fireworks at Stage One , according to Bass Pro Tour angler Dakota Ebare and local angler Marshall Hughes . Like almost all early season events , there will likely be some curveballs from Mother Nature ; in addition , the return to MLF ’ s “ every fish counts ” format from a five-fish daily limit may alter the approach for the 80 competitors .
ebare looking forward to big bass
Ebare lives between Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Toledo Bend but has spent much more time on Rayburn in recent years because it ’ s been a welltrafficked major tournament stop . That said , he ’ s no stranger to Toledo Bend and is eager to reacquaint himself with a fishery that he believes has changed for the better .
“ The hydrilla is back in some areas on Toledo Bend , and that ’ s been the biggest difference in the improvement in recent years ,” Ebare said . “ I think the fish have always been there because the big ones are so old , but we started seeing much bigger weights when the grass came back .”
According to Ebare , the past two tournament seasons have shown what the big lake is capable of once again .
“ The way that Toledo is fishing lately , we have the chance for some historic weights ( at Stage One ) because it has been fishing that good ,” he said . “ This year in local tournaments , there have been several bags over 30 pounds and a few over 40 pounds for five fish . Even summertime events take 57 pounds to win for two days , to give you an idea of what the lake is kicking out .”
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division kicked off at Toledo Bend in early February each of the past two seasons . In 2022 , Tater Reynolds took the win with 27-14 for five fish , and in 2023 , Cody Pitt took first with an astonishing 39-15 . While those weights are stellar , a look further down the standings shows a tough bite for others . Much of that was due to the weather , according to Ebare , which could also play a major role in the results of Stage One — the early February timing could have anglers experiencing just about any conditions .
“ We could be out there sight-fishing in flip-flops , or it will be so cold that we could be wearing every piece of clothing we own ,” he said . “ The other big variable will be the wind , because this lake gets nasty early in the year . That will be a major variable to where we can fish .”
a biologist ’ s perspective
Covering Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend ( among others ), Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist Todd Driscoll keeps close tabs on Toledo Bend and spends plenty of time fishing it . While many believe the fishery is experiencing a significant upswing , Driscoll is of the opinion that Toledo Bend ’ s recent “ surge ” is more about a shift in attention back to the lake after other fisheries ( like Rayburn ) stole the spotlight in recent years .
“ we could be out there sight-fishing in flip-flops , or it will be so cold that we could be wearing every piece of clothinG we own .”
“ The big weights we ’ ve been seeing recently are the norm over the years , and that matches up with our electrofishing results ,” he said . “ The years when there wasn ’ t a lot of hydrilla , from 2015 to 2021 , the fish would get off the bank after the spawn and become harder to catch , and many anglers started fishing other lakes . The lack of grass in those years was due to abnormal and prolonged high-water conditions , but that grass has started to come back in many areas .”
Driscoll identifies four main factors that allow Toledo Bend to keep pumping out giant bass .
“ One is the forage base and the abundant sunfish and both threadfin and gizzard shad ,” he said . “ We also stock at least 500,000 Florida-strain largemouth and sometimes over a million , depending on how our hatcheries are doing that year . Spawning habitat is another benefit , and even during the years without hydrilla , there was hay grass , cypress trees and terrestrial cover to protect the zero-age-year class . The final reason is the sheer size of the lake – it really spreads out anglers and can swallow up a lot of boats . It handles the fishing pressure very well .”
hughes expects fireworks
Hughes wrapped up the 2023 Toyota Series season in second place in points in the Southwestern Division . He lives on the Texas side of Toledo Bend in Hemphill and echoed Ebare ’ s statements about how good the fishing could be when the Bass Pro Tour kicks off its sixth season .
“ I think they ’ re going to smash them , to be honest ,” Hughes said . “ Historically , grass was everywhere , but it disappeared for around five years . Now , it ’ s back , and the fishing has been incredible .”
But even with the grass helping the overall bite , Hughes said the biggest bags during the prespawn usually come elsewhere .
“ You don ’ t see the biggest bags come from the grass ; the guys who catch 40 pounds are usually offshore with forward-facing sonar ,” he said . “ The biggest bass like to suspend , and I think some of the biggest fish caught during this event will come on jerkbaits and swimbaits . It ’ s dang possible someone could catch a 12-pounder or even a new lake record in this tournament , but I ’ d guess we ’ ll see at least one over 10 pounds caught .”
On February 14 , 2023 , angler Bill Cook set the new lake record with a 15.67-pound fish using his forward-facing sonar during a Bass Champs tournament . However , with the BPT format returning to every fish counts , the suspended fish pattern could take a backseat to a few others .
“ There will be a good bite in the grass with a lipless crankbait or bladed jig , and you can stack up some fish when you get in the right area ,” Hughes said . “ There ’ s also a chance for guys to go old school and fish a Carolina rig on the big stumps offshore and get into a lot of fish .”
Hughes acknowledged that there ’ s a chance for extreme cold , but that it shouldn ’ t affect the bite much .
“ When it ’ s really cold , the bite gets even better ,” he said . “ I don ’ t know why , but ( those fish ) eat when it gets like that . Those cold prespawn days are the best time to be out there for big fish .”
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