Some – But Not All – Will Go Big At Toledo Bend

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Some big sacks containing some big fish will be caught this week as the second half of the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series season gets under way at Toledo Bend. However, relatively few anglers will catch them.

The gargantuan reservoir on the Texas/Louisiana border is still full of fish,

and many of them are quite large. The "right ones" are ganged up only in a few specific places, though, as they transition into their full-on summer mode, and not everyone in the 99-angler field will find them.

Glen Freeman averaged 23 pounds per day en route to winning last week's Toledo Bend Texas EverStart, but as a full-time guide, he's intimately familiar with the lake and the seasonal habits of its fish. Even with a field as talented as the Elites, 2 1/2 days of practice won't have been nearly enough time for most to figure everything out.

The event will likely be won from the deep-water ledges and humps, but there are thousands of those and only a small percentage are currently productive. Some competitors are sure to give up on that plan out of frustration and head for the shallows in a desperate attempt to flip up enough weight for a paycheck and some Angler of the Year (AOY) points.

Before delving deeper into the bite, here's some info about the lake itself.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake Name: Toledo Bend
> Type of Water: Reservoir
> Surface Acres: 200,000-plus when full (the largest man-made impoundment in the South)
> Primary structure/cover: Flooded timber, ledges, brushpiles, grass
> Primary forage: Shad, crawfish
> Average depth: 15 feet
> Species: Largemouths and spotted bass
> Length limit: 14 inches
> Reputation: A legendary fishery that's developed more of a reputation as a big-fish factory in recent years.
> Weather: The forecast calls for a mix of sun, clouds and thunderstorms with high temperatures in the low 90s. Predicted winds are moderate.
> Water temp: Low 80s
> Water visibility/color: 2 to 3 feet/tinted
> Water level: About a foot below normal summer pool
> Fish in: 0 to 30 feet, but most are 12 feet or deeper
> Fish phase: Summer
> Primary patterns: Deep jigs and worms, cranking, flipping and pitching, Texas- or Carolina-rigged plastics, topwaters
> Winning weight: 80 pounds (4 days)
> Cut weight (Top 12 after 3 days): 45 pounds
> Check weight (Top 50 after 2 days): 22 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 2 for Toledo Bend
> Biggest factor: The wind – it can seemingly rise up out of nowhere and when it does, it can make ledge-fishing extremely difficult
> Wildcard: True giants – a 13 1/4-pounder was caught in last week's EverStart, and even one half that size is a game-changer

No Easy Task

Freeman's performance in the EverStart was impressive, but he was the only angler in a lineup stacked with locals to average 20 pounds a day. Only 42 competitors – less than 40 percent of the field – topped the 10-pound-per-day mark.

The lake has been under tremendous pressure over the last several weeks. In addition to the normal traffic and the EverStart, it also played host to the McDonald's Big Bass Splash, which featured more than 2,200 anglers.

Massive fish are showing up here and there – George Jeane Jr. caught a 13 1/4-pounder in the EverStart, the McDonald's event was won by a 9 and a couple of Elite guys reported catching double-digit specimens during practice. Those bites come out of the blue, though, and certainly can't be counted upon.

Freeman won the EverStart on ledge-fish that, for whatever reason, kept moving shallower as the event progressed. The challenge this week might not only be finding schools that contain 4-plus-pounders, but keeping track of them when they have so many options as to where to hang out.

There's some grass in the mid-lake region and farther south that can be productively flipped, but Freeman said this week's winner should again come from deeper water.

"That's just where the fish are headed right now," he said. "If I were fishing, that's where I'd go."

What BassGold.com Shows

The BassGold.com patterning tool has thousands of tournament patterns covering hundreds of lakes, and these patterns can be searched and displayed in graph form. Here's what it shows for fishing Toledo Bend in summer.

> Main Lake Offshore Structure – This should be where the winning fish are caught. That won't be a surprise to the Elite pros, and it's possible someone will find something completely different, but historical pattern information shows conclusively that anglers win and place high fishing offshore.

> Wood and "Submergent Veg" – In this case, "structure" means underwater vegetation, which along with wood won't be much of a surprise to the Elites. But BassGold shows conclusively that more tournaments are won with wood as part of the equation, and that without wood you're more likely to finish 2nd or below.

> A big worm – Generate a BassGold Pattern Report for T-Bend this time of year and you'll see that "worm," "crankbait," "lizard/creature" and "jig-n-pig" are the best baits, in that order. A quick surf of the pattern details in the BassGold database shows that worms are big ones – of the 10-inch-plus variety.

Freeman won the windy EverStart by fishing timber on mid-lake ridges with a Texas-rigged 10.5-inch Yum MightEE worm (blue fleck) and a Booyah football jig with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer (for more on that, click here).

Field Notes

Here are practice notes from some anglers who'll be competing this week.

Byron Velvick
"It's really slow – there's a morning bite, but it dies quick and then it's hot, humid and miserable. You'd better be on them good early because it's over before you know it. It gets really tough to catch anything after 10:00.

"It's summer and they just had the McDonald's Big Bass event and the EverStart and these fish have had their brains beat out. Guys have been coming off the water early (during practice), at noon or 1:00, and that's indicative of how dismal it's been. A lot of guys who stayed out there were just beating their heads against a wall.

"I caught a 4-pounder (Monday) and a 3-pounder (Tuesday), and that's been it as far as quality. I'm just going to go out and try to catch a few early before it's over."

Brandon Palaniuk
"I haven't found anything good (through Tuesday night). I've got a couple of places where I can catch 1 1/2-pounders on almost every cast for 8 hours, but those won't do me any good. I'm still in search mode.

"I'm having a heck of a time trying to find any big ones. I know they live here. The guy who won the EverStart smashed them, but below him the weights weren't that impressive considering how many big fish live here.

"I'm concentrating mostly offshore. I've spent a little time shallow, but I've gotten even fewer bites and they haven't been any bigger than the ones I caught out deep. It's been tough, but I'm still hoping I'll find them."

Mark Menendez
"This place is real temperamental right now. The water temps are on the rise and the first day of practice was much better than the second day for me. I did catch a real big one (Monday) and I would've been satisfied with what I caught that day even without the big one. (On Tuesday) it slicked off and got extremely difficult. It should be a little better in the tournament, I would think.

"They guy who wins is going to catch 20-plus (pounds) a day. But down the line from there, for the guys gathering Classic points, it'll be kind of stingy. I've got two or three little things going, and I may have stumbled on something that fits with something I did the first practice day. I should only have about three rods out come tournament morning."

Russ Lane
"I haven't found anything to get excited about yet and I'm looking real hard out deep. I know the EverStart guys, a few of them really put it on them, but I sure haven't figured it out.

"Fishing deep, I'm having trouble getting bites, period. I'm not even sure I know the right depth to be in. The thing that's weird about this place is it's hard to see the fish on my graph because of all the timber and baitfish. You have to fish to find them and there's so many ridges and humps that you can't cover enough water.

"The guys with some local knowledge and the guys who got the right help are going to be strong here."

Jamie Horton
"I had one big bite (Monday), but other than that it's been hard to catch a limit of 2-pounders. I've caught some shallow and some deep, but it's hard to catch a good one. That big one was about 12 pounds and it was the first one I caught. She weighed more than any other five I've caught, but far.

"From what I've seen, fishing shallow and trying to mix in some deep stuff is going to be a grind. I just haven't found enough places with enough fish. I've been places where I caught 15 fish, but none of them over 13 inches. I kept catching them hoping to at least see a keeper, but I never did. That doesn't really make sense."

Top 10 to Watch

With the above in mind and more, here are BassFan's recommendations for the Top 10 to watch in this event.

1. Todd Faircloth – His desire for a summertime event in his own neck of the woods has become a reality and he's determined to take full advantage. A bomb at Bull Shoals hurt his chances for the Angler of the Year (AOY) title he covets, but he's still in the hunt and could make a big move here.

2. Jeff Kriet – He's been alternately superb and mediocre this season, with two finishes of 8th or better and two missed cuts. He loves it when the fish go deep and he's a strong bet to make his third Sunday appearance of 2012.

3. Dean Rojas – Conditions aren't as ripe for him as when he won here last year, but he does own two career victories at this place. The confidence derived from those will surely spur him on.

4. Keith Combs – The 64th he logged at Douglas last month was his worst finish in his 2 years on the Elite Series and he'll look to bounce back hard. He's a strong offshore guy in an environment he's very familiar with.

5. Kevin VanDam – If he's going to make a second-half run at his fifth straight AOY, the charge has to begin right here, right now. This event offers another opportunity for him to show off his supreme cranking abilities.

6. Gary Klein – At No. 58 in the points, he needs to gain more than 20 places during the second half of the campaign to avoid missing his second straight Classic. He didn't fare particularly well here last year (58th), but conditions might be more suitable for him this time.

7. Edwin Evers – This is one of his favorite lakes and he has all the tools necessary to excel this week. He's another guy looking to bounce back after a stinker (63rd) at Bull Shoals.

8. Mike McClelland – His comeback from a dismal 2011 campaign continues to pick up steam and away from the banks is his favorite place to fish. His Sunday appearance at Douglas was the first in nearly 2 calendar years for the three-time Elite Series winner, and he could make it two in a row this week.

9. David Walker – He came very close to winning here in 2011 and, with the exception of one event, has been on fire ever since. He got his first tour-level victory last year and is making a strong bid for his first AOY in 2012.

10. Mark Davis – He's a big-time offshore enthusiast and his 11th at Douglas was his best Elite finish since he posted back-to-back 8ths in May 2010. He's right on the Classic cutline as the season's second half gets under way and this event offers a good chance to move into a more secure position in the standings.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from Cypress Bend Park (3462 Cypress Bend Dr., Many, La.). Weigh-ins will get under way at 3:15 p.m. in the same location.

Notable

> BassFan Big Stick Brent Chapman is feeling a bit better about his chances than when he first checked in on Monday. To read his practice wrapup report, click here.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., June 7 – Scattered T-Storms - 92°/66°
- Wind: From the NE at 10 mph

> Fri., June 8 – Mostly Sunny - 92°/69°
- Wind: From the E/NE at 6 mph

> Sat., June 9 – Scattered T-Storms - 86°/70°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 5 mph

> Sun., June 10 – Isolated T-Storms - 92°/73°
- Wind: From the S at 7 mph