There’s more bass habitat, i.e. good ol’ hydrilla, now in Toledo Bend than in more than a decade, which is sweet, welcome news for the fish and bass anglers.
We haven’t had grass like this in a long time. Where it traditionally grew 10 years ago, it’s growing again. There are lots of areas where we’ve got matted hydrilla out to 8, maybe 15 feet deep in some places.
And with the seasonal cooldown that brings lower water temperatures, that grass is giving up bass via topwaters — buzz baits and plastic frogs — and punchin’ right now. It’s about as close to the good old days as it can get here on this great lake bordered by Louisiana and Texas.
Baits that deliver
November is usually when the crawfish pattern starts to get pretty good. You’ll have a shad and/or a crawfish pattern to get bit on. I’ll take those into consideration when I fish with soft plastics and lipless crankbaits, two of my favorite go-to baits this time of year, and target 8- to 14-foot depths.
Soft plastics that produce for me are the green pumpkin Bass Assassin Tapout Worm and/or a green pumpkin or California-colored Bass Assassin B.A.N.G. Bug, both under a ¼-ounce worm weight and a 3/0 hook. Tip the pinchers with orange dye for even better results.
I’ll also work a lipless crankbait, preferably a ½-ounce Berkley Warpig, around the edges of the grass. I like a shad- or crawfish-colored bait and use both colors until the bass tell me what they want. Experiment with reds, stuff like that. If that doesn’t work, switch to a shad color.
And you can always catch on deeper diving crankbaits.
Early in the month, before the water cools significantly, the topwater bite on plastic frogs and buzz baits that has been so consistent starts to fade. Bass generally push deeper into the water column and begin to relate heavily to grass and channel edges, both creek channels and river channels, while shad start to stack up more into the channels.
Aggressive crappie
The lake’s crappie fishing traditionally gets pretty dang good in November. Typically, the fish will be in 15- to 30-foot depths on bridges and timber as well, and usually they are pretty aggressive this time of year. I can’t wait. It’s a time when it’s just a matter of getting around them and they bite.
Take heed of the water temps this month. Basically, the cooler it gets, the more they start going toward the bottom. So usually, during early November, they’re in the upper part of the water column, and as it gets colder, they start working their way down.
Live minnows fished tightline take their fair share of crappie during the fall, naturally. Those who love to feed ‘em artificials catch consistently on a Panfish Assassin Tiny Shad, either monkey milk or, if the water’s stained, bluegrass, on a 1/16- or 1/32-ounce jighead.
Generally, you’ll catch bigger crappie on the average in November. There should be a lot of 1- to 2-pound fish caught. You’ll still catch smaller ones, but the big ones tend to bite better that time of year.
Call Living the Dream Guide Service at (318) 256-8991 to make a dream fishing trip come true at Toledo Bend.
