So Yall Want To Learn Toledo Bend?

[Catt]

Caught about 30 yesterday afternoon . All on spoons !!! They were feeding heavy about the last two hrs. 1/2 oz nickle slab spoons worked for me.

[wwilliford]

Hey guys! This is my first time to post something, but I've read this forum from page 1 over the past 6 months. I really enjoyed all the instructional topics as well as the fishing reports from Catt and everybody else. Here is my problem. I'm a decent angler who can hold my own usually in tournaments and fishing for fun. But the past few days I really struggle. I fished Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday all day with absolutely no bites! I had 1 bite and a 13" squeeker on Tuesday. I know there is fish in the area but couldn't make them bite. Do you guys think the lake is beginning to turn over or the recent cold front could have shut them down?

[Catt]

wwilliford, welcome aboard

My thoughts would be the turn over is pretty much done.

As to why ya aint catching, what area ya fishing & what ya fishing?

[wwilliford]

I have a lake house in Sandy Creek so I usually stay between Hickory Cove and the mounds. This past weekend, stayed in 6 mile and Sandy. I threw mostly a spinner bait, slow rolling it. The reason for the spinner bait, is that the weekend before, I fished it and caught some good quality fish where I couldn't get bit on anything else.

 This past weekend, I fished deep channels, points, humps, banks and shallow hay grass with not just a spinner bait, but with a Carolina rig, cranks, and jigs. Just couldn't get bit.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

[jcdogfish]

ww, as you know sometimes the fish win.  I caught a few fish in that area Saturday.  Mostly on a spinnerbait, burning it after the wind picked up.  I caught very few deeper but they were nicer fish.  Lots of bait deep in the channels Saturday. Once the wind started blowing it limited any movement, especially if it involved the main lake. I don't get mad enough at them to get out in that stuff anymore. The older I get the more I just enjoy being there and taking what it gives me.  If that means hunkering down in a quiet cove out of the wind and catching just a few, so be it.  I'm gonna give it a try again this weekend and see if I can redeem myself a little.

[Catt]

ww, ya try Miles creek & the coves around Gilley's point (north side 6-Mile)?

[wwilliford]

Catt, that is where I spent Monday. Miles, Gilleys point, High line cove and the next small cove just east of there. Mainly to stay out of the wind. I seen bait on electronics as well as fish, but couldn't make them bite. Will be on Rayburn this weekend pre-fishing with my daughter who has a high school tournament on December 5th. I'll be back on Toledo the weekend of the 12th.

 

Dogfish, thanks for the reply. I know Saturday should of been a better day, but didn't get to the lake house till 4pm Saturday, and the wind was howling ahead of the front. So I waited till Sunday.

[Catt]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL

[jcdogfish]

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

As soon as I choke down a little turkey I'll be on the way up there.

[RCCA]

Happy Thanksgiving! One thing I'm thankful for are these great reports and the wealth of information on here. I've learned a ton about The Bend... thanks.

[Bass_Fanatic]

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! Just got out of the duck blind, gonna eat, then head to the Bend to fish tomorrow! If y'all see a black, white, red basscat puma w/1 powerpole come by and say hey.

[Bass_Fanatic]

Caught 33 today, top 5 maybe 12lbs. The fish were not active at all! I found tons of fish stacked up on several places but had to work hard to get them to bite. 25 ft seemed to be the key depth today for me.

[jcdogfish]

I caught 16 Saturday.  Did catch one almost 6.  Afternoon was much better.  I was going to stay til Sunday but came down with some kind of bug, limped back to the house this morning.

[Catt]

Y'all killing me! Aint been in so long!

jc I've had that bug for 2 weeks

[june-bug]

Caught seven bass Saturday morning biggest being around three pounds. Caught in 4 -7 of water flat near channel. Caught em on a trap. Bite was real slow for  me. Found a bunch of bait fish but they didn't appear to have any fish with them.

[jcdogfish]

BF, there is definitely a lot more bait and fish deeper, but I can't get bit out there.  I've been shallow and there are not a ton of fish but I can catch a few there.  I guess with the water rising, the generator pulling etc the fish are finding the deeper water more stable?  I have been cursing the wind but without it its been dead for me.  Think I may have seen you right off the boat lane in Six Mile.  I was in a white and charcoal BassCat.

[Bass_Fanatic]

Yep that was me. That spot had a lot of suspended fish but I never got bit there. I brought an aqua view with me Friday so I was playing with it a lot too lol. I had about a 5 minute window when they bit really good. Caught 10 or so in one 5 minutes and the rest of the day was slow. Really had to slow down to catch the deep fish.

[jcdogfish]

Yea, It looked like you were looking at something pretty hard

[Catt]

Just off the 6-Mile boat lane?

Got ya! Going saturday

[zefman78]

Hey there friends, it's been a while since i've been out on the big pond, however, i'll be returning in a few weeks with my newly purchased Helix 5 Si and i am PUMPED! has anyone used the Lakemaster chip in Toledo? How is it? Worth investing in for Toledo? 

Also, this is my first year ever fishing the winter in Toledo. Anybody have some good general tips on how the bass move and feed this time of year in the Bend?

[Catt]

zefman78, welcome

Read the last 2-3 pages & you should be up to par!

[Bass_Fanatic]

The lakemaster chip is better than no chip, but lacks detail on Toledo. Now if you fish sam Rayburn too it's well worth the investment as Rayburn is in HD and has 1' contours. Toledo has 5' contours and is off in quite a few places.

As for fishing in the winter...if your a shallow water guy, stay shallow, just slow down. If your a deep water guy, look for sharp breaks next to creek channels with bait.

[Nicron]

Hi everyone.  Been reading this thread for a long time.  Recently we purchased a place on Palo Gaucho bayou and have been going up quite often.  We were up all last week for Thanksgiving and I wanted to share what (sorta) worked during the week for us.  I stayed mostly in the bayou near the cabin and fished around the Hines creek area.  Had cold fronts and the full moon during the entire week and the water was pretty stained.     

 

Early Morning:

  Yellow Magics in Bone and Japanese Shad (one or two pops and let it sit),  white double willow leaf spinner run along the grass lines, and a Doomsday Turtle in watermelon rigged on a small weighted hook 

 

Mid Morning:

Rapala DT-6 in silver with black back pulled from the shore out to the deeper water or near boat docks, SK Red Eye Shad in sexy shad run along the grass or under schools of shad on the surface, Missile D-bomb in super bug color T-rigged along grass, . 

 

Mid day - afternoon:

6XD (chart/black and chart/green) in 20 - 25 feet, Red Eye Shad pulled under the schooling shad that were everywhere, Watermelon Red poison tail jig with matching craw style trailer (dropped near bluff wall and let it fall), T-rigged Zoom Big Dead Ringer in June Bug

 

From what others have posted recently seems we were moving too fast or not quite deep enough to find a consistent bite.  As you can see from the list we tried a little of everything but could not find a solid technique good enough for more than 1 or 2 here and there.  Besides 2-3 decent keeper fish that maybe pushed 2.5 - 3lbs they were all on the smaller side.  We are still in the process of learning the lake but we are getting there.  

 

Nick

[Bass_Fanatic]

Hi everyone.  Been reading this thread for a long time.  Recently we purchased a place on Palo Gaucho bayou and have been going up quite often.  We were up all last week for Thanksgiving and I wanted to share what (sorta) worked during the week for us.  I stayed mostly in the bayou near the cabin and fished around the Hines creek area.  Had cold fronts and the full moon during the entire week and the water was pretty stained.     

 

Early Morning:

  Yellow Magics in Bone and Japanese Shad (one or two pops and let it sit),  white double willow leaf spinner run along the grass lines, and a Doomsday Turtle in watermelon rigged on a small weighted hook 

 

Mid Morning:

Rapala DT-6 in silver with black back pulled from the shore out to the deeper water or near boat docks, SK Red Eye Shad in sexy shad run along the grass or under schools of shad on the surface, Missile D-bomb in super bug color T-rigged along grass, . 

 

Mid day - afternoon:

6XD (chart/black and chart/green) in 20 - 25 feet, Red Eye Shad pulled under the schooling shad that were everywhere, Watermelon Red poison tail jig with matching craw style trailer (dropped near bluff wall and let it fall), T-rigged Zoom Big Dead Ringer in June Bug

 

From what others have posted recently seems we were moving too fast or not quite deep enough to find a consistent bite.  As you can see from the list we tried a little of everything but could not find a solid technique good enough for more than 1 or 2 here and there.  Besides 2-3 decent keeper fish that maybe pushed 2.5 - 3lbs they were all on the smaller side.  We are still in the process of learning the lake but we are getting there.  

 

Nick

Welcome to the forum Nick.

Sounds like you had some success! He size has been running small for me too he past few weeks which is strange as normally This is the time I catch some if my bigger fish.

[Catt]

How y'all are Nick

While I haven't been on the Big Pond in a month my thoughs are based on what I read here & guys I know who live there or fish it weekly.

I think the bass are between late fall & winter patterns, not fully on either. Some guys are catching shallow & some deep but neither with any size.

It's kinda like post spawn when we catch a lot of males but big momma is hard to come by.

I could be totally wrong but that's my story & I'm sticking with it!