Anglers find success catching largemouth bass between the September and May months. Mostly because of cooler water temperatures, fish are active for more extended periods of the day and caught in more shallow water. Having many types of baits and techniques work at these times. Preferred choices are crankbaits and spinnerbaits during these times. When the heat is hot, the bites are slow, and fish activity is often concentrated during the early morning, late evening, and at night. Poppers, propeller baits, stick baits, buzz baits, and flukes are good topwater choices during low light conditions. As the sun rises, most basses centralize around grass, vegetation edges, or seek asylum on ledges and channels. At this time, most anglers prefer plastic worms and jig baits.
For a good year-round catch, most go with crappie fishing using jigs and minnows. However, this fishing peaks with the spring spawn, when anglers target shallow areas around vegetation. During other times of the year, fish typically concentrate in broader water around brush and river channels. Sportsmen fish channel, blue, and flathead catfish throughout the lake. Channel catfish are found with stink bait in areas baited with the soured grain while trotlines reach both channels and blues on cut bait, while flathead catfish favor live bait.
The white bass fishery is primarily limited to the early spring during the spawning run above the reservoir. Anglers have progressed with jigs, small spinners, jigging spoons, and little crankbaits. Throughout the summer months and into fall, watch for schooling striped bass on main lake points, humps, and flats adjoining river channels. Schooling stripers are caught on top waters, spoons, and rattle traps. Toledo Bend Lake has a reputation for producing lots of enormous sunfish. Large amounts of the bigger sunfish are caught during the late spring or summer, especially bluegill and redear sunfish when fish are on spawning areas. The best choices are spinners, small jigs, and crickets.
