Hello, Anglers. I just checked my two main weather sites online and for the first time in days there were no lake wind adviseries. Actually, there was no strong winds in this week's forecast but I will not hold my breath. I have been able to fish with clients on Toledo and Rayburn in high winds of 20-30 but it has been difficult. I have a lot more options with strong southern winds than with strong northern winds and recently most winds have been southerly.
Southern winds are really tough on fellow salt water guides but these winds do bring in Gulf water with higher salinty which improves fishing. Hopefully, Mother Nature will give us all a break this week. Last weekend was brutal for local anglers on all area fisheries.
LAKE CONDITIONS: At mid-week one unit was running from 1 to 9 p.m. at Toledo's dam and the lake level was 172.03 feet. Water temperatures range from 68 to 72 degrees with north Toledo stained-to-muddy, mid lake stained to slightly stained and south Toledo is clear on the main lake with stained conditions in the upper portions of feeder creeks. Rising water levels have pushed water into areas where it has not been for some time
and this will have an impact on fishing patterns.
FISHING REPORTS/BASS
Late spring/post spawn patterns are more in place currently even though there are still a few bedding bass on the south part of The Bend. Water temperatures have stayed low which has prolonged the spawn. However, it is common to have some late spawners in early May. Topwater patterns are more productive and I even caught a few schooling bass which means that bass are changing habits and are moving to late spring and summer patterns.
A strong suggestion would be to target both secondary as well as primary points with a variety of lures and patterns. Consider starting shallow on a grassy point with topwater, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits or shallow crankbaits. When I have clients in the boat I usually start everyone with something different in the morning until we find out what the bass are interested in. It would be a common early morning start right now to rig one clients rod with a spinnerbait, another with a Frenzy Popper topwater or Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and I would fish a wacky, light Texas or Carolina rig out in front of the boat in slightly deeper water.
This approach allows us to cover the 2 to 10 feet depths as well as giving them various presentations to see what they want that day. They may eat up a topwater today and not touch it tomorrow and only hit a wacky worm sitting still. That's why fishing is such a challenging, lifetime sport. Just when you think you know everything, the fish will let you know that you still have plenty to learn.
Other productive patterns are working crankbaits along the edge of grasslines as well as over deep points and ridges. To do this, we are using Bill Norman's DLNs (Deep Little Ns) as well as DD22s (Deep Divers). We are using DLNs to work the outside area of supmerged grass lines in 8 to 14 feet and using the DD22s to work deep points and ridges in 14 to 20 feet. Top crankbait colors have included firetiger, bumble bee, charteuse/blue and sexy shad.
Again I want to mention Abu Garcia's Revo Winch reel which is designiged primarily for big crankbaits. We have recieved a lot of questions about this reel. The Winch has strong, low speed gears (5.4:1 ratio) with 10 stainless steel bearings, is very smooth/quiet and allows extra long, backlash free casts which, in my opinion, is vital to successful deep crankin'. Deep cranking is hard work and this reel takes a lot of the effort away.
Other patterns catching bass on deeper structure is to work a Carolina rigged magnum lizard and 10 inch Berkley Power Worm in 15 to 25 feet. Football jigs(Stanley Bug-Eye) and Texas rigs are also productive at these depths. My line choices on these are 15 and 17 pound test Stren and Berkley 100% Flourocarbon. For deep, clear water patterns these flourocarbon lines give you the best of everything with low stretch for good hook sets, highly sensitive to detect light strikes, durable and highly transparent. In addition to the above patterns, I am catching bass on drop shot when fishing gets really tough. Most of our drop shot bass are coming from 16 to 30 feet with 20-24 my target depths. Fellow anglers, I can't get any more specific than that.
CRAPPIE
Crappie fishing has imporoved with small jigs and tailspinners (Blakemore Road Runners) catching white perch in 8 to 15 feet on points as well about halfway back in major coves over submerged ditches. Work lures very slowly by either casting or using trolling motor slow speed (strolling). Blue/white tail, pink/white tail, black/fire tail (early/late/cloudy), red/chartruse tail are some of the top colors. Live shiners in brush at 15-20 feet are also catching crappie reports new crappie guide, Charles Perrodin, who works out of Toro Bay/Pirates Cove area. Perrodin caught 40 Tuesday a.m. and another 40 (plus) that afternoon. Call or e-mail me for Perrodin's info.
AUTHOR INFO: Joe Joslin is a syndicated outdoor columnist, tournament angler and pro guide on Toledo and Sam Rayburn. Contact him at 337-463-3848 or joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com. and WEBSITE www.joejoslinoutdoors.com.
