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Fishing Reports
Joe Joslin is a syndicated outdoor writer and writes for several Louisiana newspapers and
numerous magazines including Texas Game and Fish, Louisiana Game and Fish, CenLa
Sportsman, Louisiana Sportsman and LakeCaster. Joe has been fishing Toledo Bend
and Sam Rayburn for 25+ years and is a frequent tournament angler. Joe 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,
featuring 21i Class Skeeter with 300 hp Yamaha HPDI * Tackle supplied upon request * References
available upon request * Available Year-Round. E-Mail Joe at joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com
Toledo Bend Reservoir Fishing Report
for
May 7, 2008
Hello, Anglers. The hint of summer got pushed back a bit but is to re-appear later this week, according to weather forecasts. Last weekend Skeeter Performance Boat's Bass Champ Tournament Trail traveled to Toledo's Beautiful Cypress Bend Resort as over 300 anglers (161 teams) fought high winds and a late spring cold front. It was tough fishing as 58 teams did not bring in a fish to the scales while just 59 teams weighed in a 5 fish limit.
According to Bass Champ reports, "When the 3 p.m. weigh in began, several teams brought small limits to the scales at Cypress Bend Park. It was apparent that the big bite was widely elusive to this field of participants. Only three sacks over 20 pounds were weighed in, the heaviest by winners James Elliott and Ron Hendricks at 26.36 pounds." Elliott and Hendricks picked up the top prize of $20,000.
OTHER TOLEDO NEWS: TX Parks and Wildlife Department recently received $379,500 from US Dept. of Interior and another $126k from Texas State Funds for a total of slightly over a half million dollars. This money is targeted to use on fighting giant salvinia, a dreaded tropical aquatic plant, which is becoming more wide spread on my favorite fishing hole. Much of this treatment, which is in the form of surface spraying, is done in the summer months when water conditions are more stable making efforts more successful.
LAKE CONDITIONS: Toledo's lake level is 171.82 feet with both generators in operation from 3 to 8 p.m. daily. North Toledo is stained, mid-lake is slightly stained and south Toledo is clear. Lake surface temperatures are running from 69 to 73 degrees.
FISHING REPORTS/BASS: Post spawn patterns prevail as most of Toledo's bass are finished spawning. The few remaining bass that have not spawned are mostly on south Toledo and will finish during the full moon cycle in May which is in 8-10 days. Anglers are using numerous patterns currently which goes with the territory as bass are located from 1 to 30 feet. In addition, a part of the bass population tend to suspend in the post spawn season making them even more difficult to pattern. Points, both primary and secondary, are holding bass as are humps and ridges. Creeks and ditches are also productive but not the entire creek or ditch. The section near the main lake or main bay tend to be the best at this time of the year. The early top water bite is improving with main lake, grassy points worth noting. A slight ripple even makes these better with Berkley's Frenzy Poppers and Frenzy Walkers great choices for top water. A reader e-mailed me and said that they were having super results with the Frenzy Walker but was having problems finding them. If you can't find them at the large sporting goods outlets, check with the locally owned, premium tackle dealers in your area. If they do not have them, they will order you some as they all have Berkley products. Floating worms (weightless) worked over shallow grass are also catching bass with Gulp! Sinking Minnows and Senkos two super selections. This pattern is at it's best during low-light conditions. Stanley's Ribbit frog is also getting a lot of bass excited. I suggest using braided line (Spider Wire 10/50) when working the Ribbit over heavy grass cover as it floats and has no stretch which helps with setting the hook. In addition, after you hook a big bass in a bunch of grass, the Spider Wire will help move the fish to the boat and also prevent a break-off which can occur on monofilament lines. Stanley spinnerbaits and Lewis Rat-L-Traps, two staples in most area tackle boxes, continue to catch bass on Toledo as well as other lakes. Most anglers are using these in depths of 2 to 12 feet over grassy points and main lake banks with secondary points.
Crank baits and Carolina rigs continue to be excellent bass tools to work points which lead out to deep water. Schooling activity is also on the increase. My favorite schooling tools are 1/4 ounce spoons from Klassic Lures which is a Louisiana company in Lecompte. I rig spoon on 12 pound Berkley 100%fluorocarbonon line with a Revo Premier reel and 7' Fenwick Techna MF rod. This is a very light, comfortable rig and I can throw the spoon a country mile with it which is vital to catching schooling bass.
CRAPPIE: The crappie fleet is out in force and fish are biting. Most perch jerkers are strolling (slow-trolling with electric motor) small crappie jigs and Blakemore Road Runners along the outside edge of grass lines in 10 to 16 feet. For best results, use light line such as 6 and 8 pound test and a light action rod. Top producing areas on south Toledo include main points in Six Mile, Toro (Pirates Cove area), Louisiana Islands, Texas Islands, Mill Creek as well as Housen bay.
STRIPERS: The key now is to fish with the schedule of generators. Currently they are running from 3 to 8 p.m. daily. From sundown till dark is a very productive time. Big top water plugs, striper jigs and 3/4 ounce spoons are alconsistentnt striper lures. I like 15 pound Big Game line and a bait cast reel with a long, medium action rod.
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.
JOE JOSLIN OUTDOORS
Licensed Guide on Toledo & Sam Rayburn
Tournament Angler & Outdoor Media
Member: Louisiana Outdoor Writers Assoc.
& Southeastern Outdoor Press Assoc.
Joe Joslin Outdoors Fishing Guide Service
160 Country Lane
DeRidder,
LA 70634
(337)463-3848
Methods for Minimizing Bass Stress in Live-wells
METHODS FOR MINIMIZING BASS STRESS IN LIVEWELLS; Since the 1970s, Texas tournament anglers have been actively involved with efforts to improve bass fishing, including the promotion of voluntary catch & release practices. There is no doubt that "catch & release" has helped sustain and enhance bass fisheries throughout Texas. Not only is successful catch & release a good conservation measure, but it is also a requirement of almost all bass tournaments and penalties are imposed on anglers with dead bass. Therefore, responsible tournament anglers should do everything possible to minimize stress on live-well-held bass. Anglers can achieve this goal by pursuing the following recommendations.
CAUSES OF STRESS; Typically, stress in live-wells occurs as a result of low oxygen levels, water-salt imbalance in body fluids, or ammonia buildup from fish waste. The potential for stress increases as water temperatures warm, because water holds less oxygen at saturation, bass consume more oxygen, and ammonia becomes more toxic. As the water temperatures increase, fish in live-wells require more attention and care in order to reduce stress.
LIVE-WELL DESIGN; Live-wells must provide at least 1 gallon of water per 1 pound of bass. For tournament fishing, each live-well should exceed 15 gallons of capacity. All live-wells should have both a fill pump and a separate recirculation pump. Recirculation pumps are an absolute necessity at water temperatures exceeding 75 degrees (see below), but are also a must at any water temperature to ensure proper aeration while the boat is on plane or being trailered. To maximize aeration, the recirculation pump should be connected to a Venturi line that pulls air into the flowing water while the pumps are running. Most modern bass boats are factory-equipped with Venturi lines.
WHEN TEMPERATURE LESS THAN 65 DEGREES; With less than 3 bass in the live-well, the fill pump spraying fresh water into the live-well at regular, timed intervals will keep oxygen levels high and water fresh. Most modern bass boats are equipped with automatic timers that cycle live-well pumps on and off. However, the off cycle interval should not exceed 3 minutes. If 3 or more bass are in the live-well, continuous operation of the live-well fill pump is a must for proper aeration.
WATER TEMPERATURE 65 - 75 DEGREES; Regardless of the number of bass in the live-well, it is imperative that fresh water be pumped continuously into the live-well. Running pumps on a timer will not maintain adequate oxygen levels at these temperatures.
WATER TEMPERATURE ABOVE 75 DEGREES; Anglers must pay special attention to live-well conditions to prevent bass stress and mortality. Anglers should fill their live-wells early in the morning when water temperatures are the coolest. Under these conditions, recirculation pumps must be used due to the ice and salt additions required at these temperatures. This point cannot be emphasized enough! Flow-through aeration using the fill pump, even running these pumps continuously, will not maintain adequate oxygen levels at these temperatures. Re-circulating pumps must be running at all times.
Un-iodized salt should be added (1/3 cup per 5 gallons of water) to reduce stress associated with body fluid imbalance. Pre-measured amounts of salt can be carried in ziplock bags. Ice should be added to the live-well to increase the oxygenholding capacity of the water. To be effective, enough ice needs to be added to reduce the water temperature 5-10 degrees. Excessive cooling beyond 10 degrees can cause heat shock and mortality when bass are released. Block ice is preferred (it lasts longer) and can be made by freezing water in halfgallon milk jugs. Since the water is re-circulating, half the livewell water needs to be exchanged every 3 hours to prevent toxic ammonia buildup. When water is exchanged, appropriate amounts of ice and salt need to be added. As a rule, 8 pounds of ice will cool the typical live-well 5-10 degrees for 3 hours. A frozen, half-gallon milk jug will weigh 4 pounds. During a typical tournament day (8-9 hours), 8 pounds of ice added every 3 hours when water is exchanged should maintain proper live-well temperatures. Thermometers are a must to insure water is not cooled more than 10 degrees. Inexpensive, floating aquarium thermometers can be used, but now many of the marine electronic units can support additional temperature sensors that can be permanently mounted in live-wells.
DEAD FISH; Occasionally, fish will die even with appropriate care. Dead fish will cause poor water quality conditions in the live-well and should be removed immediately and placed on ice. However, as required by Texas game laws, dead fish must be retained as part of your daily limit. It is illegal to cull dead fish.
ANGLER RESPONSIBILITY AT WEIGH-IN; Weigh-in bags should be filled with at least 2 gallons of water from your live-well (not surface water from lake), especially when recirculating water using ice and salt. Water in bags should be exchanged with aerated, treated water in the holding tanks. This is critical as oxygen in the weigh-in bag can drop to zero in a couple of minutes! It should be obvious just setting the bag in the water with no exchange does nothing to increase oxygen levels in the bag. If fish are held for pictures, wet hands before touching fish. Grasp fish by lower jaw but never bend the head down or hold horizontally by jaw. Avoid touching the body of the fish as this removes the protective mucous covering. When holding bigger fish, the lower body should be supported with a wet hand under the belly to prevent jaw damage. Do not keep fish out of water any longer than you can hold your breath. Air exposure is extremely stressful to fish.
ADDITIONAL READING; This information was summarized from the B.A.S.S. publication "Keeping Bass Alive: A Guidebook for Anglers and Tournament Organizers" and should be required reading for all tournament anglers. An online version is available at http://espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster, but $3.00 hardcopies can be purchased by contacting B.A.S.S. at (334) 272-9530 ext. 404. Call the TPWD Inland Fisheries Office at (409) 384-9572 with questions or to schedule a presentation regarding proper fish handling procedures.