Sam Rayburn Fishing Report
Reel um N Guide Service
Water Temp.69
Normal pool 164.40
Water Clarity 2 feet
04-25-10
Sam Rayburn is still falling this week to 164.38. The water is starting to clear and some of the water in the back is clear around 3 to 4 ft.
Sam Rayburn has been holding on to a lot of fish this year as winter put these fish into a tail spin. We have found fish up in the buck brush one day then none the next. They seem to have just vanished. In all reality they?ve just moved out to the grass line and been holding tight. We?ve been catching some on senko?s and wacky worms but you really have to soak the bait to get them to bite. We have also been running some of the outside grass lines with Stanley Spinner Bait and covering a lot of water and picking up fish. White and Chartreuse have been two of the colors we?ve been having some luck with. Don?t be afraid to change colors if you?re not catching anything. Crankbaits has been getting a few fish to bite in 6 to 12 ft range, keeping it touching the grass is key here. Carolina and Texas rig on the points and creek channels has been getting a little better but it?s still slow. Well Sam Rayburn is running out of time on the Sharelunker program. Don?t give up the summer bite as the top water is just getting started.
Remember the Sharelunker Program entries started on October 1 and runs thru April 30th. If you haven?t heard, it encourages anglers who catch 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 that the angler receives a fiberglass replica of the bass. There is a 24- hour pager at 1-888-784-0600 Check out the Program rules at their site along with the Benefits.
Crappie; We have caught a few fish in the grass in the back of the pockets and have started to catch some off the brush piles in a few places. Things are starting to kick off for the crappie fishermen. From what we have seen the eggs are not ready on most of them. Hopefully things will improve in the grass. The new pontoon has plenty of room for everyone so get your group booked for a crappie trip and get out and have some fun.
Lynn Atkinson
Cell 979-220-0251
Home 936 - 897- 3400
srayburn@rayburncountry.com
lynn@reelumn.com
10.60 Wins the McDonald’s Big Bass Splash
Brad Myers of Sulphur Springs, TX weighs in 10.60 and wins the McDonald’s Big Bass Splash on Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas this past weekend.
BBS FINAL: Brad Myers of Sulphur, La. Wins 26th Annual McDonald’s Big Bass Splash with 10.6 lb’er
By PATTY LENDERMAN
April 18, 2010
Posted: April 18, 2010, 7:51 PM CDT
It was intense. It was exciting. It was the 26th Annual McDonalds Big Bass Splash on Sam Rayburn April 16-18,2010. Brad Myers of Sulphur LA beat out over 3,700 participants from all over the globe including Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Japan, and nearly 40 states to win the $100,000 first place prize with a 10.6 lb’er. A guaranteed payback of $580,000 was on the line for this amateur only event along with drawings for various prizes for the spectators. Three days of hourly paybacks and a whole lot more was packed in this fun-filled Block Party weekend.
The suspense was intense while Randy Turner held the top position for nearly 2 ½ days until the double digit bass started showing up on Sunday. Two over 10 were weighed in just hours apart, and Sulphur, LA angler Brad Myers held his breath and hung on with the heaviest weight to win the grand prize sportsman’s package worth over $100,000.
The final morning started off with big bass coming in to be weighed. Roy Walton won the first hour of the day with his 8.79 lb catch. Another non-bass record was also recorded this weekend as Mike Sampson heaved an enormous flathead catfish to the weigh tanks. It barely fit inside the giant containers! A special scale was brought in and Bob Sealy carefully balanced the fish on it. The big cat locked in at 74.09 pounds! “I was fishing a hump, using 20# test line with a french fry rig. It took me about 30 minutes to get it in!” Once the length and girth were measured, Howard Elder of Texas Parks & Wildlife was on the scene and certified the catch to be submitted as a new possible rod & reel lake record. Sampson released the big catfish back into Sam Rayburn, got in his boat and set out to catch some winning bass before days end.
The 9:00-10:00 hour was bustling with excitement as two exact weight winners came in. Wesley Raines brought in the first 4.00 lb bass of the weekend for $5,000 and J.R. McDonald weighed in his 3.00 bass also receiving a $5,000 check.
Things just kept heating up when Brad Myers of Sulphur, LA was the first to weigh in for the 10:00 hour. He took over the lead of the tournament with his 10.60 lb catch! “Do you know what that bass could be worth?” Sealy asked Myers. “I have no idea!” he answered. “Well over $100,000 with a new Dodge truck, a fully rigged 21′ Triton/Mercury, PLUS a Stealth 4×4!”
This is Myers’ second tournament to ever fish in his life, both being the Big Bass Splash tournaments on Sam Rayburn. “I hadn’t practiced any for this tournament. It was just blind luck. We’ve been trying to figure out the fish for the past two days. Yesterday we finally found them and the pattern they were on.” He said the fish were shallow first thing in the morning, then moved to deeper water around 8:30. “We just followed them as they gradually headed out.” Using a watermelon colored Texas rigged 7″ Ringworm, he put his bait in 14′ of water, a primary point with just a little bit of grass. “She bit at 9:30. Just two small taps.” He set the hook, but had no idea he had a giant double digit bass until it came to the surface. “We didn’t waste any time getting it into the live well, then we headed right in.” The crowd cheered and everyone got loud and excited except for Myers, who stayed as cool as a cucumber. Bob reminded him that there was more than three hours yet to go. “Anything can happen at the McDonald’s Big Bass Splash!”
Two hours later Lee Lacour of Highlands, TX brought in another double digit bass weighing 10.27 lbs. The overall top 5 leaderboard continued to shift throughout the day.
Final Top 5:
1st 10.60 lbs Brad Myers Sulphur, LA
Sportsman’s Package: 2010 Dodge Truck, Triton Bass Boat powered by Mercury, equipped with Minn Kota, Lowrance, Navionics and Power pole, Plus a Stealth 4×4
2nd 10.27 lbs Lee Lacour Highlands, TX
Sportsman Duo - Dodge Truck from Weaver Motors of Kirbyville, TX, Triton Bass Boat powered by Mercury, equipped with Minn Kota, Lowrance and Power Pole
3rd 9.65 lbs Kevin Kubeczka Houston, TX
Triton Bass Boat powered by Mercury, equipped with Minn Kota & Lowrance
4th 9.49 lbs Justin Parks Etoile, TX
Dodge Truck from Weaver Motors of Kirbyville, TX
5th 9.15 lbs Randy Turner Lufkin, TX
Stealth ATV from Stealth Manufacturing, West Monroe, LA
Each year the winner from the year prior receives an exact replica of the bass that won the tournament. Larry McNeese, winner of the 25th Annual event, received his replica for the bass that made him a $250,000 winner.
“We’re going to have another MILLION DOLLAR event!” Sealy announced. In 2014, Sealy Outdoors will be celebrating 30 years, and with it a guaranteed purse of $1 MILLION dollars. “There’s a lot more to come and more surprises in store for you!”
The next McDonald’s Big Bass Splash will be on Toledo Bend at Cypress Bend Marina May 21-23, 2010. For more information click to HYPERLINK “http://www.SealyOutdoors.com” www.SealyOutdoors.com or call 888-698-2591.
For more than a quarter of a century, the McDonald’s Big Bass Splash has evolved to mean many things to many people. Acclaimed as being the largest amateur tournament on the planet, it has become a family tradition for all. “Every year a percentage of every entry is given to the Ronald McDonald house and select charities” Bob Sealy said to the crowd. “Over the past quarter century, this tournament has donated over $4 MILLION dollars to the house that love built. I am proud to present this years donation from the event in the amount of $18,505.” These donations help keep the Ronald McDonald House operating for families that need to stay nearby while their sick children are in the hospital at no expense.. Sealy got teary-eyed while telling a few of the stories people have shared with him in appreciation for the facility and the impact this tournament’s donations has made.
For the entire results please visit either www.thelakecaster.com or www.sealyoutdoors.com
Sealy Big Bass Splash Pictures
Here are a few pictures from Sealy’s Big Bass Splash Fun Zone and weigh in today (Friday). A 9+ pound fish was leading the tournament. I did see an 8+ weighted in and lots of 4 to 6 lb fish.





Sam Rayburn Fishing Guide Report Pre Big Bass Splash
Reel um N Guide Service
Owner
Lynn Atkinson
Water Temp.68
Normal pool 164.40
Water Clarity 2 feet
04-12-10
Sam Rayburn has started to fall this week to 164.71. The water is a little muddy in the mid lake area from the rain and high winds that we had last week.
The Big Bass Splash is this weekend and there will be a lot of anglers on the water looking for that one BIG bass. Lots of folks will come from all over the country to fish this tournament. We need to be extra careful out there with all the boats that will be running around. Make sure your lights are on and working when you lunch every morning and keep them on ‘till 30 minutes after sunrise. I know it sounds silly but you have to obey all the laws and rules for the tournament.
Now I would like to point out another thing that you need to watch for. This stuff is big trouble with big fines of up to $500 pre-plant to go with it. It can cause major damage, not just to Sam Rayburn, but to other lakes as well. “Giant Salvinia,” don’t transport this stuff on your boat or trailer. Make sure you check the trailer and boat for anything hanging off it. If you’re changing lakes it’s a good idea to wash your boat and trailer down with hot soapy water at a high pressure car wash. Remember, transporting Salvinia is breaking the law, and a no-no for tournaments AND ANY OTHER DAY OF THE WEEK.
Now here’s what we have found on the fishing. There are some fish up in the buck brush and some hanging in the grass from 6 to 12 ft. Flipping the brush will catch a lot of fish but it is a lot of work and takes skill to do it. Stanley Jig has a new bait call the Y-NOT that has been doing really good picking up big fish in the brush. I lost several fish today because they got tangled up and we just couldn’t get them out. Most of them are small fish and they are doing their thing, replenishing the lake for years to come. The Stanley Spinner bait has also been putting a few fish in the boat, tinkling the grass and dropping it off the edges. The deep bite has slowed way down and just hasn’t been working for us around Mid Lake. I hope this helps, GOOD LUCK.
Remember the Sharelunker Program entries started on October 1 and runs thru April 30th. If you haven’t heard, it encourages anglers who catch 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 that the angler receives a fiberglass replica of the bass. There is a 24- hour pager at 1-888-784-0600 Check out the Program rules at their site along with the Benefits. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/sharelunker/
Crappie; There have been a few crappie caught in the grass on the points off the main lake on traps. They are on the move back down the river and the bite has just started to improve. The new pontoon has plenty of room for everyone so get your group booked for a spring crappie trip.
Cell 979-220-0251
Home 936 - 897- 3400
www.rayburncountry.com
srayburn@rayburncountry.com
www.reelumn.com
lynn@reelumn.com
Eagle Rock Energy Crappie Tournament Coming Up in June
Posted on April 13th, 2010
Published in Bass Fishing News & Reports, Community News, Uncategorized
Crappie Tournament
Eagle Rock Energy
Brookeland / Masters Creek Employees and Friends
13th ANNUAL
June 12, 2010
BENEFITING:
Lakes Area Hospice
Brookeland Youth Baseball & Softball , Jasper 4H Gun & Bow,
and Vernon Parish TRIAD and Special Kids.
Registration forms can be obtained at local area tackle shops, Miller’s Bait and Tackle, Hollis Tire, The Stump, and Jasper Outboard or by calling 409-698-9606. Lunch will be provided at weigh-in. An appreciation fish fry and meal will be held that evening and trophies and prizes will be awarded at that time.
A live charity auction will be held following the meal.
PAYOUT INCLUDES CASH PRIZES FOR:
1st thru 3rd Place and 17th Place
Heaviest Stringer, Heaviest Crappie, and Heaviest & Lightest Trash Fish
For additional information including a registration form and tournament rules, Please contact the number below.
TOURNAMENT Peggy West Marleta Payne
COMMITTEE Craig Blanchard Bobby Shaver
MEMBERS: Johnny Wood Jim Hopper
Todd McKee Eddie Coleson
Darryl Warner Larry Root
****** For any inquiries, please call any of the above mentioned committee members at
409-698-9606.
Eddy & Gary Gresham win Media Bass
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Angler 1
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Angler 2
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# Fish
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Pounds
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Winnings
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Points
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1
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Eddy Gresham
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Gary Gresham
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5
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21.62
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$2,500.00
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171.62
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2
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Jeff Wooldridge
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Kerry Stanger
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5
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21.03
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$1,272.00
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170.03
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3
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Patrick Cascio
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Justin Morton
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5
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19.34
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$800.00
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167.34
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4
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Chris Fontenot
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Jaret Latta
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5
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18.34
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$700.00
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165.34
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5
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Michael Trpkosh
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Carl Vessel
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5
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18.09
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$600.00
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164.09
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6
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Casey Sobczak
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Gary Sobczak
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5
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17.33
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$500.00
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162.33
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7
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Selvin Cartwright
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Tommy Land
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5
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16.92
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$420.00
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160.92
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8
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Elton Hightower
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John Hightower
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5
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15.49
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$360.00
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158.49
|
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9
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Richard Muddiman
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Albert Taylor
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5
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14.88
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$320.00
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156.88
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10
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Warren Schmidt
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Glenn McCuller
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5
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14.40
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$300.00
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155.40
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11
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Chris Sparks
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Chuck Pinson
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5
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14.29
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$280.00
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154.29
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12
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Bill Hudspeth
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Ricky Potts
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5
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14.26
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$260.00
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153.26
|
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13
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Frank Polley
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Brad Drake
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5
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14.17
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$220.00
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152.17
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|
14
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Bill Penick
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Billy Penick
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5
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14.14
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$140.00
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151.14
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Boulware & McCall win Bass N Bucks on Sam Rayburn
| Bass-N-Bucks Boulware & McCall stayed on the move to win Bass N Bucks on Sam Rayburn Bass N Bucks 1st Series
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![]()
| by Patty Lenderman |
1st - Having all cookie cutters in the bag, Clayton Boulware & Chris McCall won 1st place with their 24.85 lb limit
[Click to enlarge image]

2nd ? Holding the lead for a little while, Clint Teutche and Alan Moore ultimately claimed 2nd place with their 23.19 lb sack
(Apr. 12, 2010 - Lake Sam Rayburn TX)… A line up of renowned “heavy hitters” hit Sam Rayburn April 10, 2010 for the 4th of five Bass N Bucks 1st Series events. Several big kickers anchored competitor’s bags, but Clayton Boulware and Chris McCall searched out and found the winning stringer for the guaranteed 1st place purse of $15,000.
Under mostly sunny skies, anglers had a beautiful day to fish. The only thing that could have made it better was a little less wind. When the scales officially opened at 3:00 limit after limit was brought to the scales.
Clint Teutsch and Alan Moore brought in the first sack over 20 lbs at 23.19 that included a 9.01 lb kicker for Big Bass. Bobby and Nobie Jo LeBert took Big Bass honors away from them coming in soon after with their 9.25 lb kicker, but leaving Teutsch & Moore in the overall lead. The flights of teams continued coming in, leaving Teutsch & Moore as the unchallenged leaders until the last flight. Clayton Boulware & Chris McCall had a sack of cookie cutters weighing 24.85 lbs to win the tournament.
“We have been following the same pattern for weeks,” reported McCall. Focusing on shallow brush with needle grass or hydrilla on wind blown banks, they managed an initial limit on a swim jig. “Our initial limit consisted of 2-4 pounders. We kept moving from one spot to the next, and switched to Gambler Cane Toads and Stanley Ribbits.” The team estimates culling around 15 pounds worth to their winning stringer. Chris would like to thank Ranger, Evinrude, Abu Garcia, Santone Lures, Berkley, Gambler and American Rodsmiths. Clayton’s sponsors include Nitro, Mercury, MotorGuide, American Rodsmiths, V & M, Stanley Baits and Dusty Rhoades Marine.
Clint Teutsch & Alan Moore secured a 2nd place finish with their 23.19 lb sack. Using Texas rigged senko’s, they hit scattered bushes in shallow water, 3-4’ deep. “We caught four small keepers in our first spot, then moved and caught another. Those five only weighed around eight pounds total.” Moving yet again, they caught their 9.01 kicker and others in the 5-6 pound range, culling all of their initial limit and then some. They were presented with a $3,000 check for their 2nd place finish, and were fishing from a qualified Ranger boat to win an additional $500 from Ranger Cup. Alan also received the Cabela’s bonus of $250. The team would like to thank Tri Lakes Tackle for their help and support.
Archie Hayley & Charles Reed weighed in the last sack registering over 20 lbs at 20.17 to win 3rd place. “We hit lots of spots, using Bass Assassins and Senko’s.” The team went to the backs of creeks to fish shallow water. “We didn’t find any on beds, but they were close to bedding areas.” It took until 9:15 to put 5 fish in the boat. It was a meager limit, only weighing around 11 lbs. “The bigger fish started biting after 12:00.” They nearly doubled their stringer limit by days end to win 3rd place.
Bobby and Nobie Jo LeBert had their day cut out for them. “It started out terrible. We blew the motor right off the bat, and had to come back and fish close to the weigh in all day.” Using Senko’s and wacky worms, they fished in shallow water, 2’-6’ deep. “It was a slow bite all day, but we didn’t catch too many throw backs.” Bobby landed the Big Bass of the day weighing 9.25 lbs cashing in on $1,000. This also anchored their 13th overall finish, winning an additional $600 with a total weight of 16.47 lbs.
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Top Teams:
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Sealy’s BIG BASS SPLASH Is Almost Here!
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$580,000 Don’t miss out on the Largest Amateur fishing tournament in Big Bass History, April 16-17-18, 2010 on Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas. Twelve places will be paid in cash each hour of each tournament day for a total of $154,800 in Hourly Payouts. View Details
Enter Online Today Little Anglers Division - Optional Bonus Games - $2,000 Extra Each Day - Purchase your official bonus shirt and win 1st place of Special Hour(s) 8-9am and/or 12Noon-1pm, and Double Your Money. *Your Official Bonus Shirt must be in your possession at time of weigh in. Bonus Card aka Insurance Card- Ever been one place out of the money? If your bass places you in 13th or 14th place during any Official Bonus Card Hour, you get paid $125 for 13th place and $100 for 14th place. Bonus Card Hours are 7-8am; 9-10am; 11-12Noon; and 1-2pm each day. Let The Party Begin . . . “Lake Sam Rayburn Block Party” festivities will begin Wednesday, April 14th and conclude on Sunday, April 18th. The Block Party is open to the public and will be fun for the whole family. This year’s “Miss Big Bass Splash Pageant” will be held Saturday, April 17th at 9:30am at the Lake Sam Rayburn McDonald’s Big Bass Splash tournament site. No experience Necessary! Wear your fishing attire or summer wear. No pageant dresses! Official Entry Form Online can be found at www.sealyoutdoors.com |
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Roger Bacon Fishing Report
–Things on the lake have definitely picked up. Lots of bucks in the bushes and the females are moving back and forth looking for love. We’ve been concentrating on the area between the inside grassline, 5-7 feet, and the buck brush. Best areas have been where there is a deeper channel swing near secondary points. South end is starting to clear and water temps are now over 60 in most of the coves. Best baits have been 6 inch lizards in watermelon and green pumpkin with Chartreuse dip. Also catching some good ones on the Big Bite Trick Stick and Cane sticks. We’re putting a small split shot about 10 inches above the plastics to give em a slow fall. Texas rigs seem to foul in the grass and get less bites. Also might wanna try small, 3-5 inch soft swim baits. 4 and 5 inch Big Bite paddle Tail Swim Minnows in blue gill and chartreuse/blue back are both working well. I’m fishing em like a spinnerbait around scattered bushes in the backs of major pockets and coves. It seems to work best when I bump it off some brush on the retrieve and then pause and start reeling again. Really cool to see the flash when the grab it. You might have to look around to find the right hooks for this lure. A lot of ¼ ounce swimbait hooks in 5/0 or larger, but you’ll need a 3/0 or 4/0 so you don’t kill the swimming action of the shorter baits and the weight to get it down so you can slow roll em around deeper bushes. I’ve added a Facebook page, Roger Bacon Outdoors, so I can keep folks more current on lake conditions. I’m already booking quite a few crappie trips for prime time, May – July. If you wanna book a trip, or just talk fishing, give me a call at 409-379-3474 Set the Hook Hard
- Sam Rayburn Fishing Report
- 10.60 Wins the McDonald’s Big Bass Splash
- Sealy Big Bass Splash Pictures
- Sam Rayburn Fishing Guide Report Pre Big Bass Splash
- Eagle Rock Energy Crappie Tournament Coming Up in June
- Eddy & Gary Gresham win Media Bass
- Boulware & McCall win Bass N Bucks on Sam Rayburn
- Sealy’s BIG BASS SPLASH Is Almost Here!
- Roger Bacon Fishing Report














