22.65 Win the Bass-n-Bucks on Sam Rayburn

Bass-N-Bucks Castledine & Broussard takes 1st place at Bass N Bucks on Sam Rayburn

Many limits were brought in, many consisting of “swimmers”. Slowly, as the procession of anglers crossed the stage, the weights continued to increase. Troy Reed and Albert Collins weighed the first sack over 20 pounds to take the lead with 21.81. Brian Branum and Bill Rogers, having won consecutive tournaments the weekend before, closely challenged the leaders with 21.22 lbs. Near the end of the weigh in Todd Castledine and Brent Broussard brought in their creel to overtake the lead with 22.65 lbs and win the tournament.

“It started out pretty good for us” Castledine stated. Using a senko style lure from Excite baits, “we caught two pretty good ones right off the bat. The rest of the day we site fished.” They stayed near a big creek with grass in 4’-6’. “The beds are still active. They have a long way to go before they’re done.” Another bait of choice was a Strike Pro Flex Craw. By 9:00 they had their initial limit, estimated at 11 pounds, and started culling. “I’d say we culled six fish. The last one made all the difference, pushing us from about 20 pounds to 22.” Giving thanks to the Lord for their day on the water, they also appreciate their sponsors, including Strike Pro, Excite baits, Castaway Rods and Ranger Boats. They were fishing out of Broussard’s qualified Ranger boat and received the 1st place Ranger Cup bonus of $2,500. During the past year Brent Broussard had also purchased tires from Tiremax so he additionally received the Tiremax Bonus of $1,000.

Being in the lead until nearly the end, Troy Reed and Albert Collins ultimately took 2nd place with their 21.81 lb limit. It included a 7.97 lb kicker. Going into the day, their game plan was to cover a lot of water inside grass lines at 3’-5’ deep. “We caught our first two on swim baits.” Staying in two big areas all day, they had a limit by 9am, about 13 pounds, and made their last cull at 1:45 trading a 2+ pounder for a 5 pound bass. “Most of our fish were on the windy side. We’d like to thank Mr. Blitz, he helps us out with baits a lot.” Bass N Bucks presented them with a $3,000 check.

After a winning streak the weekend before Bill Rogers and Brian Branum saw no reason to change tactics. They went to the same areas and used the same Gambler red shad Flappy Jr craw that had given them previous success. They won 3rd place and $1,500 with a 21.22 lb limit, and were the 2nd place Ranger Cup winners for an additional $1,000. They would like to thank Gambler Lures, Pure Fishing, Advertising Visuals and Ranger Boats.

The two biggest bass of the tournament were only 5/100 of a pound apart in weight. The biggest weighed right at 8.50 lbs caught by Bill Wilcox fishing with Greg Christian. They won $1,000 for their big bass and finished in 14th place overall for an additional $700. Shelby Shaw and Chris Schultea brought in an 8.45 lb sow that just missed big bass honors.

               

Top 10 Teams:

1st	$15,000+	22.65 lbs	Todd Castledine & Brent Broussard
2nd	$ 3,000	21.81 lbs	Troy Reed & Albert Collins
3rd	$ 1,500+	21.22 lbs	Bill Rogers & Brian Branum
4th	$ 1,200	20.52 lbs	Shelby Shaw & Chris Schultea
5th	$ 1,000+	18.70 lbs	George Jeane Jr. & Jerry Brittain
6th	$ 1,000	17.33 lbs	Michael & Lance Lowery
7th	$ 1,000	17.02 lbs	Stuart Greer & Steele Netterville
8th	$ 900	16.99 lbs	Marc Woolems & Butch Hollis
9th	$ 800	16.75 lbs	Kris Wilson & David Harvey
10th	$ 800	16.09 lbs	Casey Huff & Casey Huff II
….and last in the money….
21st	$ 500	14.65 lbs	Randy Turner & Jerry McMullen

Ranger Cup Bonus Winners:

1st	$2,500	Brent Broussard
2nd	$1,000	Bill Rogers
3rd	$ 500	George Jeane Jr.

Tiremax Bonus	$1,000		Brent Broussard

Total teams:	166
Total fish weighed in:	577
Total weight:	1,422.69 lbs
Average weight per fish:	2.47 lbs

Full story  by Patty Lenderman can be found on the www.bassnbucks.com website.

Revival at New Hope Baptist Church

I wanted to personally invite all that view this page to Revival Week at New Hope Baptist Church in Milam TX.   Guest Pastor Shawn Allred from Jasper AR and Heartbeat Evangelistic Ministries which consist of the Willis Mackey Family, will all be on hand to get everyone excited about the Lord Jesus Christ.   Services will be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights starting at 6:30 p.m.   New Hope is located on HWY 87 about 7 miles north of the intersection at HWY 21.  Hope to see you there.

Sam Rayburn Guide Lynn Atkinson Fishing Report

Reel um N Guide Service
Owner
Lynn Atkinson

Water Temp.66
Normal pool 164.40
Water Clarity 2 feet
04-05-09
Sam Rayburn is at 161.00 ft the water temperature has been around 66 
degrees thru the week.  A  front came thru dropping the temperature 
back down to 60 again. The water has been clear in some of the pockets 
but murky for the most part in most of the larger creeks and up the 
river.
This week has been tough.  A few good fish were caught right before 
the front hit, then it slowed down after.  We?ve been catching some 
fish on Stanley Spinner Baits on cloudy days early.  Then we?re going 
to a small Texas rig worm or brush hog when the sun comes out. 
There?ve been a lot of small fish in the pockets. As the sun comes out 
the spinner bait bite dies and it gets even harder to get a bite. The 
whacky worm was pulled out and we start working the edge of the grass 
to pickup a few fish. We?ve seen a few fish running in the shallow 
pockets but for the most part it looks like we are in a post spawn 
mode. This means that for the next few weeks fishing will be slow. 
There will still be a few fish that come in late so keep an eye out 
for them. With the water coming up from the rains up north we should 
start to have a deep bite starting. Look for these fish to move out 
and setup on offshore structure and ledges in the next few weeks. The 
Carolina and Stanley Foot Ball Jigs will come into play as the fish 
get back to normal.
Crappie had started to bite in the grass before the front. That front 
slowed everything down again. I look for it to pick backup as the 
weather warms up. We?ve been getting a few crappie off the brush piles 
and it should only improve in the next few weeks.

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 have fun, learn some tricks and 
then take your friends fishin.
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 Fishing Guide Report by Lynn Atkinson

Reel um N Guide Service
Owner
Lynn Atkinson

 Water Temp.56

Normal pool 164.40               

Water Clarity 2 feet

03-29-09

Sam Rayburn is at 160.25 ft the water temperature has been around 66 degrees all week.   A front came thru dropping the temperature back down to 56. The water has been clear in some of the pockets but murky on most of the larger creeks and up the rivers. We are expecting rain again this week and lots more water coming down the Angelina River.

The fishing has been tough but we have still managed to pick up 15 to 20 fish a day with a few going around 5 lbs.  It looks like every day has been improving just a little with the water warming up. The fish are not moving far, just burying up in the grass or moving to the next drop. Sunday we fished several spots and caught 9 fish, one around 4 lbs and the other one around 5. The day started off slow with just a few short hits on the south bank where the water temperature was around 56 degrees.  Then we headed to the north bank and found the water was a few degrees warmer with a little less wind and the sun shining on it. I had found some fish there early in the week and I hoped they were still there. This place is a point that has a drain on each side of it. This is just a little spot with about 5 foot of water around and some grass. It took a few casts to  catch the first fish, then we caught two more. By then the sun was up and had warmed things up some.  We eased back to our first spot and that’s when we picked up the 5 lb fish; right off a creek channel.  Moving over to our next spot we picked up a few small fish.  Moving back to the creek channel we got our next good fish. It was looking like a pattern was coming together and that’s when we had to go. Senko’s and wacky worms have still been a good choice to fish over the grass and around the edges. Traps and Stanley Spinner baits have been catching their share of fish.  Most of our fish have come from shallow water, 2 to 10 feet. We haven’t fished any deep fish this week but I have an idea it’s going to get good soon.

Crappie had started to bite in the grass before the front and that slowed everything down again.   I look for it to pick up as the weather warms up.  There are still a lot around the bridges so check em out.

 

Remember the 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.   

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

Allman Company REALTORS FebruarySam Rayburn Fishing Report

Attention Golfers! Cupid Couples Scramble Feb. 14th @ Rayburn Country

Rayburn Country Resort on Lake Sam Rayburn

Rayburn Country will be hosting a Cupid Couples Scramble on Saturday Feb. 14th.  10:00 a.m. Shotgun start.  You can sign up in the Pro Shop or call 409-698-2271.  $20 a couple.  Tournament will be flighted according to handicaps.  Score some good Valentines Day points while getting to play golf too.

Lynn Atkinson fishing report Jan. 25th.

 

 

Water Temp. 53

Water Clarity 2-3 feet

01-25-09

Sam Rayburn is at 157.88 ft the water temperature has been around 53 degrees. The water has been murky is some places from the winds that have been blowing for most of the week.

Well for the most part “Big Sam” has been holding it’s on with the water level. The fishing has been tough with a few fish moving up to staging areas. This is the time of year that the fish normally get on a Red Rat-L-Trap bite that can be just awesome.  For some reason that hasn’t been the case this year; not to say it isn’t going to happen; but it’s been slow. Fish act differently when things change and then they get hard to predict.   With the weather warming up last week we have seen some bigger fish moving to structure off points waiting to move in. These fish are in small groups and can be hard to find on a lake as big as Sam Rayburn. I have been working a Carolina Rig and Stanley Foot Ball Jig off the structure around the points and ledges to pickup a few good fish. We have been picking up a few fish in the deeper grass but it’s been spotty with no real pattern. On the shallow side we caught a few cruisin’ the shallow flats but they have been spooky. Weightless plastic baits like senko’s, flukes and wacky worms have been the best baits in this situation. I look for a big move to start this week with a few of them moving up trying to spawn on the warmer days.  Say what! Last year, we got on a pattern that you wouldn’t believe, unless you were there.  We caught about 35 fish, the biggest one went 7.20 lbs, had her tail worn down and bleeding, and was spawned out already. We started on a pattern that was doing pretty good; catching a lot of small keepers; when the bite just quit. Then it was back to the drawing broad. After a few different baits I got a pickup that came to the boat then dropped it.  I put it back in the same spot and it happened again.  She was gone before I got the line tight. We moved the boat to the side and tossed into the same area.  This time as she picked it up and ran to the side I set the hook. The other guy throws in right behind me and caught one from the same spot.  After moving the boat I watched the guy fish a place three times before he threw into a new spot.   I asked him if he was thru with that spot and he said “Yup, nothing’s there”. Well my first pitch pulled in a nice flat 4 lbs Bass.  We hadn’t moved 15 feet and I had put 3 nice chunky bass in the boat, these guys weren’t wasting anymore time and got busy changing baits. Its one thing to be catching fish; but if your not; you need to do something different.  Change baits, move to a different area, but do SOMETHING. If you get a bite check the area over good there maybe more just waiting to see what ya got.   

Remember this is the time of year that a lot of Trophy Bass are caught.  If you catch one make sure you take good care of her. Get her weight, measurements and pictures then get her back in the water. Having a replica made is the best thing to do.  It will last longer than the real thing and look just as good. Besides, now you can go back and try to catch her again next time you hit the water. If we don’t take care of the big fish we have now who will? 

Remember the Budweiser Sharelunker Program entries started on October 1 and run 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 getting a full color, life size, fiberglass replica of the bass. [b](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.[/b]Check out the Program rules and benefits at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/budsharelunker/rules/   

With the lake low there are a lot of stumps just under the surface so be extra cautious when you’re out there. If you should hit one and damage your boat you may want to take it to Toledo Fiberglass in Many La. They do some of the best work I have ever seen. If that’s not enough I know you’ve heard of the “Gorilla Hull” with a lifetime Guarantee.  If you haven’t you should check into it. You bust it they fix it. It weighs about 40 lbs and it is tough.      

We have been catching a few Crappie around the brush piles and around the bridges.   We are booking trips for the springs so don’t wait to long. Round up your friends and get your trip booked. We can handle up to 10 anglers on the pontoon. 

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

Big D Outdoors is the place to get your boat ready for next season.  Don’t wait, 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
–
Lynn Atkinson
srayburn@rayburncountry.com
www.rayburncountry.com
Cell 979-220-0251
Home 936-897-3400
 

---

 

 

Rick Scott & Roy Ellison win the Bass Champs opener on Rayburn

“We had a contest between us for the first fish of the day” Roy explained. Rick won their contest, catching their first using a rattle trap. “We were also throwing spinnerbaits, and had an early limit.” Throughout the day they estimate catching a total of 18 keepers. “At the end of the day, we had a couple of three pounders in the livewell that we needed to cull. We caught a couple of four pounders to replace them.” Those last culls made all the difference as only ounces separated the top teams.

Top Teams:
1st $20,000+ 22.36 Rick Scott & Roy Ellison
2nd $ 5,000+ 22.04 Keith Caka & Charles Bebber
3rd $ 3,500 21.98 Bill Wilcox & Greg Christian
4th $ 2,500 21.90 Martin Elshout & Mark Price
5th $ 2,000 21.42 Randy Millender & Kenneth Nichols
6th $ 1,190 21.06 Greg Pugh & Bill Dominque
6th (tie) $ 1,190 21.06 Nathan Stroup & Eric Adams
8th $ 1,070 20.30 Doug McCain & Mason McCain
9th $ 1,060 19.68 Mike Michalec & David Ozio
10th $ 1,060 19.64 James Stricklin Jr & TW Hardy Jr
……..and last in the money…….
40th $ 600 15.76 Harold Allen & Albert Collins

Big Bass $1,000 8.46 Art Garza & Larry Lewis

*Pulled from BassChamps.com For full article  written by Patty Lenderman, see Bass Champs website.

 

Lynn Atkinson Fishing Report Jan 17th

Sam Rayburn Fishing Report 1-17-09 « on: January 19, 2009, 07:07:51 pm »   Reel um N Guide Service Owner Lynn Atkinson Water Temp. 52 Water Clarity 2-3 feet 01-17-09 Sam Rayburn is at 157.88 ft the water temperature has been around 52 degrees. The water has been murky is some places from the winds that have been blowing for most of the week. Saturday we got out with a couple of good guys that come down every year around this time.  They celebrate a birthday and try their luck on “Big Sam”. The first spot we pulled up to would tell us if these two anglers were up to the challenge today.   After a few casts and a couple of misses the hook was set and the fight was on.  After a few jumps the fight came to an end with a few pictures and the quick release of a chunky fish around 4.5 lbs. We moved to spot two and zeroed. Not even one bite.  Ok, on to spot three. Spot three was a little different, after about fifteen minutes the back seat let me know he was going to catch the fish that his son and I had left.  It wasn’t long before he set the hook on one that went 5 lbs. The next spot the son and I were still without a fish but we weren’t going to give up yet. The son hit first in our next spot to put one in the boat, then dad, and back and forth it went. Then I got my chance, boy I set the hook, the reel let out a whine, and the fish was gone. By the way always check the drag. I had just cleaned the reel and the rest, well it just got away. After catching about 6 fish we moved on.  We got five keepers but need to cull some of the small fish.  We pulled up on a grass edge in about 12 ft of water and started working down the edge.    I got a tap on the line and set the hook on a nice 2.5lb to replace one small swimmer.  Dad just couldn’t help it, he picked up one about 3 lbs to end the day. Not bad for a father and son outing. We fished Carolina and Texas most the day along with jigs around some structure, 3 to 14 ft was our best depth.  We also chunked around ledges and deep drops to catch our fish. We have been catching a few Crappie around the brush piles and around the bridges.   We are booking trips for the springs so don’t wait to long. Round up your friends and get your trip booked. We can handle up to 10 anglers on the pontoon. If you haven’t heard about The Bass Class on the water check it out on the website and give me a call. Come on down and learn some cool tricks that will help you catch fish on any lake.      Big D Outdoors is the place to get your boat ready for next season.  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

Low water on Rayburn, Good and Bad

After Hurricane Ike rolled through East TX Lake Sam Rayburn’s water level started dropping.  Rumors seemed to circulate and the most common was that they needed the water down south to help flush out the salt water intrussion.  I don’t know if that was true or not but it did seem to make a lot of since.

I was not to worried about it, it only takes a few heavy rains to fill this lake back up.  Then I started noticing that everytime we had some rains, the Corps. of Enginees would open the gates and let all that new water out.  This was concerning to both waterfront home owners and people like myself who try to sell waterfront homes.  Buyers don’t like to come look at a waterfront house that does not have any water behind it.  Just ask those realtors over at Toledo Bend who suffered 2 drought years in a row with record low lake levels a couple of years ago.

Most waterfront home owners really don’t care to see the lake this low.  I believe through this winter we have seen the lake a little over 7ft. low. Four to Five feet low has been about the normal low ever since they built the saltwater barrier down our of Beaumont.  As a real estate broker, I really don’t care to see it this low either.   The Corps. has supposedly closed the gates for good until the lake comes back up.  In the last week we have seen the lake come up 3 or 4 inches.  I am still very optimistic that the lake will be back up to normal levels within the next 4 to 6 weeks but in case it is not, there is an up side.

Having been a fishing guide for almost 9 years on the lake (before quiting to get into real estate), I know what low lake levels can mean to the fishing.  If the lake continues to remail low into March, “Katy bar the door!” the fishing will be fantastic.  With no places to hide, the fish will stack up in the backs of coves and shallow drains.  Fishing will seem almost easy going into the spring.  Now I know that many people will worry this may hurt our fishery but if people will do one thing, it will all be fine.  Let your big fish go!  If anglers release all thier fish over 5 lbs. then our fishery will stay strong.    We have had more springs with high water and good spawns than we have had with low water.

Remember, if you can enjoy our fishery while respecting the resources then we will all get to enjoy the fishing for years to come.  Home owners you might as well grab a rod and look for the good in this low water atleast until the lake level comes back up.

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