Well, are you planning a trip for more than one day? If so you can fish both lakes.lol.... Rayburn in my opinion is a little safer to fish. And in my opinion, you have a slightly better chance of getting a good fish there.... Toledo Bend is a different story. If you don’t know the lake, you should stay in the boat lanes while you are on plane in your boat, and then idle in to the coves/ docks you want to fish( btw, there are NO docks on Rayburn) Be aware of stumps and floaters . Be safe!

I believe the big girls are starting to move in for spawn. I would fish the northern end first. The water might be a little warmer there. If you are sight fishing, follow the same rules as fishing fork. If you are gonna start out deeper, I would start 10-12 ft water and work my way shallower. I would use crankbaits in the creek channels and lipless and chatter- type baits in/ around the grass . This time of year, I would use a bait with some red color in it in water shallower than 8-10ft. That’s the color of crawfish in Toledo this time of year. I wouldn’t use red colored baits in water much deeper than 10-12ft because at that depth red turns to gray. Hope this helps a little.

Lews reels and ABU reels are the way to go. Both company’s better reels are made in Korea, NOT China. I buy American made rods, not Chinese made rods. A matter of pride for me. I refuse to buy Chinese. I know lots of guys can’t afford American made rods, so if you gotta by China, I would look at Powell rods.

Lews superduty. I have three. They are fairly lightweight, have a good bearing count, external adjustments, high line capacity and reasonably priced. I also have after market 130 mm cranking handles with large knobs on mine. Seems to help some.

Palomar or trilene

Hello mr. Glenn
Rayburn is a big place. Numerous boat launches. The lake level has come back up some since I last checked, but I don’t believe it’s full pool yet. I would suggest a guide since it’s your first trip to the lake. If you are not getting a guide, one thing to remember is the northern part of the lake will be warmer than the southern part. The fish will be more active in that part first. Get a topo map, find the creek channels on the map, then use the depth finder on your boat to locate the channels once you get to the part of the lake you want to fish. I would fish the channels from about the 10ft depth and shallower and any grass I would see. Use any bait that you have confidence in. I’ve caught fish there in winter using everything from 10” worms to whopper ploppers to crankbaits. Good luck to you. Be safe.

Hi miss Laura.
Nice boat! I pretty much 2nd everything the gentlemen at this site have said. Plug, life jackets,etc..... just make sure you use your motor kill switch.! I’ve been guilty many times of not using mine. Fortunately I’ve never been in a situation where the kill switch would have made a difference, and hope I never am. I need to do better. Also, please be aware of weather changes while you are out. Lightning and boats in the middle of the lake aren’t good. And lastly, awareness of floating/ submerged objects and stumps are really important. Don’t want to give your boat a hickey...lol
Best of luck, be safe!
Chuck.

Hello mr. Ben
I don’t pay much attention to line recommendations. Lure specs are a little different. I believe attention to lure specs should be scrutinized according to the action of the rod. Example: a rod with an “ extra fast” rating loads up closer to the tip than a rod with a “ moderate - fast” rating, which loads up further down the blank. So, that being said, if you take a 1.5 oz. weight and try to make a good cast on an extra fast rod that is rated for a .75 lure weight you have a greater chance of snapping the rod than a moderate fast rod because of loading tolerances. In any case, it’s always better to stay within reason of the rod rating...

I don’t see that as a problem at all.

Yep, Mr. Ben. That’s a pop r lure. Don’t know why someone would call it a torpedo....?

Nowadays there are high school fishing teams in lots of areas. Contact the school district you are in ( or any close by that you would drive to) and see if you can donate. Also if you were to advertise with a paper or index card notice at your local grocery store/ pharmacy/ credit union, etc. that you were unloading fishing equipment ( brief description) Where and when, I guarantee you will sell stuff quick. It worked for me. There is also the “ Thrifty Nickle” type papers you can try, but I don’t know the cost.

The main ingredient in wd40 is a fish oil