MANY, La. — Luke Palmer admitted he did not carry much optimism onto Toledo Bend Reservoir and his morning’s disappointing start deepened the despair. Thankfully, Palmer’s perseverance was rewarded with a massive limit of 32 pounds, 14 ounces that leads Day 1 of the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Toledo Bend Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Clearly demonstrating why it’s consistently ranked among the nation’s top lakes, this Sabine River impoundment kicked out 29 limits over 20 pounds, 10 of which broke 25, including a trio of “Dirty 30s.” Heading into Day 2 with a 2-4 lead over Riley Harris, Palmer said he’s elated with the contrast between his practice and the tournament.
“My practice was horrendous; I was almost ready to pack up and head back home,” said the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Coalgate, Okla. “You never know with fishing. It changes every day and I just made the right moves today.
“I had some offshore stuff and they showed up. It was fun.”
Noting that his day’s final tally belied a round of early frustration, Palmer said his fortune changed at just the right moment.
“It was a struggle,” he said of his morning’s start. “It looks good on paper, but I lost my first three fish this morning and I was very frustrated.
“I caught a 7-pounder not too long after that and got the ball rolling. That was my first fish and I was just tickled to death to have her in the box. Everything I did today just went right.”
Palmer did his work in the lake’s lower end. He was mostly looking for bass that were following bait schools and he found good numbers of quality fish spread throughout his target zone.
“After that 7, I caught some 3-pounders with it, then I’d go a little farther and I caught a 6, then I went a little father and I caught another 6,” he said. “It was very random, but there’s a lot of fish there.
“There might not be (anything) there tomorrow. It’s one of those iffy things, but I have a few areas where I think I can at least go scrounge out a limit if I need to just to make the Top 10.”
Palmer attributed his main area’s appeal to an abundance of sizable forage.
“It’s the only place that I have found that has giant gizzard shad, like 8- to 10-inch gizzard shad,” Palmer said. “I caught some of my fish flipping, I caught some cranking. I’m really trying to stay away from what everybody else is doing.
“I also have a couple of deep schools and if they pan out, things can get wild in a hurry.”
Palmer said he’ll give his areas another look on Day 2. He’s confident that he left plenty of good fish untouched, so he’ll be looking for another hefty limit.
“I’m looking forward to it tomorrow,” he said. “Hopefully, we can go catch at least 25 pounds and stay in this deal.”
That being said, Palmer said he knows this time of year often rewards flexibility.
“I’m gonna keep my mind open, because it’s changing every day,” he said. “We’re in the fall and everything’s scattered. We’re just gonna have to stay on top of ’em and keep moving with ’em.”
Hailing from Orange, Texas, Harris is in second place with 30-10. Reporting what he called a tough, grinding day, Harris anchored his bag with a pair of 7-pound kickers.
“I was able to put some things together and made some changes,” Harris said. “The lake turned over, so that has made it really funky, as far as the fishing goes. It’s kind of unpredictable.
“There are some things that you can pattern, but with the turnover, I’m having to cover a lot of water and see what has settled down and where the fish are starting to move back into. I had a lot of offshore fish in practice, but they’re gone, so I’m just trying to relocate them.”
Harris kept his specifics guarded, but he said a mix of baits produced his limit.
Buddy Benson of Dahlonega, Ga., is in third place with 30-3. With a 7-14 as his biggest bass, Benson said the first half of his day was a desert.
“I’ve never had a 30-pound bag,” Benson said. “It was the craziest day ever. I barely had a bass a 12 o’clock and I just pulled into one area and I didn’t see a boat for 2 hours.
“It seemed like every fish I saw, I caught ’em and they were all big. I left them biting, so hopefully, I can get back in that area tomorrow.”
Benson said he caught most of his weight in about an hour. Working a pocket in the lower lake region, he caught a couple of his fish in 20 feet, then he moved into the 10-foot range and caught the rest.
Benson caught his fish on a jerkbait. A slower presentation worked best.
Ty Faber of Pagosa Springs, Co., holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with a 9-0.
A field of 131 anglers competed in the second of three “EQ” events. The series began at Norfork Lake (Sept. 23-25) and concludes at Lake Guntersville (Nov. 11-13). After the final event, the Top 10 anglers in EQ points standings will qualify to fish the 2027 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series.
Thursday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. CT at Cypress Bend Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3 p.m. Coverage of the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Toledo Bend Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops can be found on Bassmaster.com. Bassmaster LIVE will be available on Friday, Oct. 23 from 8-11 a.m. ET and Noon-3 p.m. on Bassmaster.com and Roku Sports Channel.
Toledo Bend Lake Country is hosting this event.