Every bass tournament is a series of decisions. Some will either make you or break you depending on which direction you decide to go. Some decisions are small while others are huge and can be the difference in winning or getting your butt kicked.
But one thing is understood. The decisions we make as anglers on the water, we must live with, as there's no going back or asking for a redo. Today we'll look at one of my last tournaments on Toledo Bend where I made the right decisions.
Let's first look at practice and where my plan came together. One of my favorite areas that I like to focus on is the mid-lake region. By mid-lake, I'm talking about an area known as the 1215 area south to Negreet Creek. This is a huge portion of Toledo Bend and is highly regarded as some of the best fishing on the Bend.
During practice, Toledo Bend Lake levels were up about 1 foot above pool which is 172. For me, this meant that flipping bushes would come into play which is what I love to do. Nothing gets my juices flowing more than pitching a jig into a bush and pulling out a four- or five-pound bass; it's a rush I really can't describe!
Well, I fished an area where I have had success over the years and only caught one four-pound bass. It was an area known for holding quality fish, but for some reason the bass just were not setting up on them.... yet. So, I then switched over to plan B and started fishing cypress trees on main lake points.
I quickly realized that this would work but didn't feel like I could fully rely on this pattern as the lake level was starting to fall. I then switched to another pattern that I like especially after the spawn is over and that would be boat docks. Boat docks are a great place to fish as bass will seek refuge on docks as they recover from the physically draining spawn.
Now all docks are not created equal as some will hold bass when others will not. But I have found over the years that the docks closer to deeper water tend to hold bass better than the ones on a big flat.
As day 1 of the 2-day tournament approached, I decided to start on an early morning point fairly close to our take-off. The day before, I shook off over 15 fish on this one 40-yard stretch and thought this be a great place to get an early limit. Well, the good Lord above had different plans on day 1 as my great starting spot turned out to be a big fat zero.
So, I immediately switched to plan B once again, and started fishing a couple of stretches of boat docks I had gotten some quality bites on in practice. I ended the day with over 14 pounds and was sitting in the Top 10 after day 1.
Day 2 was pretty much the same routine, but with only a little over ten pounds in the boat at 12:00 noon, I decided to head north and flip bushes. Again, I only had 1 bite in the bushes in practice, but I just thought with the blue bird skies and the sun shining strong, that the bass would be looking to seek cover in the form of bushes.
Best decision I've made this year! My third cast into a bush with a jig resulted in a 3.5-pound bass and the culling party began. I was also able to get a few frog bites, but my main bait was the jig. In two hours, I had culled every fish in the livewell and came in with a bag just shy of 16 pounds for a two-day total of 30.81 lbs. and a 5th place finish.
Again, every bass tournament is a series of decisions. Some days you make great decisions and on others, you make bad ones. Most of the time with bass fishing, it's all about timing. Some areas of the lake will turn on when other areas turn off. To be successful on tournament day, you must be in the right place at the right time.
Till next time, good luck, good fishing and be sure to wear your sunscreen and good protective clothing because Melanoma does not discriminate.
Steve Graf
Angler's Perspective
