“I was there when they first opened it,” said 12News Outdoors wildlife expert J.D. Batten. “It was solid trees.”

Batten has done his fair share of angling on Toledo Bend ever since the dam was built back in the 60’s. He says the Bass fishing there is great. Bassmaster Magazine agrees and has named Toledo Bend the best bass fishing lake in the country for the 2nd year in a row.

“There was fish everywhere,” said Batten. “Some of the best Bass pros in the United States grew up fishing Toledo Bend.”

Batten says the water level has a lot to do with the great fishing.

“Grass will grow in 12-14 feet deep water at Toledo,” said Batten. “Grass is the secret. If you find the bass, [you’ve found] the grass.”

Texas Parks and Wildlife District Fishery Biologist Todd Driscoll says Batten is right. Bass having a place to hide from predators is a big factor in the number of sizable fish.

“Toledo Bend’s got great fisheries habitat and it really always does whether we have high water, a lot of rainfall or even during drought years,” said Driscoll.

The Biologist says other factors making Toledo Bend a haven for Bass include the large size of the lake plus restocking efforts by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Baby Florida Largemouth Bass are being raised at a Fishery in Brookeland. They will soon call Toledo Bend home with a batch scheduled for stocking Monday.

Batten says the efforts by Texas Parks and Wildlife to keep fish species in balance has been a great benefit to all anglers. He’s also thrilled Bassmaster is taking notice of Southeast Texas.

“It puts a feather in your hat in Texas whenever you can really be the best in the whole United States, no doubt about it,” said Batten.

To read more about how Bassmaster ranks the best bass fishing lakes in the nation click here: Toledo Bend retains top spot on Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list