 1 to 3 feet of water for those bass guarding fry.
Crappie are moving shallow and also stacking up on the usual suspects—brush piles, bridges, docks, and laydowns. There’s a ton of smaller black crappie right up on the brush, but bigger white crappie are starting to show on summer pattern trees in 10 to 30 feet, sometimes just a couple feet off the surface. Both minnows and small colored jigs are doing the trick. If the bite gets slow, try a tiny soft plastic or hand-tied jig, especially if you’re chasing those finicky post-spawners.
Large bream are shallow too, especially on warm gravel banks. Wooly buggers have been landing some nice ones if you’re itching for a fly rod tug. Catfish are cruising 2 to 4 feet and whacking clouser minnows, which also means cut bait and punch bait will get a tug if you anchor up on windblown banks.
Recent catches have been solid on numbers. Bass up to 6 and 7 pounds are coming in, with plenty of 2 to 4 pounders for action. Crappie numbers are up, but size is still mixed post-spawn. Big bluegills are showing up in the shallows, perfect for taking the kids.
Best bait today: Early morning, go with chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwater frogs. As it warms up, flukes, wacky rigs, and soft plastics are your best friends. For crappie, stick with live minnows or your hottest color jig. Catfish are grabbing punch bait or small flies in shallow water.
Hot spots this week: Try the points and grasslines around Little Caney and the pockets near Wolf Creek for bass. For crappie, check under the 515 bridge and your favorite mid-lake timber and brush piles.
That’s your bite for today. Tight lines and good luck out there on Lake Fork!