TOLEDO
Beyond ‘da Bayou
ON FIRE!
Louisiana/Texas border lake’s magnificent run. Together, they have won
tournaments, money, trucks, boats,
and free replicas of their astounding
fish. Vidrine and Leger both have
multiple large fish to their credit. I
had the pleasure of
picking their brains as
to “why” this lake is
now producing these
amazing fish.
David Vidrine is a physical therapist from Ville
Platte. Last spring, on
consecutive days,
Vidrine boated two
Toledo toads weighing
11.21 and 11.50. While
the central Louisiana
native is coy on his bait
choices, he is not shy
about what he fishes.
Carter Benton and Kenny Hilliard with a Toledo
“Grass is the most imBend 8.86lbs Lunker
portant key to catching
big bass on Toledo.”
He further states, “Hydrilla is the king!”
Toledo has long been
noted as a grass fisherman’s dream. Hydrilla,
pondweed (more commonly called peppergrass), American lotus
(lily pads), and torpedo
grass (hay grass) all
grow in abundance on
the reservoir.
Gil Leger and his winning fish.
Vidrine also states that
the Toledo Bend Lake
Association’s Lunker Program has
absolutely mind-boggling. Lake
been an integral part in the producCharles’ Dr. Todd Peavy, Ville Platte’s
tion of large bass. “I think it has
David Vidrine, and Lake Charles’ Gil
played a major role, but I also think
Leger have been there to witness the
Toledo Bend Reservoir has
erupted the last few years into the
country’s number one destination for
trophy bass fishing. The number of
ten pound or larger fish has just been
Toledo Bend Reservoir
has erupted the last few
years into the country’s
number one destination
for trophy bass fishing.
The number of ten
pound or larger fish has
just been absolutely
mind-boggling.
anglers have
become more
conservative
with numbers
kept as well as
more educated on fish
by Carter Benton
care in genLures used this time of year are a pereral.” The
sonal secret kept tightly by most anLake Association’s Lunker program
glers. Dr. Todd Peavy, a Lake Charles
will give an angler a free fiberglass
physician and longtime angler on
replica of any fish certified as weighToledo, has a few key tricks he’s willing over ten pounds and returned
ing to let out of his tackle bag. Waalive to the lake.
termelon red Senkos,
The fish must be
flukes, creature baits,
weighed at strategiand lizards are a must
cally placed certified
this time of year. In
scales around the
addition, blue flake,
lake.
junebug, and red are
Gil Leger, a Lake
a few favorite colors.
Charles resident,
Dr. Peavy also betook home a boat
lieves you must have
and truck after placa rattle trap as well as
ing first in the 2015
a high quality spinner
Sealy Outdoors’ Big
bait ready to go! The
Bass Splash on The
spinner bait works
Bend. Leger and his
well later in the
partner landed the
Carter Benton and Grace Benton spring, and do not
11.48 winning fish
hesitate to throw a
with her 3.1pounder this spring.
while fishing grass
topwater if you see
near the south end
bass busting in the
of the lake. While he also targets the
shallows. As spring progresses, perch
hydrilla mats, Leger credits his elecmove up to spawn followed lastly by
tronics as a key to his success. “Electhe shad. This will occur in April and
tronics have been a game changer,”
May respectively. It’s a simple case of
states the winning angler. Gil is anmatching the hatch and throwing
other huge proponent of the Lunker
lures that represent the black bass’s
Program. “Only with continued
natural prey; and just like us, crawfish
awareness and support of the proare always on the menu for a largegram will we see the lake sustain this
mouth. Best of luck and be safe outrun of big fish.” This spring he’s been
side!!!
worried by the number of anglers he’s
witnessed keeping larger females.
April 2016 www.marshandbayou.com
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