So Yall Want To Learn Toledo Bend?

[tigerdh]

june-bug, I appreciate your opinion. However, my mind requires more info to be satisfied. Of course there is always the obvious. But that does'nt always work, and it's why in many cases, someone is catching them and someone is not. If you have a bad tournament and the winner weighs in 18lbs, you're left scratching your head thinking; "what does he know that I don't?" I like to be prepared and successful in anything I do. In order for me to do that, I learn as much as I can about the subject. But to each their own, brother. I'll just "keep fishing"  

[Catt]

@june-bug is dead on but if ya wanna know more, Google thermocline & add bassresource on the end.

 

To properly answer that question requires more than one page.

[tigerdh]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 thermocline & add bassresource

 

That was a great read for me, Catt. Thanks.

But I don't understand how you and june-bug can agree that this is "something that doesn't really matter". In one of our first conversations, you explained to me how i needed to "understand thermocline and stratification" if I were going to fish deep water. That's the whole reason I researched it to begin with. The article I just read also stressed the importance of understanding it. Hopefully you can understand my confusion here...? 

[Clinton john]

Catt, thanks for taking the time to give me some advice on my questions I had posted.

 

Sorry it took me so long to answer back, fished that point Saturday like I normally would and got 4 bites and hooked 3 no keepers.

 

Got home from a job interview at midday so went fished that point in the rain, got 15 bites landed 12.

 

What I did was anchor my boat up on the shallow flat area of the point and casted to the bottom of the point into the channel and worked my bait back up hill, was fishing a black and chertruese zoom lizard with a 1/8 once weight, I found the grass line like this and all my bites came when my bait cleared the grass line coming up hill.

 

Not one of the bass was a legal keeper, so I'm guessing they were all male bass.

[Catt]

@tigerdh all I really need to know about understanding thermocline is to stay above but I still studied everything I could about the subject.

 

@A5BLASTER great job! 

[tigerdh]

I do the same thing. 

 

[getting there]

"Not one of the bass was a legal keeper, so I'm guessing they were all male bass. "..........................I would guess-------& it's an awfully big guess---------that sooner or later the girls will show up to the party.............:).......

[RSemmes]

How do you guys fish flats? Is it just a matter of pulling up on a flat and start fishing it or do you look for key elements within that flat? Would i be correct to approach a flat and fish it close to the drop offs and stay near the edges close to deeper water? Some of the flats that i explored the past week did not have much of anything besides hard bottom. Not seeing much structure or cover of any sort aside from the bluffs on the edges of them. 

[Catt]

4 hours ago, getting there said:

"Not one of the bass was a legal keeper, so I'm guessing they were all male bass. "..........................I would guess-------& it's an awfully big guess---------that sooner or later the girls will show up to the party.............:).......

 

[tigerdh]

Does anyone use the boatlanes download on lowrance for Toledo Bend? Is it accurate?

[Catt]

@Bass_Fanatic

[Bass_Fanatic]

I use lakemaster. It has boat lanes on it, but it won't work in Lowrance.

[Dougw]

9 hours ago, tigerdh said:

Does anyone use the boatlanes download on lowrance for Toledo Bend? Is it accurate?

Yes, boat lanes is excellent - get it!!!

[Catt]

@Dougw1515@aim.com

 

How y'all are?

[Dougw]

We be fine! We also be suckin' on T'bend. Fished 2 T's last weekend and if I can add both days together I caught a limit! Heck I wasn't even trying to win either of them. Simply trying to weigh in a limit. One would'a thought that going down wind blown banks near deep water w/61-65 degree water temps with'a trap that getting a 10# 5 fish limit would'a been easy... One would of been wrong thinking that. Worked well enough Friday but Sat.-Sun. Was a whole 'nuther story.

 

Catt... I'll add my thanks, along with everyone else, for you starting this thread! While it certainly hasn't solved my problem(s) it has at least given me hope.... Thanks again!

[Catt]

Typical pre-spawn on the big pond!

 

Finding fish is always key but even more so during pre-spawn because they are constantly moving!

 

All I can tell ya is cover water

[Dougw]

Yup... That's what I did. I have an Xi5 trolling motor. Put that sucker on heading lock covering water a ~1mph. Friday was a bit congested with a lot pre-fishing going on but not such that I had to alter my course on completely change locations. Saturday was a completely different animal! With TxTT outta Cedar Bend a big tournament out of Pirates Cove and the yet another large tournament outta I don't know where made the places I know kinna popular.

I'm still kind'a scared of Toledo and hesitant to make long run for fear of not being able to get back. I did cross the lake to Housen and c'rigged a few off-shore spots that has produced for me in the past but didn't this time - though I did catch a 4#er there on Thursday. Came back across at Blackland cove and fished a few points, coves and docks in there, to no avail. Then went back to Caney and finished up the day there. Sunday I never left Caney.

 

i just started fishing Toledo last October and I figured then it would take a year to get somewhat comfortable with the lake and it appears to me, at this point, that was a pretty good estimate. Though disappointed I am by no means discouraged.

 

To clarify that last statement... People I know that don't fish have told me "Man, you must have a lot of patience to fish for hours without getting so much as a bite!" The answer is no... Don't really have much patience at all. I expect to catch a fish on every cast! That said I will say I handle disappointment extremely well...

[RCCA]

It's just how she is. Don't get discouraged. Last Saturday, I got close and then caught an 8-2 amongst 20 something "nots". So, never surrender  

[Dougw]

Nev'a! I prefer to fish offshore but I simply could not locate any biting fish out there. A guy ask me how I was doing on Friday, which was my best day, I told him I was catching about what you would expect to catch running the bank with a trap but I was hoping to get stupid lucky. History reveals that didn't happen but you just never know!

 

Going back 3/7-9 and then again 3/15-19. I'll be doing a lot of scanning on those trips but I don't think this is the best time of year to figure out a consistent offshore bite, especially on a lake that I  don't know. I did some pitching to the hay grass with a t'rig stick bait. It was heavy overcast and I thought the fish would set up on the outer edges but nada... I thought about punching the grass but just didn't think the fish would locate there given the conditions. Apparently I was wrong about that. One team that fished the TxTT that weighed in 20+#'s reported that they caught all their fish in Caney/Pirates Cove punching grass in 2 fow.

 

I ignored one of my mantras which has served me well in the past - If you don't know where they are. You don't know where the aren't. Should'a tried punching.

[Adamsnyder]

Been hearing about different fishing on Rayburn anyone help me out? 

[RCCA]

[Catt]

@Adamsnyder there is a Rayburn thread, send a pm to @shaneus or @Bass_Fanatic

 

@Dougw1515@aim.com I may have asked already where ya fishing out of?

[Dougw]

29 minutes ago, Catt said:

@Adamsnyder there is and a pm to @shaneus or @Bass_Fanatic

 

@Dougw1515@aim.com I may have asked already where ya fishing out of?

 

I'm fishing ABA Dist. 111 and we put in at the Army ramp. I stay at Big Bass Marina and when pre-fishing sometimes put in there or trailer to the Texas side.

 

When I decided to fish the ABA T's I spent days several days in the boat studying my Navionics map. I told a friend of mine, that has been fishing that tournament for several years, that after looking at the structure in Caney/Pirates cove I couldn't see any reason a person would ever need to leave that area to catch fish. I still believe that but... It hasn't been working all that well for me.

 

My "go to" technique is c'rigging and can literally spend hours on one spot/area if the bottom/structure feel/look good to me. Bite or no bite.

[Catt]

Doug I'm gonna be honest with ya!

 

Quit trying to fish the whole lake!

 

"I told a friend of mine, that has been fishing that tournament for several years, that after looking at the structure in Caney/Pirates cove I couldn't see any reason a person would ever need to leave that area to catch fish. I still believe that but... It hasn't been working all that well for me."

 

"One team that fished the TxTT that weighed in 20+#'s reported that they caught all their fish in Caney/Pirates Cove punching grass in 2 fow."

 

Ya got experience fishing Pirates Cove then learn Pirates Cove. Start at the Big Island & spend a couple days in that area. Then start hitting the coves front to back. 

 

Ya gotta "learn" areas & I don't mean where to find em on a map!

 

You strength is a Carolina Rig, that's the hottest technique going right now; from the 1215 area to 6-Mile. I would suggest throwing a 3/8 oz rig, throw it shallow & deep.

 

Have a jig, spinnerbait, trap, on deck!

 

[Dougw]

Thanks Catt! I would estimate that I spend 90% of my time in Caney/pirates cove and always start there. Last week I was on Toledo for five days and burned less than ten gallons of fuel... I've located some absolutely dynamite structure there that don't have fish on'em... Yet. By far it seems Housen has the best structure front to back but Caney ain't so shabby in that regard either.

 

As I'm sure you know, confidence either in area, technique, or bait or a combination of those is paramount to success. I'm lacking in confidence at this point and that makes sticking with one area/technique a bit more difficult - but not impossible.

 

I'll be on the lake 3/7-9 next month. I had planned on hitting Negreet/Tenn. Bay Area then. Following your advice I will return to Caney and continue exploring. Obviously the fish are there I just need to connect the what/where/why/how dots to get'em in the boat.

 

You see a raggedy azz burgundy Gambler on the water - swing by n' say howdy!