With local tournaments scheduled for the next three weekends, area anglers are keeping their fingers crossed and one eye on Toledo Bend.Whatever happened to those light afternoon showers that last just long enough to hold down the temperature? Most of the state had already been taking a pounding, but the lightning-laced downpour that raced through the area last week conjured up fears of more flooding for Harvey’s hardest hit victims.It seems that it is all or nothing anymore and the “all” is a little worse each time! Effectively predicting the lake level on Toledo Bend and managing generating schedules that best protect the folks downstream has become a crapshoot at best.

The suggestion to simply hold the level ten feet lower is not a viable option.

The lake continued to rise with eleven gates open at the two foot mark early this week and that was upgraded to three feet in order to check the glut of additional water.Just that one additional foot produced another 10,000 cubic feet of water per hour.You don’t have to tell folks that live below the dam what that means.

In last week’s event we received a pretty substantial hit locally as well, but major storms have washed across the state just a little north of us for the past several weeks as well and other impoundments can only hold up so much rainfall.

The river is still on the rise and that will once again wreak havoc on salinity levels, but the upcoming river-based tournament is still three weeks away.A lot can happen weather wise between now and then, but we could be in much better shape by early June.

Maybe! Ronnie Moon, an angler that has decided that both the angling and maintenance on the north revetment wall go hand-in-hand will host the 2^nd annual revetment wall clean-up tournament this weekend.The initial event was hugely successful and Moon is hoping for an even better turnout this weekend.

Moon has definitely figured out how to make cleaning up discarded trash more palatable.The fishing portion of the event will pay a $100 for the largest trout, flounder and redfish and there is no entry fee to participate.Drinks, links and door prizes will also be a part of the 11:30 weigh-in.

Fishing will start at 7:00 and every contestant will be issued a clean-up bag, gloves and a free ticket at the S.A.L.T. Club house prior to staking out a productive spot along the wall.All contestants mush fish from the wall.

The north and south walls legitimately offer the bank fishermen the best opportunity for catching a big speck, red or trout year round.Chances of success are dependent on wind direction and water clarity, but there is no better place on Sabine Lake for folks without a boat.

Shrimp fished under a popping cork get the nod, but artificials and soft plastics can score as well.I would also be quick to give a Gulp tail rigged on a jig head a shot as well.

While I am always shocked by the amount of litter that a small portion of anglers continue to leave behind, I was even more pleasantly shocked by how clean the levee was following last year’s event.Even while fishing it only takes a few minutes to police your area, bag up any trash and bring it back to the S.A.L.T. Clubhouse.

With access to potentially productive fishing holes so limited, it is disappointing that any angler would be so careless as to leave it worse than he or she found it.Saturday’s tournament will afford a great opportunity to make a difference! The 45^th Annual S.A.L.T Club Memorial Day tournament is also right around the corner and recent changes will make it more fisherman-friendly than ever before.The biggest changes will be in the off-shore category and more opportunities for contestants to cash a check.

You can already pick up entry forms and all of the rules at area dealers and I will cover those changes in next week’s column.

The first weekend in June a team tournament benefiting eleven year-old Logan Shiner will be hosted out of the Orange City Boat Ramp.This will be a team tournament with a $150 entry fee.First place money is $2000 and there will be not only food available, but several other things going on as well.You don’t have to fish to help Logan out!