Joslin: Cool fishing is on the horizon
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 5:26 PM
By Joe Joslin / American Press
Hello Anglers and outdoor lovers.
September is here and I am excited and we have a cool front due in this weekend so the worst heat of summer 2012 is in the past. We will have some rather warm days yet to go this fall but nothing too severe. I was able to fish all day Labor Day by myself which was a special event as I seldom get that opportunity. I fished from 6:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and almost had the lake to myself after noon as folks headed back home to get kids back in school and parents back to work on Tuesday.
As a self admitted workaholic that day alone Monday allowed me to reflect on how blessed I am for my awesome family, wonderful friends, having meaningful jobs I enjoy plus reflect on God’s provision. For me, there’s not a better place to reflect on what’s important in life than to be on the water where the only sounds are a bass chasing a shad or a blue herring fussing at you for disturbing his fishing area.
Monday was a gift and I was able to see
it as such and am grateful. As I have said in other columns, fishing is
about a lot
more than just catching fish which I think most anglers agree.
However, I’ve never been on a fishing trip where catching
some fish didn’t make things even better. Let’s catch some fish!
Lake Conditions for Toledo
Lake levels have been close to stable for weeks and most of Hurricane Isaac turned northeast so Toledo received very little rain from the storm. Tuesday the level was 168.58’ with one generator running from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.weekdays. Water temps have fallen and at dawn the past couple of days have been 80 to 81 degrees warming to mid 80s by mid afternoon. Water conditions are good all over with north Toledo having slightly stained areas with mid-lake mostly clear and south Toledo is very clear.
Toledo Fishing Reports
The next three months of fishing will be some of the best on my favorite fishing hole as the bass will be feeding heavily in preparation for winter. In addition, the fishing outdoors will be at a substantial comfort level greatly enhancing the fishing experience. Also, two favorite patterns of numerous anglers are top water patterns and spinnerbaits. Both of these are easy for many anglers to fish plus they are very productive, especially during the fall. Our fall/winters are mostly mild with winters usually short-lived. Last winter the water temperature did not get below 50 degrees on Toledo. With water temps falling, 8-10 degrees in past month, topwater and spinnerbaits are producing more bass and more bass are heading shallow to depths less than 12-14 feet. One pattern that is working is to find where a creek or a ditch comes close to shoreline.
If this area has submerged grass then
it will be even more productive. Another condition that is starting to
occur is the
movement of shad (baitfish) towards the back of creeks. This will
accelerate especially following the next cold front as shad
head up all major creeks and the bass will follow. However, all of
the bait and all of the bass will not migrate up creeks
as I have caught thousands of bass on the main lake during the
fall/winter. However, there will be a significant number that
will migrate and the creeks are confined to a smaller area which
make the fish a little easier to find. Our top producers
this week have been Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, crankbaits and
spoons.
A few crappie are showing up on the edge of deep grass and are hitting jigs and Road Runners just at dawn and just before sundown. As water temps fall the next two weeks the crappie bite on the edge of deep grass will improve.
Brush piles are still producing on live shiners. Yellow bass are also hitting the jigs and tailspinners as well and at times
the white bass are killing the Road runner or a small spoon in 14 and 1/2 oz sizes. Yellow and whites are schooling together along the edge of major creeks and are coming up around 8 a.m. and again
around 2 p.m.
Big Lake Reports
Captain Kevin Broussard of Cajun Paradise Lodge reports lots of both trout and reds in the northern part of the fishery.
Mentioned specifically were Lake Charles, Prien Lake as well as Moss Lake areas. Broussard said his experience the past few days saw live shrimp producing the best numbers with anglers fishing them on a Carolina rigs or under a cork. However, live pogy and soft plastics seem to be catching the better quality of fish.
Because of lots of high winds, the south end of the lake is still slow overall with water clarity being the biggest problem. Both west and southwest winds muddy the water and we have had a lot of those the past week.
The good news is that a cold front is suppose to come in this weekend with north winds which should help to cool water temps.
Currently water temps have cooled slightly to 83-85 degrees but a solid cool will speed shrimp migration and bring on the
bird action for trout and reds. Hang on! Fall is almost here! Elaine Huck of Calcasieu Point says her best reports include
lots of big reds both in the main lake as well as at The Weirs. Other news is that the flounder run seems to be starting.
Also, Huck says the trout numbers are down at her place but those that are coming in have been solid 3 to 5 pounders.
B.A.S.S. selects Sabine River
On the tournament scene, Bass Anglers Spostsman Society has selected Orange, Texas/Sabine River as one of the stops on the 2013 Elite Tournament Trail. The dates are March 2013 and could prove to be challenging for some of the top pros in the bass fishing world. Stay tuned, we’ll keep you posted.
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