UPDATED AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE!!!!! Current Lake Level: 168.72 1/12/09 6:30am One generator is shut down while repairs are being done the other is just shutdown. Spillway gates are shut. The lake is currently slowly rising due the rains. Water temp in the 50's. Most creeks are in the 60's Some reports of some water reaching the mid 60's Reminder most of the fishing pressure on Toledo Bend is North & Midlake so most tournment fishermen do not even attempt to make the journey to our end of the lake. But thats okay we grow them bigger down here. 2009 Toledo Bend Tounament Schedule Jan 10 TX BASS Federation Jan 11 Army Rec American Bass Anglers Dist #53 Jan 24 Fisher of Men Tournaments Feb 7 Bass N Bucks Feb 15 2 of us Couples Feb 21 Walmart BFL Cowboy Div. Feb 27 Fisher of Men March 1 Bassmasters Div #10 March 5-7 Bassmasters Tour. Trail Open March 8 Army Rec American Bass Anglers Dist #53 March 14 Fisher of Men March 13-14 Texas Oilmen's Bass Invitational March 20-21 Anglers of Christ March 28 Walmart BFL LA/TX Div. March 28 Ft. Polk Bassmasters Spring "OPEN" April 3-4 Louisiana Oilman's Bass Invitational April 25-26 Toledo Bend Oilmen's Classic Formerly "Southeast Texas Oilmen's" April 18 Bass Anglers Dist #48 May 2 CAST Couples SE Region May 2-3 Texas State Bass Tourn May 3 American Bass Anglers Dist #53 May 9 Bass Champs May 31 Bassmaster Weekend Series Louisiana May 2 CAST Couples SE Region June ????? 22nd Annual Big Bass Splash June 6 Bassmaster Weekend Series LA June 20Walmart BFL Louisiana/Texas Division June 27 Anacoco Lions Open Bass Tourn July 11 Bass N Bucks August ?? 2nd Annual Big Catfish Splash Sept 26 Ft. Polk Bassmasters Fall "OPEN" Oct 15-17 FLW Stern Series TX Division Oct 17 FLW National Gaurd College Fishing Tourn 1/5/09: Happy New Year we already had a 10# Bass caught full of eggs. She was turned in at Toledo Town to get a few replica. Few bass are showing up with roe (eggs). 12/13/08: The lake has a quite calm this time of year. There are a few boats on the lake but if you come out to fish you want have a problem finding a parking place. The weather this weekend is supposed to be 70 deg. 8/5/08: The bream are king right know with catfish running a close second. 5/15/08: Sac-a-lait bite has been avaerage this year. The bream are just starting to bite. Ronald Dugas recently pulled in 22 bass in a couple of hrs Monday. The only bad thing only two keepers( 14" min). Catfish are pulled pulled out of the lake using trot lines. 5/7/08: For Bass the next full moon is the 20th of this month this is normaly the last spawning cycle on our end of the lake. The sac-a-lait are biting the best they have bite all year. The catfish are being caght on trotlines. The next thing to startup is the bream. Stay tuned. 4/23/08: Pat Pitre from Washington LA landed a 9.5# bass fishing on the south end of the lake. He was pumped up(can u blame him). Bass were being caught in varied depths and many different ways. Carolina rigged with watermelon red centapide or cotton candy. Also Crankbaits are working well. Sac-a-lait are showing up in 20' of water either tightlining are strolling. Catfish can be caught on trot lines using pcs of hotdogs. Few stripers are being caught on the lake also. GOOD LUCK 4/15/08: Fishing in a good ol flat bottom boat on Toledo Bend this past week has been a chore. Being restricted to the back of coves and not being able to get on the main lake is no fun. When the lake was calm enough to fish bass were being caught using anything colored in cotton candy carolina or texas rigged. The sac-a-lait are just starting to show up. A couple were able to catch 30 good ones. The SRA has closed the spillway way so that they can generate some revenue. $$$$$$$$ Be aware of NO WAKE ZONES. When the water is high this is when we loose real estate. C U on the lake 4/8/08: March 29 was a good day for one angler fishing the Fort Polk BASS tourney. He landed a 11+lb bass (+3 other nice ones) which in turn gave him 1st place & a FREE Replica for turning the bass into Toledo Tackle. The following week the lake rose over 2' putting it above top of the pool level of 172.2'. So the SRA cranked up the generators and had to open the flood gates. This past weekend in the LA Oilman's tourney I heard someone landed a 11+ Bass. With 2 other bass weighing over 13lbs being caught on Toledo Bend, this is the time to be here and fishing. The prespawn is happening cuurently on the south end of the lake. Catfish are being caught coming into the new water close to shore. Sacalait should be biting very soon. Carp are being shot with bows as they venture into the grass recently covered with water. Stripers should be active near both the generators and the spillway. 3/5/08: We had Bill and Jeff's crew with us for about a week and the have been catching a good bit of bass lately. The largest being 5# so far they have landed as large as a 9# in the past years. 2/6/08: Few bass were caught this weekend with saturday being the best day. Carolina rig with a light bite. Next two weekends highs in 70's & 80's. Its time to be at the lake. Weekday boat traffic is present after a long time absence. 1/30/08: Mardis Gras weekend looks to be a good weekend to be at the lake. You never know when that first big fish of the year will be caught. Stay tuned. 1/23/08: Lake rising slowly with the rain. People are starting to call to see if the fish are bitting the short answer. NO thats mainly because there is no one testing the waters. The lake is quite. The sac-a-lait reports or none along with bass. But again there aren't many boats on the lake. 1/15/08: This is the time of the year when the phones start ringing for RV spots and camps alike. We have a total of 82 spots for rent with only 2 empty. We have 9 camps for rent, they sleep any where from 2-10 people. So if your looking for the Bass of a lifetime this is the time and the place. Crappie reports should start coming in soon. 12/3/07: Winter is just weeks away a couple mornings with frost so far. Yesterday was in the 80's. This is LA weather for you. No fishing reports but the crappie should get cranked up shortly. with the coooling water temps. 11/10/07: 13 pt buck down 175#+ 145 B/C gross. 11/8/07: The rut is upon us. The lake is seeing very few boats on its waters. Those who are bass fishing Texas rig are catching. No reports from crappie nor catfish. 10/2/07: The Bend is at 168.04. Generators are shutdown. The lake could still drop due to maintaining downstream flow, evaporation and a couple of outher instances. We extended our launch last year when the lake hit record lows. The launch fee is $5.00. Envelopes are located at the launch to put your money in. You must have a pass located on the dash of your tow vehicle. The boat traffic on the lake at this time of the year is very slow. Doc Roby did land a 4-5# bass this past weekend. The Hawkins kids caught a bunch of perch. 7/11/07: Anyone at anytime can catch bream near the banks with catfish right behind them. Bass are being caught in 18-24' as the water temps increase. Reminder: The lake was a forest at one time and there are plenty of TREES right under the water!!!!! 5/17/07: Bass have been best this month so far with shallow water being the best location. Crappie have been slow. Bream are just getting cranked up. Catfish are being caught on trotlines. 4/18/07: The past two weekends has presented us with nonfishable weather. With snow the first and high winds the second. This has brought people to resort to coming up on the weekdays to fish. At this current day we only have two camps out of nine avaiable for rent. The next week things should start to get better. 4/4/07: Kenny Thomas (David's brother), of Sulphur brought in a 8# 14oz largemouth bass. He is going to have it mounted. He asked if I was mad. I believe everyone has a choice when they first catch a lunker bass. It is their choice to let it go so it can grow or to keep it for their choice the wall or the plate. This weekend a cold front will move in a one thing to keep in mind is safety on the lake. Many time vistors make the journey to the lake with their boat and have never been on a lake this size. This lake is famous for quick changes in conditions. So keep one to the sky and one on the lake conditions. 3/21/07: This past weekend I saw one 9# bass brought in by David from DeRidder. His group had a total of 33 keepers over two days. David Thomas came up for Sac-a-lait and caught 13 in a day. A few cats being caught on trotlines. A cold front slowed down the fishing for most people. This weekend should be great with highs in the 80's. 3/14/07: This past weekend we weighed a 9# bass caught on a watermelon red brush hog by Mr. Bellard from Eunice, LA. Also one of our residents caught a 9 # 4oz bass. The bass are biting with crappie just starting. 3/5/07: Reminder two bass have been turned over to the Wildlife and Fisheries to be enterered into the Lunker Bass Program. The first weighed 14# 2 oz and the one caught this weekend weighed 12# 9 oz, it was caught on the South End of the lake. These gentleman will receive a replica mount of the bass. This program ensures the bass are released near the same areas they were caught. Reminder there recently was a bass in Dixon Lake California that was caught off her bed during the spawn by being fowl hooked. She then was weighed (25# 1 oz) and released. World record not. Mistakes made were catching the bass by fowl hook illegal in CA, weighed on noncertified scales, and no measurements. We have all the tools neccessary to enter your World record bass here at Toledo Bend Resort. Certified scales and forms for the Lunker Bass Program. 2/11/07: Big Bass season has offically open. If you want a fish to Hang on your wall this is the time to catch it. But just remember if your not going to mount it take a photo and let it go so it can grow. 1/11/07: It's been my best hunting season ever. But this is about fishing. Jerry Powell one of our weekenders campers has been pulling some good size bass lately. The lake rose 2' in 2 days recently, bringing it to a safe boating level. Still not that many boats on the lake, so the pressure is still low. Please call for more info (337) 286-9257 10/30/06: We'll it been a while but finally our launch has been open for a while now and bass bite is on. White perch should start-up soon. Some good catfish are being caught on trot lines. With over 22" of rain for the month, Mr. James Foster actually measured 18" in 24 hours, the lake is on the rise. We just need the rain to continue. 5/15/06: This past holiday weekend the fishing was hard but many bream were caught on crickets and worms. The bass bite was best at night. The sac-a-lait really turned on 5/29/06 with the overcast clouds and the rain. Catfish are being caught on trotlines. The divers are having good viz with the calm lake. C U on the lake. 5/15/06: The fish are biting as previously stated. You should be here. 4/27/06: This past couple of weeks the crappie have been biting like crazy, the bass have been hitting, catfish are being caught, stripers are still very nonsocial. This is the time all fishermen love to be at the lake. Why aren't you here? 3/8/06: This weekend was the first time to see a bunch of boats on the lake in a long time. Most fishermen I talked to reported good catches on bass, with catfish starting up also. Crappie are just starting up. This weekend should be a good one. 2/22/06: The Big Bass are being caught right now! Senko's, Spinnerbaits & Crankbaits fished in 8-20' of water near creek channels. 2/12/06: Okay lets go fishin!!! The launch has enough water to launch a boat. Please call with any questions (337) 286-9257 1/29/06: We'll while hunting season was going on and the lake being so low the bass have not had any fishing pressure at all. If you want a TROPHY BASS thois is the year to land one. Reminder, 8 fish limit on black bass. More bass will be caught this year due to less water means more fish on the main lake. CALL NOW! (337) 286-9257 12/19/05: With the lake level so low please catch and release. The fish will be not be able to get back in the brush like usually in the spring. Four years ago the lake was about the same and fishing was great. c-ya on the lake. 11/3/05: Hurricanes have came and went but were still here. Come enjoy the quite peacfullness of the lake this time of year. The fishing pressure slows. But thi doesn't mean they don't bite. Most people are hunting. Come see what you can catch. 09/14/05: Good time to come check out the structure under the water during normal lake levels. We are now 7' below what I call normal (170'). Be carefull when on the lake. Call ahead to check launch sites. The nearest launch open to us is SRA's Pleasure Point. 08/22/05: The lake is low. To make sure you understood the lake is LOW. Is this good are bad. In my mind this is the time that all fishermen need to be at the lake. All those honey holes start showing themselves. You can follow the Sabine River channel as the trees line its banks. Make sure where ever you go the you can launch as of today our launch is still open to 18' or smaller boats. Be very carefull on the lake. 07/21/05: Our friends at Sunset boat rentals have closed the doors. They are now seeling there rental boats. Heres a list: 2005 - G3 17' aluminum bass boat with 12 volt trolling motor, depth finder, dual battery charger, boat trailer and cover. The motor on this boat is a 2004 - 50hp. Yamaha 4-stroke. $10,000.00 2004 - G3 22' pontoon model LX22F/C. This boat has a 90hp Yamaha 4-stoke motor. Comes with 12 volt trolling motor, on board battery charger, depth finder, am/fm CD player, changing room, bimini top, and trailer. $15,000.00 2004 - G3 22' pontoon model LX22C. This boat has a 90hp Yamaha 4-stroke motor. Comes with depth finder, changing room, am/fm CD player, bimini top and canvas cover. $15,000.00 2000 - Bass Tracker Pro Crappie. This boat has a 50hp Mercury motor. Comes with boat cover, 12 volt trolling motor, depth finder and trailer. $8000.00 If you are interested you can contact:Earl or Martha Hickman 318-590-2082 If you are on the lake please be careful when driving in low water conditions. A couple of weeks ago a guy got out of the boat lane and ended up with a hole in his boat. Stay in the boat lanes and when you get out slow down. 06/22/05: Fishing pressure has slowed down the the sun coming out more people are playing on the lake compared to fishing on the lake. Good luck hope to see you on the water. 04/27/05: With only 4 days to go on the 2005 Louisiana Lunker Bass Program, we have had 3 fish turned in. All three were from Toledo Bend (of course!). We were unable to spawn any of the three, but that is really not unusual, since they are wild fish put in an artificial environment. Also, the last two appeared to have already spawned. (Imagine what they would have weighed before spawning.) There was a fourth fish over 12 lbs. that was caught in Lake Concordia, but it was not turned in to the program. Links to pictures of the anglers and their fish are from Toledo Tackle, where the fish were turned in and weighed on certified scales. The following is some information on these fish: Lunker #1 Daniel Guillory of Oberlin caught his fish on Feb. 19th. It weighed 12.30 lbs., was 26.5 inches long and had a 21 inch girth. He caught it on a suspending Rouge in the 1215 area. http://www.toledo-town.net/tackle/enlarge.asp?pic=BR05-0219-1 Lunker #2 David (Dave) Perales of Oakdale boated his fish with assistance from his wife handling the landing net on March 20th. It weighed 12.91 lbs., was 28 inches long and had a 20 inch girth. He caught it on a Frenzy Popper (red/white) in the San Patricio area. Try to imagine this kind of top-water action. http://www.toledo-town.net/tackle/enlarge.asp?pic=BR05-0320-1 Lunker #3 Malcolm Dowden of Slagle caught this 13.08 lb. fish on April 6th. It was 27 inches long and had a 21 1/2 inch girth. It was caught on a watermelon red Fluke in the Pirates Cove area. http://www.toledo-town.net/tackle/enlarge.asp?pic=BR05-0406-0 4/25/05: All fishing was excellent until the cold front came through. Now lock jaw kicked in. Fish should start biting later on this week as the temps increase. Just a reminder, below the generators and spillway gates are another place to do some fishing even without a boat. 4/12/05: These past few weeks have been amazing for Crappie. One resident of the resort took a couple of buddies fising three times and three times ended up with over 50 crappie his two very large live wells. The crappie he caught averaged 14". They were been caught anywhere from 3'-25' of water. Shiners or puddlejumpers your choice. Trolling or under a cork. Bass are entering the post spawn and returning to deeper water. Catfish are starting to turn on. Juglines or trotlines. Bream are strarting up also on crickets and worms. This should be another amazing weekend. See you at the lake. 3/14/05: Saw a few bass come out fo the lake, the largest was a 6#. Caught by a few gentleman that come to the resort at the sametime every year for a weeklong stay. They said this was one one of there best trips yet. They said they saw alot of bass on beds and alot still looking. The lake was very rough and windy some boaters were stuck in coves and had to be brought back to the launches by very nice persons that were already back at there camps to retrieve their boat trailers to allow them to pickup their boat where they were stranded. Also had a report of a sunk boat on the lake. This all can be avoided, before the white caps start get back to your camp. A few cats being caught and no sign of bream or sac-a-lait yet. Congrads to Phillip Jardell for winning the 1st Annual Kenny Thomas Invitational Tournament. Many thanks go out to residents Kenny & Paula Thomas for hosting a wonderful weekend. Call now to reserve a camp or family outing. 2/28/05: Went fishing with the brother-n-laws, they got me. The largest fish we caught was a 3# bass caught on a frog chug bug in 5-10' of water outside the grass at 2:00pm 2/26/05(very cloudy). Bass Champs Tournament caught three bass over 10#. Several smaller tourneys had several large fish being weighed in. 2/22/05: Okay here it is; TODAY (83 deg) the fish were so shallow you could see there dorsal fin sticking out the water as they swam and feed. Remind anyone of another fish by the name of JAWS. I caugh a 3# in off the fishing dock using a Zoom watermelon red flake baby brush hog skin hooked weightless and that wasn't the fish I was trying to catch the larger one would not bite anything I threw at her. Getting reports that the bass are starting to bit. Saw a few stripers and 10#-12# Hybrids. Also catfish and sac-a-lait are starting to turn on as the water temps continue to rise. Please let the Sun shine. Call Now to get in on the action. P. S. I did not plan on fishing but with all the action around the fishing dock I could not help myself. 2/14/05: Reminder: VALENTINE'S DAY TODAY. Get that taken of so we can go fishing. This weekend a couple of residents fished in a company tourney and caught a 8# bass. Need to CALL NOW and book your camp so you to can get into the fish. 1/19/05: Happy new year! Dan, one of the residents of the resort, has a underwater camera (thanks to Santa Claus)to check on the sac-a-lait. They are here but they still have lockjaw as he can atest. A few bass are being caught in 8-16' of water on the days were it warms up before the next cold front hits. Make sure to wear your life jackets while navigating Toledo Bend, even in the boat lanes. The Grass rengeneration looks great. Due to various levels at times the bouys marking these lanes may not always be correct. 10/4/04: Catfish bite is turned on again. Bass are holding outside the grass. They are being caught on horny toads or frog chug bugs. Sac-a-lait are hit or miss. Remember must people are hunting so the lake is pretty quite right now. 9/3/04: Labor Day Weekend Lots of boats a few fish being caught. Did get one report of Sac-a-lait being caught on jig in 18-26' of water. 30 keepers, not bad for all the sweat at 3:00 pm on 9/4. Divers brought in a few cats. 8/23/04: My family came into the resort this weekend for a getaway. My MeMe (grandmother) and I fly fished the morning of 8/20 and land many bream and 3 bass (1 keeper). Eventhough most fish were small we sure had a good time fly fishing. My brother-n-law saw the largest alligator gar I have see on the lake six long cruising in front of our resort near the pilings. 8/17/04: I'm sad to report on 8/11/04 my younger brother died try to save someone that was drowning. Please I ask if you have a pond, lake or swimming pool have some type of type of floatation near the water so this won't happen to your loved one. I hope to bring my grandmother fishing this weekend. 8/9/04: No fishing report this week. Did not even get a chance to turn the motor over. I did see an ice chest full of speared catfish with the largest one 50#. 8/2/04: I found the fish!!! Went diving in the lake. Dick Wilgus with Dive Toledo (337) 286-5565 had a Vintage Scuba Dive with some of his friends and I was able to tag along, with my new gear. We went to numerous dive locations on the south end of the lake. The deepest was fifty feet deep. And before you ask the catfish that is big as a VW Bettle was not seen. There were no fish seen at 50', but there were plenty staged between 15' and 20'. Saw a few Ops, but could not spear them because we were in Texas. Saw alot of bream, bass, drum, turtles, and stripers. The visiblity was about 10'. 7/20/04: Sorry no fishin report this we the only hogs I saw were the ones I was hunting in the woods this weekend. Check with me next week, or e-mail me what you caught and I'll put your report on here. Put your Name and where you were fishin. 7/12/04:Two Bass weighed on our certified scales both right at 6 pounds each one caught on deep diving crankbait in the late afternoon with a bunch of smaller ones in 18-20' water. The other was caught carolina rigged lizard in 14' of water near a grass line. Catfish are still doing well on trot lines. 7/7/04: More boat riding than fishing this weekend. But we had some guest staying with us that went fishing with Guide Steve Johnson for Sac-a-lait. 64 keepers. Sounds like they had some fun. Also had some divers spear fishing out of the resort and they caught some nice ones. 30# and less. 6/24/04: They are generating all day and all night, this will turn on the fish. You should be fishing the lake this weekend. 6/20/04: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY My brother-n-law and I fished the grass lines with chug bugs with good success for bass this weekend. Another resident report great success using a drop-shot watermelon seed worm in 14' of water. Sac-a-lait, Bream and Catfish are still doing well as reported previously. Stripers are being caught below the dam with the continued generation. 6/15/04: This weekend I weighed a 7.25lb bass on our certified scales. A few sac-a-lait and bull bream are being caught. Sac-a-lait on shiners or jigs 12-20'. Bream around structure in 6-10' water off the bank. Catfish are still being caught on trot lines. No reports on stripers but they are generating, and the best bet is below the dam. Spearfishing has started to pick up with a couple of guys spearing 8 cat weighing from 50-30 lb range. 6/2/04: We had some rain last night. But we needed it. This past weekend the lake was very windy. Most people, including myself, did not venture far from the resort. The first signs of bull bream are being caught off structure in 4-6' of water on crickets and worms. As previously recorded the sac-a-lait are here. A few bass were also caught especially as the front moved through. 5/25/04: This weekend was the best sac-a-lait action year to date. First 12 cast 12 fish. 6:00-8:00 pm 2 days caught 30 keepers 10" are better on shiners 10-18'. One of the residents in the resort was bass fishing and caught 15 bass the largest being a 5# that was released. The bream action is hot. Catfish are still being caught on trot lines. Did not see any catching stripers, but that is not to say that they aren't biting. With power generation in the evenings the fish are turned on at that time. SEE GENERATION TIMES ABOVE. 5/18/04: If you haven't been outside in the last few, okay more than a few, days the weather has been terrible. Okay the ducks and frogs love it. This weekend should be excellent for fishing. The catfish bite on trot lines has been very good. The bream bite is cranking up. The sac-a-lait is prime. The bass and stripers are biting 1st 2 and last 2 hours of the day. 5/11/04: The Crappie are turned on in 8-20' of water. That means strolling the coves of Toledo Bend. The bass bite will improve along with all of the other fish. This is due to both generators operating 24hrs per day. 4/25/04: Cappy, one of the residents of the resort, reported catching 60 catfish on trot lines. Other residents also have reported good catches on trot lines. White perch catches are have been increasing. 4/21/04: Four for Four All the 12 pound are larger bass entered into the lunker bass program have been from Toledo Bend. 4/12/04: If you were lucky enough to be on fish, two key words slow and plastic. Slow presentation & plastic worms, lizards, fluke, etc. One guest that visits the resort at this time every year landed a 9 lbs 10 oz bass along with many more large bass. He also has booked a camp for this weekend. Water clarity stained with the recent rainfall. Sac-a-lait fishing was very good this weekend both on jigs and shiners. Tightline for shiners and strolling with jigs. Catfish excellent on trotlines. Good stripers being caught right before sunset off of the dam wall next to the bouys. 3/29/04: This weekend if you were here fishing, you left with a smile. Lots of bass & sac-a-lait being caught. One sac-a-lait came in at 2.5 lbs. This weekend will be even better with the approaching full moon. 3/24/04: We had the most boats, this year, launch from the resort this past weekend. HINT HINT 3/22/04: Still catching Sac-a-lait. If you have a honey hole on the south end of the lake you ought to be here. Also the 15th Annual BE&K Fishing Tournament was held this past weekend at Toledo Bend Resort. Will post the results soon. 3/17/04: 20 10"+ Sac-a-lait were caught off the fishing pier using Bettle Spin. 3/17/04: Happy St. Patrick's Day Three for Three Toledo Bend has all the Lunker bass for the year to date. The second and third Louisiana Lunker Bass of 2004 have been donated to the program and are now housed at Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery. The second bass was caught by Jay Ardoin of Ville Platte on March 5th in the Pendleton Harbor area of Toledo Bend. The fish weighs 12.67 lbs, is 27 inches long and has a 25 inch girth. He caught the bass on a blueberry french fry. The third bass was caught by A. B. Clark, Jr. of Hemphill, TX on March 6th south of Tennessee Bay, also in Toledo Bend. Clark's fish weighed 12.24 lbs, is 26 3/4 inches long and has a 19 1/2 inch girth. The fish fell for a watermelon red trick worm. No pictures are available at this time. I will send them as soon as I get some. Looks like Toledo Bend is the place to fish for trophies. See below for details on the first. 3/7/04: Sac-a-lait(Crappie, Flatfish, Specks, White perch anybody has any other names e-mail me) are staged at 25'. This weekend one of the residents was checking if the crappie had moved into our cove near our launch. She caught two, so pretty soon they will be moving in. The water depth in the cove is around 18'-25' in the creek channel. 3/3/04: A fellow from Illinois camping in his RV and fishing out of his Lund Lake Boat landed a 11# Bass yesterday. He caught it on a Fat Rap firetiger in water 12' deep and released the monster. Reminder to read about the Lunker Bass Program below. Due to the increase of generation the bites are picking up. The water is warmer on the northern banks due to the amount of sun it gets throughout the day. Reminder you can use either a Louisiana or a Texas fishing license to fish Toledo Bend. Recently we had a guest stay with us in camp #2. They fished off the fishing pier and loaded up with some nice catfish. Tip: If you use shrimp tails or crawfish tails it is a good idea to peel them, the catfish are spoiled. NEWS FROM THE LOUISIANA DEPT. OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES 2004-036 FIRST LUNKER BASS OF 2004 LANDED AT TOLEDO BEND A 3/4 oz. chartreuse spinnerbait cast by Dusty Anders, of Pineville, reeled in the first lunker bass for 2004 in Louisiana to be entered into the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Lunker Bass Program. Caught January 31 at Todedo Bend, the trophy bass weighed in at 13.7 pounds and was 24 inches in length. The fish is currently at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery, where spawning will be attempted. The Lunker Bass Program, begun in 1997, is part of LDWF's on-going efforts to increase the distribution of larger genes and hopefully increase the overall average size of bass in the state. During 2003 the LDWF Inland Fisheries Division stocked 83 waterbodies with bass fingerlings. In 2002, 53 waterbodies were stocked. According to Paul Whitehead, LDWF Inland Fisheries Biologist, the Department is urging anglers across the state to donate bass of 12 pounds or more to the department to help in restocking and strengthening the bass population in the state. In acknowledgement of their donation, anglers will receive a free replica of the fish and a certificate of appreciation. The current Louisiana record for largemouth bass was set at Caney Lake in 1995 with a 15.97 pound catch. The second largest recorded bass was caught in Lake D'Arbonne in 2002 and weighed in at 15.31 pounds. The current Louisiana Toledo Bend record largemouth bass was set in 2000 by Eric Weems 15.32 lbs. The second largest bass was caught near Toledo Bend Resort, where it was first weighed on certified scales, by Kraig Welborn of DeRidder, LA. He caught it on Toledo using a Carolina rig. Welborn's bass was caught in March of 1998. It weighed in at 14 lbs. 11 oz. and was the lake record for over two years. He also particpated in the Lunker Bass Program. Fishermen interested in participating the Lunker Bass Program should call their local LDWF office when a qualifying fish is caught. LDWF personnel are available to pick up the fish at any time. Anglers may also call the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 to report their catch. Fish will be accepted until April 30. For Stripers: Toledo Bend has recently had an addition of a new artificial reef near the spillway in the lake. There bites are increased with generation of electricity. The roads below the dam are open. There are also buoys at the dam that form a line that should be crossed unless you what to meet one of the lake wildlife and fisheries officers, this is due to the alert status of Homeland security. The dive platforms are beyond this line and are off limits, there are other dive sites Call Dive Toledo at (337) 286-5565 for info.