Lake Fork Is a Trophy Bass Lake That Touches Rains County

Lake Fork covers 27,264 acres across Hopkins, Rains, and Wood counties. Texas Parks and Wildlife says more than 65% of the Texas Top 50 largest largemouth bass have been caught here, including the current state record. The lake is also the source of more than half of all entries into the Toyota ShareLunker Program, which collects giant bass for a breeding program.

Because of its reputation, the lake has special fishing rules you must know before you launch. For largemouth bass, there is a slot limit: you may keep bass that are 16 inches or under, or bass that are 24 inches or longer. Bass between 16 and 24 inches must be released. You may keep only one bass over 24 inches per day. Crappie rules change by season — from December through February all crappie must be kept, with no minimum length. From March through November the minimum is 10 inches. Before you fish, check the TPWD regulations page for this specific lake, since rules can be updated. Also: you must drain your boat of all water before leaving to prevent the spread of zebra mussels.