Courville pulls two 10-plus-pounders from Mill Creek area
Most anglers dream about catching just one double-digit bass in their entire lifetime.
Incredibly, Jason Courville accomplished the task twice in one seven-day-stretch recently at Toledo Bend.
The 48-year-old owner-operator of Jason Courville Guide Service – South Toledo Bend (409-365-8245) had been fishing with clients for 59 of the past 62 days, and said he was able to stay on quality bass for a solid part of that time period.
His first lunker came Monday, Feb. 13, in the Mill Creek area.
“It was getting dark and nearing the end of our guide trip,” said Courville, of Orange, Texas. “And it happened on the last bite of the day.”
He was fishing a Carolina-rigged Zoom magnum finesse red bug worm in the bottom of a creek channel in 18 feet of water. The lure was tied to 25-pound Seaguar Flippin’ fluorocarbon spooled to a Lew’s reel on a 7-foot 6-inch Falcon BuCoo rod.
“It happened during the first cast when I arrived there,” Courville said. “I dragged the bait about 30 feet and she bit it.”
The bass started moving out and then wrapped itself around a stump.
“I was able to eventually get her free by keeping the fish on a tight line,” he said. “She came up out of the water shaking her head.”
Courville worked the fish while keeping his rod tip low and eventually got the big bass aboard and in his livewell.
It was getting late, but Courville knew there was a certified scale at the new general store in Fairmount, where the bass ultimately tipped the scales at 10.61 pounds.
After a few photos were taken, the guide released the lunker alive back into Toledo Bend waters.
Courville’s second 10-pounder came on Sunday when he and his clients were once again fishing Mill Creek.
“It was 8:30 in the morning, and we had three bass in the boat – one going 5 pounds,” Courville said.
He was fishing somewhat deeper on this trip, finding bass in 20 feet of water working a ½-ounce green-pumpkin Talon jig with a Strike King Rage Craw Chunk trailer.
“When she bit, the fish came straight up to the top,” he said. “She showed herself and was shaking her head.”
Courville quickly got the bass to the boat and into his livewell, then let his clients continue to fish the area.
After about 20 minutes, he motored over to his vehicle to get a weigh bag then headed over to Fin & Feather Resort for a certified weight of the fish.
On their certified scales, Courville’s second lunker in seven days weighed 10.24 pounds, and also was tagged and eventually released back into Toledo Bend waters.
Courville will receive a free replica of the second fish this May courtesy of the Toledo Bend Lake Association.
The guide’s huge bass is lunker No. 44 for the 2016-17 Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program, and was his third fish weighing more than 10 pounds taken at Toledo Bend.
