FISHING GUIDE · TEXAS & LOUISIANA

Toledo Bend Reservoir Fishing Guide

Toledo Bend is one of the best-known bass lakes in the country and a regular Bassmaster stop. TPWD rates its largemouth fishery as excellent all year. It also has good crappie, catfish and bream fishing.

📍 On the Sabine River on the Texas-Louisiana line. Texas counties: Shelby, Sabine and Newton. Louisiana parishes: Sabine and DeSoto. Dam is about 24 miles northeast of Jasper, TX, above Burkeville, TX. Lake runs north to near Logansport, LA. Hemphill and Milam, TX are visitor bases.

📅 Louisiana Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Texas & Oklahoma Lakes map →

Quick facts

Surface area: about 181,600 acres (TPWD). Largest man-made lake in the South.
Impounded in 1967 (dam closed in October 1966).
Maximum depth: about 110 feet.
About 1,200 miles of shoreline and about 65 miles long.
Texas-waters lake record largemouth bass: 15.32 lb, caught July 3, 2000 (TPWD records).

What you can catch

largemouth bass
Rated excellent by TPWD. Big fish come from grass, timber and points.
crappie
Good all year. Shallow in the spring spawn, deeper brush piles the rest of the year.
channel and blue catfish
Good all year. Cut bait and stinkbait work.
flathead catfish
Prefer live bait.
white bass
Fair. Best in the early spring spawning run.
bluegill and redear sunfish
Rated excellent. Great for kids and new anglers.
striped bass
Stocked each year; fair to poor. Schools on main-lake points and humps in summer and fall.

Month by month

January	Bass shallow on warm days. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Crappie on jigs and minnows near deep brush.
February	First wave of spawning bass can start in warm years. White bass run up the creeks.
March	Main spawn wave. Shallow grass, pockets and stumps. Crappie spawn in shallow vegetation.
April	Mix of spawn, post-spawn and shad spawn. Hay grass, clay points and new hydrilla in 3-8 ft.
May	Post-spawn. Bass move out to grass lines and points in 8-12 ft. Carolina rigs and crankbaits.
June	Summer. Topwater early, late and at night. Then worms and jigs on grass edges and deep ledges.
July	Fish deep ledges, humps and creek channels with worms and jigs. Stripers school on main-lake points.
August	Same summer pattern. Bream and catfish are good options.
September	Late summer into fall. Stripers and bass chase bait on points and flats near the river channel.
October	Fall. Bass move shallow and chase shad. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
November	Bass shallow on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Crappie on deeper brush piles.
December	Winter. Slow down. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits on shallow fish, jigs and minnows for crappie.

Tips

Lower lake: fish grass edges, flats, humps and creek channels.
Upper third has less grass. Fish timber, brush, laydowns and creek channels.
Stumps and standing timber are everywhere. Use a GPS and depth finder.
Use the TPWD Habitat Structure Viewer for brush pile GPS spots.
Popular baits: Carolina rigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, swim jigs, Senkos and soft plastics.

Rules and license

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) · Official rules page ↗

Reciprocal license: Texas and Louisiana residents with a valid license from their own state (or exempt by age), and holders of a valid non-resident license from either state, may fish the shared boundary waters.
Black bass: 8 per day in any combination. Largemouth 14-inch minimum. No minimum for spotted bass. Possession 10.
Crappie: 25 per day, no minimum length.
Channel and blue catfish: 50 per day, only 5 over 30 inches. Flathead: 18-inch minimum, 10 per day.
Bass, crappie, white bass and catfish limits are the same on both sides. Some other species (like alligator gar) differ by state.
A fish consumption advisory is in effect. Drain water from your boat when leaving (Texas rule).

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 0 boat ramps and 1 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Harborlight Marina and Resort

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.