Another October bass fishing trip to either Lake Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend is in the books for the Shoopmans, me and my son, Jacob Shoopman.

The seven-day outing was awesome, starting Oct. 14 and ending Oct. 20. It was rainy early in the week, cold at midweek and unseasonably hot under bright skies the last three days.

We were on the water at Lake Sam Rayburn, which has become one of our favorite bass fishing destinations nestled in the forested hills of eastern Texas, either at daybreak or soon after each of those days. 

Anticipation ratcheted up in the days leading up to the trip as plans were made, then fine-tuned. Our 18 1/2-foot Triton aluminum bass boat powered by a 115-horsepower Mercury OptiMax was readied, clothes packed, groceries collected and, of course, nine to 12 fishing rods apiece and fishing tackle sorted. 

Jeff Tall’s camp near Big Bass Marina on the eastern side of Toledo Bend was our home away from home Monday through Wednesday for me and Monday through Thursday for Jacob. Jeff is an accomplished bass angler from Jennings who I met about 25 years ago while doing a feature story on bass fishing at night on Bundick Lake.

After Wednesday, I was fortunate to stay at Malcolm Crochet’s beautiful camp that overlooks Toledo Bend from a great vantage point on Lanan Creek. Malcolm, you might remember, is an all-around outdoorsman from Loreauville who helped lead volunteer efforts to restock Lake Dauterive-Fausse Pointe and the Atchafalaya Basin with bass in the 1990s after Hurricane Andrew decimated them in 1992.

Mike Sinitiere of New Iberia and I enjoyed our stay the rest of the week at Malcolm’s.

After Thursday, Jacob stayed at the home of Jerry Suit, formerly of New Iberia, who each year at this time is a gracious host to my son and his brother Kevin Suit and Kevin’s sons, Ben Suit and Zach Suit. Jerry’s home overlooks Patroon Bayou on the Texas side of Toledo Bend.

Just about every hour of daylight was spent bass fishing. We were rewarded with some cooperative bass wherever my son pointed the boat once we launched daily at the nice boat ramp at San Augustine Park near Pineland, Texas.

When we first began traveling to Toledo Bend and Lake Sam Rayburn, I was amazed how Jacob was able to find and catch bass three years ago at Toledo Bend and the past two years at Lake Sam Rayburn. I’m still impressed because our boat had at least three 4-pound bass or heavier each day we prefished for a Louisiana Bass Cats tournament scheduled Oct. 19-20 at Lake Sam Rayburn.

The two-day tournament was anti-climactic but oh-so interesting for both of us. I’m ready to do it all again.

 

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.