Toledo Bend South - MD weekend Report

We made our annual camping trip to S. TB State Park. I got to fish every early morning, and some short periods thereafter when I was not needed at the camper. Pretty much the worst of my fishing trips there for numbers, but one of the best for size. I don't know if that means I'm early or late or what. Comments on that are welcome.

I never found any groupings of fish at all. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I'd go long stretches with no bites. I only saw a few strollers out there and I usually see many between La. Islands and Kite's. I found almost no hydrilla. The grass I would dredge up was something other than hydrilla. Some kind of soft feathery stuff that did not make a hard edge.

My best numbers(Under a dozen) came from a little spot on the Tx side. The rest came from la. Islands. I guess I caught only about 20 the whole weekend. I could have caught 200 white bass and a load of small schooling bass. The whites were cutting up my fingers and ruining my rigs, so I left them alone after a while.

All caught on either Blue Ice or Monkey Milk Garland minnows and Strike King Shadpoles. Most were caught when I was in 20 casting to 14 or so and working back.

Here are a couple of hammers(14 and 14.5)

Attachment 204282

Here is a group photo of those Tx side fish,

Attachment 204283

Still a nice mess of fish Pmantle. Thanks for the post and pics...

Pretty fish !

Not bad considering how hard they are dumping the lake. That affects the bite some and scatters them some.

Scattered seemed to be the theme for my trip.

still a nice haul......keep after em......

Very respectable catch considering all the weather we have had. Congratulations!

Thanks for the report and pictures.

For a pretty long time now if the Hydrilla is gone from a spot so are the Crappie! They will find other accommodations when that happens. I have had to change my spots every couple years mostly because of Hydrilla being gone. Thankfully it's starting to come back really good over here, but still not what it was before it all died off a few years back. Seems other places like where you are have lost their Hydrilla and it will come back, just take a few years.

Skip

What would cause it to die?

That's been the case for sure on my Tx. side spot. No hydrilla there last 3 years. When it was there, I could catch 50 in no time in less than a 50 yard stretch.

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Originally Posted by PMantle

What would cause it to die?

That's been the case for sure on my Tx. side spot. No hydrilla there last 3 years. When it was there, I could catch 50 in no time in less than a 50 yard stretch.

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Yes I know just what you mean. When I moved here back in 1998/1999 I never needed to fish in the stumps and just fished the Hydrilla in

the spring. I could just go out in front of where I live most any evening and easy pick up 20 to 25 and never even start my big motor. This worked for a pretty long time and I do not remember what year it was, but just before the drought we lost our Hydrilla and the drought just delayed it's comeback. It's been several years now that it's been coming back and it's getting there, but no where near what is once was. I do not know what killed it, but now it's finally getting back in 16' and 17' of water. It use to be in 20' to the surface in summer and that is not back to that point yet. I will know when the boat lane going to the main lake has only a trail where the boat props cut the Hydrilla going out to the main lake. Use to be just a huge mat out there and we really don't need it that thick, but we do need more still. I am sure your will come back at some point and maybe you could even help it if you were to bring some still green over there and let it out to catch on? Don't know if that would do it or not, don't know how it starts, but it is pretty fast growing, but takes several years to build to a good point.

Since there has not been any for 3 years I would try to take some there to help it! Ours started growing back really fast, just took time to get enough to help some. One thing I do know is this....no Hydrilla then no Crappie! You will need to find stump fields around there and fish them for a time. I do know also that the crappie have not come back like they were out in front of my house yet and do not know if they will, just hoping they do!

Skip

I was at S Toledo Bend state park two weeks ago. Noticed the same thing as you, numbers were down some but size was pretty good. I'd go out twice a day and between the two trips i'd manage a limit. The hydrilla behind the campground was deeper below the surface than it was last few years. Did not hit big concentrations of fish but within a 1/2 to 3/4 mile ride from the launch I found 5 or 6 spots holding fish. Only saw one guy strolling like me and he was working shallower than me and was catching a few. Yeah, hydrilla at a certain depth seemed to be the key…considering I did not move that much, fishing was good. Crappie have a 3 year population growth cycle, maybe next year the numbers will be up again, hopefully i'll be there again to find out. Good fishing, BC

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Originally Posted by Bayoucrappie

Crappie have a 3 year population growth cycle, maybe next year the numbers will be up again, hopefully i'll be there again to find out. Good fishing, BC

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Can you tell me more about this?

One other note about this, don't forget the lake just a couple years back was 13 foot down so everything abouve that died! Then I would imagine the winter didn't help what was I. Deeper water since it had been 14 foot and more deep and then it was shallow. Not sure what started that killing, but it changed things.
Much like it changed things when it first got into the lake. Bass fishing we use to fish just structure and by that I mean wood and drop offs, tree lines, etc. However when the Hydrilla came in everyone had to change their fishing big time so now we have to adjust every year until it gets what would be normal and then something else happens later. Just make adjustments until we find what works best.

Skip

The hydrilla is not getting enough sun light with the rise in the water level. A friend of mine who fishes Toledo a lot was talking about that the other day. It can't grow with out sun light.

That is true as it's dormant in winter and lays down, but I don't think that the high water is the issue here, it's just take years for Hydrilla to finish growing and it had been growing here for many years before it died off a few years ago. There is no way at this time it's back to full tilt like it will be again at some point. When I see the mouth of 6 mile like a mat all the way across except on the South bank where it his 30 feet not far off the bank. That has no grass to the top and has not been in several years. When the only little lane through it is the boat lane I will know it's all the way back. The Hydrilla is doing a great job of coming back, but it take time and will also take time for the crappie to find all the places they use to stay in spring. Just my 2 cents!

I have seen this lake Hydrilla free which was before it got introduced here and the fishing was tree lines, humps and drop offs. When Hydrilla came in the change was not all at once, but it was pretty fast and as soon as their was enough Hydrilla to support the fish, they started changing their places to hang out and that made the fishermen change the way they fished. When these things happen, we just have to change to what works and we have to find out what that is.

Skip

What species is the stuff we are finding now?

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Originally Posted by PMantle

What species is the stuff we are finding now?

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Not sure as there are several kind of grass here and some was native before and some of it will hold fish and some maybe not so much. The coon tail moss is good too, but just don't see it near as much as the Hydrilla.

I guess for me if I pull up some coon tail moss that would make me think good things, but there are some kinds I have never don't any good around. If there is no Hydrilla the first ting I would look for in spring is any kind of grass around a bunch of stumps and that would be mostly because of the stumps!

Here are a few that you will find and you can look these up on the internet for pictures......Peppergrass, coontail, milfoil and hydrilla

I'm thinking what I was seeing mostly was Milfoil with a bit of coontail and hydrilla every so often.

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Originally Posted by PMantle

I'm thinking what I was seeing mostly was Milfoil with a bit of coontail and hydrilla every so often.

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I would take that as the Hydrilla just needs more time to grow there. However it should still hold fish if they are still in the depth of water.

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Originally Posted by skiptomylu

I would take that as the Hydrilla just needs more time to grow there. However it should still hold fish if they are still in the depth of water.

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I found the most just South of Toro on that long reach, but the wind would not let me fish it.

Last few times I went out the wind was a monster.