So Yall Want To Learn Toledo Bend?

[Marshfly]

21 hours ago, Little Fish.... said:

Ha ha you're right. I was in a hurry. Here ya go... caught two on a spinner bait, two on a DT 10 crank bait, and the rest on a frog and red bug worm. Fished from 1 to 15 feet. Did the best on or near creek channel drops. Especially, the ones with pads. Would be fishing right now but I can barely walk. 

There we go. Would have never thought to try a red worm.

I'll be there Wednesday afternoon until Sunday so will try to give daily updates. I've got my ACME Mapper all marked up and rigged up a RAM mount for my iPad on the TM base so I can WIFI to my Garmin to see the sonar from the front deck. I'll be in a Maverick flats boat with a black hull and white deck running around the south end.

[Marshfly]

The plan is to launch at Kite's Landing since it's only a couple of miles from the house we rented. Is that launch in good shape. Do they have fuel and ice?

[Bass_Fanatic]

Sorry for the late report, but I fished last Friday and Saturday. Caught 21 Friday and 18 Saturday. Couldn't find much size. Had one over 3lbs on Friday and a 4 and 2 3's Saturday. Still found plenty of fish, just couldn't hardly make them bite.

[mguidroz]

At what depth were you fishing BF? I'm trying to get up there this weekend.

[Bass_Fanatic]

4 minutes ago, mguidroz said:

At what depth were you fishing BF? I'm trying to get up there this weekend.

15-20ft

[mguidroz]

Thanks

10 minutes ago, Bass_Fanatic said:

15-20ft

Thanks....

[Marshfly]

I had a good afternoon for my first time ever at the lake. Fished by myself for an hour and a half about 3:30 and my first fish was a 3.1# on an unweighted Texas rigger Senko in the reeds in about 2 feet of water. Then saw the stripers hitting shad and trolled that way and nailed one on a blue back, silver trap, because, I had never caught a striper before. Then went to grab the wife and kids for a boat ride and found some stumps in an area where the boat was in 15ish feet of water and I was casting towards shore to probably 5 foot of water. Picked up another three that were an inch either side of legal and had a few more that just didn't hit it hard enough to connect. All on that same rattletrap.

Can't wait for the morning. I'll probably start the day in that same stump field.

[Catt]

@Marshfly Kick Bass!

[Marshfly]

Lunchtime update. 

The cove I fished yesterday was quiet this morning so i ran across to the Texas side to fish the edge of a flat heading into a creek. One fish came on a T-rig 10.5" redbud worm fishing the drop-off while the boat was in 10'. The other 4 came on the same rig and a watermelon senko tossed on the edge of the hay grass. 

Man, there are some big fish that hang out under that stuff. As I was approaching I saw a couple bail for deeper water that made the 3# fish I caught yesterday look like a baby.

[Marshfly]

And then on Friday the front came through and screwed everything all up for the rest of my trip.

 

The end.  Haha.

 

Seriously, this is an awesome place and it will be a regular trip for us from now on. As with anytime you fish, seeing a huge fish swim away after setting the hook on a thump in the lilypads that didn't quite connect will just keep drawing you back. Here's to a lifetime of trying to figure the Bend out. This thread just made it a little easier and I am learning a ton going through it for the third time. Thanks guys.

[Bass_Fanatic]

Fished a Basscat regional Saturday. Found some good fish Friday, caught about 18lbs without hitting them hard. I knew the potential was there, but was worried what the front would do to them.  Ended up with 15.5lbs Saturday and ended up in 4th. Got a check, but failed to make the national championship.  The fish changed completely on Saturday. They suspended and I had to switch things up to catch them. Friday they ate a shakyhead, but Friday I had to switch to a jerkbait.

[mguidroz]

I fished Housen Friday from 4pm to 10pm and caught nine. All were caught on a TR  redbug worm in 8' to 12' FOW. Saturday I fished 6-mile from 12-3pm and caught 8 with the same lure. I couldn't get them to tough a crankbait so I stuck with the TR. The biggest was around 4 lbs. All fish came off of ridges, points and humps adjacent to creek bends. There was little to no schooling where I was fishing but plenty of baitfish in the area.

[BulletDon]

great job nonetheless Bassfanatic

 

[dwatts2010]

I'm going to Toledo Bend this Friday and I've never been on it while it was a little low I read that all the boat lanes are safe to 168 MLS but the current lake level is less than that, Are the main lanes still safe enough to run? I was thinking about launching in six mile then running to caney creek.

[Bass_Fanatic]

Just stay in the boat lanes and you will be fine

[RCCA]

True but be careful cause some of the buoys are missing or out of place. 

[june-bug]

What's the water temp right now.? Hadn't been in about a month but will be on the lake this weekend.

[mguidroz]

Last weekend in Housen and 6-Mile was 78 to 79 in the morning and 82 to 83 at it warmed up. I'm sure its a little warmer now..

[june-bug]

Thank's Guidroz that's about what I thought. I read Joe Joslins report this morning posted on the 10th and he said " Water temps are falling and are running from 72-74 degrees". That just didn't sound right to me.

http://www.joejoslinoutdoors.com/fishingrpt.asp

 

[jcdogfish]

The temps Guidroz posted is about what I saw last weekend also.

[RCCA]

Same here. Ole Joe's reports are great but usually delayed a couple of weeks. Those temps were accurate around the first of the month. 

[j bab]

Heading down there Wednesday. We'll fish Thursday-Sunday. 

Planned on banging the banks, but some of these reports are sounding like we should fish a little deeper

[linusx]

where is a good place to launch a kayak on the south end of the lake?  i will be coming from the lousiana side, but don't mind crossing into texas

[june-bug]

Started shallow Saturday morning for about two hours and caught one drum and that was it. No other bites shallow. Moved out deeper and found a good school of fish in a creek  bend in 17.5' of water. The creek itself was 25'-30' so fishing in that horseshoe bend was essentially fishing a hump. Caught 10 keeper sized fish and a few smaller ones. Nothing over 3 pounds but lots of fun. Fish were eating a redbug 10.5" worm. Bite shut off at about 10:30. Mid lake.

[mguidroz]

Thanks for the report JB. I will be there this weekend and will report. There is a good cold front coming thru Thursday that should make things interesting.