Bearonthewater

Yep, Got message that website was under repair............. Page 183 disappeared. Bullet20, You driving around Housen area in an orange / yellow / red bullet late last week / weekend?

Caught a limit today + several throwbacks. and first of the day went 4.2 lbs. Rest were 2 lbs to 3lbs. SK 5XD's in green gizzard shad ripping along the grass lines near underwater points at Catt's Magic Depth. This was the only pattern that was working for me. Tried some camo colored rage anacondas with no luck. Didn't throw any jigs. Winds out is SE clipping pretty good. Rained on me around 6:30 then skies cleared until around 3 pm. Winds died down around mid day. Water temps 62 at dawn warming to 65 later in the day. More boats on the water today. Several on Housen community flats. Several at six mile. Had to travel a bit so the wife could get some pics with her new camera. She's very good at it. Hit some points near Texas Islands with some luck. Gonna hit it hard tomorrow but looks like winds will be picking up. BTW just to give me a plug.........FYI the restaurant / bar at Fin N Feather is open.

Today's catch better than yesterday. See my gallery named Nov 2013 for my wife's pictures today. Bald Eagle is in the big tree just south of the island at the mouth of Hurricane creek. Don't see this every day. Too cool!

Not much today. Me and the duck hunters fought the winds and the cold. Picked up a few throwback dinks. Couldn't fish the spots I wanted as long as I would have liked. SE winds were howling all day a whole lot more than expected. Water temps didn't get above 63 degrees all day. Again, I was the only idiot on Housen but I didn't feel so bad when I headed down towards Hickory Ridge. Saw a few other bass fishermen out on the water. According to them, not much luck either. Water level is a bit lower than my last trip so some spots look different. Gotta stick to the creek channel edges. Tomorrow will be warmer so I'm looking forward to that. Water clarity is very clear in most spots. Hurricane very clear. Bull creek is slightly stained. Gonna check out oil well and lowes tomorrow. Will post results. Thanks to my bass resource pals, at least I've got a few new spots to hit.

Got to FNF, unloaded, then headed out around 4 pm for just a bit. Water temp - 64. Winds - NE on housen @ 12 mph. Bait of choice - SK 5XD in gizzard shad. Reel - A G REVO WINCH 5.4:1 Catt's Magic Water depth - 12-18 ft. Grass lines and sparse timber. Cast no. 12. - bounced 5XD off of timber with steady retreive (just like ToledoMard928) Bang!!! 4.6 lber. I was the only numbskull on the water........it was quite chilly. Fished all in all about 30 min. - no other bites. One decent fish.......but a good start cause i wasn't sure about the cold front. Bear

I had heard that..........But......the last few times I've stayed there (including April, June, and August of year) the restaurant was still closed. The new owners supposedly were going to re-open it "sometime this fall" but I haven't had it confirmed if it has or not. Gonna be staying there soon........so I'd like to see if you're right Catt. Also, Catt while we have your attention and relying upon your vast knowledge of Toledo Bend...........are you aware of any particular areas that rocky bottoms or concentrations of "rock related" structures? My guess is the typical "pre-flooded" Louisiana / Texas topography normally wouldn't have lent itself to that, but I've always wondered. We read so many articles about fishing and patterns on lakes with rocky bottoms............but never heard any mention of this on TB. Any comments? Anyone?

Express Kid, In case you don't get your HOOK-N-LINE map in time.......and you really want to have one............. Toledo Town and Tackle usually has them in stock. SquiggyFreud, Pirates Cove Marina has the BEST hamburger you will find in that entire area.....................If you're on the south end of the lake, it's well worth the boatride over there or via the highways.........

Great information and report Catt. Also very glad to see you out on the water again having that kind of success..............Looks like your hump day came on the weekend? I was about to go back and research this thread for some hints..............cause I thought there was going to be another quiz session........darn! Guess everyone reading will be scrambling and looking at their Hook-N-Line maps...........

Nope. Still watching and waiting for the great Catt to challenge us again. But in the meantime, I'll ask a question: Pardon my ignorance on the subject, but does anyone have any interesting input, experiences, or stories regarding the submerged bridges and railroads located on the lower end of TB? I know where most of them are located, but just curious if they can be a substantial factor certain times of the year.

Hey Catt, Just curious as to your comments about Six Mile and how "everyone runs to it". What is the special attraction to Six Mile area............or what makes it stand out compared to so many other great areas of TB? Is it the: types of shorelines? submerged road beds? submerged railroad beds? water depths / humps? creek channels in relation to land? type / quality / percentage of grass beds? I've started to fish / learn that area a bit but obviously need much more time on the water there. Any input as to whether North or South sides better than the other or best seasonal patterns? I love a challenge and planning to get back there within a few weeks. Those recent pictures Shaneus and Bass_Fanatic posted have got me worked up....... Congratulations to both!

Shaneus, First, congrats on your new TB PB...........great fish. For topwater, seems like the one-knocker spook has given me the most success on Toledo Bend. Bone color to be specific. The knocker has seemed to do so much better than the original silent spook as it has the ability to really call them up from the depths when fishing deeper water. Chug Bug would be second best for success. But then again, that's just me and my 2 cents.

Catt, I've noticed you've mentioned anchoring your boat and "fan casting" many times in this thread. I'll be the first to admit, I've never anchored while fishing for bass. Might cover a small over and over while tolling slowly back and forth......... Are we missing out on something here? Educate us please.......... Thanks again in advance.

Go get um Tiger!

Catt, I've been in Ashmore several times with not much luck.........but I have done fairly well on the grass flats out in front. It's beautiful in there and the water is always green green.......... This year I noticed more grass than I can recall from the past. Is there a trick or something special to look for in this cove or do you just fish the points on the outside? All I know of is the old roadbed that cuts through, and there is some standing timber. I've never been to the very back of the cove........and wasn't sure if this area is known to be best in springtime. Thanks.

As as side note, I doubt if I'll ever be able to post over 12,000 comments / replies to one website...........so just I want to congratulate you Catt for starting and keeping this thread going for so long. You are to be highly commended for the knowledge you've shared about Toledo Bend and the "schooling" you've given to so many interested anglers. In case anyone who has visited here and hasn't noticed.....he started this nearly 5 years ago to the date. Can't say that I know of any other posts / threads on any Internet forums that have gone so long as this one...... I think I can speak for many in saying that we're certainly glad you are still checking in and sharing your wisdom..........and we hope to hear from you for many moons to come.

There are some missing buoys in the Housen Bay North Lane between the island off of Hurricane and the Tx. N/S Boat Lane intersection i just pointed out. The coordinate below in the community flat is the general area I am referring to: N 31.29641 W 93.69008 As with anywhere else of TB when you get out of the boat lanes, I am always very cautious traveling this area because of the missing buoys and I have to rely on my "graph trails" from previous visits and still go through there on idle. Is there anyone very familiar enough to know how truly congested this area is with timber over that flat?

If I'm reading my maps correctly and you are referring to the boat lane coming out of White Oak into the main lake, there are a few humps south of the main white oak feeder creek channel. They are located near several drop-offs coming off of the flat. I see a similar conditions with ridges, humps, and drop-offs toward the river near the N/S boat lane just north of the Housen Bay North lane that cuts back right over the community flats. How'd I do?

Hey Catt, When you referred to the community flat area at the mouth of Housen, I was curious as to if / how you apply your "15 ft. rule". In other words, do you stick with your rule of keeping your boat in 15 ft. +/- of water there too? My recollection of that flat and the few times I've been there tells me that the depth is typically shallower there? Am I wrong or are there variation of depths there that I'm not seeing on any of my reference maps? I am aware of the old roadbed that runs through the flat, but that ridge on the east side near the river channel looks like the place to be. On my last trip, I did pick up a few fish on a hump off of the boat lane coming out of White Oak. Bass_Fanatic says he's caught many fish in that area too. Just curious if you had further insight to that area and possibly seasonal patterns to be aware. Thanks in advance

Congrats on the new TB PB Nice fish. That's just how it's done.... Great report.

Great info Catt, Funny you should post this information on pitching around the hydrilla mats. Just recently Louisianasportsman.com had an instructional video posted from a series Greg Hackney has been doing. The video takes place in the Housen area with Greg fishing the way he's best known for..............pitching mats with jigs & craws. The concept is very similar to what you have described with Tommy Martin's findings and techniques. In case anyone is interested, the link to the Hackney video is below: It's funny, entertaining, and instructional. http://www.louisianasportsman.com/sportsmantv/details.php?id=5380 Thanks again Catt. As always, it's great to read about the legends, stories, and tips of the great Toledo Bend.

Quick report. Just got back from TB.............stayed at Fin-N-Feather. Only fished daytime.........no night fishing First time I got to use my new Navionics HotMaps Platinum chip...................BOY what difference! Much more details than any map I've seen yet. As being reported, main lake points holding submerged grass beds in 20' - 30' water was where the fish were found............especially near creek channels. Fish seemed to be holding around 10' - 15'. SK 5XD's in Tennessee Shad and Gizzard Shad were the main ticket for me. Picked up a few on DT-14's in Smash color too. Met a fellow at the boathouse that recommended pausing the crankbait more.............and that seemed to help tremendously. Texas Rigged Ole Monster worms and Watermelon Red Senko's fished with small split shot placed ~ 3 ft. above worm for fluttering action worked pretty well too. Biggest fish of the trip went 6.5 lbs. caught at daybreak on bone colored one-knocker near point in Hurricane. Caught some white bass as well.........a few of them going 2-3 lbs. Couldn't help but to think of Catt while out on TB as I was scouting humps and creek channels. Visited many of the areas I've read about here on this thread. So, thanks again to you Catt and everyone else here who has contributed their stories and experiences on TB. It's certainly helped me to become a much better bass fisherman and has provided me with a means to fish much more efficiently. Just as an FYI, Fin-N-Feather is under new ownership as of 2 weeks ago. Texas Couple that's been living away in Tennessee for the last 20 years is back, have taken it over, and claim to have big plans for the place. Still a great place to stay, very friendly people, and first class facilities. My two cents.......... Please keep the posts coming.

Hey Catt, I've been watching this thread for years and am very grateful for what I've learned from you and all who have contributed here. Thanks to all who keep reporting in. If you don't mind my asking Catt, how's your health these days? Hope you're well and getting out on the water enough. Was worried about your absence a while back. Sure would like to just once meet you out on the water and shake your hand. Anyway, 've got a Navionics Hotmaps Platinum chip en route that I'm sure will also help me out tremendously on the Bend. That coupled with the knowledge shared here on this thread will provide me with great direction and planning for my trips to the Bend that are coming up. I appreciate all of the great information coming in...........and thanks to all of the true sportsmen who frequently report in. Bear

Gentlemen, I’ll be traveling to the Bend this weekend to hit the waters next week. Needless to say, I was compelled to revisit this thread only to be reminded of the valuable information found here and the contributions many of you have shared. Staying at Big Bass Marina and planning on fishing the Tx. side in some areas like Spring Hill Bay / Palo Gaucho flats near Alpine Marina, Lowes Creek, and Indian Mounds. I haven’t fished those areas very thoroughly before………..especially in the spawn / post spawn transition stages. Been studying my maps and doing my homework, but any reports or tips for those specific areas, typical month of April patterns, or suggestions for the approaching full moon on Toledo Bend would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and hope to be able to post some good news afterwards. Bear

Stayed at Fin N Feather 10/19 thu 10/26...........What a GREAT place!! A bit proud to report back on my trip for last week.........especially since I've never fished the Housen area before. Fought the winds Sat. 10/20 thru Tues. 10/23.........so I chose to stick around Housen Bay. Remembering some tips and trends I've studied here, my typical outings included fishing weed lines at humps in the area, covering wooded areas near creek channels, and hitting the windblown points. Most productive depths / patterns were found 8 - 12 FOW, near creek channels…….especially if they held underwater trees & wood. Slightly stained water seemed to produce the best. Daybreak topwater action produced a few keepers on BPS slim dogs and zara spooks. Caught a few on KVD 1.5 in Green Gizzard Shad and Paca Craws in Magic Craw color. No real big fish........mainly 2 to 3 lb keepers.........lots of throw backs……..but I was plenty happy with that. Most productive pattern came when I started ripping traps through the weedlines and the areas I previously mentioned…..especially near wood. Tried different color traps, but silver with blue back and orange belly was the trick. I threw spinner baits, Rapala DT10's, Senkos, and other worms with some but little success. Finally made my way to Six Mile on Wed. and did ok with similar patterns. Ran down to fish some piers near Mill Creek Bay that Catt mentioned here on this thread. Caught my biggest of the week there …4.52 lbs (Thanks Catt!!). It was a very memorable week……My wife got some awesome photos of the local wildlife and the beautiful scenery that God has provided for us to behold. What a treat it must be to be able to experience that on a regular basis…….. Just thought I’d share my little bit of success with those who have contributed so much here on this thread. In particular……Thanks a million Catt….Thanks Bass_Fanatic….Thanks SkeeterDon…..Thanks Six-Mile C-Rig…….Thanks FishinCajun….Thanks FishnLA……and Thanks Dam Yankee I look forward to continued reading your posts here……and my next trip to the Bend.

To all contributors and posters of this tremendously educational thread, I decided to finally jump in and express true appreciation for all of the tips, seasonal knowledge, and experiences that have been shared here. it's a shame we haven't seen any writings or postings from CATT......the true gentleman, sportsman, and teacher who began and contributed so much to this amazing thread. I will be heading to the Bend tomorrow for a week and will be staying at Fin-n-Feather. Fishing the Housen / Six Mile / Indian Mound areas for the first time, I feel that I'm more prepared than I've ever been for this trip, and I have all the confidence that it will surely pay off. So thanks again to all of you out there that have provided me with better confidence and inspiration. Wind, weather, and God permitting.......I look forward to a memorable trip.