Lake Association awards 36 lunker replicas at Big Bass Splash

An astounding 36 fiberglass replicas for bass weighing 10 pounds and above were presented at Sealy’s McDonald’s Big Bass Splash, held on Toledo Bend from May 21-23.

Dinah Medine, who serves as chairperson for the Toledo Bend Lake Association program, thanked Kurt Carver of Toledo Town for his commitment to the conservation program and for being the official weigh-in site.
She presented 29 replicas ranging in size from 10-11.42 pounds.

Ricky Yelldell with La. Wildlife and Fisheries and A. Kell McInnis, III, representing the La. Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, presented seven additional replicas of large mouth bass to the fishermen catching bass over 12 pounds.

The anglers who caught fish large enough to quality for the Top 100 Biggest Bass Caught on Toledo Bend list, were presented caps and certificates by Linda Curtis-Sparks, director of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. The 100 biggest range in size from 11.48-15.30 pounds and can be seen at www.toledobendlakecountry.com.

The Toledo Bend Lake Association, through their yearly Bass Unlimited Banquet, is committed to funding projects of this nature to help maintain healthy fisheries on Toledo Bend. One of their projects is to have a yearly release in December of Florida Bass fingerlings. In December 2009, they placed 22,000 fingerlings in coves on the lake.

The lunker program was initiated by the Sabine River Authority in 1993, continued by Toledo Town in 1998, before being transferred to the lake association. To date, 396 lunkers have been caught and released. To quality for the TBLA lunker program, a fish must be released while still alive. Additional information on the program can be found at www.toledo-bend.com/tbla/replica.asp.