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I think it is a characteristic of flourocarbon lines but of course some can be better than others. I use Viscous flourocarbon and it is definitely a different animal than monfilament to cast but the feel it gives me contacting the bottom and detecting a strike make up for it.

With the lack of cover to work around, I would watch for any open water schooling activity and then throw the jerk bait. With the crankbait you might look at your rod and line size. You can let a lipless bait fall and it will stay pretty much at that depth on the retrieve until it starts getting back to the boat. With a diving crankbait, part of your retrieve is getting it down and part of it the bait is coming up again leaving only a portion where the bait is running at it's intended depth. Make sure you can make very long cast and watch your line size so you can get the bait at the depth you want it. Good Luck!

I just checked and the lake level is at 166' and still rising! There should be some more boat launches opening back up but still run with caution.

What size finesse worm were you using? Maybe a down size in bait would get them to suck the whole bait into their mouth.

Don't mess with success! Great start to the New Year!

There should be some more launches opening with all the rain. The Bend is up over 164.08 msl and should continue to rise. Great news!

Pop-R!

Beautiful Bass Six-Mile! I'll be heading up to Toledo next week and it can't get here fast enough!

One of the best pieces of advice you could give someone.

Awesome experience!

LOL, a long time ago I did all my fishing from the front of a 10' john boat powered by "me" with a short paddle. Somehow the fish knew when I had only one hand on my reel and the other on my paddle and windy days compounded the problem.

I would suggest you stock your tackle box with a vareity of things but you don't need to overdo it. Cover your water column, Topwater poppers or frogs, spinner baits, jigs,soft plastics (worm/craws) and a couple of cranks to cover different depths. Ask your friend about the water clarity to help choose your colors. You should be ready for anything. Good luck on your trip!

We just got several inches of rain on the lake and the level today was close to 163' msl. Hopefully we can make up some of the 7' deficit.

I am not familiar with their colors but I think you answered your own question. Look for something that resembles the colors of your bluegills, and I would still give a shad colored bait a try anywhere. Good Luck!

http://www.toledo-bend.com/toledo_bend/index.asp?request=boatlaunches You can find a list of open boat launches and the level they can be used at by following the above link. This one was updated 1/23/2012 so make sure you check the date on the info to stay current. The lake is still low so becareful!

It doesn't hurt to pick up a blue cat every now and then. This was on a Junebug Red Double X.

You can add our company to the made in the USA column.

Good to see another Louisiana angler here. Welcome!

Does this thread make anyone else hungry when they read it? Very good recipes!

I would try and get some pre-spawn bass that are fattening up before they move in to spawn. Here in Louisiana February-March is prime time pre-spawn.

I put a piece of aluminum foil on the grill and place some seasoned filets on it. I am from south Louisiana so I use good ole Tony Chachere's for seasoning. Put it in the frig for a couple of hours before I am ready to cook it.

There are times when a certain forage item is so abundant that Bass will key in on that item specifically and will often (but not totally) ignore other forage items that it would normally eat. It can be frustrating some times but when you find what they want you can really put them in the boat while others struggle.

Welcome Bob!

Hey welcome Jeff! I fished out of the front of a john boat for years before I got my first bass boat so I know how you feel about your first boat. Good luck this year!

Hello Jeff, and I'll second that thanks to God for all our resources! Good to meet you.