Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to share your insight with all of us Catt! I just got through reading all 40.5 pages of this thread last night and I'm looking forward to learning more.
I will be at the Bend this year from March 4th - 7th looking to catch as many bucketmouths as I can 8-) We were there last year in the 2nd week of March in that bitterly cold/rainy weather. We still caught fish, but only a couple of good ones(4-5 lbers). We're hoping for better weather this year. We'll probably be staying at Alpine Marina in the Palo Gaucho area. Any tips for that area in particular for the prespawn/spawn? I assume there will be more prespawn fish in the first weekend of March than will be actual spawning fish.
While I'm asking my questions, and correct me if you've mentioned this before and I missed it...but I know you mention the 1/2 oz gold/black back/orange belly trap that you throw quite a bit...but how do you fish it most often? I caught a few fish last year..even in that terrible weather..on a trap...including our biggest of the trip(5-0 lber)..but I caught some yo-yoing it back to the boat over some deeper grass..and others with a straight retrieve over shallower grass(including the 5 lber) ripping it out when it would get caught up in it. So just wondering how you fish your trap most often.
This will only be my third serious trip to Toledo Bend...so I'm a Toledo Rookie for sure. I'm an Atchafalaya Basin fisherman...so I've got the "find a bank and pick it to pieces" philosophy most of the time...but I did back off and fish deeper last year with some good success. Hoping to improve, learn a few new spots around areas we've been before, and see new parts of the lake each time I head up there. The lake can be overwhelming to a newby..it's just so big. I like your advice about picking a part of the lake and learning that part really well instead of trying to fish the whole lake though. Each different area is so diverse and has so much to offer...I could make 10 trips just to Palo Gaucho and not know half of it I'm sure. A buddy of mine going on the trip with us likes to see all parts of the lake ..which I do as well, but I like the prospects of learning certain areas really well rather than learning 15 areas not so well Being new to the lake, I guess we just like to see the different areas to see which section of the lake is going to suit us best, then focus on those areas.
But thanks again for doing this! Your posts are invaluable to newbies like myself!
Justin
