Will the Shallows Play the Final Day?
All week, many of the pros competing in the Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend anticipated a wave of bass to move into the shallows to begin their spawning rituals.
To this point, that massive shift has not come to fruition, with the anglers targeting offshore prespawners finding the most success so far this week.
But on the heels of the full moon Saturday night and a continuing warming trend, there are signs that shallow bass could play at some point on the final day.
Patrick Walters, for one, entered this tournament wanting to fish the bank. The bass did not cooperate, so the South Carolina pro moved to a deep creek channel and used his forward-facing sonar to land in sixth after three days of fishing.
He still believes that a shallow spawning bite could factor on the final day with 66-15.
“You can tell they are in that transition. I think they are going to the bank. I found a pair on the bed today and one looked like it was 4 1/2 at least,” Walters said. “(Day 4) I’m planning on fishing deep to try and catch 20-25 pounds and then go up shallow and stay on the trolling motor until I see one that’s over 7 pounds.”
So does Ben Milliken, who found an area that he says features both prespawners and bass that are pairing up to spawn. That area produced a 26-pound bag on Day 3 and launched the Nebraska native into fifth place.
These spawners are not on the bank, instead they are on flat points with wood cover. The prespawners are suspended in timber and were easier to catch on Day 3, but the spawners could be the key to a major comeback.
“These bass are mostly 10 feet or less,” Milliken said. “Some of them are in 2 or 3 feet on stumps. A couple of them are trying to make beds or do their thing. They are definitely paired up and I can’t get them to eat anything. But I haven’t been patient with them.”
Robert Gee has found most of the bass in his milk run of offshore areas have moved elsewhere. He was prepared to move closer to the bank on Day 3, but is pretty confident he will at least test some shallow areas if he wants to unseat leader Pat Schlapper.
Fourth-place angler Luke Palmer has the same idea.
“I went (looking) in the afternoon and there is some stuff happening up there that’s pretty sweet,” Palmer said. “Things could get interesting.”
