Walkerhuntfish

How’d y’all make out? We didn’t have much around home so we ran up to camp on Housen Saturday morning. Trees and power lines down but nobody in our area had any serious damage. We cut and cleaned up. Went out on lake yesterday evening. All the boat lane markers were still there in back half of Housen. Only thing I saw missing was big tree where you meet turn out boat to go up into bull creek. Not sure if it broke off on bottom or just below surface. Had some motor issues so we couldn’t investigate so use caution around there. I did drag up one 2 3/4 pounder on 10” worm off a point. This is morning I met a guy to look at a boat near Indian creek by the dam. We put in at a public ramp they call site 7? I think. Some of those lane markers were miss or in wrong locations from what he said. I don’t know the area but he seemed to be familiar. Y’all be careful out there.

She looks bad. Y’all be safe over there.

Is TB still located on the La/Tx border? It just as soon float over to the Tx/NM border. At least then I could have a logical reason for not going to it. Hopefully I can make it over soon to see if I remember what I learned last year. Gonna take this opportunity to thank all you guys that put forth an effort to teach the rest of us how to fish structure instead of just bank beating.

I wish work would cool down so I could make a trip up.

I cannot throw a spinnerbait without a trailer. It’s a mental thing I can’t overcome. I have paid the light bill at zoom with their split tail chartreuse trailers. The only bait I throw without it is a Stanley wedge with the long skirt strands that looks like trailer. Buzzbait doesn’t alway need trailer but usually has one anyway.

I was H&H beginner also. In the mid to late 90’s after the Florida strains stocked in the Atchafalaya basin after hurricane Andrew exploded that was the ticket along with some Toledo Tackle tequila sunrise curl tail worms on Texas rig. A kid could learn a lot in 100 bass and 50 goggle eyes. Especially how to feel a Texas rig. But I still don’t see how we hooked a single fish with a 5’6” medium pistol grip rod.

This weekend.

Had another good trip this weekend. Of course 2’ less water than last trip made me hunt them again but I guess that’s how you learn. I didn’t catch as many big fish this trip but caught a good bit of 3+ pound fish with a 5 pounder. I caught them 8-15 ft deep on creek ledges. Used a strike king 4 series crankbait and a couple on ol monster zoom.

These guys can teach you a lot that a fish finder won’t. It’s a useful tool but maps are the key and very strong understanding of fishing structure is minimum in my opinion. I just read this forum for a long time but until recently only had a slight understanding of structure. I don’t know near enough yet but am in the process of learning and have already seen the difference. Now if you already know structure it will be easy. That’s just my opinion. Good luck on getting them boys on the fish. Wish I could help out on the area by Ive never fished it.

Hang in there Catt. You might win another truck on the next trip ?

I’m making my plans now to go try them out this weekend. Hopefully next week I won’t be YouTubing how to change lower unit. As far as hull goes I can weld mine so that will be an in house repair if it happens. I’m sure with the water 2’ lower than last trip the fish have moved from where I caught them.

In crawfish season down here get get beef melt in frozen blocks at grocery store. Melt is a fast attraction for set nets which are manned constantly. The blood will run out of it fast and the draw is over. When we fish them commercially we put cut shad or pogie like Catt said but we also put commercial pellets in trap. The pellets are fish meal and corn based. That attracts then but the fish keeps them in trap. Now I can’t see the trap you are using I’m not sure if they can escape but they will leave the pillow traps we fish. Like Catt also mentioned find grass because crawfish eat just as much vegetation as much as they do meat if not more. Any kind of submerged grass or reed root type area will draw them. I’m not use to catching a few. We catch hundreds of pounds a day raising 100-350 traps a day. The biggest advice I can give it to try to position the trap where your bait cannot be reached from outside the trap and crawfish feed like fish. Cold water is a slow bite and warmer will increase feeding.

Another informative video with biologist Todd Driscoll up on Mr.Ken Smith's YouTube page. He has some interesting numbers and studies on Toledo Bend.

That left a mark for sure. I have never hit so many stumps in my life. Of course I’ve never been on the lake at this low of a level. I dodged pretty good with tm but lower unit and hull seemed to be in constant contact. I was grateful for that 3/16 aluminum bottom and glad it wasn’t the fiberglass hull I wish I had sometimes. How were the bream positioned? I’ve never tried to fish them. But next time me and my little boy are up we might have to.

I want to first to thank everyone on this site (especially Catt) that shared their information that has helped me understand structure and how to get off the banks to catch fish later in the summer. This was the best trip I’ve ever had outside of the spring at the bend. Didn’t catch a bunch of numbers but caught some real quality fish. Had 7 14-16” keeper, a 4#, a 5# and a 6.5-7#. Dad caught one that had a 8# head but was skinny and weighed around 5#. Lost a 6+ and broke off 2 on hookset. Caught most of them on a strike king model 4 Tennessee shad crankbait in 5-8 fow on creek edge flats near 12-15 fow. Caught a few including dads fish on white Stanley wedge and a few on 10” S. African zoom worm.

I don’t know anything official but what I heard this weekend while at the lake was they going to 165’ for repairs to the spillway. I think it was damaged during that big release a while back. I did see a bunch of large rock and equipment sitting below the spillway when I crossed the dam yesterday. They also have some 20-30” diameter pipes running out several hundred feet from the base of the spillway. The water is running through those pipes to a rock structure then dumping out. Apparently they are bipassing the water on that section for the work. Not sure of timeframe or duration once they hit their intended level.

Hate to hear that happened. Article reads like the guys bow rope come untied while launching. He tried to wade or swim out to get boat. Apparently he was alone at the ramp. Prayers for that family.

I’m on my way up tonight. Gonna be hunting for them around Housen when we aren’t working on camp. Might be daylight or in the dark but I’m gonna be trying to learn structure.

Progator I found a similar spot to the island with close deeper creek channel that you selected. It was last weekend about mid morning after beating the banks early ( it’s like a bad habit and tough to kick). I pulled up on spot and caught one keeper and one dink on a sexy shad 6xd. I was almost giddy. I beat around for another hour with no luck but considered it a win in my book. I flopped on all my other tries that weekend but will be back next weekend to try some more. Good luck with your exploration.

Mr.Ken Smith’s videos recently had an interview with Texas biologist Todd Driscoll in which he stated the amount of bass that are caught and have a knife run through them at Toledo bend. I don’t remember they exact number but it’s a crazy high amount. That can’t be helping. I’m not trying to condemn eating fish by any means because I eat them myself. I don’t release fish for any other reason other than I feel I don’t need to kill every one I catch and I don’t need them for a tournament since I don’t tournament fish. I’m sure his numbers would show this trend in relationship to the days that fishing was better. These interview videos have a ton of interesting info in them and are well worth the time to watch.

I want to start by saying I’ve followed this thread for a long time and greatly appreciate all the knowledge you guys have shared. I’ve been the typical south Louisiana bank beater all my life fishing the bayous and marshes but have been trying to learn the offshore side of things to become more productive on TB since we have a place there about 10 years ago. But my question for this post is how does the night fishing differ on a new moon oppose to the full moon and what is some of you guy thoughts on techniques change accordingly? I realize silhouette and the visibility side of things are different but what else? Everybody gets fired up on full moon but not much talk of new moon.