FLW on Toledo Bend this weekend

The Rayovac FLW Series is headed to Toledo Bend March 20-22 for a tournament presented by Frabill when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers take to the water for the second of three stops in the Texas Division.

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats pro Jim Tutt is extremely passionate about Toledo Bend. “Toledo Bend is my favorite lake in the whole wide world. The lake is fishing as good as it has fished in years. There’s a lot of grass and a lot of good fish being caught.”

Tutt emphasized that despite the hard winter, the fishing would be good if the weather was good and that a wide array of techniques could be productive.

“The fish are up shallow,” explained Tutt. “I think there will be several fish on beds and when that happens you can catch them any way you want to, from 30-feet deep to the bank.

“The Rat-L-Trap bite will be sort of mixed in. Two weeks ago the ‘trap bite would have been the player. But the water has warmed up, so some of the fish are off that. I think a lot of soft plastics like Senkos, Texas-rigged lizards, and trick worms will be good players.

“I think it will be won sight-fishing,” said the Longview, Texas pro. “I think if you dedicate yourself solely to sight-fishing, you can win. You can pick and choose on your size and maybe have a better opportunity to catch a five-pounder. If it sets up where there are fish on beds, that’s probably what I’m going to try to do.

“I think to win you’ll have to have over 60 pounds, probably closer to 65,” finished Tutt. “Toledo Bend is fishing really good right now, but the weather could change that. If we get really bad winds like last year it could make it tough to get around. Hopefully a bunch of FLW Tour anglers come early and fish this one before the Sam Rayburn event the following week. Larry Nixon is fishing the Texas division this year, and he has guided on Toledo for a thousand years so he’s always a contender for sure.”

Anglers will take off from Cypress Bend Park located at 3462 Cypress Bend Drive in Many, La., at 7 a.m. each day. Weigh-in will be held at the takeoff location on Thursday and Friday beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart located at 24448 Highway 171 in Many, La., beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

After day one of the competition, here are the standings: