ABA Newcomers Take Wins in Doubleheader on Toledo Bend
By Contributing Writer Donald Gervais  (dongerv@yahoo.com)

Military Recreation Center, Toro, La.— Darrell Reeves and Dean West, two south Louisiana anglers fishing their first tournaments in the American Bass Anglers (ABA) District 53 2008 season,  took home top honors at the January 12-13 tournaments held on Toledo Bend Reservoir. Reeves’ 16.14-pound, five fish limit, was the best catch on Saturday and his fishing buddy West topped the field on Sunday with his limit weighing 17 pounds, which included the big bass of the day.

Darrel Reeves shows off part of his 16.14 pound catch that earned him victory in his first ever American Bass Angler District 53 contest.  The Topsy, La. angler claimed second big bass of the day with a 4.6 pound bass. See story for the winner’s ways.

While many watched the National Football League’s semi divisional playoff contests on television in the comfort of their homes this weekend, ABA competitors took to the waters of Toledo Bend to face the challenges of weather and the elusive largemouth bass.
 
Thirty one anglers, in 29 boats, took off from the Amy Recreation Site on Saturday as the temperature hovered around the 32 degree mark in the opening contest. The day would be near identical to Friday’s weather. As the sun rose in the blue bird skies, temperatures rose to 70 degrees by the weigh in time. A gentle west breeze barely put a ripple across the vast reservoir that borders parts of East Texas and Louisiana. Anglers who had spent time the days before finding and catching reported tough going.
 
Reeves, of Topsy, La. fishing in his first ever ABA tournament, didn’t have trouble locating or catching fish. The angler, who makes his living behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler, ran his Champion Bass boat, powered by a Mercury motor, north from Toro Bay to mid and northern Louisiana waters where he concentrated his efforts in 4-6 feet of water. Reeves targeted fish with a 5/8 ounce Kanomie rattling bait, in gold color, around scattered grass patches on points adjacent to creek channels.
 
Reeves used American Rodsmith rods and Pinnacle reels, spooled with 14-pound test Suffix line to catch nine keepers during the day. No time seemed to be better during the day for catching for the winner who took home $598 for the win and $116 for second big bass (4.60 pounds). Reeves gave credit to Lake Area Marine for keeping him on the water.
 

Tony Clements shows the 6.16 pound fish that took big bass of the day on Saturday, Jan. 12 during the double header weekend of the 2008 American Bass Anglers District 53 season. Read how the Leesville angler caught the winning bass and the others that earned him 3rd place for the day.

Tony Clements claimed big bass for the day with a 6.16 largemouth that anchored his 5-fish limit weighing 14.96 pounds. The Leesville anglers took home second place and $371 for his efforts.
 
A slightly different shallow water presentation paid off for Clements. He chose to head South of Toro and targeted fish in 4-8 feet, on Louisiana shoreline points, with a tandem 3/8-ounce spinner bait. Gear of choice included Bass Pro rods and Browning reels spooled with 15-pound test Big Game line, green colored, in 15-pound test. He slow rolled the spinner bait to catch 15 fish during the day with the big bass caught at 11:30 a.m. Mid day seemed to be the better bite for the veteran of many ABA contests.
 
Spinner baits paid off for another Leesville angler, Craig Hall. He took home the third place honors and $132 by slow rolling ½- ounce tandem willow bladed baits in white/chartreuse and blue patterns. Hall used his Procraft/Mercury bass boat to go to the mid lake Texas shorelines where he targeted fish in 4-6 feet of water. He reported catching 15 keepers to cull to his 12.17 pound, 5-fish limit, on a long point with his best bites coming later in the day.
 
Mike Woods took home 4th place for his 10.64 pound catch. Terry Helgerson was the last to cash a check taking 5th place for the day.
 

Lake Charles angler Dean West brought in 17 pounds of bass to claim first place in his second ABA tournament on January 13 on Toledo Bend Reservoir. He holds up the two best of his catch that included the big bass of the day weighing 6.56 pounds.

Sunday’s event was contested by 23 anglers under slightly different conditions as overnight a cold front blew across the lake area. Anglers had to contend with blue bird skies and near freezing temperatures at take off. Although the temperatures would rise into the lower 50’s throughout the day, it may not have felt that warm as a cold Northwest wind blew steadily at 9 mph and gusted at times to 17 mph.
 
“I had to stop several times on the way back to the weigh in,” said Sunday’s winner West. “The live wells kept emptying as I ran from the north end of the lake with the 3 ½ foot waves I ran into at some places.”
 
West explained that he and Reeves had found fish north during pre fishing but that he had chosen not to make the trip on Saturday. However, when his fishing partner won on Saturday and he had not done so well fishing closer to Toro Bay, he decided to make the run Sunday. The rough ride paid off to the tune of $520 for first place and $138 for the big fish (6.56 pounds) of the day.
 
The Lake Charles angler used a ½ ounce gold Rat-L-Trap to target fish in 4-10 feet of water around grass patches near creek channels. American Rodsmith rods and Pflueger reels, spooled with 14-pound Stren line were used by the Dawson Marine team member to catch eight keeper bass during the day. He caught the majority of the fish early with the big bass bite coming at 9 a.m.
 
Hill returned to the same spot where he caught the fish that gave him the 3rd place the day before to take second place with 16.46 pounds. His 5-fish limit was anchored by a 6.46 pound bass that took second big bass of the day.
 

Craig Hall shows the 6.46 pound bass that took second big bass on Sunday and anchored his 16.46 second place limit. Hall had to alter his game plan on Sunday from what gave him a 3rd place finish the day before. See story for details.

“Same place as yesterday,” said Hall. “All the fish came off of a spot about the size of the back of my boat. I don’t know what was down there, maybe it was a cypress tree but it held the fish there.”
 
Hall said that he started fishing with the spinner bait but that he was only catching undersized fish. He switched to a Carolina-rigged Fluke in watermelon seed color to catch the larger fish. He utilized a ½ ounce weight and 36-inch leader to catch a limit of fish by 8 A.m., 15 keepers throughout the day. He took home $311 for second place and $92 for second big bass.
 
Josh Peek of Leesville claimed 3rd place ($103) with 13.84 pounds. Two baits accounted for his catches in 4-12 feet of water in mid lake areas on the Texas side of the lake, a ¾-ounce red Rat-L-trap and a ¾ ounce Peek-a-Boo jig. Daiwa rods and Pinnacle reels and Quantum reels were used. The Rat-L-Trap was fished with 15-pound Stren line while 30-pund Spiderwire was used for the jig. Peek used his Trion boat, powered by a Mercury motor to stay on wind blown grass points.
 
West was not able to catch the quality fish as he did the previous day but managed to bring in a limit weighing 12.94 pounds to claim fourth place and take home the last check of the day.
 

The top three finishers of the Jan 13, 2008 ABA District 53 tournament show their awards. Left to right are: Dean West, first place and big bass; Craig Hall second place and second big bass and Josh peek, third place. See story for how the anglers caught their bass on Toledo Bend reservoir.

Paul Henry, ABA District 53 director, presided over the weekend contests. He gave notice that the May tournament, to be held on Lake Sam Rayburn was moved up one week to May 8th. The next contests are scheduled for Feb. 10-11 on Lake Sam Rayburn out of Mill Creek Park.
 
Anglers interested in the ABA and seasonal standings can go online for information at:  http://www.americanbassanglers.com/districts2007.php?district=53
Henry may be reached by telephone at: 409-745-1846.
Major Sponsors of the ABA include: Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Gander Mountain, Save Face Sports Masks, and Arrus rods.