236 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015
Toledo Bend
fishing forecastup next...Sou thea s t
I
f you are reading this the last week or so of March or in
April, I can only hope Mother Nature is more on schedule
than she was as of the second-to-last day of February.
My goodness, much like last year, this region around Toledo
Bend is perhaps three weeks behind weather-wise because this
definitely has been another unseasonably wild winter in west-
ern Louisiana and eastern Texas. It was punctuated this week
with an ice storm, snow as big as quarters, sleet and rain. Oh,
yeah, it has run the gambit.
Our great lake’s water temperature is hovering in the middle
to upper 50s, just a prolonged warm spell (days AND nights)
away from the bass getting into a bona fide spawning mode at
Toledo Bend. It’ll happen, no doubt, but because of the pro-
longed cold weather, well, it’s just frustrating.
But that deep chill didn’t prevent a two-man team from rack-
ing up a 35.56-pound bag, anchored by an 11.42-pounder, all
on red Rat-L-Traps to win a Texas Trail Team Tournament on
Feb. 21. James Benedict of Livonia and Bart Blakelock of Lake
Charles also weighed in a 9-pound class bass, an 8-pounder, a
6-pounder and a 5-pounder. The other fish was a 3-pounder.
That’s a pretty remarkable catch anywhere, any time, but what
makes it that much more spectacular is that it happened in
cold water temperatures. They had seven bites all day and con-
nected on each of them. What a day.
I’m confident that this year will be a big year for double-digit
bass. And I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the lake record was
broken this year.
I’m taking a bass angler who’s prefishing for the mid-March
Oilman’s two days from now, a Saturday, and for sure I will be
back in the back ends of creeks and “shotgun” pockets to probe
them with watermelon wacky worms and white or chartreuse/
white spinner baits to see if the bass have moved up. I’ll also
feed ‘em a Carolina-rigged 4 ½-inch long watermelon-dyed
Vudu Shrimp. If we get no takers in eight or nine spots, I’ll go to
breaklines and fish with Rat-L-Traps.
Remember my motto, fish the fish and not the calendar.
Right now, the first of March, the fish should be up on their
beds spawning. But there’s been no sight fishing going on that
I’ve heard of.Something a bit unusual so far this year: The “Alabama rig”
hasn’t been as productive as it usually is this time of year. Just
thought that was worth noting.
In April, the bass on this great impoundment should be in
full-blown spawn with so many fish up on beds it’ll make your
head spin and there probably will be some post-spawn action,
as well. Naturally, it depends on the weather, how much of a
commitment the bass are able to make. Sight fishing should be
in vogue as much or more than pitching and flipping the hay
grass with watermelon soft plastics.
Target water depths no deeper than 7 feet. Look for the dirt
spots, the bare spots, tell-tale signs of bedding bass.
Based on past tradition and past history, the bass should be
smacking a Carolina-rigged soft plastic — whatever your favorite
is I use all 40-pound Power Pro braid on my Carolina rig, includ-
ing the 2 ½-foot or 3-foot long leader under a 1-ounce weight
with glass beads and a 3/0 extra wide gap hook. Also try a shad-
or bream-colored Fluke, dead stick it or flip it in the hay grass.
It all depends on how warm it gets, when it gets warm and
how long it stays warm. Any way you look at it, April will be
great. What I’m waiting for is what took so long to happen last
year. Hopefully, by the first week of April, I can get out and fish
a Carolina-rigged soft plastic on the outside ridges. That’s my
productive game in the spring ... something I capitalized finally
on last year on April 16, when I hit the mother lode and caught
“hawgs,” including double-digit bass that day.
Other major players this time of year will be orange/gold
Rogues, naturally, golden bream-colored Chatterbaits and
chartreuse/white spinner baits.
Crappie fishing should be good, as it has been the past few
weeks along the lip of the Sabine River, particularly at the notori-
ous Chicken Coop on the west side of the lake above Pendleton
Bridge. As of late March and April, anglers should be catching the
hell out of the crappie on shiners shallow and over brushtops.
If you would like to learn more about fishing for bass this time
of year with a Carolina-rigged soft plastic, come fishing with
me this spring or early summer. I have been guiding for years
on Toledo Bend. Call 936-404-2688. ■The cold has
anglers itching
to get back
on the Bend
By John DeanCasey Burleigh caught this 11.94-pounder on March 13 while
fishing Toledo Bend. Go to LouisianaSportsman.com/big-bass
to find a vid showing his reaction.Double - digit bass already being caught