Sam Rayburn Fishing Report by Lynn Atkinson

Reel um N Guide Service

Owner
Lynn Atkinson  

Water Temp.56                      

Water Clarity 2 feet

03-15-09

Sam Rayburn is at 158.98 ft the water temperature has been around 56 degrees. The water has been clear in some of the pockets but murky for the most part on most of the larger creeks from the rain.

We were catching a lot of fish this week with several over 5 lbs and one big one that broke us off. We were fishing a grassy point that drops off into 8 foot of water when we had a bite on a Carolina rig.  It was one of those hits when you know its one that weighs about 3 pounds.  I set the hook and she pulled back some and then started for the grass line. I pulled back to turn her from the grass, that’s when she let me know that she wasn’t having any of it and took off like a Mack truck. Well, with me pulling one way and her pulling the other, something had to give.  You know the rest. She did come up and make a jump and she was huge.

 A front pushed thru this week dropping a lot of rain, and the water temperature by 10 degrees. The fish that had moved up and were not locked on beds pulled back and the bite slowed way down. This is the way things go this time of year. We have a week of great weather and get the fish really turned on then have a front turn things off again. This is what makes this time of year great, the fish moving in and then moving back out. It gives you more of a chance to hook that big one.  Working Lipless crankbaits and Stanley Spinner Baits around the grassy points and bends have been putting a few fish in the boat. Working the grass line seems to be doing the best. Soft plastic like senko’s, Flukes and wacky worms are baits to work over the grass and in the bottom of the ditch’s where these fish are hiding waiting to move in. The Carolina and Texas Rig have been good on points and staging areas to get a few bites.

Remember the Sharelunker Program entries started on October 1 and run thru April 30th. If you haven’t heard, it encourages anglers who caught a 13 - pound- plus largemouth bass to lend or donate it to the TPWD for spawning purposes. There are some great benefits doing this, and one of them is getting a full color, life size, fiberglass replica of the bass. (October 1-April 30 only)  If your fish meets the requirements listed above, call their toll-free, 24-hour pager at 1-888-784-0600 or (903) 681-0550.Check out the Program rules 

If you haven’t heard about The Bass Class on the water check it out on the website and give me a call. Come learn some tricks that will help you catch fish on any lake.   

The Crappie have been moving into the grass and things are starting to look up for them this year. There still a lot caught around the bridge piles. Good Luck.  Hope to see you soon.

Big D Outdoors is the place to get your boat ready now. The spawn is getting closer by the day..  So, what are you waiting for?  Give them a call 409-769-3700. 

God Bless
Lynn Atkinson
srayburn@rayburncountry.com
www.rayburncountry.com
Home 936-897-3400
Cell 979-220-0251

Bud Pruitt Wins BFL on Sam Rayburn

Sam Rayburn Reservoir
2/28/09 — Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Twin Dikes Park, Jasper, TX

Boater Bud Pruitt of Houston won the Feb. 28 BFL Louisiana-Texas Division tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir to earn $4,610. Pruitt outfishes BFL field on Sam Rayburn Reservoir 28.Feb.2009 JASPER, Texas — Bud Pruitt of Houston won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Louisiana-Texas Division tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Pruitt $4,610 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the DeGray Lake Regional Championship in Arkadelphia, Ark., Oct. 22-24, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck. Rounding out the top five boaters are Dicky Newberry of Houston (five bass, 20-15, $2,305); Glen Freeman of Converse, La. (five bass, 20-3, $1,536); John Cox of Cedar Creek, Texas (five bass, 18-7, $1,076) and Don Williams of Keithville, La. (five bass, 18-6, $922). Jeff Holder took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $670 for an 8-pound bass he caught. Ernest “Butch” Stover of Kingwood, Texas earned $2,305 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Michael Cooley of Woodville, Texas (five bass, 18-14, $1,152); Rusty Rogers of Arkadelphia, Ark. (five bass, 18-10, $768); Sam Musick of Brookeland, Texas (five bass, 17-2, $538) and Warren Whitaker of Woodville, Miss. (five bass, 14-6, $461). John Ellender Jr. earned $335 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass. The next Louisiana-Texas Division event will be held on the Toledo Bend Lake in Many, La., March 28. The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

Turner And McMullen Win Bass-N-Bucks On Sam Rayburn

The team of Randy Turner and Jerry McMullen came in 1st place with a total weight of 28.27 lbs. - this is a payout of $15,000. Thank you, Bass N Bucks! They were glad to have trailered - the wind really affected them. They got a rattletrap hung up in the anchor rope - but they didn’t let that stop their momentum. They fished the mid lake area and had a limit by 9:00. Randy stated that Jerry lost a “big un”, probably over 10 lbs and they lost about 7 other fish early. They ended up culling an 18 lb. bag to get their total of 28.27 lbs. - their bigger fish hit after noon. All of their fish were full of eggs. This team was using a Carolina rigged brush hog in 5 - 7 ft of water and also a Mr. Blitz 3/4 oz. chartreuse/white spinner bait on 17 lb Big Game line.

In 2nd place with a total weight of 22.90 lbs that included an 8.52 big bass - was the team of Robert Glende and Ted Odell. They won a total of $4,000. Their day started off a little slow - good old “southeast Texas allergies”. But, it didn’t take them long to forget about their physical problems!! They had a limit by 10:00 using a “Rayburn Red” 1/2 oz. Rattletrap. They did catch one fish with a Carolina rig, but it broke off. They threw right back and caught the same fish again, it still had their “rigging” in it! She weighed about 6 lbs. and was probably on a bed. They would like to thank Skeeter and Yamaha. On a personal note, they stated that they would also like to thank our wives for letting us fish”. Way to go guys!!

David Harvey, who fished by himself due to his partner fishing another tournament, hefted up a big sack that weighed 22.39 lbs.! This bag ended up placing him in 3rd place, winning $2,000. He did state that “one came off right at the boat and maybe my partner could have netted it”. Goodness, just think what he could have done if his partner would have been with him! David ran his Skeeter/Yamaha rig to the south end of the lake. He stated that he saw about 33 lbs of fish but that it was about 2 days too early to catch them- “they were just not locked on yet”. He was flipping a tube on deeper beds that were holding bigger fish. He’d like to thank Skeeter, Yamaha, Falcon Rods and Big Bite Bait.

[Click to enlarge image] It took 28.27 lbs to win 1st place by Randy Turner and his partner Jerry McMullen (np). John and Dave Concienne help show their catch! Photo by Gay Norton

[Click to enlarge image] Tournament director Dave assisting 2nd place winner Ted Odell who was fishing with partner Robert Glende (np)

Top Teams:

Please visit the www.bassnbucks.com website for the entire story.

Enjoying Life on Lake Sam Rayburn…Thank You, God!

Christy and I started Allman Company, REALTORS about 1 year and 2 months ago, and our lives have not been the same since.  Life has not slowed down very much since taking on the responsiblity of starting our own business especially when your on a realtor’s schedule.  We have two girls ages 2 and 5.  So you can only imagine how hectic things can get. 

Both Christy and I have been longing to figure out how to have a break from the non-stop business world and still manage to include the kids.  Sundays are about our only days off, but we still manage to fill it up.  We go to New Hope Baptist Church in Milam, TX which is about a 45 to 50 min. drive each Sunday.  After church, we then head two miles down the road and meet with most all of Christy’s family members for a large Sunday lunch.  We fellowship before lunch and fellowship some more after lunch.   Somewhere around 3:30 we load up and head back to the house, play with the kids, eat, give the kids a bath, then go to bed to revitalize to repeat the week.

This week we decided to finally get the girls out on the lake for a fishing trip, and man was this just what the Doctor ordered!  After church, we left a little early so we could get back and fish some before dark.  We got on the lake around 4pm and fished until almost dark.  No cell phones, no business, just the family and the fish.   Having been a former guide I can only imagine that my patience for a new fisherwoman is better than the average dad…….and thank goodness for that!  Despite all of the tangles, twisted lines, snags, and pouting we survived while having a great evening.  This is exactly what I have been wanting in life, and I thank the Lord for that.

Life can get so complicated these days, and it is easy to get caught up in it.  If you have not taken the family out for a day on the lake, it is probably about time.  If you don’t think you have the patience to keep them untangled, hire a local guide to take the family out and cater to your needs.  There are a couple of great guides who post reports here on the Blog. 

“God, family, then, work” has always been what I described on how my priority list goes, but it seems too easy for that to be knocked out of wack.  If your priorities seemed jumbled, take time to fix them and enjoy life!

Sam Rayburn Report by Lynn Atkinson

Reel um N Guide Service

Owner
Lynn Atkinson  

Water Temp.63                      

Water Clarity 2-3 feet

03-08-09

Sam Rayburn is at 158.20 ft the water temperature has been around 63 degrees warming up to 66 in some of the pockets. The water has been clear in some of the pockets but murky for the most part on the main lake.

This week we have caught a lot of fish with a lot of the males that have moved up. The females are just setting tight. Trying to fool one of them into biting has been tough to do but we have caught a few of them. One was over eight and was just ready to pop. A lot of fish have been moving up slowly and getting more active everyday.  Today we had several fish around 4 and one that would have gone over 5 but he didn’t make it to the boat. However we got a good look at him when he broke off and that’s when we saw the fish hooked on the front treble hook.  He was about 6 inches in length. Now who was on first?  Was it the big one looking to steal an easy meal and got hooked?  We will never know. We really have had to slow down some to get a bite. We had been working the grass lines with just about everything. We switched out Senko’s, Flukes, Wacky Worms, Spinner Baits, Crankbaits and Jerkbaits to get bites. Slow is the key word here. Carolina Rigs with the lightest weight you can use worked slowly along the bottom has been catching a little bigger fish but you get fewer bites. This seems to be the story, less bites bigger fish, more bites smaller fish.  Watermelon Red, Green Pumpkin, Pumpkin Seed and White have been the best colors.

Remember the Budweiser Sharelunker Program entries started on October 1 and run thru April 30th. If you haven’t heard, it encourages anglers who have caught a 13 - pound- plus largemouth bass to lend or donate it to the TPWD for spawning purposes. There are some great benefits doing this, and one of them is getting a full color, life size, fiberglass replica of the bass. (October 1-April 30 only)  If your fish meets the requirements listed above, call their toll-free, 24-hour pager at 1-888-784-0600 or (903) 681-0550.Check out the Program rules 

If you haven’t heard about The Bass Class on the water check it out on the website and give me a call. Come learn some tricks that will help you catch fish on any lake.   

The Crappie have been moving into the grass and things are starting to look up for them this year. There still a lot caught around the bridge piles. Good Luck hope to see you soon.

Big D Outdoors is the place to get your boat ready now. The spawn is getting closer by the day..  So, what are you waiting for?  Give them a call 409-769-3700.  

God Bless
Lynn Atkinson
srayburn@rayburncountry.com
www.rayburncountry.com
Home 936-897-3400
Cell 979-220-0251

Sam Rayburn Bass Tournaments for March and April

Tournaments on Rayburn For March and April are listed below.  Among them are Bass Champs, BassNBucks, FLW Stren, CAST, Anglers Quest, Fishers of Men, and more.

Rayburn Country Club is looking for hole Sponsors for Couples Tournament

Rayburn Country  Club is seeking companies who would like to be a hole sponsor for the 2009 Gold Dust Couples Tournament.  They will take donations in any amount but you may be a hole sponsor for $100.   You will have a sign posted at that hole with your business advertisement.

For information about being a sponsor or about the tournament please contact Jason in the Pro Shop at 409-6982444 ext. 230

Sam Rayburn Fishing Report by Roger Bacon Outoors

Spring is here and the bass bite is in full swing. Rayburn is still about 8 feet low and holding. The last week or so, I’ve seen many bass moving up on beds. And with warm weather forecast for the foreseeable future, it should only get better. There are no bushes or trees for the bass to hide in to do their spawning and subsequently, bass on beds will be easy pickings. It is going to be very important this year to respect the resource and return fish to their beds to complete the process. By leaving no one home to protect the eggs from predators, you are endangering the spawn , so catch and release is crucial. I have had the best luck finding the deepest water near the spawning fish and fishing for the bass that are lurking about waiting for their turn to spawn. Creek bends, drains and drop off banks are the best places to start. Best baits have been Trick Worms, Magnum Finesse Worms and Super Flukes in watermelon or redbug. I am fishing them either weightless, or with a small split shot pinched about 12 inches up the line. Light ticks and small movements of your line deserve attention. The bites have been very subtle. Moving out a bit, the Carolina Rig and Drop shot have been working well on main lake and secondary points in 12-18 feet. I have also been going “Old School” and hopping a half ounce jig in Black/blue or Green Pumpkin/watermelon along the same breaks with success. On the C-Rig and Drop Shot, Trick Worms and Lizards have been the best bet. Crappie reports have been decent around the 147 bridge. Either live shiners or jigs fished around the bridge pilings have been working well. If you hit a piling and they aren’t biting, move on to the next until you find them. I’m already booking for summer crappie fishing. We Won’t be hitting em till May, but if you want an early summer trip, call soon as the prime dates are going fast. If you’d like to book a trip, or just talk fishing, give me a call. Set the Hook Hard.

Sam Rayburn Bass Champs takes almost 29LBS to WIN!

Kirk LeLeux of Kirbyville, TX and Terry Dewitt of Orange brought in the biggest sack at 28.94 lbs, winning 1st place and $20,000. “It started out real good. We caught our first keeper pretty early, then it took a while to get a limit wrapped up.” Trying to get out of the wind, the team fished protected areas in shallow water. “All of our fish were caught on Carolina rigs and Rat-L-Traps in 8’ or less. Most were in about a foot and a half of water.” It was noon before they put their fifth fish in the livewell, but as the water warmed the bite got better. “We caught about three limits. Our last good one came on the last 10 minutes we had to fish.” Among their creel was a 7.06 lb kicker. They received the guaranteed 1st place purse from Bass Champs, and were riding out of a Skeeter boat. It wasn’t a qualified model for the double your money Skeeter bonus, but they did register and qualify for another Skeeter incentive called the Reel Money Bonus. They also won $200 from Sure-Life.

2nd place was won by Vincent Neal from Calwell, TX & Kyle Rowe of Waco weighing in 26.14 lbs. They went to one spot, a 60 yard stretch near a branch of a creek channel and fished it all day. “We caught them all on jigs, in water about 10’-11’ deep. Just kept flippin’.” They boated 10 keepers to cull from, their best five earned a check for $5,000.

Local anglers John Lynch of Brookeland, TX and Marc Woolems of Jasper brought in the first 23.82 lb sack to tie for 3rd place. “We had a good start, put a limit in the boat right away.” They stayed there and culled all of those, then went to two other areas and culled all they had again. “It was a nice day. We just fished shallow grass with traps around flats and in pockets.” They won $2,500 for their 3rd place win, then split the Skeeter Bonus with the tying team for an additional $1,250. Their sponsors include Lowrance electronics and American Rodsmith.

Paul Eason and Lyndell Bray, both from Brookeland TX also weighed 23.82 lbs. “It was a slow start for us, but mid morning on it got better.” They were throwing Rat-L-Traps and wacky worms in shallow water, 1’-2’ deep. “We put a limit in the boat around 10:30, and just worked on culling up from there.” Lyndell is supported by the Sabine Federal Credit Union in Orange, TX and Dawson Marine. “Good places to do business!” They received $2,500 from Bass Champs for their 3rd place win plus another $1,250 from Skeeter for tying as the top qualified team.

Johnny Watkins caught the biggest bass of the tournament weighing 9.18 lbs. Fishing with Bart Blakelock, this Lake Charles team had a limit in their boat when he caught it, giving them their first cull of the day. “I was throwing a 1 oz white Stanley spinnerbait in about 2’ of water. We were back in a grassy cove.” The bass won the team a $1,000 check to add to their 16th place overall finish paying another $1,000. They would like to acknowledge Stanley baits, Rat-L-Trap, American Rodsmith, Bandit lures, Bolton Ford of Lake Charles, Grande Bass, Nitro and Mercury.

Top Teams:
1st $20,000+ 28.94 lbs Kirk LeLeaux & Terry Dewitt
2nd $ 5,000 26.14 lbs Vincent Neal & Kyle Rowe
3rd $ 2,500+ 23.82 lbs John Lynch & Marc Woolems
3rd tie $ 2,500+ 23.82 lbs Paul Eason & Lyndell Bray
5th $ 1,600 22.50 lbs Artie Longron & Randy Gantt
6th $ 1,300 21.72 lbs Chris Clemens & Dallas Cole
7th $ 1,080 21.68 lbs Alvin Jones & James Jones
8th $ 1,070 21.18 lbs Shelby Shaw & Wesley Lewis
9th $ 1,060 20.78 lbs Rusty Clark & Cory Rambo
10th $ 1,050 20.70 lbs Richard Belt & Butch Carmack
and last in the money
38th $ 600 16.60 lbs Greg McDonald & Gary McDonald

This story is a section writen by Patty Lenderman, the entire story can be found at Bass Champs website.

Featured Listing in Forest Hills from Allman Company, Realtors

2Bedroom 1.75 Bath Home in Forest Hills For Sale

Come and see my Featured Listing in Forest Hills.  This 2 bedroom 1.75 bath is approx. 1,212 Square Feet, has a great tile Kitchen with Island Cook top, wood burning fireplace, two car detached garage with additional lean to boat storage, plus a covered back patio that is great for grilling or just hanging out outside in the shade.  This home is nicely furnished with updated appliances &  FURNISHINGS WILL STAY!  This is a great starter home or weekend retreat……it is move in ready!  Also, the public boat ramp is only a mile or two away & just minutes from Umphrey’s Pavilion, Piney Point Plaza, The Stump Restaurant & Rayburn Country Golf Course.

Call Ashley Dotson, REALTOR for more information at (409) 698-3338 or email me at ashleyd@jas.net.  Also feel free to visit our web site at www.allmancompanyrealtors.com to view all of our listings.

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