The 2024 Southeast Region Club/Individual Division Trail made their third stop of the 2024 season, at Toledo Bend out of Lost Frontier RV Park & Marina in Hemphill, TX on Saturday, March 23, 2024, with 71 anglers competing. Due to projected high winds at take-off time this was designated a trailering tournament. According to dock talk the pre fishing had been pretty good in the weeks leading up to the tournament, however a weather change earlier in the week had kind of made things tougher and had anglers’ confidence all over the page.
At the end of the day Terry Reich with the Seven Coves Bass Club had bested the field by over a seven-pound margin. Terry brought five fish to the scales weighing in at 23.61 pounds, Terry’s bag was anchored by a beautiful Toledo Bend sow tipping the scales at 6.90, earning second big bass of the tournament. Due to the high winds Terry stated that he started close to the weigh-in and fished there until 9AM, once the winds died down, he made a move to a drain that was seven to eight foot deep with grass and fairly clear water leading to a spawning flat that was four to five deep. Terry felt like with the cooler weather that the fish may have backed off the flat and back into the drain. He targeted the drain with a Texas rigged Senko with 1/8-ounce weight pegged. He caught his five fish between 9:30AM and 12 noon. Terry gives credit to God for blessing him with a great day fishing. Terry states that he started his day with prayer and continued throughout the day and ended the day with a prayer of thanksgiving.
Terry Reich with the help of a friend shows off his winning stringer of 5 bass weighing in at 23.61 pounds.
Jody Rhoden with The Bass Club finished second with a five bass limit that weighed 16.26. Jody trailered North and was throwing a swim jig in shallow grass, the jig got hung up on top of the grass and 5.23 pounder bit it, this made Jody think that they may eat a frog, he switched to a frog and boated approximately 9 keepers before the sun came up and the bite went away. T
he Bass Club member Brian Jones finished third overall with a five bass limit tipping the scales at 13.04. Brian states that he targeted shallow sandy spots with a belly weighted watermelon fluke and a light Carolina rigged with a watermelon fluke also.
Clint Laskoskie with the Seven Coves Club had the Big Bass of the event with 8.41-pound sow. Clint said that he was going down a bank in 4 to 5 foot of water when he saw a big cruiser alongside of the boat when it disappeared he turned to see if it was on a bed he had passed up and sure enough it was, so he stopped and tied on a drop shot, first toss in the bed she swam off with off with it, but he missed her. Second cast in, she bit again and he hooked her, Chris states that after about sixty seconds of panic she was in the boat. Clint’s Big Bass also earned him a check for ninth place in the overall standings. Terry Reich with the Seven Coves Bass Club had the second Big Bass with a 6.90 pounder.
Clint Laskoskie shows off his 8.41-pound beauty that earned him Big Bass of the tournament and ninth place overall.
Thank you to the members of the assisting clubs as well as the Southeast Region Directors for their assistance in conducting a smooth tournament.
The Southeast Region next individual event is on Richland Chambers out of Oak Cove Marina, on April 6, 2024.
Written by: Robert Royal Southeast Region Secretary