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Toledo Bend Reservoir

TODAY www.tbrtoday.com APRIL 2018

Gulett & Rivers tops a tough crowd on Toledo Bend at Bass Champs

Bass Champs winners Benjamin Gulett and Dustin Rivers cashed in on the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 check! By Patty Lenderman

ough crowds, savvy anglers, Mother Nature and ticking clocks were just a few of the elements in the air February 17, 2018 at Cypress Bend Marina on Toledo Bend. Bass Champs held the second East Region event with over 500 anglers, making 279 teams and a total tournament purse of more than $76,000. Weather delays helped some and hindered others, but in the end Benjamin Gulett and Dustin Rivers came out on top to win the guaranteed 1st place purse of $20,000. As morning began to dawn, a thick blanket of fog enveloped the area, preventing a safe launch for the contenders. “It was hard to make out anything, just feet away,” Chad Potts recalled. “The safety of everyone is paramount. In a situation like this, especially with so many boats and people involved, it is imperaSee Bass Champs, page 5

Complimentary Issue INSIDE

B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Championship .........1, 6 Bass Champs ............................................................. 1, 5 Tournament Schedule ...............................................2 TBLA 16th Annual Banquet .....................................3 Country Roads & Fishing Holes............................. 4 Texas Bass Couples .....................................................7 Haynesville Shale Bass Tournament .................... 8 Bassin’ Facts & Trends ............................................... 9 Fishing Report ..................................................... 10, 20 SETX Ford Championship Series....................11, 16 Lake Records ..........................................................12, 13 Schedule of Events .................................................... 13 Soil Culture ........................................................... 14, 15 TBLA Lunker Program......................17, 18, 19, 22, 23 Toledo Bend Map ................................................20, 21

Louisiana claims team title in B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Bass Championship

Photo by Andy Canulette/B.A.S.S.

The Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation wins the team competition Thursday with 379 pounds, 2 ounces at the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors on Toledo Bend Reservoir. Bob Blumenstein of Illinois is leading the individual competition with a two-day total weight of 42-11.

he Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation team defended its home water in grand fashion today in the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors. The Bayou State squad, which is composed of 10 boaters and 10 nonboaters, caught 135 bass over two days for a cumulative weight of 379 pounds, 2 ounces. That was more than 11 pounds heavier than Team Arkansas, which actually caught more weight than Louisiana today, but finished second overall with 135 bass for 367-13. Making the victory event sweeter for the home team is that the team championship came on Toledo Bend Reservoir — one of the most hallowed bass fisheries in the U.S. The majority of Team Louisiana’s anglers hail from south Louisiana, however, so while they are familiar with Toledo Bend, they don’t fish it every day like they do the bass fisheries

south of Interstate 10. “To come here and compete with the competition that was here this week in this event is a feat,” said Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation President Kevin Gaubert, who fished as a nonboater in the regional. “When you get to this level, it’s all the top anglers in your state. You come here and do your best, put your time in and hope everything works out in your favor. It did today. I think this is our fifth or six team win in B.A.S.S. Nation.” The team won a Triton/Mercury boat/motor package valued at $40,000 with the win. Gaubert said a Nation member is interested in purchasing it, and the money they gain will go to good use in helping stage tournaments throughout the state. See more of the B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Bass Championship on page 6.

2018 Toledo Bend Reservoir

Tournament Schedule DATE

ORGANIZATION

SITE

April

5-8 7 7 14-15 14 20 20-21 21 26-29 27

Louisiana Oilman’s Bass Invitational Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament Fishers of Men Team Series Texas East Division Media Bass ABA Ram Trucks American Fishing Tour Bass Unlimited FLW Outdoor Series Tackle Box Open Shoot Out Toledo Bend Oilman’s Louisiana Bass Nation State Tournament

Cypress Bend Army Rec Site Six Mile Marina Cypress Bend Army Rec Site Cypress Bend San Miguel Big Bass Marina Cypress Bend San Miguel

4-6 5 5 5-6 6 8-10 11-12 11-12 12 17-20 26

ALBC SCLA High School Bass Trail Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament Media Bass Texas Bass Couples Wild Life & Fisheries 5th Grade Bass Champs Southwest La. High School Bass Fishing Assoc. ABA Ram Trucks American Fishing Tour Big Bass Splash Sportsman’s Bass Club

Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina Army Rec Site San Miguel TBA Cypress Bend Cypress Bend San Miguel Army Rec Site Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina

1-2 2-3 2 2 2 7-9 14-15 16 23 23-24

Lineman’s Fishing Rodeo ABA Ram Trucks American Fishing Tour Sabine SWCD Fish Fest Tackle Box Open Shoot Out Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament Oilman’s Classic Haynesville Shale Event Tackle Box Open Shoot Out Sportsmans Bass Club Media Bass

May

June

Tidbits and Tackle

San Miguel Army Rec Site Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina Army Rec Site Cypress Bend Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina Big Bass Marina Cypress Bend “Where REEL fishermen shop”

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7 8 14 15-16 21 28

Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament Bass N Bucks Trail Tackle Box Open Shoot Out H&W Marine Sportsman’s Bass Club Sportsman’s Open Team

4 4-5 11 18

Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament Media Bass Cypress Bend Tackle Box Open Shoot Out Sportsman’s Bass Club

1 2 7-8 8 8 14-16 15 22-23 28-30

SCLA High School Bass Trail Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament ABA Ram Open Series Army Rec. Site Bass Tournament Tackle Box Open Shoot Out Elliot Electric Sportsman’s Bass Club Media Bass FW Cowboy Division

6 6 13 13-14 19-21 25-27

SCLA High School Bass Trail Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament Sportsman’s Bass Club Media Bass Ram Open Series KBF Trail Championship

Army Rec Site Monthly Bass Tournament

Big Bass Marina

July

August

September

October

November

December

Army Rec Site Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina Big Bass Marina Army Rec Site Big Bass Marina Big Bass Marina

Big Bass Marina Army Rec Site Cypress Bend Army Rec Site Big Bass Marina Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina Cypress Bend Cypress Bend Big Bass Marina Army Rec Site Big Bass Marina Cypress Bend Cypress Bend Cypress Bend Army Rec Site Army Rec Site

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Lake Association to host 16th Annual Bass Unlimited Banquet By: Ramona Moore

ypress Bend Park Pavilion, located on Toledo Bend Lake, is the site of the 16th Annual Toledo Bend Lake Association (TBLA) Bass Unlimited Banquet and Auction. The celebration begins at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 20, and will be the culmination of TBLA’s annual fundraising events. The Banquet has become a much-anticipated event in the Toledo Bend Lake

Area. In addition to the good food, door prizes and drop-box raﬄes, everyone will have the opportunity to bid in the Live Auction and Silent Auction. At the end of the evening two winning tickets for the 52-Gun Raﬄe will be announced in a live drawing. The remaining tickets are determined by the numbers selected during the Friday Louisiana Pick 3 Lottery during the following 50 weeks, ending April 5, 2019.

Through its fundraising efforts, TBLA funds and administers the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program, promoting catch and release and proper handling of fish. The goal of TBLA is to improve the quality of the Lake and amenities surrounding it. To see more on our projects and community involvement, and to purchase Banquet and Gun-Raﬄe tickets, please visit our website at www.toledobendlakeassociation.com.

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Country Roads & Fishing Holes by Jim Binns

What would we do without WD40 and Duct Tape

would bet that most of you readers have a roll or two of duct tape and some WD40 around the house, in the boat or at the deer lease. These are such great products and have many different uses. But how did these products get started? If you do an internet search you will find that there are conflicting accounts regarding the history of duct tape. Some say it was created by Permacell (a division of Johnson and Johnson) during WWII in the 1940s. Other experts claim that the tape product was invented in the 1920s by researchers for the 3M Company, led by Richard Drew. Most accounts agree, however, that Permacell used state of the art technology to perfect duct tape during WWII. Duct tape technology is composed of three layers. The top layer is a plastic polyethylene, the middle layer is a fabric mesh and the bottom layer is a rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesive. It was originally manufactured simply by pressing these three layers together. The military specifically needed a waterproof tape that could be used to keep moisture out of ammunition cases. This is supposedly why the early product was nicknamed “duck tape” because it repelled water like the bird’s feathers. Unlike other

tapes, the fabric backing gives duct tape strength yet allows it to be easily torn. Regardless of its origin, the military found the product to be great for holding those ammunition boxes together, and for this reason soldiers often referred to the product as “gun tape.” It didn’t take long for soldiers to realize that duck tape was good for repairing all type of items and since it was waterproof, strong and had a built in adhesive, they even began using it as a medical tape for temporarily closing up wounds.

tener instead of using screws or nails, removing warts and skiers have even been known to apply duct tape to their nose to avoid frost-bite and sunburn. Today’s market features duct tape in a rainbow of colors, patterns, and even provides a new scented duct tape for shelf and pantry use. It is estimated that consumers buy more than $100 million of duct tape every year and the yearly amount sold could stretch to the moon 1.2 times. And yes, duct tape has even been used by astronauts to make emergency repairs to the space ship and the moon rover.

When the soldiers of WWII came home, they brought “duck” tape with them. Shortly after their return, the housing market was booming. Someone in manufacturing then got the bright idea to start selling the tape as a means to connect heating and air conditioning ducts. This idea caught on among home manufacturers and they started using it in many of the new homes being built. At this time the tapes primary color was switched from olive green to silver, so that it would match the ducts. And it wasn’t long before the “duck” tape was being referred to as “duct” tape.

Way back in 1953, a small California firm called Rocket Chemical Company set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers to be used in the aerospace industry. It supposedly took them 40 attempts to get the formula correct, but they must have done a good job because the original secret formula for WD-40® (which stands for Water Displacement) is still in use today. Even though many folks believe that WD-40 contains fish oil – it does not. WD-40’s main ingredients, according to its U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet information, are:

Household consumers found a variety of new uses for this product. A few of these include acting as a fas-

51% Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits: primarily hexane, somewhat similar to kerosene), 25% Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD40’s considerable flammability), 15+% Mineral oil (light lubricating oil) and 10-% Inert ingredients.

n w To

o d . e c l n I o T alty,

Convair, an aerospace contractor, first used WD-40 to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. In the early 60’s employees sold the product from the trunk of their cars to hardware and sporting goods stores in the San Diego area. In 1961 the first full truckload order for WD-40 was filled when employees

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came in on a Saturday to produce additional concentrate to meet the disaster needs of the victims of Hurricane Carla along the U.S. Gulf coast. WD-40 was used to recondition flood and rain damaged vehicles and equipment. In 1969 the company was renamed after its only product - WD-40. The use of WD-40 is amazing and includes everything from silencing squeaky hinges and removing road tar from automobiles to protecting tools from rust and removing adhesive labels. It can even be used to remove crayon stains from a variety of surfaces. But the use of WD-40 gets a lot crazier than that. How about the bus driver in Asia who used WD-40 to remove a python snake which had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus, or the police officers that used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent. WD-40 also has many other applications such as protecting silverware from tarnishing, keeping bathroom mirrors from fogging, taking the sting out of an ant bite and even as a spray-on attractant when fishing. Most folks don’t know that the WD-40 Company also added Lava soap to its fortress of brands. Lava is a famous brand of heavy-duty hand cleaner in the U.S. The company also has degreasers, a line of carpet stain remover, silicone lubricant, lithium grease, rust remover and deodorizers for house, carpet and car. The WD40 Company has grown to more than 350 employees worldwide with annual sales of more than $350 million, and is sold in more than 176 countries. Final Words of Wisdom regarding Duct Tape & WD-40 – If it moves and shouldn’t, use Duct Tape, if it doesn’t move and should, use WD-40. Good Fishing – JB Thought for the Day – If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.

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Bass Champs tive that it is at least reasonably safe to navigate.” Boats are numbered and released in flights of 25 with a slight wait in between. Each flight is assigned a check in time that correlates with their release time. On this morning, the fog remained for more than three hours from the normal start time. “We know it is hard for everyone to be patient and wait until conditions are safe,” Potts continued. “We will always put safety as top priority.” The fog finally lifted, and teams were released to head to their spots. The first flight was not due in until 4:30. Jason Hanks and Marc Woolems christened the scales with a limit weighing in at 17.34 pounds. Soon after, Yarri Schreibvogel and his youth partner Hailey Robertson initiated the Big Bass race with their catch of 6.59 lbs. The sacks of bass kept getting heavier and the kickers coming in kept getting bigger. Shannon Wingate and Cole Moore were the first to weigh in excess of twenty pounds, having a 25.85 lb sack. More and more teams brought in great catches in the twenty pound range under them and it looked like they were going to take the win. Mere minutes before the scales closed, Benjamin Gulett and Dustin Rivers brought in their catch, tipping the scales to 28.58 lbs to champion the event. The winners Benjamin Gulett and Dustin Rivers reported predominantly using a rattle trap for their catches, and had found the bite to be difficult to find. “We only had one fish in the boat at 3:00.” The extra time allotted due to the morning delay paid off for them. Between 3-4:00 they put their

from page 1

winning creel together, cashing in on the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 check! 2nd place winners Wingate and Moore also reported using rattle traps, fishing in 4’-8’ depths. They had all of the fish they weighed in by 1pm using Rayburn Red and Toledo Gold color patterns. They were awarded $6,000 plus the Lowrance bonus. Sean Kennon and Jordan Hollingsworth pulled out a 3rd place finish focusing on brush piles in 25’ of water using ¾ ounce Santone football head jigs. They caught a limit weighing 24.78 lbs to win $4,500. There were a lot of big bass weighed at the scales. The biggest of them all was weighed in by the team of Brannon Mire and Eric Arnold. Their big brute was 10.65 lbs, caught on a football jig, winning a $1,000 check for biggest fish of the day.

Shannon Wingate and Cole Moore were awarded $6,000 plus the Lowrance bonus for taking the second place spot with a total of 25.85 lbs. most points at the conclusion of the fourth regular season event in their region earn the Anglers of the Year award. Along with the prestigious title, the entry fees for the next season in that region are waived for the winners. The points race is tight with only two events to go. Currently the top five points leaders are:

Thirty seven teams won checks, with the last $600 going to Martin Elshout and Mark Price with 16.42 pounds. “When we have a large field of participants, we offer a $500 Conservation Bonus if you elect to pre-release your fish in lieu of weighing them in. It gives teams who would not have had enough weight to win a check an opportunity to cash in for their conservation efforts,” said Potts. All teams who elected not to weigh any fish were put into the drawing. David Czudek Sr and Emmett Dixon were the winners of the Conservation Bonus.

583 pts. Clayton Boulware & Albert Collins 575 pts. Jason Hanks & Marc Woolems 575 pts. Brian Lowrance & Jaret Latta 570 pts. Wyatt Frankens & Alec Castonguay 570 pts. Michael Newman & Justin Seeton

Each region has a total of four regular season events. Participants gain points in each, and the team with the

The final two East region events will occur March 10th on Sam Rayburn

and then May 12th back on Toledo Bend. In the meantime Bass Champs staff and crew are headed to Lake Fork February 24th. Remember – all Bass Champs regular season events are open to anyone who would like to compete! The next specialty tournament is coming up next month on Lake Fork on March 17. The annual Mega Bass tournament is the world’s richest one day hourly big bass event. $20,000 is guaranteed EVERY hour, plus the lucky angler who catches the biggest bass of the day will win a brand new Skeeter boat powered by a Yamaha motor. You don’t want to miss it! For more information please visit www.BassChamps.com or call 817-4393274.

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Illinois fisherman claims victory in B.A.S.S. Nation Regional on Toledo Bend

ob Blumenstein said wind might be the only thing that could hinder his chances of winning the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors. The wind howled Friday on Toledo Bend Reservoir, but Blumenstein won the tournament anyway.

The 51-year old Illinois angler closed the event with a five-bass limit that weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces. It was his lightest bag of the week, but it gave him a three-day total of 59-2, which was more than enough to earn the individual championship here in northwest Louisiana. Blumenstein won $6,500 for finishing first in the field of 190 boaters entered in the tournament. He also earned a spot in the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Magellan Outdoors, which will be held later this year on an undisclosed date and fishery. The leading anglers from each of the other 18 states competing here advanced to the national championship, as did 19 nonboaters who led their respective states. In all, 380 anglers took part in the tournament, but none caught bass like Blumenstein. “I caught them right there; about a 10-minute ride from here,” he said motioning to a point within sight of the Cypress Bend Park launch. “It was just a magical spot.” That it was, but Blumenstein feared wind might disrupt the catch. He boated a 16-14 bag on Wednesday when the wind steadily blew, but he felt his spot could produce heavier bass in less blustery conditions. When Mother

Nature cooperated on Thursday, Blumenstein increased his catch to a tournament-best 25-13. That gave him a 4-pound, 1-ounce lead over the field heading into the final day of fishing. He started the final day by hooking a 7-pounder within moments of pulling up to his spot, and he backed it up with a pair of 3-pounders and two smaller bass that provided him the winning weight.

“I kept working a point that had a steel seawall around it,” he said. “There was a gradual drop from about 14 to 18 feet there and the fish would stack up. For about an hour each morning, they would come up into about 6 feet of water. They did that all three days. I’d throw a crankbait or a jig for that hour; hour and 10 minutes. That’s where I caught all the fish.”

Photo by Andy Canulette/B.A.S.S.

Illinois angler Bob Blumenstein wins the 2018 Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors with a three-day total weight of 59 pounds, 2 ounces on Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana. place, but a 17-2 sack vaulted him into the hot seat early in the final weigh-in. He held the spot through the very end, when fellow Louisiana angler Charlie Hewitt (who led after Day 2) weighed only one bass.

Blumenstein’s used a Missouri Craw Chompers jig with twin trailers as his primary lure, and he went to a silver-backed herring crankbait at times.

“Yesterday, I was using a Brushbuster jig, a Carolina rig and a spinner bait,” Newchurch said. “Today, it was nothing but a lizard on a Carolina rig. All of this is really exciting.”

It was his fourth trip to a B.A.S.S. Nation regional. (He reached this level twice as a boater and twice as a nonboater.) It’s the first time, however, he made it to Day 3 of a regional and the first time he’ll represent his state in the national championship.

He fished Friday with Corey Brant of Minnesota B.A.S.S. Nation. Brant second in the boater division. They fished a flat in the middle of the reservoir that ranged from 12 to 30 feet. It was his first time in a regional and he earned $3,250 for the victory.

“This is incredible,” he said. “I don’t know how the pros do this all the time. I didn’t eat well, I didn’t sleep. I’m out of it. But I feel great. What a week.” Louisiana’s Todd Newchurch won the nonboater division with a threeday total of 39-1. Anglers in the nonboater division could catch three bass per day, and the Livonia resident had his limit all three days.

“It was a great place to fish,” Newchurch said. “I was on good fish all three days.” Indiana’s Chris Myers, who caught an 11-6 bass on Thursday, won $500 for having the heaviest bass in the boater

Newchurch started today in third

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A day earlier, Louisiana defeated 18 other squads for the team championship. Team Arkansas finished second in that competition, and Team Iowa finished third.

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division. Louisiana’s Michael Nobile won $250 for his 8-15 bass, which was the heaviest by a nonboater.

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Atwells’ win Texas Bass Couples tournament March 11 with 15.68 lbs.

By Tammy Mong

avid & Molly Atwell get it done! 15.68 topped the leaderboard today.

Robert & Molly Laird came in 2nd with 15.11 & ladies Big bass (again!) 4.98! Way to go Molly! Rick & Debbie Barns weighed in, which means they got a check! 3rd Place 14.52 & Mens Big Bass 5.99 17 teams roughed out the wild weather in the morning, to fish today. I’m going to ask again for y’all to keep ya fingers crossed for good weather next Tournament!!

Submitted photo.

See y’all on Rayburn on April 29 out of Cassell Boykin.

Left to Right: Team Atwell, Team Laird, Team Barns

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Jason Lebrun and Karl Ryan win the Haynesville Shale Bass Tournament March 2-3, with a total of 43.73 lbs. Submitted photos.

Team #66, Preston Massey and Abo Canton, took first place on Friday with 23.7 lbs.

Jason Lebrun and Karl Ryan, team #49, took first place overall bringing in a total of 43.73 lbs. for both days. They also placed second on Saturday with 22.49 lbs.

Big Bass for Friday, 8.81 lbs, was brought in by Bobby Pagitt, team #45.

Kenny Lee and Scott Lee team #76 took first place on Saturday with 22.77 lbs. They are also second place overall Saturday with a total of 43.15 lbs.

The Grand Drawing winner of $6,000 was team #44 Ivy Placing second on Friday was Casey Newman and Keith Rose team #67 Bernard and Jason Galbreath who also took third place with 21.5 lbs. on the second day with 22.25 lbs.

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BASSIN’ FACTS AND TRENDS by Pro Guide, Joe Joslin

Trash on Our Lakes and Highways

ello anglers and outdoor addicts. My heart is heavy and at times I become almost angry when I see so much trash showing up on our beautiful Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn lakes. Since anglers and boaters are the only people using our lakes then the ‘Trashing’ is coming from some of us. I have a ‘Zero Trash Policy’ in my boat and have had for all the time I have been guiding which is 20 years. By Zero Trash Policy I mean I throw zero trash in the lake. Whatever trash I generate on a day’s fishing it goes in a specific place in my boat and then it goes in a trash bend at the launch site or I take it home and dispose of it.

not litter our lakes. It only takes one generation to make a change. We need our youth to step up and take a strong stand. May it be so!

Another practice that some anglers/ boaters have is to finish a beverage in a plastic bottle or aluminum can and throw it in the bottom of the boat. What happens is when the boat picks up speed then the A small sample of trash at a public boat launch on b o t t l e / c a n goes fly- south Toledo. ing out of the boat. My ‘guess’ is that over 90% of anglers/boaters will not go back after that trash object. Another similar then happens when and angler/boater leaves the lake in his/her truck and has thrown empty bottles/cans over into the truck bed. When the vehicle speeds up then that trash starts flying and becomes trash on the sides of our roadways.

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Joe Joslin is a syndicated writer and is published by numerous websites, newspapers and magazines plus is a pro guide on Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn and a TPWD licensed guide since 1998. Contact at joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com, 337-463-3848/409-565-1288 and website www.joejoslinoutdoors.com.

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We can do better…..much better. Also our children are watching us and they emulate exactly what we do. If we trash or lakes and roadways then more than likely, they will do the same. It is not difficult to have a zero trash policy in your boat and vehicle but it does take just a little thought and planning. Keep a trash bag (small plastic bag) in your boat and vehicle and dispose of it properly when you get off the lake and back home. We need this generation of youth to become citizens with a desire to keep God’s creation beautiful and trash free. I am encouraged that all of the high school and college fishing teams are getting training to

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Just a couple minutes from Lake! REDUCED! $7,000 A-626/74133

30 Years Experience Fishing Toledo Bend SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, PRO ANGLER / GUIDE TPWD LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GUIDE SINCE 1998

In Rogers Harbor Subdivision of Toledo Bend. $25,000 TB-938/73562

Town & Country Real Estate 936-598-6111

mail to: joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com

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Neat 3/1.5 home, Waterfront in Lovicks Landing Subdivision. REDUCED!! $125,000 TB-937/73227

Home in Rogers Harbor. $110,000 TB-942/75191

JOE JOSLIN OUTDOORS

Located on the Sabine River!

Great Cottage Style 2/1 Waterfront

Jodi Fountain, Owner/Broker

114 Nacogdoches St., Center, TX 75935

www.town-country-re.com

Email: info@tbrtoday.com

Toledo Bend Fishing Report North End Greg Crafts-Toledo Bend Guide Service & Lake Cottage – gregcrafts@yahoo.com (936) 368-7151, www.toledobendguide.com

he lake should be in great shape going into April with plenty of water. Heavy rains in early March pushed the lake over high pool resulting in SRA opening the gates. As of this report, the level is 172.26 msl (high pool being 172 msl) with both generators running 24/7 and five gates open at one foot. April is a transition month. It’s probably one of the most difficult months to pattern fish consistently. The fish are on the move and you will have to adjust accordingly. Some bass will still be on the beds and in shallow water while others will have spawned and will be moving back out to deeper water. Moving off the beds they will try to find a comfortable environment where they can recuperate from the spawn and gradually move into their summer haunts. The bass will migrate along the creeks, ditches and secondary points, so concentrate in these areas, especially areas that have some type of structure or cover. A variety of baits

will be productive from top water plugs, buzz baits, spinner baits, frogs, jerk & swim baits, Rat-L-Traps, shallow to mid-diving crank baits, finesse plastics and your variety of worms. Basically, everything in your tackle box can be productive. Usually in the latter part of April the Bream will start moving into shallow water for their spawn. The Bream will spawn from mid April to late June and early July when water temperatures range from 65 to 80 degrees. But the water temperatures in the 70- to 75-degree range, are the prime temperatures. An ultra-lite spinning rig, cane or glass pole and a bucket of crickets or worms will sureSee REPORT: North End, page 20

Mid-Lake Fishing Report Miles McDaniel,Holly Park Fishing Guide – 409-625-4424 – www.hollyparkmarina.com

he lake level is a little above full pool @ 172’ and water temp is around 64 deg. The water level is slowly dropping but as long as we keep getting heavy rainfalls it wont be dropping much. But with the high lake levels means there is plenty of buck brush and cypress trees in the water. In patroon there is very little grass so any bit of brush in the water is key spots for locating these spawning bass. We have ben flipping the brush with 1/2 oz -3/4 oz Talon Billy mac jigs in rayburn craw and black and blue with matching craw trailors. Most creature baits in a darker color have ben working well to when thrown texas rig style. There are a lot of people working the brush line but not everyone is putting there bait where the fish are. A lot of the bass we have ben catching in the brush are not on the outer edges like most people only fish, in most cases I have to get the nose of the boat up in the brush and flip as far back into it as possible. When doin this it is almost necessary to have braided line and with the stained water conditions we have ben having lately I haven’t noticed any less bites while using braid. Don’t be afraid to fish a stretch of brush that you have already seen other boats fish because there are constantly more fish moving up and like I said before not everyone is hitting

those hard to reach places. Now not all the bass are up in the brush, nor will they ever make it that far in. Some of the biggest stringers can be caught this time of the year fishing out in the flats ,ditches, and points where fish may be staging in. Rattle traps , bladed jigs and spinner baits can work as great locater baits when trying to cover a lot of area to find where the fish are holding. Once you find some fish you can pick up your soft plastics and give that area a slower approach to pick up the fish that arnt as active. Even during this time of the year there will be fish in all depths. A lot of the deeper staging areas will hold fish that are moving up to spawning grounds and post spawn fish. This is the time of year to catch a bass of a lifetime but you cant catch it unless you get your line wet!! Crappie are moving up to spawn also and can be caught around the shallow See REPORT: Mid-Lake, page 20

South Lake Fishing Report

Pro Guide Joe Joslin, 30 Yrs. Experience – joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com – 337-463-3848 – 409-565-1288

pril on the south end of The Bend is a fun month as top water patterns are working both on poppers with my favorites being Frenzy Popper, Yellow Magic and Chug Bug. I also love the walking top water baits as they catch some of the biggest fish of all top water lures. My favorite walking lures include Frenzy Walkers and Zara Spooks. Both of these lures are easy to ‘walk’. And then there’s the Frog which includes several types including Stanley’s Ribbit and Top Toad which are two of my favorites. The Ribbit is made to use almost like a buzzbait but the sound is more subtle. The Ribbit under the right conditions can be a blast because you can catch a lot of bass as well as quality bass.

bass are holding in April. I usually use 12 lb test Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon with a medium action 7 to 7’6” rod. With 12 lb test Fluorocarbon and a long rod and Revo reel I can make long casts which is important when fishing crankbaits.

The Top Toad is a floating frog and I don’t catch as many bass on it but it seems to catch large bass. My favorite color in both the Ribbit and Top Toad is green pumpkin pearl. However, there are times when a solid white and solid black work extremely well. I fish my frogs on 30-50 lb. Spider Braid. In addition to top water patterns I catch a lot of fish on Texas rigged Bottom Hoppers in Green Pumpkin, June Bug and Red Bug. A unique thing about the Red Bug Bottom Hopper is Berkley is no longer making that color. I know several anglers, including yours truly, who use that color often. Maybe they will reconsider because Berkley’s Red Bug Bottom Hopper is a very different color than other companies Red Bug.

CRAPPIE: Crappie guide, Jack Adams, says April (Especially mid April) is a great time to catch crappie as they have finished spawning and are relating to man- made brush piles. Adams says the spawn was basically finished by mid March which was an early spawn so they could be on brush in early April in significate numbers.

Crankbaits are also very effective in April especially squarebill. I also love Norman’s Deep Little N (DLN) as it runs 10-12 feet which is the depth (6-12) that many

VISIT WWW.TBRTODAY.COM

Since the last part of April is mostly post spawn I start to use a drop shot, especially in late mornings and midday. I normally drop shot in 18-25 ft. with 8-10 lb. test with spinning tackle and use a Bottom Hopper Jr. (4.75 inch) and 1/0 Fusion drop shot hook.

Email: info@tbrtoday.com

Kountze team makes it a family affair on Toledo Bend

ather’s Day is still a few months away, but it is hard to imagine a better early Father’s Day gift than than what Mr Roy Anderson of Kountze received last Sunday when he was able to stand beside his two son’s atop a field of 500 teams to claim the 3rd leg of the SETX Ford Championship Series presented by Skeeter boats. Originally scheduled for Saturday, the event was postponed until Sunday as the National Weather Service posted Lake Wind Advisories for the area. “We monitored the weather all week and we knew Saturday was going to be iffy at best so we decided to postpone the event until Sunday” said SETX President Bryan Thomas. Sunday saw the winds lay considerably, but after a few good hours Sunday morning, the rains came around 9 am and lingered all day. Even though conditions deteriorated throughout the day, it did not stop the SETX anglers from bringing in almost 800 fish weighing nearly a ton to the scales at Cypress Bend. Tackle Addict First Place Team- 23.83 LBS- Kountze HS- Matthew Anderson and Lane Anderson- Boat Captain Roy Anderson

Ask any father their idea of a “perfect day” with their kids and they might very well answer that question by saying “spending quality time on the water with them”. What could be better than that you ask? How about 24 LBS of East Texas Bass and topping a field of 500 teams to claim the first ever SETX event on Toledo Bend. “ We are just very thankful we got those bites, especially the two big bites” said Capt. Anderson. “We did not catch but 7 fish all day, with the two larger ones coming around 9:30 and noon, both on chartreuse/white spinner baits” concluded Anderson. The team reported having pre fished on Saturday and finding some good fish, only to find out Sunday morning that the area had been blown out with muddy water. Targeting 3-6 foot drains in Housen Bay, the team also reported catching fish on Rat-L-Traps as well. Second Place Team - 23.81 LBS- Spurger HS- Dayson Robertson and Dalton Holley- Boat Captain Bubba Frazier Anytime an SETX team brings 20 LBS to the scales, it is quite the accomplishment. It’s even more of an accomplishment when you are fishing without your partner! That is exactly what happened this past weekend when Dayson fished alone and brought almost 24 Lbs to the scales, including an 8.58 LB anchor that also claimed Big Bass for the tournament. “We did not pre fish any. In fact, it has been 5-6 years since I have even been on this lake” said Capt Bubba Frazier. The team reported having launched their Skeeter boat at Fin and Feather and stayed on the lower end of the lake all day throwing Lews rods and reels loaded with chatter baits and focusing on lilly stems and hay grass to accumulate their bag of fish. “It was a slow bite, but the quality was there. The big fish came with about 15 minutes remaining so we decided to make the run up to Cypress Bend in the rain, rather than try to trailer back” concluded Capt Frazier. See SETX, page 16

Matthew and Lane Anderson with Dad Roy Anderson from Kountze. Tackle Addict 1st Place team Arthur & Shasta Forehand Owners/Operators

Non-Ethanol Gas

Come in and try one of our homemade hamburgers, All-American farm-raised catfish, or one of our homecooked meals, then top it off with some hand dipped Blue Bell ice cream!

Gas • Cafe • Pizza’s • Bait-Tackle Groceries • Ice • Beer-Liquor COME TRY OUR DELICIOUS CAJUN CRAWFISH! Available Friday & Saturday Night Open M-Th 5:30-7:30; Fri.-Sat. 5:30-8:30; Sun. 9-7:30

8301 Highway 473, Florien, LA • 318-565-4674

Capt Bubba Frazier and Dayson Robertson of Spurger. 2nd Place

VISIT WWW.TBRTODAY.COM

Email: info@tbrtoday.com

Stop b

Texas All-Tackle Records for Toledo Bend

Great Catch!

Updated March 5, 2018

Species

Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Striped Bass, White Bass, White x Yellow Bass, Yellow Bluegill Bowfin Buffalo, Bigmouth Buffalo, Smallmouth Bullhead, Yellow Carp, Common Carp, Gass Catfish, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Flathead Crappie, Black Crappie, White Drum, Freshwater Gar, Alligator Gar, Longnose Gar, Spotted Pickerel, Redfin Shad, Gizzard Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Other Hybrid Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Redear Warmouth

Species Bass, Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, White Bass, White x Yellow Bass, Yellow Bluegill Bowfin Buffalo, Smallmouth Bullhead, Yellow Carp, Common Catfish, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Flathead Crappie, Black Crappie, White Drum, Freshwater Gar, Spotted Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Other Hybrid Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Redear Warmouth

Weight Length 15.81 15.32 3.40 33.22 4.40 2.01 1.86 1.12 19.00 81.50 84.76 1.25 39.50 53.50 84.00 7.94 97.50 4.00 3.44 31.50 260.00 43.80 8.78 0.66 0.83 0.54 1.12 0.88 0.80 1.09

32.50 28.00 16.25 41.00 20.00 16.00 15.00 10.63 32.50 47.50 47.00 13.00 40.25 49.00 51.25 25.00 48.00 17.00 17.13 30.00 96.00 60.50 36.25 13.00 12.75 8.50 10.88 9.75 10.50 11.00

Date May 25, 1987 July 3, 2000 Feb. 7, 2009 Feb. 8, 1980 June 19, 2010 June 12, 2013 May 19, 2013 June 2, 2015 Jan. 3, 1975 July 4, 2011 Sept. 9, 2006 March 16, 2011 March 31, 2013 Aug. 2, 2006 April 13, 2007 April 25, 2009 May 24, 1991 Dec. 5, 2002 Feb. 21, 2011 March 3, 1995 March 18, 2017 March 13, 2016 March 11, 2012 Feb. 10, 2009 March 30, 2014 May 5, 2012 April 4, 2016 July 4, 2010 Sept. 5, 2008 April 14, 1995

Angler

Method

Johnny Pritchett Eric Weems Larry Upshaw James Kent Jr. Lisle Brook Jody Holden Grant Ketelers Angela H. Eastridge George E. Lord Martin McIntyre Miles McDaniel Mark Balderas Michael Hutto Tontie Pennock Thomas Allcorn Clint Walker Otis L. Pleasant Hazel Bolton Claude Gilcrease Jr. Freddie Keel Hunter Graham Michael Hutto Dylan Lyons Bill Ritzell Richard Fleury Hunter Woodward Dennis Taylor Gage Shepherd Robert Prejean William Tawney

JUNIOR ANGLER RECORDS Weight Length Date Angler 11.48 1.50 2.24 1.48 1.86 1.03 12.10 53.15 1.25 24.40 43.50 3.68 26.60 2.54 2.75 4.48 8.78 0.54 0.89 0.88 0.80 0.68

26.00 13.75 17.25 14.25 15.00 10.50 30.00 38.00 13.00 0.00 43.50 22.00 36.00 15.13 16.50 24.25 36.25 8.50 10.50 9.75 10.00 8.75

March 6, 2007 March 17, 2011 May 12, 2008 Oct. 21, 2011 May 19, 2013 May 18, 2014 Jan. 12, 2018 Oct. 28, 2014 March 16, 2011 March 13, 2012 July 1, 2017 April 8, 2012 July 4, 2017 Feb. 19, 2011 March 18, 2011 May 22, 2011 March 11, 2012 May 5, 2012 May 31, 2015 July 4, 2010 April 12, 2011 May 21, 2010

Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod & Reel Trotline Bow and Arrow Bow and Arrow Rod and Reel Bow and Arrow Rod and Reel Trotline Rod and Reel Trotline Cane Pole Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Bow and Arrow Bow and Arrow Bow and Arrow Rod and Reel Bow and Arrow Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel

Submitted photo John Avant with some nice catfish ranging from 21 lb. to 58 lb. at Bill’s Landing on March 13, 2018.

Method

Dylan Lyons Gage Shepherd Dylan Lyons Nicholas Hirsch Grant Ketelers Jayden C. Romero Zaine Williamson Dylan Lyons Mark Balderas Dylan Lyons Gage Shepherd Lexie Murty Gage Shepherd Forrest Gothia Gage Shepherd Mashaelie Blackwell Dylan Lyons Hunter Woodward Gunner R. Norton Gage Shepherd Carson Downey Holly Berry

Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Bow and Arrow Rod and Reel Bow and Arrow Handline Jug Line Handline Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Bow and Arrow Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel Rod and Reel

Submitted photo These boys out fished grandpa Rick Battles on their noodles. Body’s fish weighed 30 lb. & little brother Dax’s fish was 36 lb. at Bill’s Landing on February 17.

SEND YOUR TOURNAMENT RESULTS, NEWS & PICTURES to info@tbrtoday.com! VISIT WWW.TBRTODAY.COM

Email: info@tbrtoday.com

Louisiana State Fish Records for Toledo Bend Rod & Reel

Documented and kept by the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association - Updated February 24, 2018 Rank Species Weight Angler Date

2 3 7 1 3 4 2 1 2 3 8

Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass, Striped Bass, Striped Bass, Yellow Bowfi n Crappie, Black Drum, Freshwater Drum, Freshwater

15.21 15.00 11.75 47.50 38.75 38.25 2.56 20.50 3.55 23.18 20.0

Tadd R. Jennings Richard Thompson J.D. Murphy James L. Taylor Larry Simmons Anthony Clemens Dean Higginbotham Brian Fant Jodie E. Crouch, Jr. Dallas Cole Richard L. Doggett

May 1992 June 1993 March 1979 August 1991 September 1992 June 1988 January 2011 April 1976 March 2003 February 2002 March 1994

Send your great catch to info@tbrtoday.com Include name, date of catch, and if possible the general location, weight and bait used.

Gary Deardorff from Decatur IL caught this 8.1lb bass on a wacky worm. Holly Park Marina, March 6th.

Larry Haubner from Decatur IL caught this 6.3lb bass on a wacky worm. Holly Park Marina, March 6th.

Schedule of Events from Around The Lake Date

Event

13-15 20-21

Battle of Pleasant Hill San Augustine Pro Rodeo

4-5 4-5

May Fest Sale On The Trail

VISIT WWW.TBRTODAY.COM

APRIL

MAY

Location 3 Mi. N. of Pleasant Hill, LA San Augustine, TX Leesville, LA Natchitoches, LA - TX Hwy. 21

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Soil Culture

by John Talbott

Chinese New Year decorations and ďŹ‚owers for good luck and prosperity Article compiled by John Talbott-Talbott Nursery and Poultry of Jasper, Texas

he Chinese New Year marks the start of the Lunar calendar year, and is an exhilarating, colorful, and joyous time. The two-week festival is synonymous with fireworks, sparklers, lion dancers and drums, but it is also a time filled with meaning, where families come together to share a meal, give the house a thorough cleaning to sweep away misfortune before the New Year starts. Each Chinese Year is associated with an animal sign according to the Chinese New Year, rather than January 1. 2018 is the Year of the Dog. Those who celebrate the Chinese New Year fill their

Chinese Celebration

homes with decorations, fruit, and flowers. These are symbols of and promote wealth, longevity, good fortune, and happinessâ€Śsounds good to me!!! Lucky flowers represent new growth after the long, dead winter, and are important signifiers of life and good fortune. A tree or plant in bloom will often bear fruit, which are seen as potent symbols of fortune. Here are some of the Chinese New Year flowers proven to be most popular during the festivities: Orchids-signify refinement, luxury,

Peonies

Talbott

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Azaleas & Dogwood Trees are in bloom! Snap Dragons

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Our garden center is #1 in this area with colorful baskets and pots as well as bedding plants both vegetable and flowers.

Trucks arriving weekly with fresh plants! We also carry all the fertilizer, seed, and everything you need to make it grow!

Join us Saturday, April 7th for our Customer Appreciation Day!

Pussy Willow and innocence or purity.

good luck to the family.

Plum Blossoms-represent endurance, perseverance, reliability, and courage.

Lucky Colors are found to be red and gold!

Peonies-associated with feminine beauty, innocence, affection, and charm.

Red-symbolizes joy, virtue, truth, and sincerity—the power to scare away evil spirits!

Pussy Willow-associated with a growth and the coming of bountiful fortune.

Elders give red packets to unwedded youngsters as a form of blessing.

Narcissus-a symbol of good fortune, and prosperity.

Gold-symbolizes fortune and prosperity.

Lucky fruits are another Chinese New Year decoration that is rich in symbolism.

• So if you are looking for luck, happiness, and prosperity this year I hope you celebrated 16 Feb 2018, as Chinese or Oriental New Year!! My wife is Filipina and she does many of these things…especially the sweeping out of demons, money in the billfold, opening of all closets and cupboards to let the bad guys out!! Come to think of it, doesn’t sound so crazy…no more so than some traditions us ScotchIrish-English have…including the Irish Leprechauns!!w

Oranges-look like the sun and are aligned with the Yang or positive principle. Grapes, Plums, Jujube, Kumquats, Pomelos, and Solanum Mammosum-symbolize good luck, wealth, fortune, gold, prosperity, and fertility. Also Pomelos-used in cooking, symbolizes family unity thought to bring

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Lucky Fruit - Oranges

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Email: info@tbrtoday.com

SETX

from page 11

Third Place team- 21.99 LBS- Livingston HS- Cody Ross and Cody Laird- Boat Captian Robert Laird Having already claimed a first place finish in the first SETX event in January, team Livingston cracks the top 3 again with the team of Ross and Laird bringing in nearly 22 LBS to the scales last Sunday. Having launched at Patroon Bay, the team from Livingston targeted mid lake shallow bushes in the 1-4 foot range with Senko’s to accumulate their bag. The team reported a limit by 10 am and culled up throughout the day. When asked about any trade secrets, the team reported that they were barely moving the Senko, fishing it super slow. Both of the kids wished to thank the Lord for their success and their parents for their support. Capt Laird concluded with this statement, “These boys are amazing fishermen and it is really fun to be their captain. I am just glad to spend some time with these kids and I appreciate SETX for allowing these students to have an outlet for their passion. I am glad they can get out on the lake and enjoy their time on the water”. REST of the Top Ten 4th Place- 20.98 LBS- Jasper HS- Hudson Faircloth and Chase Webb 5th Place- 20.28 LBS- East Chambers HS- Slade Parnell and Braeden Credeur 6th Place- 20.00 LBS- Buna HS- Trace Marks and Denton Peveto

Cody Ross and Cody Laird--Livingston HS 3rd Place

7th Place- 19.31 LBS- LCM HS- John Lingo and Samuel Mcdonald 8th Place- 19.23 LBS- LCM HS- Tyler Shearin and Kameryn Henderson 9th Place- 19.22 LBS- Bridge City HS- Tanner Wilson and Ethan Bourque 10th Place- 18.98 LBS- Bridge City HSRiley Pipps and Ky Terrell Top 3 Big Bass and winners of Lews Fishing Gear 1st Place- 8.58 LBS- Spurger HS- Dayson Robertson and Dalton Holley 2nd Place- 8.04 LBS- Kountze HS- Matthew Anderson and Lane Anderson 3rd Place- 7.58 LBS- Jasper HS- Hudson Faircloth and Chase Webb Leak Sealers/V&M Baits Conservation Prize Winners Jace Nunellyn of Bridge City was the lucky recipient of the Leak Sealers/V&M Baits Conservation prize of $500 this past weekend. So how did he win? Instead of weighing his fish, he

V&M Baits/Laek Sealers Conservation Prize Winner Jace Nunnelly of Bridge City. CPR (catch, photo, release)

fiShinG & huntinG LicenSe SoLd here!

QUICK

If anyone was around the Cypress Bend Pavilion at around 1:00-1:30 on Sunday, then you heard it!! Perhaps the loudest screams of the day happened when Hunter Murphy and Bailey Strother of West Sabine paid a visit to Crystal Heigley and the 3lb scales located at the corner of the SETX stage. For two tournaments, the 3 lb exact weight pot had gone unclaimed, meaning that the prize money has ‘rolled over” into what would now be worth almost 6 THOUSAND DOLLARS!! Having just weighed in a very respectable 12.43 LB stringer in only their 3rd tournament to ever fish, the team decided to pick one out of their bag to try their luck at the 3 LB pot, and that is when the eruption of screams and shouts began!! They nailed it! Exactly 3.00 on the scales and instantly winning the $6000 pot. SETX wishes to thank Ms Crystal Heigley and the entire Allman Real Estate Team for sponsoring the even weight 3 lb pot.

Lastly, the board wanted to make sure that all of you take the time to go by the many sponsor booth’s at the tournaments and say “HI” and “thank you” for supporting the young anglers of Southeast Texas. As always, please remember these companies when it comes time to make your own personal purchases!! They are supporting us, so please support them. When out and about, let these people know you support them because they support SETX HS Fishing.

Gift Shop

FISHING TACKLE • AMMO

THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE SETX SPONSORS for helping make SETX the premiere HS Fishing Trail in the country!!!

LIVE BAIT! Minnows-Worms – Crickets 12762 Hwy. 84 East, Joaquin, Texas • 936-269-4500 • OPEN 24-7

VISIT WWW.TBRTODAY.COM

3 LB Pot- Crystal Heigley and the Allman Real Estate Team

The SETX board wanted to make sure they sent out many THANKS to the all the volunteers who helped last Sunday. Your time and your patience is absolutely necessary for the success of this organization. We simply cannot thank all of you enough for your efforts. THANK YOU ALL.

BEST MINNOWS ON THE LAKE!

joaquin

simply snapped a photo and released the fish back into the lake. He then entered his photo at the conservation booth and his team # was drawn!! It is that simple. Jace even got an item or two from V&M baits for his participation as all entries receive a V&M prize. We encourage all of our teams to participate in this program should they not have the best day on the water. If you have a bag of fish that is less than 5-6 LBS and the chances of earning a check look slim, this is an excellent way to at least have a chance of taking home some cash!! Thank you to Leak Sealers and V&M for supporting this awesome program.

For full results, or more information about all of our sponsors, please visit www.setxhighschoolfishing.com or visit our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/setxhighschoolfishing/

Email: info@tbrtoday.com

TBLA offers handling tips for Lunker Bass Program

Harkness Litter Service

936.254.9810

DBA: H5 Farms, LLC

Brian & Becky Harkness, Owners

HANDLING TIPS:

1. Keeping your lunker alive is critical. Handle it carefully and go to a weigh station ASAP. 2.

Always wet your hands before handling and transferring the fish.

3. Avoid holding the fish vertically by the lower lip. Use one hand to firmly grasp the lower jaw and the other to support the weight just behind the belly. Or, use a knotless, fine mesh, soft net or plastic weigh bag to transfer the fish. 4.

Try not to hold the fish out of water longer than 30 seconds.

5. Transfer the fish to a well-aerated live well or aerated cooler, out of direct sunlight. 6.

Chicken Litter Cleanout, Shavings/Sawdust, Flex Base, Asphalt, Rock, Mulch, and Kiddie Cushion

Go immediately to a TBLA Weigh Station.

TBLA OFFICIAL WEIGH STATIONS

Toledo Town and Tackle, LA side, Mid Lake -Hwy 191 and LA 6 (318) 256-5613; Buckeye Landing, LA side, South Lake- 268 Buckeye Lane, Many, La (24-hr. on call #’s) (318) 586-4757 or (318) 508-2971); Fin & Feather Resort, TX side South Lake- 245 Fin & Feather Drive., Hemphill, Tx (409) 579-2056; Fairmount General Store, Tx side South Lake- 2419 Fairdale Rd., Hemphill, Tx (409) 579-9080; Keith’s Toledo Bend Tackle, Tx side, Mid Lake- 6302 State Hwy 21 E, Hemphill, Tx (409) 625-0181; Holly Park Mid-lake TX side, 3000 E Carter’s Ferry Rd, Milam, Tx (409) 625-4424, 24Hr# (936) 596-5343; Huxley Bay Marina, Tx side, North Lake, 13200 FM Rd 2694, Shelbyville, Tx (866) 733-8193.

VISIT WWW.TBRTODAY.COM

8041 St. Hwy. 87N Timpson, Texas

harknesslitter@yahoo.com Brian’s Cell: 936.591.1143

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TBLA Lunker Bass Catches

Lukus Miller of Eros, LA caught this 10.92 lb fish on January 27, 2018 and weighed it in at Toledo Town and Tackle. This is fish number 015 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

January, February and March

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Kyle Stutes of Scott, LA caught this 10.40 lb fish on February 16, 2018 and weighed it in at Toledo Town and Tackle. This is fish number 016 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

EXCELLENCE GUARANTEED

COLLISION SPECIALISTS Keith Jefferson, Owner

936-598-3210

548 Hwy. 7 East, Center, Texas 75935 Fax: 936-598-4716

WELCOME FISHERMEN

Shady Oaks

We have Minnows & Worms!

(Nightcrawlers)

Phillip Durio of Elton, LA caught this 11.67 lb fish on February 16, 2018 and weighed it in at Toledo Town and Tackle. This is fish number 017 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Come by and try the Best Burgers in Town! Also serving Plate Lunches Mon.-Fri. from 10-1.

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Tyler Enloe of Batson, TX caught this 10 lb. fish on February 17, 2018 and weighed it in at Fin and Feather Resort. This is fish number 018 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

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Report

from page 10

North End

ly fill up a chest of big ole bream. Look for “honey-cone” circles in the shallows to locate the beds. Work the beds from the outside in so not to disturb the beds. Try not to over fish the bed and let it rest. Look for the Crappie in the backs of the coves and pockets. If you don’t find them shallow, follow the points and bends in the creeks as they head back out to deep water. Shiners, jigs and beetle-spins work great. The White bass are finishing up their spawn in the river proper and are heading back into the main lake. Some of the best fishing can be had this time of year as they bunch up on the north end sandbars. Slab spoons, tail spinners, Rat-L-traps or live crawfish work best.

Mid-Lake

brush in 2-4’. It seems that they like to stay close to cypress trees that are in the water. Best thing to do when trying to find these shallow crappie is pick you a stretch of bank that you like and work down it throwing a crappie jig or minnows with a cork. Throw up shallow and slowly work it out to deeper water. Every area can be different so just find out what works for you. And also docks can be a great place to hold a lot of crappie. Crappie can still be caught deep in brush piles around the creeks (15-20’)

Greg Crafts Toledo Bend Guide Service & Lake Cottages

Operating out of Huxley Bay

Located on the fishin’ end of lake Toledo Bend

Over 20 Years Experience Specializing in... Black Bass, White Bass, Crappie & Bream

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Visit one of our local dealers to pick up your tournament winning

Talon Fishing Unlimited, Inc. Milam, Texas, U.S.A. Talon Lures! talonfishing.com VISIT WWW.TBRTODAY.COM

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Taylor Hulsey of Orange, TX caught this 10.07 lb fish on February 17, 2018 and weighed it in at Toledo Town and Tackle. This is fish number 019 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Ryan Melancon of Lake Charles, LA caught this 10.41 lb. fish on February 24, 2018 and weighed it in at Fin and Feather Resort. This is fish number 022 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Eric Arnold of Lafayette, LA caught this 10.65 lb fish on February 17, 2018 and weighed it in at Keithâ€™s Toledo Bend Tackle. This is fish number 020 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Lucas Markus of Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin caught this 10.45 lb. fish on February 28, 2018 and weighed it in at Fin and Feather Resort. This is fish number 023 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Monty Wright of Deberry, TX caught this 10.10 lb fish on February 19, 2018 and weighed it in at Toledo Town and Tackle. This is fish number 021 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Keith Carmouche of Marksville, LA caught this 10.61 lb fish on March 2, 2018 and weighed it in at Toledo Town and Tackle. This is fish number 024 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

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Lance Turpin of Franklin, Kansas caught this 10.21 lb. fish on March 3, 2018 and weighed it in at Fin and Feather Resort. This is fish number 025 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Johnny Downs of St. Francisville, LA caught this 10.33 lb previously caught fish on March 7, 2018 and weighed it in at Keithâ€™s Toledo Bend Tackle. This is fish number 028 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Eric Fusilier of DeRidder, LA caught this 10.77 lb. fish on March 3, 2018 and weighed it in at Fin and Feather Resort. This is fish number 026 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Trent Blanchard of Port Allen, LA caught this 10.17 lb. fish on March 8, 2018 and weighed it in at Fin and Feather Resort. This is fish number 029 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Larry Mallet of Groves, TX caught this 12.12 lb. fish on March 4, 2018 and weighed it in at Fin and Feather Resort. This is fish number 027 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

Chris Myers of Madison, IN caught this 11 lb. fish on March 8, 2018 and weighed it in at Bass Federation Regional This is fish number 030 for the May 2017 to May 2018 year.

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Broaddus teammates Brush, Yates win DETX HS tourney By Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina

ecky Yates received the best wedding present ever when granddaughter Jade, partner Gavin Brush and her new hubby Carl Eddins brought home the gold by winning their second Deep East Texas High School Fishing Series tournament of the year Saturday February 24th at Jackson Hill Marina. To top it off Brother Wayne Barth from the First Baptist Church of Broaddus and around 200 of the deep east fishing family celebrated Carl and Becky’s vows of marriage.

baits to coax their fish to bite as the field of 60 teams found windy conditions that challenged them throughout the day. Other successful teams found Senko’s and jerk baits also produced some very good spring fish as this year’s spawn begins. Second place went to LCM’s Garrison Byerly and Will Henson WITH 16.27 lbs. and Darrell Tompkins and Kaleb Hyden took third with 14.88 lbs.

The big bass of the day was a nice

Jade and Gavin stuck with spinner

The tournament also honored this year’s sweet six teams who lead the AOY points for the first four tournaments. The sweet six included the tournaments winning team of Jade Yates and Gavin Brush from Broaddus along with Addy Stringer and Abram Boles from Huntington, Breckett Long and Kaden Mueck from Livingston, Cody Mundy and Braden Askew from Broaddus, Beckville’s Jace Lindsey and LCM’s Kade Massey and Trent Andrus.

The crowd was treated to wedding stew and cake, however the real treat came when Jade and Gavin came to the scales and registered a five fish limit of 19.49 lbs. to claim their second tournament win and launch them into contention for the 2018 Deep East Texas Anglers of the Year award and a sponsored trip to the Bassmaster National High School Championship.

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6.89 lb beauty brought in by Douglas High School’s Jacob Bruener and Austin Brewer To see more photos and to get

additional information about joining the Deep East High School Fishing Series you can go to www.deepeasthighschoolfishing.com.

Photo courtesy of Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina The Broaddus team of Gavin Brush and Jade Yates took the win in the Q#5 tournament weighing in a sack of 19.49 lbs.

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Anglers Quest top individual #2 winner results

akota Ebare won the Anglers Quest Individual #2 tournament.

There were 30 individuals in the tournament, 22 limits with 114 fish

caught for 332.66 pounds. The top five winners were: Dakota Ebare, 22.13 lbs., $990.00 payout; Robert Reddell, 20.55 lbs., $550.00 pay;

Photo courtesy of Anglers Quest Dakota Ebare wins Anglers Quest #2 individual tournament with 22.13 lbs.

Allan Shivers 18.48 lbs., $425.00 payout; James Larmore17.26 lbs., $220.oo payout; and Albert Collins, 17.24 lbs., $110.00 payout.

For full tournament results go to www. anglers-quest.com.

Photo courtesy of Anglers Quest Robert Reddell makes 2nd place at AQ #2 individual tournament with 20.55 lbs.

Anglers Quest Team top teams #2 tournament results The team of Kurt Rhodes and Newell Rhodes win the Anglers Quest Team #2 tournament.

There were 26 teams, 17 limits with 91

fish caught for 257.70 lbs.

The top five teams were: Kurt Rhodes/ Newell Rhodes, 21.54 lbs., $1,810.00 payout; Dale Gore/Billy Eddins, 18.53

lbs., $1,005.00 payout; Kevin Wolford/ Shane Dorsey, 17.31 lbs., $600.00 payout; Mark Thompson/Eric Herzog, 16.93 lbs., $400 payout; and Sandro

Photo courtesy of Anglers Quest First place winners Kurt Rhodes and Newell Rhodes with 21.54 lbs.

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Alfaro/Chris Bush, 16.90 lbs., $405.00 payout. For full tournament results go to www. anglers-quest.com

Photo courtesy of Anglers Quest Winners group in AQ #2 team tournament.

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Splendora HS wins Deep East Texas March Qualifier Second place went to another team that broke into the top ten for the first time this year as Garrison’s Adam Renfro and Blake Greer netted 17.54 lbs of scrappy spring large mouths. Third place went to DETX newcomers Kason Street and Clayton Stephenson

This spring event saw newcomers rise to the top as Splendora’s Dallyn and Jessie Paris landed 18.85 lbs. for the win and earning a spot in the DETX May Championship along with

a free ride to the Texas Fallen Heroes High School and Youth Championship to be held at Jackson Hill Marina on June 23-24th.

By Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina he Deep East Texas High School Fishing Series held their sixth of seven qualifying tournaments on Saturday, March 10th.

Photo courtesy of Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina Splendor High School anglers, Dallyn and Jessie Paris, win Q6 tourney with 18.85 lbs.

from Jasper High School with 16.24 lbs. The Anglers of the Year competition saw the Broaddus team of Jade Yates and Gavin Brush, and Huntington’s Addy Springer and Abram Boles, unable to add points in their season long battle. The two lady anglers and their male partners will have one last chance at the April 7th final qualifier to claim this season’s top prize.

The student anglers reported catching fish on Senko’s, crank baits and a variety of baits from swim jigs to Carolina rigged worms to collect their limit of beautiful healthy fish as Sam Rayburn continues to bless anglers with the best bass fishing in America. For more information about DETX go to www.deepeasthighschoolfishing.com.

Photo courtesy of Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina Garrison HS anglers, Adam Renfro and Blake Greer, place 2nd in Q6 with 17.54 lbs.

Photo courtesy of Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina Photo courtesy of Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina Jasper HS anglers, Kason Street and Clayton Stephenson, place 3rd with 16.24 lbs.

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Pictured above are (from left) Garrison’s Adam Renfro and Blake Greer; winners Splendora’s Dallyn and Jessie Paris; and 3rd place Kason Street and Clayton Stephenson from Jasper High School.

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Marks

from page 1

five bass, 21-3, $3,200 3rd: Jamey Cole, Springhill, La., five bass, 19-14, $3,000 4th: Nick Lebrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 18-15, $1,500 5th: Cody Pitt, Many, La., five bass, 18-11, $1,200 6th: Randy Despino, Colfax, La., five bass, 18-8, $1,100 7th: Philip Crelia, Center, Texas, five bass, 17-11, $1,000 8th: Eric Faucett, Norman, Okla., five bass, 17-3, $900 9th: Todd Hughes, Goodrich, Texas, five bass, 17-0, $800 10th: Jason Ball, Lumberton, Texas, five bass, 16-15, $700 Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. Cole caught a bass weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $1,000. Bronsun Pusselo of Sulphur, Louisiana, and Tom Woodard of Rosepine, Louisiana, each brought bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces, to the scale Satur-

Release

day to tie for the win in the Co-angler Division. Woodard took home $2,250 while Pusselo earned $2,750 after contingency bonuses. The top 10 co-anglers were: 1st: Bronsun Pusselo, Sulphur, La., three bass, 16-8, $2,750 1st: Tim Woodard, Rosepine, La., five bass, 16-8, $2,250 3rd: James Dutton, Hemphill, Texas, five bass, 16-3, $1,000 4th: Russell Lewis, Pineville, La., five bass, 15-6, $900 5th: Justin Shelton, Kemp, Texas, four bass, 15-4, $650 6th: Hunter Olden, Bourg, La., five bass, 14-14, $550 7th: Aaron Renda, Deville, La., five bass, 12-15, $500 8th: Ryan Latch, Lafayette, La., five bass, 12-11, $450 9th: Benjamin Shaw, Haughton, La., five bass, 11-15, $400 10th: Lindy Hadley, Sam Rayburn, Texas, five bass, 11-11, $350 Pusselo also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a

10-pound, 13-ounce giant. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500. The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Navionics was hosted by the Jasper County Development District. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 25-27 BFL Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard. The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of

the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2018 BFL All-American will be held May 31-June 2 at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour. For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing. com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. About FLW FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2018 across five tournament circuits. For more information, visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

from page 2

homing behavior. At Lake Rideau, Canada (1996-1998), fish were displaced from 1 to 10 miles. After 2 weeks, average dispersal distance of bass was only 440 yards. However, 37% of fish eventually returned to their original capture site (all were displaced less than 5 miles). A study at Chesapeake Bay, Maryland (2000) indicated that 64% of largemouth bass had moved at least 0.3 miles within a week. The average final dispersal distance of bass was 6 miles from release sites and 95% were at least 0.3 miles away. Even though fish were displaced 9 to 13 miles from capture areas, 30 to 40% of bass returned to initial capture areas. At Lake Martin, Alabama (2005), bass moved an average of 5 miles from the release site after 10 weeks. After 2 months, no fish were in close proximity to the release site, and all fish tracked over 3 months returned to within the same general area of capture.

However, the three recent studies above involved simulated tournament conditions. That is, fish were collected with an electrofishing boat, implanted with an electric transmitter, and then displaced to mimic tournament displacement. The researchers did this to minimize death of tagged bass by eliminating fish stress associated with livewell confinement and the weigh-in process, as implanting transmitters is a significant stressor by itself. Nearly all of the older studies used bass from actual tournaments. This indicates that the rate and distance largemouth bass disperse from a weigh-in site is related to fish condition. Fish in good shape likely disperse quicker than stressed fish. Due to the variable results from these studies, it is hard to make specific conclusions relative to Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend reservoirs. In general, it appears that if largemouth

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bass are released after tournaments in good shape, only short-term stockpiling occurs at release sites, as most fish disperse from release sites within 2-3 months and up to 40% of these fish may return to original capture sites. Although fish displaced up to 13 miles have demonstrated homing abilities, few make it back to original areas if displaced over 6 miles. In contrast, as tournament-related stress increases, bass will disperse less. Specific rates of movement following release are likely affected by available habitat, food availability, location of release (main lake or cove), fish size, and water temperature. Most importantly, a study we conducted at Sam Rayburn in 20032004 indicates that population-level impacts of tournament-related bass relocation and concentration are likely low. No question, stockpiling at release sites does occur, as we estimated

that 31,050 bass were transported to weigh-in sites during the one-year study. But, we also estimated that tournament anglers transport only 5% of the total largemouth bass population of legal-length (31,050 of the 621,000 available bass) in one year. Simply put, only 1 out of 20 bass 14 inches in length or greater is subjected to relocation and potential crowding at release sites per year. Even though population-level effects are likely low, tournament organizers should still do everything possible to minimize potential overcrowding after release. Properly aerated live-release boats or trailers should be used to scatter fish over broad areas, and weigh-ins should be spread out over the entire reservoir. Contact us with questions by phone (409-6989114) or email (todd.driscoll@tpwd. state.tx.us). Good luck and good fishing!

Email: info@samrayburntoday.com

Newberry

Newberry’s day was capped off with a 7-pounder at the last drain he visited, which he caught using the RatL-Trap. The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in: 1st: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, five bass, 22-3, $6,965 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus 2nd: Joe Beebee, The Woodlands, Texas, five bass, 21-3, $2,983 3rd: Skeeter Fowler, Grand Saline, Texas, five bass, 20-7, $2,222 4th: Justin O`Brian Cooper, Pelican, La., five bass, 19-1, $1,345 5th: Victor Hawkins, Sugar Land, Texas, five bass, 18-15, $1,153 6th: Brandon Thrash, Downsville, La., five bass, 17-12, $1,057

from page 1 7th: Bobby Vice, Groves, Texas, five bass, 17-10, $961 8th: Jeff Wooldridge, Chandler, Texas, five bass, 17-9, $865 9th: Keith Suire Jr, DeRidder, La., five bass, 17-7, $769 10th: Richard Ballard, Sulphur, La., five bass, 17-2, $673 Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. Scotty Villiness of Ponca, Arkansas, caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $940. Ben Faucheaux of Natchitoches, Louisiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,883 Sunday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 15

Nice catch near Jackson Hill Marina

ounces. The top 10 co-anglers were: 1st: Ben Faucheaux, Natchitoches, La., five bass, 17-15, $2,883 2nd: Ronnie Talbot, Mexia, Texas, five bass, 17-4, $1,441 3rd: Robert Royal, Vidor, Texas, five bass, 16-9, $1,430 4th: Jacob Brown, Center Point, La., five bass, 14-12, $673 5th: Christopher Chautin, Zwolle, La., five bass, 14-3, $577 6th: Carl Broussard, Logansport, La., five bass, 13-12, $504 6th: Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 13-12, $604 8th: Jeffrey Grubbs, Goodrich, Texas, five bass, 13-6, $408

8th: Skye Ball, Lumberton, Texas, five bass, 13-6, $408 10th: Stetson Overton, Irving, Texas, five bass, 13-2, $306 10th: Tanner Mizell, Many, La., five bass, 13-2, $356 10th: Cedric Jackson, Sicily Island, La., five bass, 13-2, $356 Royal caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a 7-pound, 5-ounce fish. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $470. Sunday’s rescheduled T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir was hosted by the Jasper County Development District.

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LARGEST SELECTION OF HOMES IN EAST TEXAS! • WE SELL QUALITY OUTDOOR CARPORTS! Photo courtesy of Terry Sympson, Jackson Hill Marina Mike Lang from Jasper fishing out of Jackson Hill Marina brought in this unblemished beautiful 12.11 lb. big girl.

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2601 S. Wheeler (Hwy. 96 S. past rest area), Jasper • 409-384-9488 Email: info@samrayburntoday.com

Lairds’ take win in TBC rain-soaked Rayburn event 18 boaters brave the elements Laird, Hilebrandt snag big bass

Top 10 Year to Date:

Robert & Molly Laird came in with an impressive 22.45 pound stringer. Molly caught a 6.17 giving her the Ladies Big Bass of the Tournament. This is the first time they have finished 1st Place in a tournament, Congratulations on your WIN!

Third place goes to Jeff and Pam Grubbs, who came in with 16.88. Congrats to Pam catching a 6.07pounder that anchored their bag!

ighteen boats showed up to fish it out in the day-long rain event Sunday, February 25 on Sam Rayburn. Almost everyone had a limit.

of the day with an 6.36

By Tammy Mong, Texas Bass Couples

Brad & Cheri Hillebrandt finished 2nd with 17.55. Brad had Men’s BigBass

1. Jeff & Pam Grubbs: 294; 2. Robert & Molly Laird: 288; 3. Shawn & Christina Malone: 284; 4. David & Molly Atwell: 282; 5. Derek & Tammy Mong: 280: 5. Thomas & Paula Hilton: 280; 7. Curtis & Karen Sheppard: 216; 8. Doug & Amy Killough: 214; 9. Charles & Joni Odom: 204; 10. David & Tina Bozarth: 193.

Photo courtesy of Tammy Mong, Texas Bass Couples Brad and Cheri Hilebrandt finish second with 17.55 lbs. Brad also took the win for Men’s Big Bass with a good bass weighing 6.36 lbs.

Photo courtesy of Tammy Mong, Texas Bass Couples Robert and Molly Laird win the Texas Bass Couples tournament weighing in 22.45 lbs. Molly also wins the Ladies Big Bass with a hefty 6.17 pound bass.

Photo courtesy of Tammy Mong, Texas Bass Couples Pam and Jeff Grubbs take the 3rd place spot weighing in 16.88 lbs. Pam nails the their win with her 6.07 pounder.

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Bright, Nequent win Bass n’ Bugs with 27.35 lbs. By Clint Wade,

Outlaw Outdoors

espite the predicted wind and storms for The Texscape Services Bass n’ Bugs Tournament presented by Tackle Addict, 63 teams decided to roll the dice and hope the weathermen were wrong. It turned out they were half wrong. The wind did indeed blow up to 25 mph out of the south, but fortunately they were wrong about the storms. The thunderstorms held off until Sunday allowing for a good day of fishing on Saturday, especially good for Brian Bright and Chris Nequent. They caught a massive stringer of bass weighing 27.35 pounds. Right on their heels was the team of Johnny Vines and Shannon Price with five big ones weighing 26.76. Finishing out the top 3 was the father-son team of Ty and Jason Moorhead with 22.07. The Pride Rods Big Bass of the tournament was won by the team of Brian Adams and Brandon McKee with a pre-spawn female weighing 8.97 pounds. A monster of a fish, but it was not quite big enough to take over the lead for the Monster Mount Big Bass Award. Clint Lipham remains our leader for the free replica sponsored by Scottie’s Reproductions that he caught during our February 4th event. Everyone was treated to their share of 350 pounds of boiled crawfish at weigh in courtesy of Tackle Addict. You have never seen grown men with juice running down to their elbows and enjoying so much until you come to a good crawfish boil! Pride Rods held their flipping contest during weigh in and gave away

Photo courtesy of Outlaw Outdoors Anglers and supporters of The Texscape Services Bass n’ Bugs Tournament gathered at Cassles Boykin Pavilion for the event. There were 63 teams that fished the tournament. some nice prize including a Pride Rod valued at $299. We would like to thank Texscape Services, Tackle Addict and Pride Rods for helping to make this a fun and successful event! Rayburn is starting to produce the usual springtime bags of spawning fish that we are all accustomed

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL FA R M S • L A N D

to seeing in March and April. Of the 63 teams entered in The Bass ‘n Bugs Tournament, 20 of them had over 16 pounds. The lake is in great shape with plenty of hydrilla and haygrass and is at the prime level to allow for a very successful spawn. You better get stocked up on your favorite frog type lure because in a couple of weeks the frog bite is going to be amazing!

Our next tournament will be The Texscape Average Joe Tournament presented by Dylan Williams Insurance Agency on April 28th out of Cassels Boykin Pavilion. For more information visit www.FishOutlawOutdoors.com. See full Bass n’ Bugs Tournament results on page 12.

Fisherman’s Delight • Sam Rayburn 477 CR 4730, Broaddus, Texas 75929 • 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath, Sleeps 4

A HouseSOLD Word! mathewsrealty.com

616 Tenaha St. | Center, TX (936) 598-7800 VISIT WWW.SAMRAYBURNTODAY.COM

Located at Harvey Creek Janice Williams: 936-201-3304 just around the corner Evening Phone: 936-872-3729 from the boat ramp. Billy Williams: 936-201-2777

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Soil Culture

by John Talbott

Legend of the Dogwood Tree

o one who knows me would say that I was overtly religious, but with the sunlight in great abundance and with spring just around the corner...by the way I don’t think we are going to have any more significant freezes…there I said it…now if only it were true!...its easy to believe in Mother Nature, which in essence, says that I believe in God. There is the Legend of the Dogwood Tree, which ties directly into religion.

Back in the time of Jesus, the Dogwood tree grew to a great size, like that of the mighty Oak tree! The Romans used a dogwood tree with which to build the cross upon which Jesus was nailed. This made the Dogwood tree sad. Jesus, sensing this sadness, promised the Dogwood tree that it would never again grow large enough to build a cross. From then on the Dogwood Tree had limbs that would be narrow and crooked-not good for

building at all. Legend has it that now the Dogwood tree has many traits to remember this promise.

The Dogwood flower has 4 petals, shaped like a cross. In the middle of the Dogwood flower, the flower parts look like a crown of thorns. At the edge of each petal, is a dent looking much like a nail had been placed there. Those “nail dents” are stained with red, the color of blood - and there you have it, “The Legend of the Dogwood

Tree,” (origin unknown). Most people don’t know, because they recognize just the white ones in the woods, but there are a plethora of varieties of Dogwood Trees! Here are just a few that we have at Talbott Nursery: Standard White, Kousa or Chinese Dogwood, Grey Twig, Red Osier, Little Ruby Dwarf Dogwood, Silky Dogwood, Rough-Leaf Dogwood, English Dogwood (not a dogwood at all!), Pink Dogwood, and Red Dogwood.

Red Dogwood

Pink Dogwood

Single White Dogwood Bloom

White Dogwood Blossom

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Photo courtesy of Outlaw Outdoors The team of Jody Norsworthy and John Scott take 2nd place with a nice weigh-in of 22.88 lbs.

Photo courtesy of Outlaw Outdoors Paul Batman and John Scarborough secure 3rd place with 21.04 lbs.

Photo courtesy of Outlaw Outdoors Shelby Shaw and Lance Hughes come in at 4th place with 20.73 lbs.

Photo courtesy of Outlaw Outdoors Jeffery Burdette and Dustin John finish the top five with a weight of 20.68 lbs.

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Hill, Frazier top 77 teams to take win at Sweet Sixteen By Clint Wade Outlaw Outdoors

am Rayburn never disappoints when it comes to catching quality fish in March, and this past Sunday was no exception during The Texscape Services Sweet Sixteen Tournament presented by Tri Lakes Tackle. Tommy Hill & Bubba Frazier have struggled the past couple of weekends when it comes to catch quality tournament fish, but the pattern changed in their favor Sunday. Not only did they bring in the big stringer of the tournament with five fish weighing 26.24 pounds, but they also took over the lead for the Monster Mount with Tommy’s impressive 9.37 pound pre-spawn female. Their total take home, including two Pride Rods and two V&M Lure

Packs, was $2,211. Second place was a nice solid limit by Jody Norsworthy and John Scott weighing 22.88 good for $1,038. Third place, winning $876, was Paul Batman and John Scarborough with 21.04. The consistent team of Shelby Shaw and Lance Hughes locked down the fourth place position with 20.73 sending them away with $730. Finishing out the top five was the team of Jeffery Burdette and Dustin John with 20.68 winning $584. We have 34 teams that qualified for the March 25th Championship. There will be $4,029 added to The Championship, making for a great payday for several teams. Including entry fees, there will be over $9,000 paid out in the one day event.

The format could possibly change for The Championship based on the majority vote of the qualified teams. The qualifying tournaments guaranteed a check for any team that weighed in 16 pounds or more. For The Championship, we are allowing the qualified teams to vote on whether they want to change the benchmark. We will be contacting each team to get their vote as to whether they want to leave it at 16 pounds, increase it or decrease it. As always, we would like to thank each and every team that have fished

with us so far this year. We still have 9 tournaments scheduled for the remainder of the year with discussions of possibly adding something else in the fall. Also contributing to the trail’s success are our great partners. Please do not overlook these guys when making a decision to purchase. These businesses are supporting YOU by supporting us. Tell them thank you whenever are in their place of business. For more information on our tournaments, visit our website at www. FishOutlawOutdoors.com

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Photo courtesy of Outlaw Outdoors Bubba Frazier and Tommy Hill take top slot in the Sweet Sixteen Tournament with a sack weighing 26.24 lbs.

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Photo courtesy of Outlaw Outdoors Tommy Hill shows off his sweet big girl catch weighning 9.37 lbs.

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Three out of four of the tournaments for the East Region are now in the books. Boulware and Collins were the points leaders coming into this event, and are leading the Angler of the Year race going into the last. The rest of the top five took a good shuffle, and it is still anyone’s game with one tournament to go. 892 pts. Clayton Boulware & Albert Collins 882 pts. Jeff Holder & Terry Burghart 875 pts. Wyatt Frankens & Alec Castonguay 869 pts. Cory Rambo & Rusty Clark 819 pts. Justin Morton & Randy Turner The final regular season East Region tournament will be held on

Toledo Bend at Cypress Bend Marina on May 12. In the meantime, Bass Champs staff and crew are headed to Lake Fork to host the world’s richest one day hourly big bass tournament – the Sportsmans Auto Network Mega Bass! $20,000 is guaranteed to top anglers every single hour of the day, and at the end of the tournament whoever catches the biggest bass of them all will also win a brand new Skeeter boat! Start making plans to also fish the 2018 Techron TX tournament on Sam Rayburn. This team event will be held June 23rd at the Umphrey Family Pavilion. “This event has the biggest payout of any team event,” Potts declared. “Anyone can enter, and the 1st place winners will win $50,000!”

Photo courtesy of Patty Lenderman, Bass Champs Justin Morton and Randay Turner earned a $7,000.00 paycheck for their #2 spot in the Bass Champs tournament on Sam Rayburn. The pair weighed in a 33.64 lb. sack.

Schedule of Events from Around the Lake APRIL/MAY DATE/TIME

EVENT

Farmers Market Sabine County Farmers & Artisans Market El Camino Real Sale on the Trail Crawfish Boil

May, each Saturday, 8 a.m. - 12:00 noon May, each Saturday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. May 4th-5th, All Day May 26th

Farmers Market Sabine County Farmers & Artisans Market Wild West Casino Night Junk In The Trunk Trade Day

April, each Saturday, 8 a.m. - 12:00 noon April, each Saturday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. April 6th April 7th, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sam Rayburn Lake Weigh Stations

LOCATION

Nacogdoches Hemphill Hemphill San Augustine

Nacogdoches Hemphill Natchitoches to Milam Hemphill

SEND YOUR TOURNAMENT

Jasper - TPWD Jasper District (Call Ahead), www.tpwd.texas.gov/fishrecords, 900 CR 218, Brookeland, 409-698-9114, 120 lb. Jasper - Brookeland/Lake Sam Rayburn KOA, 505 CR 212, Broookeland, 409-698-3422, 600 lb.

RESULTS, NEWS & PICTURES to info@samrayburntoday.com

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Jasper - Piney Point Plaza, 3881 RR 255 West, Sam Rayburn, 409-698-2309, 30 lb.

Jasper - Sam Rayburn Marina and Resort, www.samrayburnmarinaresort.com, 4404 Sam Rayburn Parkway, Brookeland, 409-698-2696, 66 lb. San Augustine - Jackson Hill Park & Marina, www.jacksonhill. us, 1705 FM 2851, Broaddus, 936-872-9266, 30 lb.

San Augustine - Parkway Pantry & Grocery, 18968 FM 1751, Bronson, 409-584-1594, 150 lb. VISIT WWW.SAMRAYBURNTODAY.COM

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Incredible weights, huge paydays on Sam Rayburn

Danny & Michael Bennett conquers over 600 anglers at Bass Champs By Patty Lenderman

am Rayburn didn’t disappoint Bass Champs East Region on March 10. The massive field of well over 600 contenders were ready to hit it hard, with anticipated rain in the forecast. Big bass were on the prowl, and avid anglers were on their heels. The weigh in began with a limit over thirty pounds, but in the end it turns out that was only the beginning. Four sacks of bass were registered at the scales in excess of thirty pounds, but in the end it was Danny & Michael Bennett who topped them all for the granddaddy payday. While the weather forecasters had given up to an 80% chance of rain for Saturday with temps in the mid to upper 70’s, everyone was happy to see that while the temperature forecast was correct the rain didn’t come. Sam Rayburn was a playground for 322 boats and the game was on, as big bass were found and caught in masses. The very first sack of bass weighed in set the mark high for the rest of the field. Kevin Wolford and Michael “Shane” Dorsey had pre-fished for the tournament, but having very little luck they decided to wing it for competition day. Landing on a spawning flat with ditches 8’-14’ deep, they started their creel with a 4 ½ pounder and had a limit within 30 minutes. “We were using Carolina rigs and jigs, culling by 7:30.” It was a long stretch of about 125 yards, and for the next few hours continued to catch solid bass, culling up their weight. “Our best cull was around 10am, Shane caught a 9.21# -

his biggest ever - that we culled out a 4 ¾.” They had over 30 pounds in their livewells, and an hour later decided to come in and weigh. “It was going to be difficult to cull any of the fish we had at that point,” Kevin explained. “We could tell the fish were starting to get stressed, and decided to go ahead and roll the dice and weigh them in so they could get released.” Their limit set the bar at 33.57 pounds. The next four hours were long for them, waiting on the rest of the teams to bring in their catch. Once 3:00 came around, boats were coming to the scales in droves. Justin Morton and Randy Turner heaved their catch to the stage, taking over top weight with 33.64 pounds. They too enjoyed an early bite, flipping Stanley jigs in 4’-6’. “We had all of our fish by 9:30.” The crowd cheered as the close weights were tallied. A third sack was weighed, challenging the top weights by Kenneth Cates and Delia Degnan. First their biggest, hitting 9.70 lbs ultimately winning the Big Bass category. Putting their other four on the scales, they had 31.38 lbs that ended up winning 4th place. Finally, the biggest sack of them all were brought in by Danny & Michael Bennett. First they weighed their kicker at 8.96 pounds. Chad Potts got the crowd ready when he said the rest of their fish looked just like that one! Their total came to 35.23 pounds, winning the tournament by nearly a two pound margin. The team worked

Photo courtesy of Patty Lenderman, Bass Champs Bennett and Bennett top 322 teams and win over $25k with a giant 35.23 lb. bag. hard for their catch, using crank baits, jigs and Carolina rigs. “The first hour was the best for us. We didn’t hardly catch anything from 9-11am, then it picked back up. Mostly it was a crank bait bite, and we are worn out!” Their efforts paid off massively. First, they won the guaranteed 1st place purse of $20,000. They were fishing out of a qualified Skeeter boat winning another $5,000. Then they won the Lowrance, Power Pole and Sure Life bonuses, taking home nearly $26,000!

Bass Champs paid the top 43 teams, with the last $600 check going to Paul Batman and Anthony Sharp having caught 16.72 lbs. Due to the number of entries, two $500 checks were awarded for the conservation bonus. “We offer the ZERO bonus to teams who elect to pre-release their catch in lieu of weighing them in if they don’t have enough weight to win a check in the regular line-up,” Potts explained. “Those teams are put into a drawing to have a chance to win $500.”

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Bass, Hybrid Striped 2.95 21.00 June 21, 2007 Nicholas Montano • Rod and Reel Bass, Largemouth 11.57 28.25 April 23, 2005 Brandon Adams • Rod and Reel Bass, Spotted 4.10 19.50 Sept. 18, 2010 Tanner Moreno • Rod and Reel Bass, White 2.18 16.75 April 20, 2008 Hunter Muncrief • Rod and Reel Bass, Yellow 0.98 12.13 March 13, 2011 Hunter Boren • Rod and Reel Bluegill 0.71 10.25 June 14, 2007 Tyler Hutchison • Rod and Reel Carp, Common 17.25 32.50 Feb. 4, 2018 Evelyn Arquette • Rod and Reel Catfi sh, Blue 31.00 38.00 Dec. 30, 2017 Noah Ishomer • Rod and Reel Catfi sh, Channel 3.16 0.00 April 17, 2011 Cord Copley • Rod and Reel Catfi sh, Flathead 52.00 43.25 March 25, 2011 Blake Terry • Rod and Reel Crappie, Black 2.12 15.50 May 30, 2009 Ross Brusenhan • Rod and Reel Crappie, White 2.38 18.13 June 22, 2015 Daron Johnson • Rod and Reel Drum, Freshwater 2.45 17.25 June 13, 2017 Crew (Bear) Copley • Rod and Reel Gar, Alligator 192.00 93.00 April 21, 2007 Ariel Drewery • Rod and Reel Sunfi sh, Redbreast 0.45 8.50 June 14, 2008 Hunter Muncrief • Rod and Reel Sunfi sh, Redear 0.27 7.63 June 9, 2012 Branden Ringham • Rod and Reel 0.57 9.00 July 11, 2015 Daron Johnson • Rod and Reel Warmouth

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Texas County Lines

Leased Marin

Tyler Co.

Email: info@samrayburntoday.com

SCBA brave wind, rain in season opener on Rayburn

ore than 60 anglers braved the rain and wind that mother nature would throw at them on the first tournament of the season for the Shelby County Bass Anglers.

Catching fish didn’t seem to be a problem, but finding the right bites

seemed to be a little tougher for most. One team that it didn’t have a problem getting those “right” bites were the team of Horton/Horne with a limit of 28.48 lbs.! The team also had big bass of the tournament weighing a whopping 8.88 lbs.

Coming in second place was the father and son team of Burgay/Burgay with an impressive limit their selves weighing in at 23.40 lbs. The thirdplace team is no stranger to the pay window either. The team of Wells/ Sims came in with a great sack weigh-

ing 23.23 lbs. Last to win a check was Gary Walpole. Gary fished solo and managed to cull his way to a limit weighing 19.96 lbs. We would like to say thank you to everyone who fished with us and hope to see some new faces next month.

Big Bass Sale!!

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2018 Sam Rayburn Tournament Schedule DATE

ORGANIZATION

MONTH

SITE

SEND US YOUR 2018 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE!

AUGUST Anglers Quest Shelby County Bass Anglers

4-5 11-12

Media Bass Anglers Quest

8 21-22

JUNE Anglers Quest Fishers of Men ET Div. Ram Dodge Series Shelby County Bass Anglers Outlaw Outdoors Father’s Day Tournament Texas Fallen Heroes Youth Open Tournament

2-3 9 9 9-10 16 23-24

MAY Fishers of Men ET Div. SETX High School Championship Weekend Anglers Quest Media Bass American Bass Anglers DETX Championship Outlaw Outdoors Memorial Day Tournament

5 5-6 5-6 6 12-13 12-13 28

APRIL DETX Qualifer #7 Texas Poormans Bass Club Anglers Quest Shelby County Bass Anglers American Bass Anglers SETX High School Big Bass Splash Dodge Ram Series Outlaw Outdoors Spring Average Joe Texas Bass Couples

7 7-8 7-8 7-8 8 14 20-22 28 28 29

3 8-9 15 16 29

JULY

SEPTEMBER Ourtlaw Outdoors Labor Day Tournament Anglers Quest Team Championship Ram Dodge Series Outlaw Outdoors V&M Baits Tournament Outlaw Outdoors Fall Average Joe Tournament

Jackson Hill Marina Umphrey Pavilion Lakeview Cassels Boykin Monterey PR Umphrey Pavilion Umphrey Pavilion Umphrey Pavilion Cassels Boykin TBA Cassles Boykin Umphrey Pavilion Lakeview Sam Rayburn Park Monterey PR Jackson Hill Marina Cassels Boykin

Movement of Largemouth Bass following tournament-release Todd Driscoll, Texas Parks and Wildlife

ournament fishing is popular at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. TPWD’s most recent estimates indicate that 52% of Sam Rayburn anglers participate in at least one bass tournament per year, compared to only 14% of all Texas anglers. We also estimate that there are over 400 bass tournaments per year at Sam Rayburn, with tournament fishing (including practice fishing) comprising 49% of the total annual fishing effort, and 64% of the bass fishing effort. Therefore, we know that tournament anglers handle a large number of bass every year at Sam Rayburn, and some of these fish may be relocated greater than 20 miles from their original capture point. In addition, because a majority of the larger tournaments conduct weigh-ins at the lower, southeast end of the reservoir, concentration of largemouth bass at weigh-in

Lakeview Cassles Boykin Umphrey Pavilion Cassels Boykin Cassels Boykin Jackson HIll Marina

sites is also likely. These concerns can affect overall angler catch rates, both in a negative (relocation) and positive way (stockpiling following weigh-ins). If stockpiling is severe, fish growth, body condition, and survival may be reduced.

At least 12 peer-reviewed studies have examined largemouth bass movement and dispersal rates associated with tournament weigh-in sites. Overall, combining most of the study results, largemouth bass traveled an average of 1 mile from the release site within 40 days. By the end of the various studies (study lengths ranged from 3 months to 2.5 years), the average dispersal distance for each bass was 2.2 miles, but 51% of fish were still within 1 mile of the release site. Only 14% of bass returned to their original capture site (homing behavior), and 22% were recaptured by anglers. The most recent studies tend to indicate higher rates of dispersal and See Release, page 14

SAM RAYBURN MARINA RESORT

Jackson Hill Lakeview

4404 SAM RAYBURN PKWY, BROOKELAND, TEXAS 75931 Lakeview Cassels Boykin Cassels Boykin Lakeview Umphrey Pavilion Cassels Boykin Cassels Boykin

EDITORIAL STAFF

Cheryl Gilcrease, Designer; JoAnna Martin, Editor Published by Main Street Marketing of East Texas PO Box 1058, Center, TX 75935 • 936-591-7210 www.samrayburntoday.com • Email: info@samrayburntoday.com

The opinions expressed by the writers are theirs and do not necessarily represent the views of Sam Rayburn TODAY.

VISIT WWW.SAMRAYBURNTODAY.COM

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SamRayburn

TODAY www.samrayburntoday.com APRIL 2018

Complimentary Issue INSIDE

Marks wins BFL on Rayburn ....................... 1, 14 Newberry wins BFL on Rayburn..................1, 13 Bass Tournament Schedule ................................2 TPWD .................................................................2, 14 SCBA First Tournament Results .......................3 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Map .........................4, 5 Sam Rayburn All Tackle Records .................... 4 Sam Rayburn Junior Angler Records ..............5 Bass Champs .......................................................6, 7 Schedule of Events ................................................7 Sweet Sixteen ..................................................... 8, 9 Soil Culture ...........................................................10 Bass n’ Bugs ............................................................11 TBC ......................................................................... 12 DETX Q6................................................................ 15 Anglers Quest Individual ..................................16 Anglers Quest Team ...........................................16 DETX Q5 ................................................................ 17

Dallas’ Marks wins T-H Marine BFL tourney on Rayburn Pusselo, Woodard tie for BFL co-angler title By FLW Fishing League Worldwide

ROOKELAND, Texas (March 5, 2018) – Boater Phil Marks of Dallas, Texas, caught five bass weighing 26 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Navionics. Marks earned $8,300 for his win. “They were spawning in the bushes mid-lake and I caught them using a blue-colored (Strike King) Hack Attack jig with a blue (Strike King) Rage Craw trailer,” said Marks, who earned his third career win in FLW competition. “Some fish I could see and some I couldn’t, but they were definitely on beds.”

Marks said he caught around 20 bass throughout the day, and that they were more aggressive earlier in the morning. “After 10 a.m. I had to make a lot of pitches in there to get them to bite,” said Marks. “I had to remind myself to be patient. I’d put down my Power-Poles and fish slow, which is tough for me because I like to power-fish.” in:

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament

1st: Phil Marks, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 26-1, $6,300 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus 2nd: Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, See Marks, page 14

Photo courtesy of FLW Fishing.com Phil Marks

Houston’s Newberry wins T-H Marine rescheduled event Louisiana’s Faucheaux wins BFL co-angler title Newberry said the drain was around 100 feet wide and 12 feet down, and that he used a ¾-ounce red Rat-L-Trap and a Carolina-rigged lizard to catch his fish.

ROOKELAND, Texas (March 5, 2018) – Boater Dicky Newberry of Houston, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces, to win Sunday’s rescheduled T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. For his finish, Newberry won $8,965.

to move up to spawn.”

By FLW Fishing League Worldwide

“I started out fishing shallower ridges, but ended up catching staging females in drains,” said Newberry. “It took a little while to figure them out. Around 11 a.m. I worked through a drain that ran up the side of a point in deeper water. There was some scattered grass on the bottom, and I think there were females in there staging getting ready

Photo courtesy of FLW Fishing.com

“I thoroughly fished the drain with both and caught 3 keepers,” said Newberry. “After that I ran to 10 or 12 different spots that looked similar to it, finding fish in over half of them. A lot of my day was about knowing where those additional drains were. I think a lot of people have a tendency to stay put if they start catching them, but I continued to move after those three bites.”

Dicky Newberry

See Newberry, page 13