Hello, Anglers. Many tournament anglers participate in some type of a loyal owners program where they can earn extra money, in addition to prize money, when winning or placing high in tournaments. Most major boat companies have such programs whereas say if you own a Skeeter, Champion or Ranger boat and win or finish high in a sanctioned tournament you would get extra money if you qualified for the contingency program. Some charge a small annual fee while others do not charge providing you meet qualifications. In recent years numerous companies are getting into the act as a benefit/reward for their customers.
The first vehicle manufacturer to do so was Toyota with Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks that started spring 2008 which is open to tournament anglers who own a 2007 or newer Toyota truck or SUV. There is no charge for this program but Toyota owners must sign up prior to tournaments where Bonus Bucks winnings can be $250 all the way up $7,500. Local dealerships are also getting into the act with their own programs as Lake Charles Toyota is sponsoring bonus cash for the well-known Wednesday Afternoon Dogfight Tournaments held each week on the Calcasieu River. Feedback has been very positive from local anglers. If you own a boat/truck which has an on-going contingency program, consider signing up as you might be leaving some money on the table.
LAKE CONDITIONS: The lake level on Toledo is 169.9 feet with both generators running from noon till 9 p.m. The water surface temperatures are slightly cooler this week with cloudy, cooler conditions where nights have slipped into the 60s. This has helped to lower water temps to 86-88 degrees which is down a couple of degrees. Water conditions all over are still good with north Toledo slightly stained,mid lake is clear and south Toledo is very clear.
FISHING REPORTS/BASS: Some of the most exciting fishing news this week on The Bend is the awesome night fishing. It has been off the charts this summer with lots of bass over five pounds plus a good mix of 6,7,8,9 and even 10 pounders being caught after dark. There is no shortage of big bass on my favorite fishing hole. I received a call from a Bridge City, Texas angler, Les Woodall, who won a night fishing tournament last week with a 5-fish 34.5 pound stringer. We should have a picture of the catch next week.
I am 99% sure that Woodall's catch is the largest tournament weight ever for a 5-fish limit on Toledo. I do remember a 33 pound stringer 3-4 years ago that was also caught in a night tournament but I do not remember a documented official weight of 5-fish limit weighing over 34 pounds. I'm sure my readers will correct me if this is not correct. That computes to a 6.90 pound average per fish. Woodall did have a 9.75 and an 8 pounder in the mix and stated that he was fishing a regular Print Pak Bass Club event. He targeted south Toledo main lake points/ridges with a Texas rig worm in 14-20 feet and said his favorite colors were black/red flake and red shad.
No doubt the best fishing now is night fishing, even with a dark moon. In addition, I have found on a dark moon phase during hot weather that daytime patterns are also improved. Moving current also impacts fishing as we are catching some of our better bass in the afternoon while both generators are running. In my opinion, I feel the current that results from generating has a positave impact on bass feeding, especially on the southern 10-15 miles of the lake.
Not only are the main lake points impacted by activated generators but also main feeder creeks. I have seen times (many times) where I could basically predict when the fish would start hitting per the dam's generating schedule as the current pulls baitfish up on the points and the preditor fish follow. We are fishing points and main lake ridges with depths of 12 to 30 feet depending on time of day and how much light penetration. During cloudy and early/late times, we fish somewhat more shallow and deeper when it is bright.
Our top baits have been Stanley Ribbits, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, deep diving crankbaits, jigs, jigging spoons and drop shots. Some days we may use a crankbait early and then other days we may start with a Ribbit. It just depends on what the fish will hit. There are a lot of bass on main feeder creek and main lake points. There are also good bass on humps and ridges with hydrilla (submerged grass) and this summer we have plenty of that on the south end of the lake. We are fishing plastics from 5 to 10 inches in length with 5 inch Berkley Wacky Crawlers on light TX rigs and drop shot plus lots of 7 inch Shaky Worms and Trick worms on both TX and Carolina rigs in 12 to 30 feet. We also are using a lot of Berkley 10 inch Power Worms on both TX and C.R.
CRAPPIE: White perch guide, Butch Perrodin, reports that he caught 120 crappie this week on five different trips with his best day catching 47 with lots of fish between 1 and 1.75 pounds. He is fishing 18 to 26 feet in 30 foot depths using live shiners over baited brush piles. He stated that he had to move several times to find fish that would bite.
YELLOW AND WHITE BASS: We are catching good numbers of yellow bass using a jigging spoon and a Knock Off which is a tailspinner bait made by Norman Lures. In addition, we are getting into largemouth, spotted bass, a few white bass, catfish, drum and striper which are schooling together on the large schools of shad on the south end of the lake. We are fishing both vertical on the bottom as well as count-down patterns.
AUTHOR INFO: Joe Joslin is a syndicated columnist, tournament angler and pro guide on Toledo and Sam Rayburn. His sponsors include Skeeter Performance Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Lake Charles Toyota, Red River Marine/Alexandria, LA, Berkley, Fenwick, Abu Garcia, Bill Norman , Daiichi, The Floor Trader Lake Charles and Stanley Jigs Inc. Contact him at 337-463-3848 or joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com. and WEBSITE www.joejoslinoutdoors.com.
