So Yall Want To Learn Toledo Bend?

[Catt]

Ranger, dude that's all you got?

bigtimfish, Community Flat on 6-mile gets lots of attention, north & south end around the creeks has produced for me.

Now that's a boat ride James Gaines Boat Lane to 6-mile Community Flat

[Ranger 251]

OK Catt,

More to come.  I need to work to feed this fishing habit I have.

[alwayslooking]

is the shorter grass on the very outside edge more or less important than the grass wall edge? is the shorter grass what your finding in the 17fow?

[Catt]

Start at the "outer" weed/grass line which by the way is not the well defined wall where the matted weed/grass stops. The "outer" weed/grass line can be located 15 to 25 yds away from the mat itself and can be found with your electronics.

Follow the contour of this "outer" weed/grass line casting parallel and progressively work your way up to the matted grass. Once you come in contact with bass drop a buoy, drop anchor, mark a GPS and work this area in an ever going circle.

[Ranger 251]

Catt,

Round 2

The west side of the hump has a steeper drop than the rest.  There is a channel cutting into the northeast side and another channel on the southwest side each forming a point.  The point on the north east side though is right smack tab in the middle of the Spring Hill boat lane.  I also see a deeper channel on the north side of the hump, almost north to south.  I had a close up look at the hump on the satelite and noticed it has black spots--are those stumps?

Would I fish side of the channel on the north side or better to fish the sharper drop off and work my way to the top of the hump? 

I don't know how I faired on the Clear Creek to Patroon Bayou but to me this is much tougher to disect.  Can you give me some advise?

[bigtimfish]

Catt when do bass start moving back into the backs of creeks? Late sept and oct? And is there a certain water temp that will make this happen?

[Catt]

I highly suggest y'all read the following

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1134661967/

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1134662267/

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1248379829/0

[BulletDon]

Great reads Catt, thanks for posting.

[idrathrbfishn]

Heading to the Bend this week for a tourny this weekend. (BFL)  could really use some help . Please PM me with any help and thanks. 

[Bull]

This is my first time here, I am enjoying the information that I am reading. I have a place just South of Six Mile up Hickory Ridge. I hope to learn more about the lake I fish most of the time.

[Ranger 251]

Catt,

Thanks for posting the articles on the shad and crawfish.  Although I was getting a bit hungry reading about the crawfish. 

How about a response from my previous post regarding N 31.45360 W 93.73604?  I would be greatly appreciated, even if I bombed out can I get a second run at this one?

[fishfordollars]

Well Saturday morning at 9:30am my wife came to me and told me to go ahead and fish our club tournament Saturday night. i threw my tackle together, hauled her to my mother's home in Nacogdoches and headed to the lake.

Put in at the public ramp on 21 at 6:50pm. tournament was from 7:00pm until 9:00am sunday morning. Headed out to my favorite area off Carrice Creek and first cast was just after 7:00.

Started out with Watermellon/red baby brushhog and a couple of medium depth Lucky craft crankbaits in different shades of shad colors. Not one touch until just after the sun set. surface temps at 7:00 were just above 90. At midnight the temps out off the two main lake points were still 89.6.

I alternated between the two grass covered points until my TM gave out(Kicked a wire loose out of the wiring harness) at 2:20am. No keepers were caught after 1:18am. I was off the water at 2:45 am.

Here is how it went and i stayed with a junebug/red baby brushhog:

8:41 3.97

8:53 2.12

9:36 5.03

10:09 1.15

10:21 2.63

11:30 3.91

11:37 3.01

11:56 0.15

12:05 1.46

12:27 2.78

12:38 3.23

12:46 3.56

1:11 2.57

1:18 2.13

They completely shut down at that time and I never had another bump. All the fish were caught out in 3-6' of water in the scattered grass a good cast away from the matted grass. The wind was blowing out of the west/north west and all my fish were caught out off the two points with deeper water just a cast behind the boat. Best bite was 11:30 until 1:30am.

Top five went 19.70

Spent Sunday afternoon at the cemetery with the wife. Kinda puts a damper to the end of the weekend.

[Catt]

Now that's how ya kick bass!

Classic pattern for Texas Summer Night

[fishfordollars]

Now that's how ya kick bass!

Classic pattern for Texas Summer Night

It's no secret where I'm fishing Catt. It gets lots of pressure just not fished the correct way. I have won a lot of money up in that area. It is two hard clay/sand grassy points that have a number of drains running through the grass that constantly get over looked. They don't vary in depth of more that 2-3' but that's all they need to draw the fish in. Not one drain runs out to the deeper water, they just make a run out away from the grass and turn to the smaller creek. everyone comes in and concentrates on the main point when, in fact, the fish actually move up from the creek almost on the back side of the point.. It's a funny situation that throws a lot of people off. took me a long time to figure it out, but when i did it opened up an avenue that the better fish were using that seldom gets covered. It's like the fish are funneling up onto both points from the back side.

the creek that runs between the points is not really a creek, but more of a wet weather drain. It plays out several hundred yards behind the points and the average depth is no more than 9-10'. It does; however, run all the way out to carrice creek.

Fyi, the outside grassline up there is playing out in the 15-16' depth if that helps anyone. I did not get bit out in the deeper grass Saturday night.

[idrathrbfishn]

great report thanks

[Catt]

FYI!!!

That's not only a classic pattern for Texas summer nights but that is The Classic Pattern for Toledo Bend year round. The only thing that changes from summer/spring/winter/fall is water depth & water temperature. Once we have located prime structure the bass will be there summer/spring/winter/fall you just have to follow them as they change water depths based on seasonal weather conditions.

I fish dozens of places like Jack's that receive a lot of boat traffic pressure but not much fishing pressure because when most guys look at topo maps they fail to look at the whole picture.

To consistently catch bass is a process of elimination and duplication. Eliminate patterns and waters that are non-productive and duplicate patterns and waters that are productive.

Here's another Classic Pattern for Toledo Bend that works year round, throw plastic!

You can catch on spinner baits, buzz baits, jigs, cranks at times but to consistently put bass in the boat throw plastic.

It can be Wacky, Carolina, Mojo, or Drop Shot but the Texas Rig has accounted for more tournament wins than all the other techniques combined.

[alwayslooking]

I fished friday on the south bank of Six Mile,,checking out a point and ledge for a couple hrs,,,got rained(lightly) on 3 times,,,saturday, went there first thing,,caught a nice 3lber on a chug bug,,two dinks on cranks,,went flipping some docks and caught the biggest brim of my life,,,no bass,,,went to mcgee flats and set up on what i call a secondary point and caught 4,,1 5lber,,,1 3lber and two dinks,,,broke 1 off,, and missed 4,,twice bringing back only half of my ol' monster worm,,,best bite was from 1:00pm to 2:30 pm,,,Catt, what do you do when the bite stops? Have the fish moved or just shut down?    And congratulations Jack,,,how did you place?

[Catt]

Catt, what do you do when the bite stops? Change locations, depths, colors or all three!

Have the fish moved or just shut down? Or both!

[alwayslooking]

Do you think it likely that those fish will be there (barring any serious weather change) for a couple of weeks,,,around the same time of day,,,I hear people say they been on fish for a couple months and was wondering if you thought this could be one of those situations

[fishfordollars]

They've been there for the last 20 years. Water depth, color, wind, and grass all dictate just how they set up. Plenty of deeper water to keep them close. No one that I know of that has fished them hard. Only thing that will kill you is a hard south or south east wind. You just cannot stay on it with the four and five foot rollers comming in from that direction.

Give me a day or two and i will post up some cordinates and tell you how to approach them.

[alwayslooking]

Sorry Jack,,i was referring to the fish i was on,,,on mcgee flats,,,but new info is always welcome,,,

[fishfordollars]

Sorry Jack,,i was referring to the fish i was on,,,on mcgee flats,,,but new info is always welcome,,,

sorry, I'll shut up. I'm, getting ready for Rayburn this weekend.

[alwayslooking]

Jack, your info is good too,,,makes us look over the whole area,,not just the obvious points

[Catt]

What Jack said is exactly correct, bass located on prime structure will remain there year round, I'm fishing structure I found back in the 70s.

The bass will move around the structure due to daily weather patterns not seasonal patterns, Jack's fish were all caught in 3-6' of water in the scattered grass a good cast away from the matted grass, the grass part is typical summer the depth is not.

Paul T, Jack has been on Toledo fish for 20+ yrs & I've been on them for 38 yrs, they don't move far.

Jack, Paul T meant no disrespect so don't you dare shut up you input is far to valuable as is every ones.

[fishfordollars]

Well i'm going to post up some cordinates later today. They won't put everyone on the exact spot, but it will put them on the point or creek bend, flat, etc. It will be up to the user to figure out the sweet spots.

That's the best I can do other than putting them, in the boat and telling them to "Cast over there". LOL.

Now excuse me, I'm back to studying maps for Rayburn this weekend. Havn't been there in a while. the lake level has droped a lot. i need to locate some points with grass that have a lot of deeper water off the ends.