We just wrapped up the second Bassmaster EQ of the 2023 down in Many, LA on the famed waters of Toledo Bend Reservoir. Toledo Bend spans around 180,000 acres, with tons of “bayous”, grass, submerged timber, bushes, trees and contours that draw the lake’s immense bass population. In early/mid April, one would expect an absolute beatdown on some Texas sized bass. The winning weight for three days did approach 80 pounds, which was a phenomenal total, with Ben Milliken taking home the trophy. However, for most, it was much more of a grind including myself.
PRACTICE
We seemed to hit the lake in the middle of all three phases. Being such a large lake, fish were in different phases and moods depending on areas fished. I practiced up the lake some, past the bridge, and down the lake nearly to the dam. In five days of practice, I still feel like I barely scratched the surface of this immense pond.
The first day of practice was potentially my best as the water was still slightly stained in the creeks and a bright fluke proved to be a great tool to see what was living there mid-lake. Between that, a buzzbait and Carolina rig, I conservatively saw 18 pounds of Toledo Bend bass. Most were in the spawning phase or shortly after it. It was cold that morning and never really warmed up much, but the fish were fairly active, which was encouraging.
The second day of practice, I decided to explore further south in some fairly windy conditions. Thankfully, the Phoenix 21 PHX was made for those days and it was a comfortable ride nonetheless. Bites were a bit tougher to come by, but I found an area with some grass that produced some good frog bites and mixed in some additional solid bites on that fluke too.
Then I went to some more popular areas with clearer water and deeper submerged grass catching a lot of 1-2.5 lb fish with a jerkbait in drains and edges. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I knew the big ones were close by somewhere and kept venturing deeping idling looking for schools of pre/post spawn bass near creek channels, points and flats leading into spawning pockets. After still running into a lot of smallish sized bass, I was not enthused by that deep bite. The problem was, I knew it was out there for the taking and yet for me, that shallower bite seemed to be more consistent. Throw in the water level rising steadily, coming up over a foot and a half in the past week, and that seemed like the recipe to draw fish shallow to me.
My travel partners, Craig and Shane, only further reaffirmed this as they also struggled to find them deep and we all focused largely shallow while mixing in some idling and deeper stuff occasionally to keep them honest. In the following days, we began to dial in the areas for the shallower bites some more. I found some solid fish bedding as well as got a good deal of above average sized bites in some confined areas on a frog to draw me in.
DAY ONE
My mind was made up as to where I wanted to start and a tentative gameplan. I had an area or two that I knew could save me if need be, but the quality I saw on a frog was too good not to go to. That first morning started off decently as I put the first frog fish in the boat pretty quickly and didn’t have much company in the area. There was some shad activity in there too, which only added to drawing me in. However, the next two hours, both my co-angler and I would not boat another fish in there. Plenty of short striking fish and the best bite, probably in the 5-6 pound range, never making it to the boat. They were acting as if the water level was dropping or that the pressure was getting to them. Whichever it was, it didn’t seem like they wanted to play after shaking off around twenty bites in that area the day prior. Ironic enough, afterwards my travel partners corroborated the same story in their areas nearby too.
I went to my area’s mid lake to try and catch a limit quickly then head back. I pulled out the fluke and caught a few quickly and had one or two jump off as well. Then it slowed way down and it took me a bit longer to get a limit than I would have liked before heading back to that starting area in the afternoon hoping it had improved. When we arrived back at the starting spot it was even more tough to elicit a commitment from our former frog eating friends.
My co-angler and I rotated through a bunch of baits and ultimately got a couple smallish bites on the fluke before I pulled the plug and headed down lake again to try and salvage the day on some bed fish near the ramp. I pulled in and made a few small culls quickly before it was ultimately time to head in with a very small bag in the ten pound range. It was disappointing, but I knew with how many big fish lived in that pond, anything could happen on day two.
DAY TWO
I attempted to start back up in the area where I knew some better quality fish were living around that grass. As I approached, I saw the ever noticeable shine of metal flake in a fiberglass bass boat, multiple bass boats to be exact. I decided to turn around as that area was too small to hold up to that much pressure and head back towards the ramp, hitting a couple spots on the way quickly. When I got to the ramp, I began idling in front on the big flats and contours.
Cypress Bend hosts so many large tournaments and where large events go out of, many bass are stocked on the regular, with this week being no different. Every spot I idled over that looked good, I would catch at least one from my Lowrance Active Target. It definitely wasn’t easy to get a bite as I’m sure they were very educated, but I pulled out a drop shot and went to work, quickly boating four in the first hour or two, with one being about four pounds. It seemed like it was happening and the potential to catch twenty plus pounds is definitely there. Then it seemed to shut down for me.
I idled around more, fishing more schools and weeding through smaller spotted bass. I began cranking and dragging a carolina rig with limited success too, before running some shallower stuff nearby with limited success before coming back and exploring more. I came back and caught a handful, but nothing that really helped unfortunately.
We ended up weighing eleven pounds, moving up somehow on a tougher day, but finishing 129th out of 225. Definitely not the result I was looking for. Each year they’ve taken qualifiers from the guys that fish all nine events, it seems like the guys that make it still have a 100-120ish finish, which is good, however, early in the season, it’s not ideal.
THE WRAP
It just never felt like we really got in a rhythm which was odd after having a good enough practice. I felt like I could catch upwards of 14 pounds a day based on practice and the presence of a big bite each day, but that’s how fishing goes sometimes. I’ve done this long enough to know to debrief after the tournament, think about what you could have improved on, shake it off and move your focus to the next one. For us, the turnaround is quick as we head to Buggs Island in the middle of next week to begin practice for that one. Last month was the first time I’ve taken my boat out on that pond, but I’m definitely excited to get back there as it seems like a fun fishery and should be a good event catching wise for the field.
It’s good to be home for a bit after being gone on and off for the past few weeks and the value of family time can never be underestimated. In the meantime, it’s time to catch up on some DuraEdge work, guide some this weekend and prepare for both the Buggs Island and Wheeler Lake event coming up right afterwards. The season is now in full swing! Tightlines and hope you all are getting out on the water.
