Toledo Bend Midday Update – Day 3
Warm weather could set the stage for a late-day push for any of the top pros
The final day of the Toyota Series Southwestern Division event on Toledo Bend is an absolutely glorious one, in terms of weather. A light breeze and sunny skies greeted anglers for the first time all week, and while it may be pleasant to be outside in, it hasn’t done much to help the fishing.
Top five patterns from day two
Leading after two days, Cody Huff has stuck with his guns all day chasing suspended fish offshore, but so far has just two little ones in the box. The fish are on his spots, but they aren’t set up how he’d like just yet. But, the afternoon has been when things really start to fire for him so he’s not hitting the panic button just yet. Huff knows that when the fish group up where he wants them to it can go down in just a few casts.
Up the lake, second-place pro Justin Cooper was catching fish right out the gate this morning. While the size seems to have shrunk on him, he’s still getting bites and knows any cast could be a big upgrade. He had around 11 or 12 pounds when our crew left him mid-morning and was just starting to get into his offshore rotation.
Day-one leader Stephen Johnston also checked in with a limit, but they aren’t the size he needs to challenge for a W. He says he’s got around 12 pounds and thinks the fish have actually slid out deeper on him, so he’s making some afternoon adjustments.
Darold Gleason is happy to have a limit in the boat and had to throw an umbrella rig to make it happen. “I don’t want to throw this thing, but I also don’t want to suck,” Gleason says of the umbrella rig. He caught several doubles, but like the rest of the field needs to find a kicker bite to improve on the 12 pounds he has in the box.
Cody Pitt reports three fish so far and the rest of the 10 are out doing all they can to try to challenge Huff for the title.
With the water temperatures warming up by the time we got off the water, you can almost bet there will be some clutch fish catches this afternoon before the top 10 checks in at Cypress Bend Park. Weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. CT, so tune in to see if Huff can pull it off or if one of the numerous local sticks behind him can pull something out of their hat.