1 for delivering so many big crappie,” Johnson said. “Hands down, that’s because Toledo Bend is No. From May through the summer there’s a continuous migration of Louisiana and Texas crappie anglers to this border lake. “Let me tell you: There is no comparison to the consistent numbers and sizes of sac-a-lait found in Toledo Bend on any given day in the summer.” “My hometown friends always wondered why I prefer fishing for Toledo Bend sac-a-lait when I have the Atchafalaya Basin not far from my home in New Iberia,” Johnson said. Most impressive were the sizes of the fillets: These were crappie ranging from just under half a pound to 1½ pounds. Once the area played out, Johnson made a quick trip north of the bridge to the edge of the channel in open waters. More crappie, along with a few white bass, were quickly snatched into the boat. The Toledo Bend daily creel limit is 25 crappie per angler.Īt 10 a.m., Johnson moved the boat closer to the Sabine River channel, and the anglers fished another set of reefs near pilings 24 and 25. The cooler was steady filling with more crappie, with Johnson clicking his mechanical counter every time a fish was thrown in. “We catch a few throwbacks, but right now it’s hard to catch anything under 10 inches,” said Johnson of Acadian Outdoor Charters (33). When the lines were dropped and stopped at the knot, taps began immediately and slab crappie started piling into the boat. “That’s the depth we are catching them,” Johnson said. The guide had all lines preset with small knots tied 14 feet above the jigs so the anglers would know how deep to fish. Johnson had light spincast tackle ready, and the anglers began hooking small- to medium-sized shiners on 2/0 golden Aberdeen hooks. Upon arrival, Johnson inspected his Lowrance and pointed out immense clouds of schooling fish around and atop the structure. Situated below each of the structure’s twin pilings are sections of a public artificial reef, each of which consist of 20 feed pallet trees. Johnson motored the few miles from his Lanan camp south to Pendleton Bridge. Sharing Johnson’s pontoon boat were Joel Berzas and the father-son team of Tom and Brandon Schueller.

“This trip could not have worked out better with timing,” the 43-year-old Toledo Bend guide said.

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