Toledo Bend Guide

There are few folks in the angling world that are not familiar with the great fishing products made by Stanley Jigs, Inc. Many years ago fishing legend and tournament pro Lonnie Stanley introduced some of the finest fishing jigs on the market and many tournaments were won with these great products. Over the years the company has expanded its product line in many ways but one thing has been consistent.. and that is Quality. Stanley knows fishing and has made every effort to put nothing but quality products into the hands of anglers like you and me.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting with Stanley and he told me about the great line of new items they are featuring for 2010. This highly innovative company always finds a way to put together new baits that are almost certain to increase not only the number of bass that we catch but also the size of the fish. Here are a few of the fishing products that you will definitely need in your tacklebox for this upcoming fishing season. Y-Not

Y-NOT – This has to be one of the greatest little baits that have come along in the past decade. The name comes from its simple Y-shaped body, yet there is nothing simple about this lure's design and its uncanny ability to mimic a living, breathing crawfish. It absolutely drives bass nuts! The bait can be pitched, cast, flipped, jig’d, used on a drop-shot rig or fished as a suspended bait. Its versatility is truly unmatched.

Small air pockets are built into the legs of the Y-NOT and rattlers can be placed into the air pockets for added attraction. These chambers also trap air for greater buoyancy. As you fish the bait along the bottom of a lake or pond the two legs stand straight up, imitating with amazing realism a defensive crawfish with pincers in the air. Air is also trapped within the dozens of soft, flexible rings surrounding the lure's body and legs. Each time you twitch the bait tiny air bubbles are released. Bass are drawn to the “breathing” bait by the sound and sight of the air bubbles.

“The collapsible rings feel like something alive. When the fish grabs it, they just hold on,” says Stanley. “Since bass hang on tight it's hard to miss the fish when setting the hook. The point of the hook is exposed yet hidden in the flexible rings, for weedless fishing.” The bait is ideal for Carolina and Texas rigging and works great with Drop Shots and Shaky Heads. And according to Stanley, there is no better jig trailer.

When pulled behind a bare hook the Y-NOT looks amazingly like a frog. The trapped air adds buoyancy that floats the soft bait along the water's surface. As the air bubbles escape the lure sinks so slowly, that it looks just like a frog swimming with outstretched legs. Add a 5/0 hook and the bait will suspend the hook, sinking ever so slowly. It is absolutely awesome for fishing with a Carolina Rig. Y-NOT is available in 4 and 3.5 inch sizes and 11 top producing colors

ItzaBug – Although there are a number of “creature baits” on the market these days, nothing has all of the features of the new “ItzaBug”. The design combines the soft “real-feel” rings of the Sidewinder lure for the body with a pair of crawfish claws. Then throw in a couple of screw-tail tentacles and you have a “bug” that's dynamite for fishing our Texas/Louisiana waters.

ItzaBug's soft flexible rings trap air, emitting tiny bubbles that imitate a live, breathing crawfish. Bass will hang on tight to the collapsible rings that feel like moving prey in the fish's mouth. Two flat appendages with pincers and the pair of curly-tail tentacles add a liveliness that drives bass crazy. The small 4-inch ItzaBug is as versatile as it is effective. The soft bait can also be fished behind a 1/8 or 1/4-ounce jig head. “It's a great jig trailer,” says Lonnie Stanley. When the ItzaBug is slid onto a skirted jig the wide ringed body opens up expanding the skirt and the escaping air bubbles give it a “breathing” effect. The bait is also perfect for throwing after cold snaps, when the bass tend to favor smaller baits. It is ideal on a 3/0 or 4/0 hook Carolina-rigged or Texas-rigged, and works great when drop shot'ing. ItzaBug fished on a Texas-rig is deadly on the bedding bass. How the ItzaBug is fished, is limited only by one’s imagination.

The Sidewinder – This bait has a “soft ringed” body and sinks slowly with a life-like movement that bass just can’t resist. Multiple rings surround the soft bait from tip to tail, trapping air as its cast and giving it slight buoyancy. As it falls, the tiny air bubbles escape allowing the bait to sink deadly slow. The Sidewinder remains in the water column longer thus maximizing its visibility in the strike zone.

The Sidewinder has a rattle chamber in the tail that enhances its attraction. When used without a rattler the chamber becomes an air pocket that causes the tail to stand straight up. A slight shake of the rod allows trapped air bubbles in the rattle chamber to escape. The Sidewinder is extremely versatile and is ideal for shaky heads, Texas and Carolina-rigging or dead-sticking. The slow sinking Sidewinder can also be fished near the top “fluke style”. It can create some explosive strikes when snaked over or through thick cover. The tip of the hook can be exposed yet it's hidden in the rings, making it weedless.

The bait is also going to be great for those of you that like to “wacky worm”. Paired with the Stanley T-Wacky hook either 1/16 or 1/8-oz., the weighted hook and slow-sinking Sidewinder “fight” each other, giving it a life-like action whether the bait is hooked through the middle or the nose. The rings of the bait are so flexible that when you try to grab the bait in the water, it feels like trying to hold on to a live worm or snake.

The 5 1/2-inch Sidewinder can also be trimmed to a 4 to 4 ½-inch length and fished as a “jiggin” eel, with the air pocket in the tail giving it a floating snaky action; or insert a rattle in the chamber making the Sidewinder a deadly muddy-water jig trailer. Put a rattle in then slip it on a spinnerbait and you have the world’s first rattling spinnerbait trailer! The Sidewinder is available in eleven top producing colors Double Take Hook

Ribbit Double-Take Hook As most of you know, the Ribbit is one of the most widely used baits in our area. Lonnie Stanley and colleague John Hale applied a great deal of common sense and logic when coming up with the idea of the Ribbit Double-Take Hook. As in most cases, two heads are better than one when solving a problem, and two hooks are always better than one for hooking and landing big bass!

The Ribbit Double-Take Hook is specially designed to fish with Stanley Lures' Ribbit soft bait but works wonders with other frog-imitation soft lures as well. Bass tend to strike violently at the “racing” frogs that run across the top of the water, and will often miss a single hook.

The Ribbit Double-Take Hook with its longer shank and two points doubles your chances of hooking up, says Bassmaster Classic veteran, Stanley. It's longer than other hooks, allowing the tips of the two hooks to penetrate lower within the legs of the Ribbit frog. The churning legs of the frog grab the fish's attention and are often the target of the strike. The added length to the shank of the hook greatly reduces the likelihood of the fish missing the hooks. The Ribbit Double-Take Hook is definitely going to get a double take from our anglers.

SwimMax Jig – In the past year or so the swimming jig has slowly moved more and more into the spotlight for our local anglers. There are just some days when this technique is about the only one that produces a strike.

My partner A.D. White and I experienced this in the recent January Fairmount Bass Club tournament. Although a few fish were caught on other baits, the majority of our first and second place finish came by swimming a black jig that had a dark crawfish trailer.

One of the bass caught (by A.D. White) pulled the scales down to 11-pounds 6-ounces. That is a BIG BIG bass!

Stanley has spent a great deal of time perfecting a jig made for this swimming technique. The shape of the head allows the bait to swim over and through grass, pads and all types of structure. The bait won’t roll over on a fast retrieve and it is great when fishing those tough areas of fallen timber. The bait has a patented “Wedgehead” design that is like adding a four wheel drive to your jig. It's the most weedless jig that Stanley has ever produced and comes in sizes of 3/8 and 1/2 oz

T-Wacky - If you haven’t tried fishing “wacky style” then you have missed out on some great fun and probably some nice bags of bass. Wacky worm fishing is one of the most effective do-nothing methods available today.

Stanley has just introduced the T-Wacky which may well be the best hook system on the market for wacky fishing. The T-Wacky has a teardrop front weight design so the lure will fall naturally. All of the T-Wacky hooks come with a weed guard and are super sharp. The unique teardrop head design allows the hook point to stay up as the weight falls head first, allowing you to have a superior hook set. BugEye Jig

Bugeye Football Jig – Football jigs have certainly made their presence known in the past year or so and some anglers believe that they are the hottest thing going for big bass. Lonnie Stanley states that he has caught more monster bass on the jig and trailer than any other lure they make. The new Bugeye Football Jig will certainly enhance your chances of getting that big bass into the boat. The bait has realistic eyes, a quality Owner hook, Accent Flash Skirt, and the best paint jobs you'll ever see. All you have to do is pitch, flip, or cast and hang on. Original Casting Jig

Casting Jigs – These are the “bread and butter” baits that started the entire Stanley product line. The original casting and flipping jigs are the best of the basics for all jig fishermen. An all time favorite color would have to be black/blue, but others that receive a nod of approval from our area pros are the black/brown, white and watermelon seed. RFE

RFE - Platinum Bloodspot Series – The new Realistic Flat Eyes bait comes with Bloodspot skirts and the patented two color weed guard. The weed guard is made with a few stands of red facing up... Where it counts. This bait should have a numbers of users because it is really one of the finest looking jigs on the market today. The bait sports a super sharp Mustad Ultra point hook, Hot Flash Blood Spot skirts, a rattle chamber and Realistic Flat Eyes. Jim Binns with Jan Toledo Bend Lunker

Well there you are, a few of the newest baits on the market from one of the front runners of the fishing industry – Stanley Baits.

As I mentioned earlier, quality is what you get when you purchase a Stanley product and having a high level of customer focus is their way of doing business. Give some of these baits a try – They just may help you catch that bass of a lifetime.
Good Fishing – JB

For more information go to www.fishstanley.com or contact Ken Chaumont at kenchaumont@fishstanley.com

I hope all of you had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Years. Our Texas/Louisiana area offers many wonderful opportunities for the sportsperson, and if you are lucky enough to live in this area you are truly blessed.

So What’s Happening ... Lake Conditions – As of January 10th, 2010 - The lake level is 170.62’ msl. Normal pool level is 172‘ msl. (Lake is now 1.38 feet low) Generator 1 and Generator 2 are currently running 24 hours a day so expect the lake to continue to fall. Current waterflow is 14,186 cfs. Lake water surface temperature is running about 48 to 54-degrees with water clarity on the south end rated as reasonably clear to partly stained up in some of the creeks.

Hayden Dubose with nice Toledo Bend Bass

Those folks that like cold weather have really enjoyed the past week or so. Temperatures down into the 20's have been common and make for a very cold ride on the water.

FISHING REPORTS: BASS
If you have been lucky enough to be on the water when the wind and rain weren't causing havoc, odds are that you may have gotten into some good bass fishing. I have had three trips since the first of the year that were really good. One one of the trips in Sandy Creek the bass were in about 33-38 feet of water and wanted a 3/4-oz jigging spoon vertically jigged slowly about five feet off the bottom. Total catch was about 30 bass with three in the five pound range.

Another late afternoon trip saw about 14 bass come into the boat (along with a couple of big crappie and a few yellow bass). These fish hit the jigging spoon and a Texas rigged Ol' Monster watermelon/candy worm, and a black/blue jig. Best depth to fish was from 19- to 23 feet. My most recent trip had 20+ bass up to 3-pounds and these were all taken in 27' of water off main-lake points.

Pick a day when the weather looks good (forget it not being cold because it is going to be cold for some time) and work these baits on creek channel drops and off the edge of humps. At this time of the year the fish will be in small areas and the bite may not last long. However, when the fish turn on you can really catch them Big Time.

Congratulations to local anglers and fellow fishing friends Ronnie Bland and Johnny Franks for their recent win in the Texas Super Team Tournament held on Toledo Bend and hosted by Fin & Feather Resort. The team fought some pretty tough weather to bag a limit of bass that pulled the scales down to the 29.29 pounds mark. Their big bass of the day weighed 7 1/2 pounds and the team walked away with a $10,000 payday. Great Job Guys!

This was the fourth tournament of five events and is sponsored by Legend Boats. John Salamone is the Tournament Director and if you are interested in more information for this fine event just give him a call at 409-594-8925. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting John and Legend President Randy Qualls and I assure you they are great folks and put on a first class event.

Hot Tips!! A couple of baits you need to be throwing in the upcoming months are the Texan jigging spoon, Stanley's Swim Max Jig/his new 3/4 and 1-ounce grass jig, Sidewinder plastic worm, the Bill Lewis "Toledo Gold" Rat-L-Trap, Creme's new Mad Dad flex plug and Buckeyes football jig and Mop jig.

Hopefully in the next few weeks we will see bass turn on to the "traps" and spinner baits. My ol’ favorite Carolina rig is still producing a few fish but you have to really slow down your retrieve, I recommend the watermelon or cotton candy centipede or a lizard in watermelon/red, pumpkin/chartreuse or the Junebug colors. Work the edges of the grass or channel drops in from 12- to 30 feet of water.

I believe that the bigger bass usually come in first to spawn so start paying special attention to drains and channels that feed in from deep water to shallow flats and sloughs. The bigger bass will use these “highways” when coming in to and from the spawning grounds. .

Catfish - A few really nice catfish have been caught in the past couple of weeks but from the reports I received, most have been taken on jigging spoons while the angler was fishing for black bass or yellow bass. No reports from trotliners -- I assume that they are waiting for more pleasant weather to start baiting up their lines.

Yellow Bass – Fishing for these guys has been pretty slow but in the past week or so some of the big ones have started to show up. There are lots of shad out in the deeper water and I expect that the deep water jigging is about to explode. Try a ¼ to 1-oz nickel jigging spoon and work the edges of channels and humps in the 18-to 45 foot depths. Lots of fish are also suspended at about the 24-to 30 foot depth so if you see these fish on your graph be sure to drop a spoon in front of them. When the BIG yellow bass start showing up it is definitely time to put some delicious eating fillets in the freezer.

Crappie - All eyes on on the Chicken Coop which is a spot north of the Pendleton Bridge that is just off the main river channel. For the past couple of years the crappie fishing has been "iffy", but this may be the year that it really produces those huge stringers of fish. Best bait for January has been live shiners fished about 30'deep near drops or river channels. *************************************************

Here are a few things to consider as we go into 2010...

A Billion Dollars --
The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Tax's -

Tax his land, Tax his wage, Tax his bed in which he lays. Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes is the rule. Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirts, Tax his work, Tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think. Tax his booze, Tax his beers, If he cries, Tax his tears. Tax his bills, Tax his gas, Tax his notes, Tax his cash. Tax him good and let him know That after taxes, he has no dough. If he hollers, Tax him more, Tax him until he's good and sore. Tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he lays. Put these words upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom!' And when he's gone, We won't relax, We'll still be after inheritance TAX!! Accounts Receivable Tax, Building Permit Tax, CDL License Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Dog License Tax, Federal Income Tax, Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory Tax, IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax (Truckers), Sales Taxes, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax.

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?' … And I still have to 'press 1' for English. ****************************************************

Well that’s all .. Have a great January and I will see you on the water -- JB