His best finish on the lake that straddles the Louisiana-Texas border was 2^nd place in a Professional Anglers Association (PAA) tournament in October 2009. The Blacksburg, S.C., pro led after the second day, but came up just .54 of a pound short on the third day.

A year and a half later, in April 2011, he notched his second best finish on the lake, weighing a total of 66 pounds for 6^th place in an Elite Series tournament.

“I executed my game plan almost to perfection and with just a little luck I could have won the tournament,” he said after finishing 6^th.

His worst outing on the 185,000 reservoir on the Sabine River came in June or 2012 when he finished 53^rd.

But, with conditions running three weeks to a month later than normal, Montgomery is hoping the bass are in about the same spot on their schedule that they were three years ago when he finished 6^th.

If so, he could possibly replicate that successful outing and, with that little luck he needed in 2011, maybe win the Toledo Bend Elite tournament.

“As late as the spring is there should be a lot of fish spawning and maybe even some fish in pre-spawn,” he said. “Most likely the tournament will be won offshore because that is where you will find the big groups of fish that you can actually win tournaments on, so I will spend a lot of time offshore. But I am going to look for bedding bass too.”

Montgomery said a lot of fish will probably be caught off the beds the first day of the tournament and then anglers will have to look for them in other areas or find unfished bedding spots.

“Toledo Bend has got a lot to offer. There is shallow wood, shoreline grass, milfoil, hydrilla, stands of timber. It’s a good tournament lake because we can spread out and not have to fish on top of each other like we were on the St. John’s River.”

Currently ranked 23^rd in the Bassmaster Elite Angler of the Year standings, Montgomery said he hopes to stay inside the Bassmaster Classic cutoff, which is typically around the top 35 anglers. After finishing 11^th at Seminole in mid-March and 25^th on the St. John’s River a week later, one fish in the third Elite tournament of the year cost him a chance for real breathing room in the AOY race, he said.

“I had one bite at Table Rock tournament (in early April) that would have made a world of difference…just one bite,” he said.

Montgomery hooked a 5-pounder that got his line tangled in a cedar tree and he could not get him out. That was the difference between a possible top 50 finish and 71^st place, which held him down in AOY points.

Montgomery said when practice opens Monday he plans to spend a little time scouting the lake, then spend some time checking out the fish along the banks and then “get a feel for what to do in the tournament.”

 

Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend

May 1-4, 2014

Toledo Bend Reservoir

Cypress Bend Park

www.bassmaster.com