Toledo Bend, La. - Hello, anglers. I seldom get personal in this column, but today requires me to reflect on a man who has made my life better and hopefully even made me a more pleasant human being. If anglers are blessed, and I surely am, we have special people in our lives who we love to spend time with, and especially time together, on a favorite fishing hole. One of those special people for me has been my father-in-law, Clyde Perkins. Mr. Clyde lived to be outdoors and only went inside long enough to get a bite to eat and a little sleep where he could get back to work on his Mississippi Delta farm or back to his favorite deer stand or fishing hole. Mere words do not come close to describing this warm-hearted, generous, fair minded angler. so I won't dwell there. However, let me give you a few insights into Mr Clyde's fishing. I introduced him to Toledo Bend in the mid-70s and he was hooked. Speaking of being hooked, his method of setting the hook was not pretty, but it did not lack intensity. He set the hook in the same manner in which he lived ... with much enthusiasm. He would put any and all products to the test, including boats, trucks, tractors, guns, rods, reels, you name it. I once gave him a good bass rod with a lifetime warranty and he got to know the guys in their warranty department by first name. Last week, he was visiting a daughter in south Louisiana and had just left to return home when a young driver lost control of her vehicle and hit the Perkins head-on. Mr Clyde, 87, died Tuesday after a four-day battle from internal injuries. His precious wife of 67 years, Hazel, is in serious condition in a Lafayette hospital, while another daughter also received injuries. The driver of the other vehicle escaped serious injury. I miss him already as I learned so much from him about life as well as the outdoors. More than likely, the most that will be written about the passing of Mr. Clyde will be written in this fishing column by a fishing buddy. I have a feeling he would be okay with that. We covet your prayers. LAKE CONDITIONS: The lake level is 171.57 feet with both generators running from 3-9 p.m. weekdays. North Toledo is stained, but clearing, while mid-lake is mostly clear and south Toledo is clear. Major feeder creeks have some off colored water in the back third. Surface temperatures are running from 82-84 degrees. FISHING REPORTS BASS: This weekend, June 12-14, McDonald's Big Bass Splash again visits Toledo's Cypress Bend Resort. Over $350,000 in cash and prizes will be up for the taking and over 2,000 anglers are expected to compete. The heavy amount of boat traffic will require extreme caution from all boaters. Jason Broadway of Robeline won the 2008 Toledo Big Splash with a 10.98 pound bass. According to Broadway, he was using an Abu Garcia reel, Berkley rod and a watermelon red Brush Hog fishing in eight feet of water. Currently, anglers are using deep diving crankbaits (DD22s), Carolina and Texas rigged lizards, Berkley Power Worms, Brush Hogs (both baby and full size), Trick Worms (7 inch), Berkley Shaky worms (7 inch) and Senkos, to name a few of the soft plastic favorite products. Jigs are also in the mix as anglers are pitching Stanley, Odom and Berkley jigs around the edge of scattered grass in 8-15 feet, as well as working football jigs on deep structure in 18-30 feet ridges, points and humps. Top water patterns are also catching bass with Ribbit frogs starting to catch bigger bass. CRAPPIE: Crappie guide Butch Perrodin says the white perch are biting and had one recent trip where six anglers caught 60 crappie while fishing live shiners over brush tops in 15-20 feet depths. Other trips were similar with 40-60 each outing depending on winds. Perrodin gave some insight on his technique and stated that he used a three-inch cigar float (slip cork) with a knot tying system from Du-Bro which he ties himself with Dacron line that comes in a kit and uses a bead that prevents the the tie from going through the cork. He uses a 5/16 oz. worm weight followed by a swivel, which then has a leader of 10-pound test mono line and a main line of 30 lb Spider Wire and a 1/0 wire hook that will bend or open in the brush. This keeps rigs over the brush all the time and helps preven hangups. Joe Joslin is a syndicated columnist, tournament angler and pro guide on Toledo and Sam Rayburn. His sponsors include Skeeter Performance Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Lake Charles Toyota, Red River Marine, Berkley, Fenwick, Abu Garcia, Bill Norman, Daiichi, The Floor Trader, Extermatrim Exterminating, Inc. and Stanley Jigs Inc. Contact him at 337-463-3848 or joejoslinoutdoors@yahoo.com and www.joejoslinoutdoors.com.