Big bait equal big bass. Nowhere is this truer than on Lake Fork in Texas. Lake Fork is renowned for its trophy bass fishing; in addition to being the home of the big flutter spoon. Lake Fork fishing guide Rick Loomis loves fishing Lake Fork and taking clients out fishing with the big flutter spoon. Loomis uses a Nichols Lures Lake Fork Flutter Spoon that measures 5-inches. No small spoons or bank runners for Loomis.

There are three times a year when Loomis (www.rickloomis.com) fishes with big flutter spoons. “The end of April, May and through June during the post-spawn bass will be stacked up and actively feeding it’s a great time to fish a big Lake Fork Flutter Spoon. In the summer months, July through September the schools of bass are smaller and will stay above the thermocline then in the fall, late September thru November bass will start ganging up again in big schools eating up for winter,” explained Loomis. Loomis will graph the areas before making his first cast and only stop if he sees a group of fish. On some of the more productive areas Loomis will come back to that area during the day to see if any bass have moved in. “Depending on the structure bass maybe on the side or on suspending overtop the structure. Also main lake points in 20- to 40-feet of water are productive areas to fish a big flutter spoon on Lake Fork,” explained Loomis. Loomis believes the real key to catching bass on Lake Fork is using your graph to fish these bass offshore. “I am not looking for schools of bait fish, but largemouth bass. I’m not even focusing on cover like standing timber or brush piles just where the depth changes deep to shallower or shallower to deeper,” said Loomis.

Fishing a big Nichols Lake Fork Flutter Spoon is easier than you think; in addition to be an extremely effective lure when fishing for suspending bass. “Lake Fork bass often suspended around seven feet off the bottom and that’s hard to keep a crankbait or Carolina rig in that depth for any period of time, but a spoon can be counted down and kept in the strike zone longer before an angler has to reel it in,” said Loomis. Loomis only uses one retrieve when fishing with a big flutter spoon. “I will lift the spoon upwards then let it flutter downwards, but I will stay in contact with the spoon as it falls. Just enough tension to not impede the flutter spoons natural falling action,” said Loomis. Since Loomis is fishing for big bass, he also sets the hook right away when getting a strike. “The bass down on Lake Fork are eating big shad or bar fish and intend on killing them when they strike so I match my big flutter spoon by size and color,” said Loomis.

David Nichols, owner of Nichols Lures (www.nicholslures.com), began selling Mojo spoon in 1992 then came up with a patented 3-D Metal Flake Finish that was put on a number of Nichols Lures; in addition to adding the patented 3-D Metal Flake Finish to their Lake Fork Flutter Spoon. Hammer finish, then hologram material, and clear coat over that. The Nichols Lake Fork Flutter Spoon is available in Shattered Glass/Blue Tinsel, Blue Shad/Blue Tinsel, Shattered Glass Silver/Chartreuse Tinsel, Blue Shad/Chartreuse Tinsel, Bar Fish Yellow Perch/Chartreuse Tinsel, Silver Scale/Chartreuse, Bar Fish Yellow Perch/Gold Tinsel, and Shattered Glass Silver Scale/Blue Tinsel in the 4-inch, 3/4-ounce size or 5-inch, 1 1/8-onuce size. All of the 4- or 5-inch spoons come with tinsel wrapped on a super strong, sharp treble hook. Also available in Nichols Lures is a smaller 2 1/4-inches, 1/2-ounce spoon in Shattered Glass Hologram Silver, Shattered Glass and Hologram Gold without tinsel on the treble hook.

Loomis doesn’t use braid line when fishing with a big flutter spoon on Lake Fork. “Braid line has a tendency to foul up on the treble hook so I use 17-pound monofilament fishing line,” said Loomis.  As for a rod, Loomis likes a 7-foot medium action graphite rod like one that you would use for ripping lipless crankbaits in grass with.  “If you have a stiff rod the treble hook will tear a hole in its mouth and fall out when the bass jumps,” explained Loomis. Loomis is not particular when it comes to a reel when fishing a big flutter spoon. “All it does is bring in the line and hold it, the action comes from me lifting the spoon up and letting it fall correctly backwards,” said Loomis.

Big baits do equal big bass down on Lake Fork in Texas and big flutter spoons are perfect for fishing there. The size, shape, and dying motion of a big flutter spoon can elicit strikes from bass even if they are suspended or not active.