The rocky history of Toledo Bend Reservoir’s construction has been largely forgotten in the last 40 years of incredible fishing. However, the lake’s inception was a herculean effort that “took a miracle.”
Although he’s starting to spend more time in the deer woods in preparation for the upcoming hunting season, Captain Ryan Young with Avid Angler Fishing Charters (985-855-5909) out of Bayou DuLarge says he’s been on the water enough lately to know that the redfish and bass are slamming swimbaits in Lake De Cade.
“We’ve been limiting out on reds pretty easily,” said Young. “And the good thing is that all the action has been right there by the Falgout Marina launch. Although the action has been best on a falling tide, we’ve slammed them a couple times while it was coming in, too.”
Young has primarily been targeting the flats in front of some of the cuts that run into Lake De Cade. As the water falls out, the line created between dirty and clear water becomes distinct enough that it becomes a perfect place for fish wanting to ambush smaller prey.
“That Purple Haze Tsunami Swimbait has been killer,” Young continued. “Just throw it right down that line and start cranking. The reds seem to be stacked up more on most days with just a handful of bass, but I’ve had a few trips where the bass have been stacked up a little thicker and we’ll catch 20 or 30. We’ve also caught a few flounder doing the same thing.”
During a rising tide, Young has been changing to a blue and chartreuse Mann’s Baby 1-Minus crankbait. He believes that the extra visual appeal and the rattling sound helps the reds and bass find his lure in the dirtier water.
“We’ve also been hitting a few trout down near the coast,” Young added. “I was on my way out to fish Picketts the other day, but got distracted by a bunch of birds that were diving on some shrimp… couldn’t pass them up when I saw the trout jumping out the water. I think they’re starting to move in a little bit.”
After noticing the diving birds, Young stopped and began catching trout as fast as he could cast. Trout were already yanking on his line before he could even make one crank on his reel, but the 14-inch trout didn’t hold his attention for very long.
“I went on out to Picketts to try to find some bigger trout,” he concluded. “Turned out the water was too muddy, and we wound up not catching anything. By the time I got back where the birds were, it was already over. I would say if you find some birds right now, stick with them for a while rather than running off. Pelican Pass would be a good place to look right now.”
