Not sure where you are getting the 54 bags over 20 pounds from??? The 40 pound bag was not from this year either, unless you have a link? There are still big fish in that lake, and they are still getting caught. However, the lake is definitely in a decline and not fishing anything like it was when it was first named #1 in the country. And like stated above,make no mistake about it..... Toledo Bend has more than it's fair share of meat hunters. It's just the culture there with a lot of those guys.


http://basschamps.com/results.cfm?tournament_id=257&type=team&yearSelected=2017

I think when the grass is gone fish just suspend out around timber. Then the pressure and all and it's just a recipe for tough fishing.

I've lived on the lake for 11 yrs. First spring that I haven't seen 1 bedding fish around my pier. Nearly every bass and crappie you see caught are kept. Sad to see really.

Toledo is fishing different than the past few years t they are still here. I weighed in a 30lb limit Saturday and my dad had 14lbs out the back. Our best 5 was 33lbs and we lost 3 more between 7-10lbs.

cracks me up, you can find a post like this on pretty much every lake in TX

If it cant sustain 70% harvest rate, how do u explain the other 30+ years of good fishing. This is always my toughest time of year. Post spawn.

It's never had the pressure it has received in the past 3 years. Ya 30lbs, ok big deal, there are still good fish in there I'm not denying that. Just nothing like it was. Last 2 years I could catch 30lbs a day sight fishing for about a month straight. There was one good week this year and progressively worse since. The numbers of quality getting filleted now is sickening.

Are the people keeping all these fish just hungry or is there a commercial fishing operation going on there?

Ya it's called Louisiana....no offense but it's a lifestyle and some of those guys keep lots of bass. The limit is greater with a la license too. Im not saying some Texas guys don't keep fish too, just primarily la. If you don't know any better, nothing will change. You just hear about how good Toledo is and you go fishing. It's funny on Rayburn I see guys release fish all the time, Toledo I can't remember the last time I saw a keeper released.

Wait two weeks. The elites are coming, they will prove that the rest of us just suck.

Smoking them on a shad spawn hardly proves anything. You will see some good weights but I predict tough bite

The sturgeon bay "area" is several times the size of Toledo bend. Tournament weights are still suffering in a big way post the "best lake" pick a few years ago. Zero doubt in my mind pressure matters. The good news for Toledo is that all this high water should help offset the extra pressure. I still think it's in for an amazing couple of years.

I agree with Jaret. There's not an infinite number of fish out there. When I say I see people keeping everything they catch,I'm talking about 10 inch bass and 4 inch crappie, fish so small there's nothing left after they're filleted. The snow birds come down here with the intention of making a meat haul. When the fishing is tuff, they keep every fish they catch. I've got a lot of good coon [censored] buddies, but they keep em all.
The Elite tournament will tell the tale. Sure, there will be some big sacks. But I'll bet anything when compared to their last tournaments, the weights will be down.

High water? The lake has been 2 and 1/2 to 3 ft. low all spring.

Ya lake is lower than it has been for the past few springs. It can't replenish 4-6lbers at will. That takes time and ideal conditions. I doubt Louisiana game and fish care either