Fishing guide, John Dean has been fishing pepper grass and hay grass, catching largemouth bass this summer on Toledo Bend. Within the last three to four weeks he has been jerking 4-5 pound individual bass from the grass.

Pepper grass is vegetation that can be found all over Toledo Bend Lake. It grows in water that is anywhere from four to five or six feet deep. “It’s a dominant summertime grass vegetation here on Toledo Bend for some time,” said Dean. “That’s where the bream pile up.

“This is a frog fishing situation,” continued Dean, meaning using lures resembling a frog. He’s partial to a Ribbit Frog or a Top Toad. The Ribbit requires movement or it will sink; the Toad is hollow and floats.”

Target grass with open water either within or around it. The open water spot could be as small as a five-gallon bucket. “It’s a slow presentation … one slow twitch and let it stop, let it sit,” explains Dean in describing how to fish the Toad. “They don’t want anything moving fast. Make a little noise and kill it; I call it dead-sticking.”

In July and August, the Ribbit and Toad is a great lure when fishing at night. “It’s a pattern that works extremely well in night fishing,” said Dean. “Best times is when we move into the Full Moon phase.”

Does Dean ever move out into deeper water as the summer progresses? “I’ll stay with a topwater bite in the summer until the bass tell me different.”