So Yall Want To Learn Toledo Bend?

[A5BLASTER]

I'm the last person to give advice but if punching grass was my main thing and my spots didn't have grass are wasn't giving up any bass, I would grab up a coupleof ccrankbaits and find points with wood and start their.

 

Or my fav way would be if the weather is right and the water temp is high enough I would grab a ribbett and work shallow brush and laydowns.

 

Take today as a example I will be heading out around lunch and will start on some points with my crankbaits and then change to spinnerbait or chatterbait and re work the points then change to a trig plastic and work it again then I will move into the coves and work the wood and brush with chatterbaits and ribbett frogs.

 

Hope this helps sir, there are others here that can give better advice I'm sure of that.

[june-bug]

14 hours ago, j bab said:

 

Anybody got advice for a guy?

Hey j bab I caught 28 bass Saturday in 4' - 7' of water with a lightweight carolina rigged brushhog in watermelon magic and green pumpkin wacky rigged senko. Secondary points and 61 degree water. No grass in sight. Caught 10 Sunday morning same pattern different area midlake. Maybe this will help ya.

[Joshybadnames]

Any areas near San Miguel worth checking out?

[june-bug]

Just a heads up. Some pretty good deals online at Bass Pro right now including Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier Baitcast Reel for 49.99 which is half price. These reals are a real bargain at that price. Have several mixed in with my higher dollar reels and they perform just about as good as any others I own and better than some

 

13 minutes ago, Joshybadnames said:

Any areas near San Miguel worth checking out?

Hadn't been in that area lately but I wouldn't hesitate either. 

[j bab]

@june-bug & @A5BLASTER thanks a lot, those are very helpful tips  

[A5BLASTER]

No problem glad to help, I didn't get on the water till around three and only fished for bout a hour and landed five out of six bites all in two foot of water on a white and chartreuse ribbit frog.

[ArkLa]

Catt

Thanks for starting this discussion.  I have only fished TB once which was last April.  My wife an I are heading back there to fish in a small tourney based by the La state park in Zwolle.  Last year I fished around the North Toledo bend state park in the the zwolle cove (only have a 15' duck boat).  I was eyeballing the SAN Patricio cove, planned on driving the truck to there and putting down.  My question is where to start? It will be late April and should be post spawn.  Do I fish points in the 15' range or just find any area that's 15' and look for structure?

1 minute ago, ArkLa said:

Catt

Thanks for starting this discussion.  I have only fished TB once which was last April.  My wife an I are heading back there to fish in a small tourney based by the La state park in Zwolle.  Last year I fished around the North Toledo bend state park in the the zwolle cove (only have a 15' duck boat).  I was eyeballing the SAN Patricio cove, planned on driving the truck to there and putting down.  My question is where to start? It will be late April and should be post spawn.  Do I fish points in the 15' range or just find any area that's 15' and look for structure?

I purchased the hook-n-line map today will study it when it comes in.  Just wasn't sure if I should fish the camp piers or will that be too shallow?  I'm so used to fishing bayous with back water fishing the banks, its the only thing I know.  It's hard for me to fish open water with unseeable underwater structure/contour because I'm not used to it.  But I'm willing to learn and do anything to have success out there!

[Dougw]

12 hours ago, Bend Crazy said:

So would this site be a better option? - http://www.boatlanes.com/ or is the product bad?

The product is excellent. ^^^^^ that is the site you want to get it from.

[RCCA]

I second that. Boatlanes.com is very good for the overall picture of the boat lanes on The Bend and even Rayburn.  Especially, at the intersections.  However, it might just be mine but sometimes it doesn't agree with the buoys. Still trying to figure out which one to trust more so I compromise. I know for a fact some buoys moved in the high water last year. I also know the trails are off in some places so be careful. 

 

Great reports too. Thanks. I missed last weekend. Ain't happy about it but hope to give a report after this weekend. Good luck to all. 

[Dougw]

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

I second that. Boatlanes.com is very good for the overall picture of the boat lanes on The Bend and even Rayburn.  Especially, at the intersections.  However, it might just be mine but sometimes it doesn't agree with the buoys. Still trying to figure out which one to trust more so I compromise. I know for a fact some buoys moved in the high water last year. I also know the trails are off in some places so be careful. 

 

Great reports too. Thanks. I missed last weekend. Ain't happy about it but hope to give a report after this weekend. Good luck to all. 

 

Nope... Not just yours. Bouys  or BoatLanes, you need to keep a sharp lookout when running!!!

 

Did a lot of scanning yesterday and a fair amount of fishing. Did not find the key that unlocks the lake. Got several bites c'riggin' ~15fow. Caught one about 3#s and got wrapped up in a tree with another. Worked a fluke and small swimbait in 2-6fow with nary a peck to show for it. Pitched a t'rig stickbait around wood and grass some with nothing to show for the effort. Caught a couple of dinks running the bank with a 1/4oz. Trap after the front came through.

 

Late yesterday I did find a "confidence" spot. I'm going to hit it first thing this morning and see what happens. For you guys wanting to get off the bank and get better at off shore fishing I will say this... Just as there is an early bite shallow many times there is an equal or better early bite off shore. Hit it right and you can put 20-25#s in the boat w/o ever moving. Mid/late day is not always, or really even often, the best off shore bite.

[RCCA]

Keep fishin' bud. That's the secret. The best thing I ever did since being there was quit trying to fish like other people say to. Fish like you want to. Shallow, deep, or inbetween. Whatever you feel confident with. 

[A5BLASTER]

This^^^^^^ times 100. That's my thinking, fish your strongest technique and rock them big hydrilla gorillas.

 

Love me some buzz frog.

[Catt]

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

Keep fishin' bud. That's the secret. The best thing I ever did since being there was quit trying to fish like other people say to. Fish like you want to. Shallow, deep, or inbetween. Whatever you feel confident with. 

 

1 hour ago, A5BLASTER said:

This^^^^^^ times 100. That's my thinking, fish your strongest technique and rock them big hydrilla gorillas.

 

Love me some buzz frog.

 

Y'all need to realize what lays in front of ya!

 

This lake has 1,200 miles of shoreline!

 

You can limit out any day on any technique!

 

How?

 

I have a friend of mine who loves throwing spinnerbaits, white spinnerbaits, with tandom gold willow leaf. He launches at Fin-n-Feather runs west 4 buoys & turns south towards the bank. At casting distance from the bank he starts throwing that spinnerbait & does it all the way to the back of Housen'. 

 

You can do this anywhere on the lake & catch a limit.

 

We aint even talked main lake yet

Edited March 9, 2017 by Catt
Operator error

[ArkLa]

Well, I hear where y'all are coming from and understand the possibilities of catching a lot of fish. Last year on the first day my partner and I fished from daybreak till 4 pm and caught one fish that was barely legal.  I threw frogs, swim baits, soft plastics and spinnerbaits. Other groups in the tourney caught no fish and some had 15 pounds. The second day I caught 5 fish all in buck brush on creature baits.  I also scouted the Friday before the tourney and only caught one fish on a jig during 6 hours of fishing.  The weather was beautiful btw.  

[RCCA]

It's all about the area you fish. Takes time to find them places and some days them finicky Florida bred bass are just plain locked up. Keep fishin' bud.  

10 hours ago, Catt said:

 

 

Y'all need to realize what lays in front of ya!

 

This lake has 1,200 miles of shoreline!

 

You can limit out any day on any technique!

 

How?

 

I have a friend of mine who loves throwing spinnerbaits, white spinnerbaits, with tandom gold willow leaf. He launches at Fin-n-Feather runs west 4 buoys & turns south towards the bank. At casting distance from the bank he starts throwing that spinnerbait & does it all the way to the back of Housen'. 

 

You can do this anywhere on the lake & catch a limit.

 

We aint even talked main lake yet

I been fishing that same route for a year thanks to you basically the same way you describe and it is pretty reliable. 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Little Fish.... said:

It's all about the area you fish. Takes time to find them places and some days them finicky Florida bred bass are just plain locked up. Keep fishin' bud.  

I been fishing that same route for a year thanks to you basically the same way you describe and it is pretty reliable. 

 

@ArkLa what you'll learn doing this is not only where to fish but where not to fish.

 

Once you learn where not to fish you can spend more time in productive water!

[Dougw]

10 hours ago, Catt said:

 

@ArkLa what you'll learn doing this is not only where to fish but where not to fish.

 

Once you learn where not to fish you can spend more time in productive water!

 

True... True... True... Fished Tue-Thur. Caught one fish Tue. But on Wed. and Thur. Did much better. 7-10 keepers both days. An easy 5#er(might'a gone 6) on a rat-l-trap capped the day Wed. One around 4#s took the honors Thur.  on a frog. 12-15# best 5 both days. Not great but it's a start. Finding an area holding fish then expanding on that area is what works for me.

 

"Expanding" an area, for me, can be locating a spot on the spot or... A different bait on the same spot/area. I caught fish on a: trap, frog, chatter bait, stick bait, c'rig, finess rig(4" finess worm w/ 1/16oz. weight). By far the frog and trap were the best producers but I also threw them the most.

 

I don't like fishing an area that has had a parade of boats fish it. I'm having to get over that - for now. I'm a bit unconventional on how/where I present a bait and that's been working in my favor. Eventually I'll locate some spots off the beaten path that aren't hammered by a ton of other boats but for now I've gotta go with what's working for me.

[j bab]

Dad caught 3 today on a jig, I caught 1 on a rage craw, all shallow. I spent a lot of time throwing big baits with no luck, I had what I estimate to be a 4-5lber follow one of my lures to the boat and got spooked off but that's part of the game. Better luck tomorrow if we can get out of the wind and of this cold doesn't shut down what was already a slow bite (for us)

[Dougw]

If you spend some time scanning you are apt to find things like this.... one of many things I've found. Didn't fish it this time around...

 

[Bryanhester]

Hit the bend Monday and Tuesday after the front. Ended up catching 12 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday. Monday was slow up shallow. Moved deep and did a little better . Started deep Tuesday morning and started catching fish pretty good . Caught a couple on a 6xd but most came on a Carolina trick worm . Most fish were small but did manage a couple of threes and one that went 9.12.  A good way to break in a new boat !! 

 

[june-bug]

Nice fish Bryan! Nice boat as well!

 

[A5BLASTER]

Very nice fish and I think I seen that boat yesterday on the water.

 

 

[bachelorpads]

Hopefully this hasn't been answered as i have read this amazingly long thread a couple times now and don't recall it.

 

I am staying at the fin & feather starting April 1st, I plan to be out on the lake and at the fishing spots at first light and was wondering if i will be making my own breakfast or if anything is open before 6am around there?  

 

[tigerdh]

What's up guys? I have a trip coming up on the 24th-26th of march and have a couple questions. 

 

First: I've heard there isn't as much aquatic grass this year, but then recently saw a video of chemicals being sprayed in the housen and six mile areas; what's going on with this? 

 

Second: With the warm winter we've had, what stage of the spawn are we in on the bend, and what can I most likely expect when we go next weekend? 

 

Thanks in advance, guys??

[A5BLASTER]

Not sure where fin and feather is but, there is a big gas station in Toldeo town that has a deli in the back that cooks breakfest and they should be open at six.

 

Their is also one open in zwolle called Quick trip they have some dang good sausage and egg biskits.

 

I eat there all the time.

The chems they are spraying is to kill the (salvana) may not be spelled correctly.

 

Bass should be in spawn then because they are already on the bank's makeing beds now. I live on San Miguel and the bass have been up on beds for atleast two weeks now.

 

Hope this helps sir.