kayak

Kayak: Top baits at Toledo Bend

With late summer conditions on a famed fishery like Toledo Bend there is bound to be some incredible fishing.

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Marty Hughes
Bryan Howell – Texas (1st; 179 inches): Howell used a variety of baits, including the Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver hematoma rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu G-Power flipping hook with a 1-ounce tungsten weight. He rigged this bait on a Dobyns Champion Extreme HP 805 Flip/Punch rod.
Howell also threw an Evergreen LB Buzzbait clearwater shad with a Zoom Horny Toad grey ghost trailer on a Dobyns Champion XP 764C rod. The Evergreen JackHammer played a role in Howell’s success using the 3/8-ounce black and blue with a Yamamoto Zako black and blue trailer on a Dobyns Champion XP 736CB Glass rod. 
 
Howell used the Dirty Jigs California Swim Jig in 3/8-ounce. Crappie with a Yamamoto Kickin’ Zako green gizzard trailer on a Dobyn Champion Extreme HP 705C rod. This variety of baits helped Howell with the top finish at Toledo Bend. 
Joshua Sharp – Tennessee (2nd; 176.75 inches); Sharp used a 3/8-ounce black and blue ChatterBait with a Yoto worm trailer on an IROD Wild Card bladed jig rod. His other baits included a plum ZMan 3/16-ounce Turbo FattyZ on the IROD Stone Cold swim and vibrating jig rod. The black Spro Flappin’ Frog completed his main set of baits on an Abu Garcia medium-heavy Veritas rod. 
Geovanny Cazarer – Arkansas (3rd; 172.25 inches) Cazarer utilized two tungsten jighead sizes, a 1.8 gram and a 7.0 gram, to effectively target a variety of fish behaviors at Toledo Bend. The lighter 1.8 gram jighead was ideal for hovering over roaming fish, while the heavier 7.0 gram head allowed Cazarer to quickly reach schooling bass feeding aggressively on shad. This created a fast reaction strike by mimicking the quick movements of the baitfish. He paired both with a Black Label 3.8-inch Hi-Roller Shad, which features a super-soft body infused with a salted scent that these bass could not resist. The quality and action of this bait has made it one of Cazarer’s go to choices, and it is made in the U.S.A. 
Both presentations were fished on a 7-foot, 4-inch medium-light MFer rods from 6th Sense. For the heavier 7.0 gram setup, Cazarer used a Shimano Vanford 2500 with a 5.8:1 gear ratio, giving him the speed needed to trigger bass bite from schooling fish. 
Cazarer used the Black Label 3.8-inch Hi-Roller Shad paired with a 1.8-gram and 7.0-gram tungsten jighead to catch his bass. 
Cazarer with his baits and 3rd-place blue trophy! 
Since the shad that the bass were targeting were small in nature, Cazarer trimmed about an inch off the Hi-Roller to perfectly “match the hatch”.
Abby Abbondanza – Pennsylvania (4th; 171.0 inches) Abbondanza got off to a slow start on Day 1 at Toledo Bend and didn’t catch his first fish until 9:50 a.m. after observing a crayfish that was a black and green pumpkin color with bright red pinchers. That prompted him to rig a ZMan BlackJack JackHammer with a firecraw ChatterBait and went on to catch 19 fish with the best five going 83 inches in about 4 and a half hours.  
 
On Day 2, Abbondanza fished cleaner water and switched to a ZMan GP EVO tungsten with a RazorshadZ in the “Deal” color which would help him finish in the top five and win the Bassmaster Kayak Series AOY title!
 On the left the ZMan GP EVO tungsten with a RazorshadZ in the “Deal” color and on the right, a ZMan BlackJack JackHammer with a firecraw ChatterBait that Abbondanza used to catch his fish. 
The Ketchboard shows Abbondanza’s biggest bass going 21.5 inches.  He used a couple ZMan bladed baits to catch most of his bass. Abbondanza gave a shout out for his Torqueedo 1104 for the awesome battery life and efficiency it provides for his kayak. Also, to Striker for “making awesome sun protective clothing and the best rain gear out there!”

He would also like to thank ZMan, in what comes to mind as a family for him the last seven years. He is thankful for the ChatterBaits and all of the other great baits they make and provide anglers.  

Seth Taylor – Florida (5th; 168.75 inches) Taylor primarily targeted windblown bays and creek mouths adjacent to the main lake where baitfish were congregating. These areas consistently held bass that were tracking and feeding on the schools of bait. He also found smaller groups of bass cycling in and out of these zones throughout the day. Nearly all of those fish were caught on a Berkley Stunna 112+1 jerkbait in natural colors. 
His other bites, including a 7-pound, 6-ounce, 24.25-inch bass, came from deeper hydrilla around 9 feet near deeper creek channels. He caught those fish on a Magnum Baits 5-inch RegStick in the Dark Horse Tackle exclusive color, Neko-rigged with a Gamakatsu 2/0 wide-gap hook and a small screw from Lowe’s inserted into the worm’s head for weight. The setup was completed with a $60 Abu Garcia 7-foot Jordan Lee Baitcast Combo, with a medium-heavy, fast-action rod.
David Kittrell – Alabama (6th; 168.75 inches) Kittrell caught most of his fish from around cypress trees in about three to four feet of water in the back of a creek. Kittrell caught most of his fish with the Zoom Magnum Speed Worm pegged with a 1/16-ounce weight. He said, “The weight helped move some of the leaves and junk on top out of the way, making it easier to use.” When Kittrell tried it weightless, it would get bogged down.  
On Day 2, Kittrell found some hydrilla in the farthest back of that same creek using a smaller profile Dirty Jigs chartreuse/white double willow leaf spinnerbait to fill his limit. Kittrell went on to say, “The bass were piled up in the hydrilla and crushed the spinnerbait.” He caught around 15 or so from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Day 2. 
Matthew Scotch – Texas (7th; 168.25 inches) Scotch used a pair of 3/8-ounce ZMan JackHammers to help him finish in the Top 10 at Toledo Bend.  The 3/8-ounce “Blackjack” JackHammer with 20-pound Seaguar Ivisx line on a Dobyns DC 704c rod and a Shimano Bantam 8.1 reel provided all Scotch needed for his success in the mornings. During the afternoons, Scotch switched to a B-Hite when the sun came out on the same combo setup.
Daniel Glenney – Texas (9th; 167.75 inches) Glenney took advantage of an early morning topwater bite with a River2Sea Whopper Plopper on a 7-foot custom J.Rods paired with a Shimano Curado DC 150XG reel. Glenney transitioned to fishing a rocky main lake point with grass patches using the Strike King Hybrid Hunter Jr. on a 7-foot Bass Pro Shops Crankin’ Stick and a Lews Speed Spool reel. 
Glenney used this bone colored Whopper Plopper for an early morning topwater bite.
Glenney threw this Hybrid Hunter Jr. wake bait on a rocky main point to catch some of his fish.
This drop-shot rig, which included this Morning Dawn colored Roboworm, proved to be a great presentation for Glenney. 
Mark Nienhuis – Arizona (10th; 167.5 inches) Nienhuis used experience fishing rocks and ledges from where he lives in Arizona to find success on Toledo Bend. Nienhuis found a channel swing up next to a rocky bank that had bait fish present. He was catching fish in two to four feet of water as they came up to feed on the abundant bait fish in the shallows. He caught all of his fish on Saturday with a Rapala DT8 and DT6 in Citrus Shad or on a SPRO Rock Crawler in Electric Red Craw. He was using a Shimano Expride 7-foot medium glass rod with a Daiwa SV TW reel. He chose the Daiwa reel for this Shimano rod based on the adjustability of the Daiwa’s magnetic brake when it gets windy.
On Day 2, Nienhuis landed a 7.5-pound largemouth early that was 24.25 inches long! He caught it on a SPRO Rock Crawler.  Struggling the rest of the day he rounded out his limit by pitching a power shot into cypress trees and under docks. He was using a Missile Baits Magic Worm in PB&J color on a Kistler Z-Bone Light Medium Heavy casting rod with a Shimano Aldebaran reel for his power shot. Nienhuis was able to land a small upgrade with two hours to go in the tournament, but ended the day with just scorable fish on ten catches. 
A closer look at what Nienhuis threw on Toledo Bend. The Spro Rock Crawler, DT6 and DT8 Rapala crankbaits, and the Missile Baits Magic Worm. 

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