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Toledo Bend Reservoir Fishing Report

Joe Joslin has been fishing Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn for 25+ years and has been a full time pro guide on Toledo Bend/Sam Rayburn since 1998.Joe Joslin Outdoors Fishing Guide Service Wholesome atmosphere * Safety minded * Latest equipment. Visit Joe's website at Joe Joslin Outdoors E-Mail Joe at joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com

Toledo Bend Reservoir Fishing Report
for
September 1, 2010

IMPORTANT MEMO: I just received an e-mail from the Sabine River Authority and there are now tenative plans to draw the lake down to 165 feet which will be 7 feet below full pool. There is a meeting scheduled for Friday Sept 3. The purpose of drawdown is to do maintance on the dam. I often fish along the face of the dam.....there are definately places that need repair and they cannot be repaired without drawing down the levels. The 165 levels should leave most ramps open. Fishing could actually improve with points/structure more visible. However, stay in main boat-runs and use caution.

Hello, Anglers. Be safe of the lake this Labor Day Weekend with increased traffic.

LAKE CONDITIONS: At mid-week the lake level is as low as it has been in over a year and stands at 167.3 feet which is almost 5 feet below full pool of 172'. Water temps are running from 84 to 88 degrees and most of the lake is clear with extremely clear water found on the southern one-third of the lake. One generator is running from 3 to 5 p.m. each day for downstream considerations. With water levels falling, I am getting reports of lakefront property owners having to cope with shallow grass around their dock making it more difficult to get boat in/out. However, bass are moving into the grass and will improve shallow water patterns these next three months.

FISHING REPORTS/BASS Catching bass this week has been a little bit easier than last week. Even night fishing anglers struggled last week because of strong northeast wind that did not lay at sundown but blew from 15 to 25 mph 24 hrs a day for 5-6 days straight. Winds of that velocity are tough during the daytime but add darkness to the equation and conditions go from tough to "I'm keeping my boat on the trailer." While wrapping up a day's fishing last week after a very windy day we saw 4-5 boats getting ready to launch for a night of fishing. However, only two of them launched their boats as the others either went home or to another ramp with better protection from the wind. Winds have been more favorable this week.

With the moon on the decrease the morning bite has improved and top water patterns have been significantly better as cloud cover has prolonged and enhanced top water presentations. There is definitely a hint of fall in the air and it is not too soon as far as I'm concerned. Our regular favorite top water lures are performing well with Norman's Pro Pop and Top Dog working super for us. Both of these baits have teaser feathered tails which I feel really makes a difference.

Chug Bugs and Yellow Magic also are catching fish. My #1 color in the Pro Pop is Tennessee Ghost with Chrome/Black a close second. I use the clear color in schooling bass and we are fishing them slowly with lots of pauses. The plastic frog bite also improved with plenty of visible grass to work a Stanley Ribbit frog. We are using 50 braid with the Ribbit as well as the new Double Take hook also made by Stanley.

Another slight change in patterns is the improvement of weightless plastics rigged Texas style and worked along the edge of both visible as well as submerged grass. Target points with this pattern and be patient working your bait slowly. The only negative factor with this fish-catching method is that wind makes this presentation difficult to keep slack out of line in order to feel the strike. However, this method is extremely productive. Top soft plastics for a weightless TX rig include Berkley's 7 and 10 inch Power Worms, Berkley's Sinking Minnow, Fluke and Yamamoto's Senko(5 and 7 inch). For this pattern I use Berkley or Stren 100% Fluorocarbon(15 or 17 lb test) which helps the bait to sink.

Just about any color works for this pattern but I mostly use the watermelon and pumpkin shades. Hooks are vital and I am a fan of high quality, high carbon hooks. For the weightless TX rig I use a 3/0, 4/0 or 5/0 Daiichi or XPoint off-set Worm Hook as this hook when rigged lies closer to the worm and comes through the grass plus I get great hook penetration.

There's still a lot of bass on ridges and deep humps with TX rigs, Carolina rigs football jigs and crankbaits catching fish. On windy days I have used DD22s(deep diving crankbaits), TX rigs and Carolina rigs for the most part. 12 to 25 feet depths are holding fish but the 12' to 18' seem to improve slightly this week. Bass are really following the bait as you can load up on them one day and go back a day later to same area and get skunked. I did catch more bass further up drains/ditches this past week than we have done since late spring. Some of that could have been wind pushing bait up the drains but a slight drop in water temps may have also been a factor.

CRAPPIE/YELLOW BASS: White perch guide, Noe Garcia, is still catching crappie(white perch/sac-a-lait) in depths of 22 to 25'. He reports he is doing much better on his brush piles located in the middle of the lake and states those in main lake coves are no producing currently. Maybe the water temp and oxygen levels are better there. He is using a tight line, live shiners and is fishing over baited brush piles and reports the mornings have been his best times the past few days. We got into a bunch of yellow bass a couple of days and they were schooling with largemouth bass. They were in about 30' and we caught them on jigging spoons, tailspinners(knock-off) and shallow/small crankbaits in shad patterns.

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

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