As bass anglers know from experience, it gets uncomfortably hot on the water day in and day out in August anywhere in the South, particularly Toledo Bend. Nevertheless, good catches of bass continue to put a smile on many faces this month.
It’s hot, sure, but the withering heat affects the bass fishermen more than it does the fish. The fish don’t care if the water is hot. It’s just a matter of the bass angler getting a handle on the weather conditions and basically fishing accordingly.
Keep these baits handy
Bassers just need to adapt to what the fish are doing in response to the weather conditions, just like they do during any other time of the year. During the day that often means fishing shallow around grass in about 5- to 10-foot depths with red bug or plum apple Bass Assassin Tapout plastic worms or shallow-diving chameleon/pearl Berkley square bill crankbaits.
Bass often start busting on the surface to eat this time of year, especially when it’s calm, so have a chrome or pearl Berkley J-Walker ready to feed them.
There’s typically a deeper water pattern that pays off, too, in 15- to 25-foot depths along channel swings of the main lake. Concentrate on long, tapering points, and throw those aforementioned Tapouts and/or a chameleon/pearl Berkley Dredger crankbait. Road beds also give up bass that time of year.
This is the best time of the year to get out of the heat and catch bass, big bass at that, between sunset and sunrise, particularly around a full moon (or even when it isn’t in that phase) on shallow points near deep water and/or docks/piers with lights. I highly recommend Texas-rigging an 11-inch black/blue Bass Assassin plastic worm on 20-pound test line. Just keep it real simple in the dark and soak that big black/blue plastic worm. And, of course, hold on tight.
Toledo Bend’s pool stage was at 170.47 feet on July 7, which is 1.53 feet below full pool. The lake level was dropping and, barring excessive rainfall, particularly if there is a tropical disturbance in the region, the water should drop slowly throughout the rest of the summer.
A good crappie bite
Crappie fishermen can anticipate fair to good fishing success in these, the dog days of summer. Those panfish can be found anywhere from 15 to 30 feet deep this time of year, mostly around stumps and bridge pilings and some of the docks and piers that line the shoreline.
Mostly, little Panfish Assassin jigs are the main meal ticket this month. A majority of the time we catch them on monkey milk because usually the water’s pretty clear. Also try live minnows.
Do anglers need to use forward facing sonar to put crappie in the boat? No, they don’t have to, but it’s helpful. And the truth is, crappie fishermen can find plenty of fish without targeting even one brush pile.
In summary, August fishing techniques and patterns for bass and crappie here aren’t much different than in July. It’s mind over matter to go out during the day. But if you want to beat the heat, go at night and have the opportunity to catch bigger fish.
And rest assured we all can start looking forward to fall fishin’ on this great border lake between Louisiana and Texas.
Call Living the Dream Guide Service at (318) 256-8991 to make a dream fishing trip come true at Toledo Bend.
