MANY, La. — More than 100 teams are registered to take part in Sunday’s Costa Bassmaster High School Central Open on Toledo Bend Reservoir in Many, La., and if things go as expected, they could be in for one of the better fishing experiences they’ve ever had.
“This week is probably going to be one of the best weeks of the spring on Toledo Bend and possibly the best week of 2015,” said Joe Joslin, a longtime fishing guide on the reservoir and owner of Joe Joslin Outdoors. “The water level is really good, and the water temperature could be as high as 60 degrees by Sunday. The fishing could be unbelievable.”
Registration will be from 2-5 p.m. Saturday at Cypress Bend Pavilion, with a tournament barbecue and briefing to follow for participants. Boats will launch from Cypress Bend Park at 7:15 a.m. Sunday with the weigh-in scheduled to begin at the park at 3:30.
Joslin said he expects some big fish to be brought to the scales.
“I think there will be a lot of big fish shallow, and they should be pretty easy to catch,” Joslin said. “When I go out fishing with my guide service this week, I’ll be using Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits and a weightless plastic called a Berkley Havoc Flat Dawg that has a really good action when it falls. Those are all baits that should work really well for the high school anglers Sunday – and baits they can really have a lot of fun fishing with.”
The long-range weather forecast is also shaping up nicely for the event. As of Tuesday morning, The Weather Channel was predicting a low of 48 degrees Saturday night and a high of 70 during the day on Sunday with only a 10 percent chance of rain and little or no wind.
“It’s all coming together just right for them,” Joslin said. “The way everything’s lining up, it should be a great tournament.”