MANY, La. — The last time Ben Milliken fished a Bassmaster Tournament at Toledo Bend Reservoir, his three-day winning weight was 77 pounds, 14 ounces, in the Open held April 13-15, 2023. The Bassmaster Elite Series opens the 2024 season at Toledo Bend on Thursday, and Milliken expects four-day totals topping 100 pounds.
“It’s going to take some weight to win,” said the 34-year-old native Nebraskan who now lives in New Caney, Texas. “I think it’ll take between 110 and 115 pounds.”
If Milliken does win the Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend, it won’t be by doing the same thing he did to win the Open here last April.
“I definitely want to be offshore, whether it’s 7 feet of water or 40 feet of water,” he said. “Hopefully, you’re not going to see me within 100 yards of the bank at any time. Last year was totally different. All those hard clay points I caught them on, none of that stuff is playing at all.
“I’m catching more weight now than I did last year, but I think the fish are healthier, and it’s that time of year.”
After three days of practice, the 103 Elite Series anglers were off the water for pre-season registration, photos and a meeting Wednesday. Few of them were as optimistic as Milliken.
“This place has been really good to me,” said Jacob Powroznik, who won here in May 2014 with 79-12 on his way to winning the Elite Series Rookie of the Year title. “I’ve done well just about every time I’ve been here. It’s a big lake. You can get away from people when certain little things are going on. But when I got here, it wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do.”
Powroznik was looking for spawning bass. The first big wave of that activity hasn’t begun on this 181,600-acre lake on the Sabine River, which is located on the Texas-Louisiana border. But that wave could come this week as the temperatures are forecast to be in the 70s every day and a full moon is set for Saturday.
“I think the tournament is going to play day-by-day,” Powroznik said. “It’s going to be a mental game this week. You’re going to have to use your gut and use your knowledge.”
The previous four Elite Series tournaments at Toledo Bend, held from 2011 through 2017, have been in April or May. The Elite Series schedule has a Texas twist to it this season, opening with tournaments here and then Lake Fork next week.
“It’s definitely a pre-spawn deal,” said Texas native and Elite Series veteran Keith Combs. “A lot of males are close to where they want to spawn. I just haven’t caught multiple big fish in one day. You end up with 19 or 20 pounds, which would be okay, but not great.”
It’s rare than 19 or 20 pounds is “okay, but not great” in any five-bass daily limit bass tournament. But this is Toledo Bend, which produced a new lake record bass weighing 15.67 pounds last February. The lake is known for double-digit – 10 pounds or better – largemouth bass. When Milliken won the Open last April, his daily five-bass limits were 29-8, 26-15 and 21-7.
There’s no question Toledo Bend has a ton of big bass in it. The question is where are they going to be each day as the water warms and many will be moving shallow to spawn.
Daily take-offs and weigh-ins will be held at 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. CT at Cypress Bend Park.
