There is a lot of guys who like to catch big fish. Especially when it comes to tournaments.
Here is my record of big bass caught on Toledo Bend.
This was before they stocked Florida strain in it.
9 LB - 4
8 LB - 378
7 Lb - 562
Did not count 6 lb but estimate- 700 plus
98% were caught on same rig between December and March with the majority caught in January after cold weather had settled in for at least 2 weeks.
Depth on brush piles were 20-25 ft drops but on the river bank of 15 ft drop to 45 ft fish were 25 to 30 ft on tree roots that stuck out from steep bank.
The Rig- 3/8 oz black/yellow bass buster hair jig with Uncle Josh Spring Lizard Water Dogs. Fished it all day and very rarely got hung up.
Average number of big bass per trip out of one brush pile was 2-7
Aver number of casts per pile 20
Brush piles were created when bull dozers cut boat lanes. They would push the trees until they were maxed out weight wise then turn and push them to the side. One particular boat lane stretch of about a mile had a slope on the west side which created a slide when they push the trees over the edge.
We would anchor in the boat lane and cast into the pile on the slide. It was not a matter of whether you would get a bite but a matter of whether you would get the fish or he would get you.
My best day was New Years eve 1977 10 bass weighed 87 lbs.
Good luck and have patience

WOW! That's a career!

Wow, very impressive! Amazing record keeping also. One question, did you find one area of Toledo to be more consistent than another? I have spent a lot of time since 1979 fishing Housen Bay, Indian Mounds, and Six Mile and wondered if these are areas you fished much over the years? Thanks for sharing the information.

wow cool info neat to hear about the brush piles created by the dozers!

DO THEY STILL MAKE BASS BUSTER HAIR JIGS?

Do you provide guide services?

The bass were caught over a 17 mile stretch of Mid lake running from Buzzard Bend (near San Patricio and the old Flying Bridge Marina (near Lanan Creek.
Not sure if Bass Buster still makes the jigs. The head of the jigs were the key that allowed them to work it slowly through the piles.
I later designed a jig after it which I added added thin traded wire to the head that formed two extensions which I attached two cupped small blades to ball bearing swivels. The traded wire was soft and would bend easily as you worked it and amazingly would do a summersault and go back the direction it was pulled from when you lifted your rod and allowed it to fall. The blade because they were cupped would spin horizontally to like a helicopter blade which made the jig fall like it was an eighth oz jig. I called it the parachute jig. I sold more than 4000 of them at shows. I used this jig on cypress trees, boat docks and other structure. It was a killer. Still have a few of these but need new skirts. I also created a spinner bait with similar willow cupped blades that made the blade turn the direction of an outboard motor prop. I called this the seedeater. I would literally cut through grass.
I have a lot of stories and techniques for catching big bass which I am considering writing a book on. I fished a lot of tournaments back when the prizes were $5000 to 15000 dollars. I won about a hundred thousand over my younger career. My first tournament was the american anger tournament Jan 77. I weighed 7 bass limit of 54 lbs 8 oz first day of the three day tournament. It was Rick Clunn's first tournament also. I will never forget him coming up to me at the launch when I was pulling my boat out after the first day and asking me what kind of water I was fishing. I told him 20 to 25 ft drops. The next day he came in with a limit of 6 pounders! Over that 3 day tournament there were more than 100 bass weighed in over 6 lbs. It was amazing. There was an ice storm, snow, sleet and freezing rain. My dip net was laying on the bottom of my boat under ice. Hd to switch to the old 5500s as the Lews guide hole would freeze over the line and you could not turn the reel handle. Cold my friends. We loved the cold dressed for it and drove 180 miles round trip from Shreveport to Zwolle just to get a chance or two at a big one. A good day was considered 8 chances. Rarely did we zip unless the lake was high and muddy. Clear water. Big Bass

Love to hear stories like these

Don't think that was clunn's first tourny. He won his 2nd classic in 77

Man oh man!!! I would have loved the opportunity to fish Toledo Bend in the early years. An 8.7 pound average for 10 fish in one day is unreal.

Did you know someone that watched the dozers while cutting the boat lanes?
Do you still fish the same piles today with success?

If you look at a map of TB you will see a huge dog leg in the middle section. That was the section we concentrated on from 1970 to 1990
My friends who still fish it tell me the fish are in same holes but in the grass since the brush has thinned.
I live in Dallas now retired. Bass fish and Crappie fish on a private lake designed by Bill Dance. It is a 50 acre lake with everything you would want, structure, varied depths up to 30 ft deep.
Boulders, man made trees ditches, ridges, contain etc. My PB is 12 lb 2 oz. It is catch and release. Fun for an old guy. I have a special boat built for it. 2-man small electric not a pontoon type so it steers straight aerated live well, bilge pump, navigation lights helix and comfortable seats.

That's awesome!

I wish I would have kept records like that.

A lot of difference in pressure on fish in 1977 then now and also those were pre stubborn Fla strain. Wish we would go back to native.

Awesome memories right there.

By the way, that is a lot more than .02 cents

Yes it was Ricks first tournament. He quit his job as a computer programmer in Houston to go full time pro. He was a thinking mans fisherman and that is why he did so well.
Larry Nixon, Harold Allen, Denny Brauer, Jimmy Houston, and sever more of today's old timers fished that tournament as well.
I used to guide occasionally but had my own business and decided not to go pro. Bad decision all my friends here are now millionaires.
The reason so man good Pro Fishermen guides from TB did so well on the BASS trail was because TB offered every type of lake structure in the U.S. Shallow, deep, grass, trees, ridges, stumps landmarks like minnow ponds, mail roads, bridges, logging roads, barn structures, water wells, culverts, every grass know to man and it was a proven training ground for bass fisherman. I cannot count the number of days or seasons that my boat would catch 100 to 200 bass in a single day. Of course these were school bass not giants. I only wish everyone on the TFF could have lived my experiences with me.

I might create a map and mark every hole I had over that 17 mile stretch. I think it would be fun and make for a good bucket list!
Thanks guys you all have better equipment, smarter methods and many more lakes and a whole lot more money to win now! Go Get Em.