Up and Coming Outdoors kicked off the Fall Series on Toledo Bend with the first cold front of the year. Overnight the temperature dropped to 50 degrees as the wind changed to the north. Overcast skies and a 10 mph from the northeast set the tone for the tournament. The day seemed set up perfect for spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwater but most teams found these techniques to be ineffective. Flipping grass with jigs and heavy weighted soft plastics caught 90% of the fish weighed in. Most teams found success in the grass and were able to bring a limit to the scales but big fish were few and far between.

The first place team of Jeremy Burge, from Leesville, and Kraig Wellborn, from Deridder, fished from their Mercury powered Champion on the south end of Toledo Bend.  Burge and Wellborn started the day fishing topwater baits around the grass with no luck but the team quickly made a change the old faithful jig to take home the first place plaques and $1010.00 cash. The team reported catching their 15.58 stringer in 10 to 12 feet of water using black and blue Talon jigs.  The team only caught 6 keepers throughout the day but those 6 keepers included the American Rodsmiths’ Big Bass of the Tournament, a nice 6.16 lbs bass, and the big bass of the 10:00 hour (3.86 lbs).  Jeremy and Kraig won $170.00 and an American Rodsmiths’ flipping stick for the big bass of the tournament.  Team Burge and Wellborn would like to thank Talon Lures for their help.

David Rabalais and Richard Guillory of Lake Charles fished a variety of lures to catch the second place stringer of the tournament.  Rabalais, owner of Lake Charles Tackle, said the team started the day cranking ridges in 12-14 feet of water in the Six Mile area of the lake.  The team used chartreuse DD 22’s to catch their first keepers and then moved close to the grass with Yellow Magic’s and spinnerbaits.  Mid morning the team started flipping grass with 1 oz Oldham grass jigs in coontail with a Berkley Chigger Craw trailer.  The team culled 4 times with the jigs and finished the day with a 15.03 bag and the 5.72 Big Bass of the 1:00 hour.  David and Richard would like to thank Shimano, Berkley, Lake Charles Tackle, and Southside Machine Works for their sponsorship.

The father and son team of David Mong and Derek Mong ran their Ranger/Mercury rig to the south end of Toledo to put together a 12.76 lbs bag for third place in the tournament.  Derek reported catching their 7 keepers on Jewel Football head jigs around the outside of the grass in 15 feet of water.  The team used black and blue jigs tipped with a Zoom Super Chunk.  Team Mong is sponsored by “Team Dad.”

Up and Coming Outdoors will host its second Fall Series Tournament October 31 on Toledo Bend at Pirates Cove Marina.  We would to thank the folks at Pirates Cove for their hospitality and the great plate lunches they prepared for the weekend.  Up and Coming Outdoors would like to send a special thanks to our sponsor American Rodsmiths, The Yamaha Shop of Lake Charles, and Fontenot and Fontenot Law Offices.