So Yall Want To Learn Toledo Bend?

[Clinton john]

Holy hoppin  Hippo's it's finally raining in Sabine parish.

[getting there]

On Wednesday, April 05, 2017 at 9:05 AM, ToledoMard928 said:

I started to not post this but what the heck.  I had my ...................Overall we still have had a good spring in our boat and it still takes 25+ to win a tournament.

 

You think their scales were off this past weekend???...............lol........--------try an average of ~19 per day winning a 100k....

[getting there]

On Thursday, April 06, 2017 at 11:08 AM, Marshfly said:

Back to the learning!

 

We are heading up to the lake next Thursday for a week. Is the spawn pretty much over and I'm now going to be looking at post spawn bass retreating back off the points and drains or are there still plenty of shallow bass to be caught?

 

 

According to Hartman----No???.......

"“I moved in and started catching bigger ones. I don’t think I’ve caught a fish that has spawned since the tournament started. Every one I’ve caught has been big and fat.”  ....

 

You can read more of his 1st 2 day results here......

 

http://www.texasalloutdoors.com/Outdoor-General/278012/new-york-angler-adjusts-to-southern-conditions-to-take-toledo-bend-lead

[Clinton john]

No the spawn is not done you will find bass trying to spawn until late April even into the first of May.

 

Just have to remember they may be spawning deeper then normal and also the later in to the month and begging of May you have to move south more to stay in the spawning bass.

 

The spawn starts in the north end of the lake and moves south from there.

 

So the later in the spawn it is the more you will find bass in spawn in the south part of the lake then the north.

 

If you fish the bank for a few hours and don't find them drop back to the 15 fow area and start over.

[Rather-b-fishin]

I have a few questions that have eluded me over the many years I've traveled to fished Toledo as well as other lakes.

 

I've always felt the need to put my crank bait, spinner bait, top water, etc down mid morning, slow down and fish plastics. 

 

Questions:

 

1.  How does one know whether or not to slow down and fish plastics after the morning bite is over?  I notice a very large number of folks fishing plastics at this time of day and I do the same.  I guess I have this preconceived idea that once the morning shad spawn or morning feed is over the fish go deep and need to see something slow in front of them.  It literally blows my mind when I here about people fishing crank baits or topwaters all day with blue bird skies.  I'm thinking downsize, slow down....  I continually watch people fish over areas during the day and I come in behind them and catch those fish by slowing way down.  But, these pro anglers throw jerk baits all day and catch kickers at 11:30am!

 

2.  After the morning bite is over where do these fish go?  Do they settle back to deeper grass only 30 ft away or do they travel back to 20ft+ depths?  If I'm hammering fish on a point during the morning shad spawn and it all the sudden stops, do I back off that point and fish deep?  Are those fish still there?

 

I'll be heading to Toledo for my yearly tournament visit end of April.  In your opinion how should I spend my prefishing day?  I have some shallow water areas that produce well in the mornings but I go brain dead during the heat of the day.

 

Thanks so much for your insight!  I really enjoy this forum!

 

 

[Clinton john]

If your catching them in mid day with soft plastics I say you have it figured out.

 

When I'm fishing lets say a point and they just stop biting, I move on, I have sat and worked over bass that did that and have caught more but in the long run it was just better to move on and find fish that were doing a mid day feed.

 

If I'm fishing cranks, swim baits, jigs and catching and they just stop I pick the frog rod back up and head for grass mats and buck brush in the 5 fow area or shallower, most of my biggest bass caught during mid day have been this way.

I feel that some do move deeper but most just shut down and settle on the bottom where they were and chill out till later in the day.

 

Hope you find some good info in what I wrote, good luck this month sir.

[ToledoMard928]

2 hours ago, getting there said:

 

You think their scales were off this past weekend???...............lol........--------try an average of ~19 per day winning a 100k....

 

Nope dead on.  John Murray had 24.15 on the last day, that is pretty close to 25 by my math. 

 

The overall average was down, but according to a comparison on Bass live not by as much as I thought.  Fact remains, day in and day out it will take a mid twenty pound bag to win a tournament on the bend. 

[Catt]

@Rather-b-fishin

 

I start the morning deep & stay deep

Edited April 12, 2017 by Catt
Operator error

[getting there]

(sorry for the hijack here)------but---------by chance-----did any of the pros this past weekend happen to find any of the stumps/UW structures & tear up anything, -like lower units/props etc??????.........Just sitting here wonderin'.......

[Clinton john]

Getting there, don't do more then idle when outside the marked boat lanes and you shouldn't tear up anything.

[kking]

The pros actually run into the timber to get rid of a lot of the spectators 

 

[Marshfly]

46 minutes ago, kking said:

The pros actually run into the timber to get rid of a lot of the spectators 

 

You can do that when someone else pays to fix stuff when you hit a tree.

[Clinton john]

Ba bam spawning fish on the frog in the rain, got to love the Bend.

 

Found this in the stomach of one of the bass.

 

Funny thing is I got broke off by a bass almost a week ago where I caught the one that had that in its stomach.

[getting there]

19 hours ago, A5BLASTER said:

Getting there, don't do more then idle when outside the marked boat lanes and you shouldn't tear up anything.

Seem to do a lot of that on TB----------that's one of the reasons I enjoyed the GoM when I fished there weekly, could hammer down my twins & get wit it(when the seas were below 4').............

[RCCA]

We'll see tomorrow. Headed to Jack's 944 and hoping the fish size doubled from a couple of weeks ago. I'm loving my new weekends in the week lol Good luck and Happy Easter! 

[RCCA]

Caught only 10 today. It was slow for me. I fished shallow this morning and deep in the lake this afternoon. No pattern at all so it doesn't even pay to say what I caught them on. Hope y'all have better luck. 

[Clinton john]

Wish I could have been on the water today dang job keeps getting in the way lol.

 

Spend the whole day looking at the back side of pine tree's.

 

But will be hitting the island's at first light tommorw.

[Clinton john]

So Catt, What's the next part of the lake we will be getting lesson's on?

 

I'm ready for some more learning.

 

Can I suggest a area?

[Catt]

41 minutes ago, A5BLASTER said:

So Catt, What's the next part of the lake we will be getting lesson's on?

 

I'm ready for some more learning.

 

Can I suggest a area?

 

Pick one

[Clinton john]

102-1215 area 

 

Waypoint 31 

 

Too me it looks like a channel between to ridges.

 

Hook and line map, right next to the big red 31 and 31a waypoint marks.

[Clinton john]

Ok so I tryed to fish the area I posted this morning but due to high winds and lots of boat traffic I was unable to fish it, couldn't find a stump to tie off to so I could fish it and wind and wave action was too much for both my anchors.

 

My plan was to position my boat over the high spots and run my baits coming back up hill from the deeper channel area between them.

 

I was going to try Trig, Crig, cranks

and jigs, but it didn't work out for me, might try it again mid week when there is much less boat traffic.

 

 

[Catt]

Happy Easter Y'all

 

Will address 1215 soon!

[jcdogfish]

Happy Easter all!

 

Finally got back to the pond for a short trip.  Thursday afternoon and Friday 7 fish total.

You can see the balls of fry around the beds, bream are starting to invade the bass beds.  Very slow fishing, largest 4lbs. 

[Clinton john]

Jcdogfish, what part of the lake was you fishing?

 

 

[jcdogfish]

Mostly in six mile