Hello, Anglers. Toledo water levels soar! For details, see Lake Condition section of this column. High fuel prices for sure are impacting how most of us go about our fishing, however the numbers of boats on local lakes the past two weeks would suggest that anglers found some gas money somewhere. We will not pursue that subject any further only to say that boat ramps have been full and lake businesses report high customer traffic. Factors contributing to recent high numbers on the lake included spring/Easter vacation, prime fishing season, warmer weather plus there's a bunch of us, over 44 million anglers nationwide.
BOAT LAUNCHING REMINDERS: With high traffic currently at many boat launches, boaters are encouraged to do their part to keep things moving as well to consider fellow anglers who are also preparing to launch. At the top of the list is to pull off to the side to transfer ice chest, tackle, un-do boat tie-downs and other tasks. These should be performed prior to pulling on to the ramp in order to not block those who are ready to launch as well as to help keep launch traffic moving. When you back on to the ramp, your rig should be ready to launch. Another strong suggestion when launching before sunrise is to turn off headlights and use only parking lights to keep from blinding a fellow fisherman who is backing down to launch. Also, many times a boater might need help when launching so always be ready to offer assistance.
LAKE CONDITIONS: Toledo's lake level rocketed over the weekend and stands at 173 feet which is one foot above fuul pool. The upper watershed received huge amounts of rain with some areas reporting 10 inches. Both generators are currently running 24/7 and 11 flood gates are open two feet each. Down stream areas will experience flooding and should take precautions. Water temperatures on The Bend are ranging from 64 to 68 degrees with the warmer temps found in the back of coves exposed to afternoon sunlight. North Toledo is stained/muddy, mid lake is slightly stained and becoming more so while south Toledo remains clear but feeder creeks are muddy. FISHING REPORTS/BASS: Most bass anglers are catching some bass these days but not all are catching high numbers nor quality fish. There are several factors in play including heavy fishing pressure, frequent high winds and many bass are on beds which make them somewhat harder to catch. One thing that happens to bass by early April is bait fatigue. They have seen countless artificial baits come bouncing, flying over their heads and have figured out that those are not natural. There are always a few bass with suicidal tendencies (thank God for those!) but most will not hit just any bait presented in any fashion. The key word is presentation. In order to catch an overly-fished bass, one usually has to make the bait look realistic and life-like. This can be more difficult in clear water which is what we have on many of our local fisheries. At times this can require fishing a certain kind of bait, using lighter line and also slowing down your retrieve. On numerous occasions, the only way I can get a bite would be to stop my bait completely. Bass will, often times, tell us how they want the bait if we are observant. A prime example occurred last week when I dropped my rod to get the dip net to boat a customer's fish. After doing so, I went back and picked up my rod which was rigged with a Texas rigged 7 inch Berkley Power Shaky Worm. As I lifted it up, I felt a tug and set the hook on a decent largemouth. The bass had hit the bait sitting basically still. We then drastically slowed our presentation and it increased the number of bites we were getting. On Toledo currently, with water levels on the rise, bass are repositioning and usually this mean that they will move to areas with somewhat less depth. Fishing will be very different this week with topwater plugs as well as weightless soft plastics excellent choices. Bass will also move into shoreline brush/bushes where jigs/tubes and pegged TX rigs will be super fishing tools. With high water, anglers have a lot of options and the key is choosing what patterns works best on any given day. The angler who is able to adjust to changing conditions is the one who keeps the rod bent.
CRAPPIE: White perch/crappie/sacalait (one in the same) fishing picked up last week as weather stabilized. The bite on the outside grassline in 10 to15 feet improved with light jigs such as Blakemore's Road Runner and Stanley Wedgetails in one-sixteenth ounce the standard. I always tip my crappie jig with Berkley's Crappie Nibbles. Night fishing perch jerkers also caught crappie on live shiners. STRIPER: With current water release, look for striper fishing to greatly improve both above and below the dam as well as below the flood gates if they leave them open for any significant time. DeRidder's Ernie Cole reported catching stripers up to eleven pounds last week. Cole normally fishes the dam area as well as Pendleton Bridge.
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, Daiichi, Jay's Carpet One DeRidder, The Floor Trader Lake Charles and Stanley Jigs Inc. Contact him at 337-463-3848 or joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com. and WEBSITE www.joejoslinoutdoors.com.