Hello, anglers.
Most hunting seasons are over and numerous outdoor lovers are turning their efforts to fishing.
The winter weather has not been too bad but we still have several cold fronts to work through before spring arrives. However,
boat traffic did increase on both Toledo and Sam Rayburn last week with bass tournament season kicking in.
If you are not planning to fish until
the climate warms some more, you might want to plug in your battery
charger to keep
boat batteries completely charged, make sure your fuel tanks are
topped off as this helps to keep condensation and moisture
out of fuel systems. Also, check out boat compartments to make
sure moisture has not gotten in and caused mildew damage to
expensive life vests and rain gear.
These reminders can help to make your first fishing trip of the season a happier one.
Water temperatures are running from 51-55 degrees with the lake level at just under 170 feet with both generators running
as of Tuesday.
North Toledo is heavily stained, midlake is slightly stained and south Toledo is clear-to-very clear. All major feeder creeks
are heavily stained-to-muddy with the water conditions in the creeks getting b
It is amazing how good the water conditions are on a majority of the lake given how much rainfall we have experienced the
past two weeks.
We are fishing several patterns these days, including both shallow and deep areas from as shallow as 4 feet and as deep as
40 or more. That can make things interesting when trying to pattern January bass and knowing how to rig rods for a day of
fishing, which may include basic
However, it is a challenge that I enjoy trying to stay on task as bass move from winter to spring patterns.
Last week we had times when we were locked in with plenty of action and other times when we had to work hard to catch a bass.
It is the time of year when a lifetime big bass can show up on the next cast, so be prepared with rod, reel, hook and line
setup with proper drag, sharp hooks, fresh line and Palomar knots.
On our shallow patterns, from 2-15 feet, we worked Stanley 3/8-ounce double willow spinnerbaits over the grass as well as
letting them fall on the outside edge of hydrilla in 8-15 feet depending on submerged grass conditions.
We also worked Rat-L-Traps in similar fashion on the same type grass structure. Plus, we are working Traps on points that
may or may not have grass, but those with grass are much more productive.
We are also working points with jerkbaits with some success using light line (10-pound Berkley Trilene 100 percent fluorocarbon)
and working them very slowly.
The wacky worm and shaky head are also
helping us on outside edge of grass using 5-inch Senkos and 6.25-inch
Berkley Havoc
Bottom Hoppers on wacky rig and Bottom Hoppers and Bottom Hopper
Jr. on shaky head jigs (1/16 and 1/8 ounce). We work these
very slowly.
The deeper bite is still happening with
jigging spoons and drop-shot with 1/2- and 3/4-ounce hammered jigging
spoons, plus
we are using Berkley Havocs Bottom Hopper Jrs. on all of our
drop-shot rigs. With these we are working depths of 20-to-40-plus
feet.
Crappie guide Ernie Cole reported catching 48 crappie on a morning trip to The Chicken Coop this past weekend. They were fishing shiners in 32-37 feet just off the river bed.
Several other recent good reports also came from The Coop with water conditions there a concern as conditions have gone from
clear to slightly stained but not yet muddy.
If it becomes heavily stained, the shad and crappie will scatter, but if it remains stable the fish will continue to bite.
The yellow bass continue to be caught on the edge of main creeks and river using spoons and tail spinners with some of them
Joe Joslin
is a syndicated outdoor columnist, tournament angler and pro guide on
Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn. His column appears Thursdays.
Contact him at 463-3848 or joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com or visit www.joejoslinoutdoors.com