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Fishing Reports/Water Conditions
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THE STUMP RESTAURANT & CLUB NEWSLETTER
Rayburn Welcomes Americas Largest Team Bass Trail
By Ed Snyder/Outdoors
Monday, March 15, 2004, Sam Rayburn, TX.
Lake Sam Rayburn plays host to America’s Largest Team Bass Trail this week as U.S. Angler’s Choice brings their Pro/Am series to Rayburn’s Umphry Family Pavilion. The Friday and Saturday tournament offers a “Shared Weight” format with a Pro/Boater sign up guarantees and a “No Dead Water” clause that appeals to the tournament anglers as well as local businesses who rely on pre-tournament cash flows to survive.
“We’ve worked very hard to put this special Pro/Am package together for the bass anglers, stated Tom Shockley, Tournament Director for the U.S. Anglers Choice circuit, and we hope the anglers will take advantage of our special contingency awards and tournament guarantees. Our new shared weight format helps to guarantee that the Pro/Angler and Amateur anglers fish together to provide their “team for a day” weigh-ins, which gives incentives for the Pro/Am teams to help each other instead of fishing against each other. Our first event will be held here on Lake Sam Rayburn at the newly constructed Umphrey Family Pavilion and we are looking forward to a great Pro/Am tournament on one of our Nations finest bass fishing lakes.”
“We are very appreciative that Tom Shockley has brought his Anglers Choice Pro/Am event here, stated Mike Taylor, owner/operator of the popular Stump Restaurant & Club, as we expect to benefit from the “shared weight” format, which will help to conserve our bass fishery with only five bass per boat limits instead of ten bass, as well as the “no dead water” clause that benefits our lake area businesses who rely on pre-tournament cash flows to survive. “This will become a study in how a National Tournament circuit, such as U.S. Angler’s Choice, can work together with the lakes conservation concerns as well as with the business concerns of local commerce who need positive cash flows to support such tournaments. So I invite all the tournament anglers to fish this event and the public to come on out and support and applaud the weigh-ins at our newly constructed Umphrey Family Pavilion on Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20, at 3:pm each day.”
2004 Anglers Choice Pro/Am Schedule;
March 19-20-Sam Rayburn TX- Umphrey Family Pavilion
April 9-10- Richland Chambers TX- Oak Cove Marina
May- 14-15- Lake Fork TX- Axton’s Bass City
June 18-19- Toledo Bend LA- Cypress Bend Resort
September 10-11- Red River - Natchitoches LA
Angler’s Choice Pro/Am Championship; Sam Rayburn TX- Umphrey Family Pavilion
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: Qualifying will be based on a points and pound format beginning with 100 points for first place and descending down by one 1) point per place. In each event "First Place" will receive 100 points plus their weight, e.g., 1st Place = 100 points + 20.50 lbs. = 120.50 points, 2nd Place = 99 points + 20.00 lbs. = 119 points. This procedure will be followed for all teams weighing fish. The lowest team having weight will be the last points given based on the point's structure. All remaining teams that fished but did not weigh fish will receive one-half (½) of the next possible points based off the point structure. Example: The last team weighing fish in a 45-boat field ended at 40th place with 2.0 lbs. They would receive 60 points + 2.0 lbs = 62 points. The remaining 5 teams without weight would receive 29.5 points each (59/2 = 29.5). No points shall be awarded to contestants that pay but do not fish.
CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING: You must fish a minimum of 5 regularly scheduled team tournaments during the year to qualify for a championship berth based on points system. You must fish a minimum of 6 regularly scheduled team to qualify for a championship berth based on the "Wild Card" system. Championship qualifiers will be determined after the last regularly scheduled tournament in each division. Angler's Choice reserves the right to allow alternate teams to participate in regional championships to ensure full fields. To qualify for a "Wild Card" berth teams must fish 6 of 7 qualifying events. "Wild Card" qualifying shall be determined by their finishing position in the last tournament of the year and after points qualifiers have been removed.
20 or less boat average will qualify 8 teams plus 2 wild cards.
21 - 25 boat average will qualify 12 teams plus 5 wild cards.
26 - 30 boat average will qualify 16 teams plus 5 wild cards.
31 - 40 boat average will qualify 18 teams plus 6 wild cards.
41 - 50 boat average will qualify 20 teams plus 7 wild cards.
51 - 60 boat average will qualify 22 teams plus 8 wild cards.
61 - 70 boat average will qualify 24 teams plus 9 wild cards.
71 - 80 boat average will qualify 26 teams plus 10 wild cards.
80 and above boat average will qualify 40% of average plus 14 wild cards.
A SEVEN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM, All Teams who fish Anglers Choice Pro Team Tournament Trails who compete at a minimum of 7 events to qualify for their respective Regional Championships now have a new added benefit in return for their support. You will now be eligible to fish any other Pro Team Regional Championship in the country. There is some Very Important restrictions on this benefit.
You may not fish another Regions Championship if it is held on a lake in your Region.
Which means you must travel out of your own Region to fish.
You must Register with Anglers Choice @ 800 360 7112 to fish this event no later 30 days previous to the event.
This rule will impact some regions on different years and is installed strictly to combat home lake advantages. It is the only fair way to handle that issue.
ANGLER OF THE YEAR CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM: At the conclusion of each divisions tournament year the team with the most points shall be deemed the Anglers of the year. This shall also include the Choice division. As Anglers of the year, those teams will then advance to the Regional championship and fish against all the other divisional Anglers of the year at the Regional Championship. The top 3 Angler of the year teams shall be awarded the following prizes.
1st Place $2,500.00 cash - 7 paid team entries for 2005-$1,000.00 CE Tackle Pack
2nd Place $1,500.00 cash -7 paid team entries for 2005-$1,000.00 CE Tackle Pack
3rd Place $1,000.00 cash - 7 paid team entries for 2005-$1,000.00 CE Tackle Pack
These prizes shall be independent of the regular Regional Championship prizes and the Anglers of the year shall be fishing for both prize pools.
For more information on the Angler’s Choice Pro/Am circuit contact Tom Shockley at (318)-965-9669 - or write to - Angler’s Choice Pro/Am Series - c/o Tom Shockley- PO Box 962- Benton, LA. 716006.
Angler’s Choice Pro/Am Sponsors; U.S. Angler’s Choice- Bass Cat Boats- Competitive Edge- Mercury Outboards- Motor Guide- Lowrance- Bass West USA- Eagle- Rejuvenade- Solar Bat- Wilson Trophy Co- and the Angler’s Choice Pro/Am anglers.
This Ed Snyder/Outdoors Tournament Promotion Report sponsored by The Stump Restaurant & Club- The Bass Buster Inn- The Rayburn Pavilion Association.
The Umphrey Family Pavilion, a new 13 acre Sam Rayburn facility constructed with a twelve-sided 5,600 sq. ft. gazebo-type structure that covers approximately 12,000 square feet of concrete pad area with clean and comfortable restroom and concession facilities, also has a large parking area within its park boundary that accommodates about 300 or more vehicles. Built for the purpose of increasing tourism within the Jasper County and Lake Sam Rayburn Area, the new pavilion was designed and built to host multiple activity events, which includes not only fishing tournaments, but concerts, family reunions, company or organizational seminars, outdoor sporting events, boat & auto shows, etc, etc. For more information about scheduling your upcoming event at the new Umphry Family Pavilion contact the (LSRPA) Lake Sam Rayburn Pavilion Association - P:O: Box 5032 - Sam Rayburn, TX. 75951 -or call- (409)-698-2554.
Truax Takes Rayburn Everstart Pro/Win-
Armstrong Lands Co/Angler Win.
By Ed Snyder/Outdoors
Saturday, February 29, Everstart Tournament Trail, Lake Sam Rayburn, TX.
In a weathered fishing event involving icy rains, wind wrecked boats, frozen bass-bites, and hypothermic anglers, the Everstart Tournament on Lake Sam Rayburn possibly suffered through its “tuffest” event ever recorded so far on Lake Sam Rayburn waters. “My first inclination that I was in serious trouble, stated an Everstart crew member, was when I lost feeling from my waist up, and then after my arms and hands began curling up towards my chest, I barely remember being rushed off to the hospital!
Frigid arctic air was “chilling” the weigh-in site at Twin Dikes Marina when the first day (Wednesday) anglers began weighing in their catches. You could see the anglers chilled and pained discomforts suffered while fishing “near Icelandic” conditions as their movements were slow with stone-faced expressions. Suddenly, the inevitable, but totally unexpected occurred, as an Everstart weigh-in official slumped to the ground and was immediately rushed off to the hospital. “I knew I was in trouble when I lost feeling from my waist up, he stated after it was all over, and when my arms and hands began curling up to my chest I knew I was in serious trouble!” Rushed off to the hospital in Jasper by Everstart Officials, he was immediately treated for severe hypothermia. “They put me under a warming blanket, he stated, where it took a full hour before I quit shivering and was finally able to feel warm and sensible again.”
Day-1 Recap; Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 , Sam Rayburn, TX -Raw inclement winter weather didn’t stop Pro/Boater Joe Gundel, of Seligman, Mo., from putting a 19 pound- 9 ounce lead on the scale to take the Pro-lead, but the real first day highlight arrived within the Fayetteville, Ark., Co/Angler bag of Frank Divis Sr. with a five bass/23 pound- 4 ounce limit, which included a 9-pound- 2-ounce big bass. Stating that he lost an 8 pounder and two 4 pounders, Divis said that he should have easily put a 32 pound weight on the scale for the day-1 weigh-in.
Day-2 Recap; Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004 - Sam Rayburn, TX -The sun finally popped out but even though hard bluebird winds kept the bass bite soft, local pro Bradley Stringer, of Huntington, Texas, managed to put a 21.06 weight on the scale for a two-day limit of 10 bass/38 pounds- 3 ounces- to take the lead for the first round cut of the top 20 pro and co/angler field. Frank Divis Sr. of Fayetteville, Ark., continued to dominate the Co-angler division with a two-day weight of 35 pounds. The top-20 Pro and Co/Anglers advance to the semi final round for day-3 competition with cleaned leader-board marks. Day-2 Overall Big Bass of 10 -lbs came in with Co/Angler R.D. Lewis of Hemphill, TX.
Day-3 Recap; Friday, Feb. 27, 2004 - Jasper, TX) -Warm sunny skies and light easterly winds provided the stage for the top-20 semi-round anglers as Pro Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tenn., came in with a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces by fishing jigs and Carolina rigs over main-lake points. Darren Roberts, of Nacogdoches, TX, took the Co/Angler lead Friday with a 13 pound- 11 ounce limit by fishing Carolina-rigs, Senko’s, and centipede’s over main-lake points in 5 feet of water. The top-10 pro and co/anglers advanced to final day competition with accumulated weights for two days.
Day-4 Final; Saturday, Feb. 28, 2004 - Jasper. TX -Chilly east winds and gathering clouds covered the playing field for the top-10 final day round of Pros and Co/Anglers as they vied for top winning positions in this Everstart event. Pro/Angler David Truax, of Beaumont, TX, managed to catch a two-day total of 10 bass/30 pounds-5 ounces to take his first Everstart win for $10,000 cash -plus- an Evinrude or Yamaha powered Ranger 519VS bass boat with Garmin electronics, MinnKota trolling motor, and EverStart Batteries. Truax also collected the $10,000 Ranger Boat cash bonus from Ranger. Daniel Armstrong, of Fayetteville, Ark., landed a 2-day total of nine bass/25 pounds-11-ounces to win the Co/Angler division for $5,000. Armstrong, a 2nd place finisher for the first three competition days, finally reached the top with his final day attempt.
Top Pro/Anglers;
1st- DAVID TRUAX, BEAUMONT, TX -$10,000 + Ranger boat
2nd- LENDELL MARTIN JR, NACOGDOCHES, TX -$10,000
3rd- LARRY LOVELL, EMORY, TX- $9,000
4th- BOBBY CURTIS SILOAM SPRINGS, ARK- $8,000
5th- LLOYD PICKETT JR, BARTLETT, TN- $7,500
6th- GERRIT TEPASTTE, ALLENDALE, MI- $6,500
7th- CHAD GRIFFIN, CRESSON, TX- $5,500
8th- BRADLEY STRINGER, HUNTINGTON, TX- $5,000
9th- CHRIS LUEDTKE, CHISAGO CITY, MN- $4,500
10th- SLADE DEARMAN, Onalaska, TX-$4,000
1st place Pro/Angler- David Truax, of Beaumont, TX, who caught a two-day total of 10 bass/30 pounds-5 ounces, had fished only one full season on the EverStart trail. "To be quite honest, Truax stated, I didn’t think I had enough to win this event as I figured I had only enough to finish at about fourth, but the other Pro/Anglers just didn’t catch the bass today like they did on Friday. I worked two patterns all week long by starting off fishing inside point-grass lines in about 5 to 7 feet of water with Carolina rigs. Then, later on in the day I started flipping Zoom Ultra Vibes in shallow water pocket-brush, where I managed to get a kicker fish all three days, but not today, Truax frowned, which is why I thought I couldn’t win it. But, “thank the Lord”, my final day catch was enough.“ David Truax also won the $3,000 Ranger Cup prize, the $1,500 Powered by Yamaha Award and the $1,000 Garmin award for meeting the requirements for those contingency prizes.
Top- 10 Co/Anglers;
1st- DANIEL ARMSTRONG, FAYETTEVILLE, Ark-$5,000
2nd- FRANK DIVIS SR , FAYETTEVILLE, AR-$4,000
3rd- BILL GIFT ,ALIX, AR-$3,500
4th- STEPHEN FRANCIS, BROOKELAND, TX- $2,000
5th- DARREN ROBERTS, NACOGDOCHES, TX- $1,900
6th- RONNY WEBB, DYERSBURG, TN-$1,100
7th- MARK EVERETT, TYLER, TX-$1,000
8th- WILLIAM CAMPBELL, MONTICELLO, IL-$1,150
9th- SCOTTY VILLINES, COMPTON, AR- $800
10th- CHARLIE PORTER, MALVERN, AR-$700
1st place Co/Angler- Daniel Armstrong, of Fayetteville, Ark., caught a two-day total of nine bass/25 pounds-11 ounces, to win the Co/Angler division for his $5,000 first-place prize. Armstrong, who had finished the first three days in second place, finally managed to reach the top with his final day attempt. "Today, Armstrong stated, was actually my toughest day as my Pro/Angler, Lendell Martin Jr., wasn’t fishing the same pattern that I was fishing all week, which was fishing creek channel-grass with Carolina rigs. But as he was fishing his shallow water pattern I would just cast to the deepest water around me and managed to catch enough bass-weight to win the Co/Angler division."
Overall Tournament Big Bass-(10-lbs)-Co/Angler R.D. Lewis, Hemphill, TX.-$750
All Bass recovered and live released by the FLW Tour bass recovery team.
Day-1 Tally- 910 bass/66 limits- N/A.
Day-2 Tally-826 bass - 59 limits- 2,013 pounds- 9 ounces.
Day-3 Tally-124 bass - 11 limits- 321 pounds- 4 ounces.
Final Day Tally- 69 bass- 8 limits- 177 pounds- 15 ounces.
The EverStart tournament features a pro/angler and co/angler format with pros supplying the boats, fishing from the front deck against other pros and controlling boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck and compete against other co-anglers. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine angler standings. Two hundred points are awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 points for third, and so on. Designed as a pathway to the $6.8 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative bass-tournament series, the EverStart Series features four divisions - Eastern, Central, Northern and Western - with four regular-season events each. The season culminates with the $335,975 EverStart Series Championship, which will be held Nov. 3-6 on Lake Cumberland near Somerset, Ky. The event will be broadcast to 65 million subscribers of the Outdoor Life Network on the "FLW Outdoors" television series. Central Division anglers who finish in the top 40 in the final points standings are eligible to compete in the championship.
Everstart Tournament Sponsors; Wal-Mart- 7up- Shick- Banana Boat- BF Goodrich- Castrol- Chevy Trucks- Crestliner- Energizer- Everstart- Evinrude- Field & Stream- Fuji- Garmin- Lay’s- Kellogg’s- Land-o-Lakes- Lawry’s- Lund- MinnKota- Oberto- Ozark Trail- Pedigree- Poulan- Shop-Vac- Snickers- Tyson- US Bank- Yamaha- Associate Sponsors- ACT II Popcorn- Champion Boats - Eagle Claw- International Delight- Kinami Baits- Plano Tackle Systems- Pure Fishing (Abu Garcia/Berkley)- Pure Fishing (Berkley/Mitchell)- Skippy- Solar Bat Sunglasses- Stratos- Wave Industries- The Jasper Chamber of Commerce- and the Everstart Pro and Co/Anglers-
This Ed Snyder/Outdoors Tournament Report Sponsored by; The Stump Restaurant & Club- The Bass Buster Inn- The Sam Rayburn Pavilion Association-
The Umphry Family Pavilion, a new 13 acre Sam Rayburn facility constructed with a twelve-sided 5,600 sq. ft. gazebo-type structure that covers approximately 12,000 square feet of concrete pad area with clean and comfortable restroom and concession facilities, also has a large parking area within its park boundary that accommodates about 300 or more vehicles. Built for the purpose of increasing tourism within the Jasper County and Lake Sam Rayburn Area, the new pavilion was designed and built to host multiple activity events, which includes not only fishing tournaments, but concerts, family reunions, company or organizational seminars, outdoor sporting events, boat & auto shows, etc, etc. For more information about scheduling your upcoming event at the new Umphry Family Pavilion contact the (LSRPA) Lake Sam Rayburn Pavilion Association - P:O: Box 5032 - Sam Rayburn, TX. 75951 -or call- (409)-698-2554.
17.39 lbs takes Rayburn Honey Hole
By Ed Snyder
Feb. 22, 2004 - Umphrys Family Pavilion, Lake Sam Rayburn, TX.)... Light north winds and pleasant spring-like weather blessed the first tournament for the 2004 Southeast Texas Region of the Honey Hole Team Circuit. Thirty four teams registered to fish this event that provided an incredible day on the lake and after the 3:pm weigh-in tallied all the sacks a 17.39 lb limit caught by Don Irwin of Nacogdoches and Mark Jackson of Meridian, TX, took the first place win.
The Umphreys Family Pavilion Park, a new Sam Rayburn facility constructed with a twelve-sided 5,600 sq. ft. gazebo-type structure that covers approximately 12,000 square feet of concrete pad area with clean and comfortable restroom and concession facilities, also has a large parking area within its park boundary that accommodates about 300 or more vehicles. Built for the purpose of increasing tourism within the Jasper County and Lake Sam Rayburn Area, the new pavilion park was designed and built to host multiple activity events, which includes not only fishing tournaments, but concerts, family reunions, company or organizational seminars, outdoor sporting events, boat & auto shows, etc, etc. For more information about scheduling your upcoming event at the new Umphreys Family Pavilion Park contact the (LSRPA) Lake Sam Rayburn Pavilion Association - P:O: Box 5032 - Sam Rayburn, TX. 75951 -or call- (409)-698-2554.
Top-3 Teams;
1st -place-(5 bass/17.39)- Mark Jackson of Meridian and Don Irwin of Nacogdoches, TX, put their Cobra/Johnson bass-rig over Ayish Bayou creek channels to work Allstar rods and Shimano reels spooled with 15 lb test Berkley Big Game mono. The first place team fished c-rigged cotton candy brush hogs along 17’ to 19’ deep creek edges to catch their bass from an all day bite.
2nd -place- (5 bass/15.76)- Jerry Smith and Allan Bond of Vidor, TX, ran their Ranger/Mercury bass-rig to mid-lake grass to work Challenger rods and Shimano reels spooled with 17 lb test P-Line. The 2nd place team fished c-rigged Xmas tree Senko’s and watermelon/red centipedes along inside grass edges to catch their bass.
3rd -place- (5 bass/15.13)- Tomball, TX, brothers, Chris and Curtis Carolton, put their Champion/Mercury bass-rig over Caney Creek channel ridge-points to work Allstar rods and Shimano reels spooled with 17 lb test Berkley mono. The 3rd place team fished Tennessee Shad Rapalas along 7’ ridge-point drops to catch their bass.
Overall Big Bass-(6.16)- Jeremy Strong of Livingston, TX, was fishing a 15’ south-lake grass-drop with a c-rigged watermelon soft plastic and an Allstar rod & Shimano reel spooled with 15 lb test Stren when he hooked his 6.90 lb bass on a 9:30 am big bite. All bass were recovered and live released via the Honey Hole fish recovery team-
For more information on the Honey Hole Tournaments contact Ronnie Taylor at 409-384-7830- or- 384-2238- Next event to be held March 28, at April Plaza Marina on lake Conroe, TX.
This Honey Hole Tournament sponsored by Legend Boats- MinnKota- Mercury Outboards- Check It Sticks- BG Wake Runner- Warrior Rods- Owner Hooks- Continental Batteries- Dial Corporation- Safe-T-Brite- Piranha Hooks- Leverage Lures- Pro-Kon-Troll- Spring Break- Hamby’s- Trojan- and the Honey Hole Team anglers.
This Ed Snyder/Outdoors Tournament Report is sponsored by- The Stump Restaurant & Club- The Bass Buster Inn- and the Sam Rayburn Pavilion Association.
34 lbs nabs Bass Champs Win
By Ed Snyder
Feb. 21, 2004 - Umphries Family Pavilion Park, Lake Sam Rayburn, T)... Warm first day winds replaced by chilly final day blue-birds offered an interesting change-up for the 142 anglers who registered a 100% catch rate on day-1 competition. But the final day bite was a lot "tuffer" as most anglers had to switch to slower patterns to catch their 5 bass limits. But even though the final day catches were fewer the leader board weights recorded close encounters "of the bass kind" with 34.92- 34.88- 33.30- 31.58- and 30.53 lbs marked for the top-5 winning teams.
The Umphreys Family Pavilion Park, a new Sam Rayburn facility constructed with a twelve-sided 5,600 sq. ft. gazebo-type structure that covers approximately 12,000 square feet of concrete pad area with clean and comfortable restroom and concession facilities, also has a large parking area within its park boundary that accommodates about 300 or more vehicles. Built for the purpose of increasing tourism within the Jasper County and Lake Sam Rayburn Area, the new pavilion park was designed and built to host multiple activity events, which includes not only fishing tournaments, but concerts, family reunions, company or organizational seminars, outdoor sporting events, boat & auto shows, etc, etc. For more information about scheduling your upcoming event at the new Umphreys Family Pavilion Park contact the (LSRPA) Lake Sam Rayburn Pavilion Association - P:O: Box 5032 - Sam Rayburn, TX. 75951 -or call- (409)-698-2554.
Day-1 Recap; James Stricklin and Bill Redding of Rayburn TX, put a 22.18 lb spinner-bait catch on the scales to take the first day lead. Eric Ambort of Mabelvale and Cletus Whitaker of Hensley, Ark, weighed in a 21.07 lb stringer for second and Ken Robinson and Sonny Glasco edged in for 3rd place lead with a 19.78 lb catch.
Day-2-Finals; Chilly north winds replaced warm south-westerlys as a cold front meandered through overnight causing the bass-bite to slow down and a serious shuffle on the leader board marking close-encounters of "the bass kind" for the top 5 anglers.
Top-3 Teams;
1st-(34.92)-($20,000)- (Stratos 285 Pro/XL/Johnson Bass Boat)- Gary Conrad of Ark, and Chuck Parker of OK, put their Stratos bass-rig over shallow water both days to work Allstar rods and Team Daiwa reels spooled with 15/20 lb test Trilene line rigged with 1/4 oz green/pumpkin Ark jigs. The Bayer Marine team caught their winning weight by flipping 3’ to 5’ buck brush, mainly catching their bass from early morning bites.
2nd-(34.88)-($3,000)- James Stricklin and Bill Redding of TX, maneuvered their Stratos bass-rig over 2’ to 4’ buck brush and grass to slow roll 1/2 oz fire-tiger Terminator spinner baits on medium/heavy Compre Shimano rods and Shimano reels spooled with 50 lb test Power Braid. The Fishingworld.com, Castrol Oil, and Terminator spinner bait sponsored team fished blades over shallow brush and green/pumpkin Senkos over inside grass to catch their 2nd place win.
3rd-(33.30)-($2,000)- Steve Howard and Steve Stansberry of Ark, put their Stratos bass-rig south of the Black Forest area to work shallow brush-pockets with Loomis/St Croix rods and Shimano reels spooled with 17 lb test Maxima line. The 3rd place team fished red/chartreuse Norman cranks and TX rigged tequila Zoom worms around shallow brush in the back of pockets near the Black Forest area.
Top-25 Championship qualifiers: 1-Conrad,Gary Parker, Charles 5 5 16.01 68 18.91 34.92 20,000.00 5 5 18.91 1 100 20,000.00 285 Stratos,trailer,150 Johnson
2-Redding,Bill Stricklin,James 5 5 12.70 24 22.18 34.88 3,000.00 9.84 5 5 22.18 2 99 3,000.00
3-Howard,Steve Stansberry,Steve 5 5 14.44 26 18.86 33.30 2,000.00 5 5 18.86 3 98 2,000.00
4-Adkins,Jerry Eason,Paul 5 5 17.29 25 14.29 31.58 1,500.00 5 5 14.29 4 97 1,500.00
5-Robinson,Kenneth Glasco,Sonny 5 5 10.75 29 19.78 30.53 1,000.00 5 5 19.78 5 96 1,000.00 700.00
6-Whitaker,Cletis Ambort,Eric 4 4 8.88 54 21.07 29.95 700.00 5 5 21.07 6 95 700.00 700.00
7-Applegate,Huey East,Jason 5 5 16.32 3 12.83 29.15 700.00 5 5 12.83 7 94 700.00
8-Evins,Tom Pollet,Woodie 4 4 13.36 92 15.61 28.97 700.00 5 5 15.61 8 93 700.00
9-Mayfield,Clinton Kindy,Jeremiah 5 5 15.52 99 13.18 28.70 700.00 5 5 13.18 9 92 700.00
10-Lewis,Dave Suggs,Scott 5 5 11.80 19 16.86 28.66 700.00 5 5 16.86 10 91 700.00
11-Perio,Milton Ayres,Andrew 5 5 12.63 60 15.73 28.36 5 5 15.73 11 90
12-Ellis,Pete Sweat,D.J. 5 5 11.16 81 16.87 28.03 5 5 16.87 12 89
13-Brazil,Darrell Fureigh,Jeff 5 5 17.78 14 10.13 27.91 5 5 10.13 13 88
14-Malone,Shawn Hardin,Glenn 5 5 15.11 50 12.58 27.69 5 5 12.58 14 87
15-Buchanan,Jeff Roberts,Darren 5 5 12.64 51 15.00 27.64 5 5 15.00 15 86
16-Fox,David Geanes,George 5 5 16.66 2 10.50 27.16 5 5 10.50 16 85
17-Buckley,Frankie Welborn,Larry 5 5 11.50 42 15.49 26.99 5 5 15.49 17 84
18-Matthews,George Oliver,John 5 5 14.17 70 12.75 26.92 5 5 12.75 18 83
19-Donaldson,Duke Sanches,Chuck 5 5 13.21 89 13.48 26.69 5 5 13.48 19 82
20-Wright,Carl Sanford,Roy 5 5 12.53 96 13.69 26.22 5 5 13.69 20 81
21-Rogge,Michael Henry,Clay 5 5 11.34 91 14.49 25.83 5 5 14.49 21 80
22-Shinn,Junior Rowland,Michael 5 5 14.58 1 11.07 25.65 5 5 11.07 22 79
23-Brown,Michael Dotson,Rodney 5 5 14.24 46 11.41 25.65 5 5 11.41 23 78
24-Howard,Jeral Gunnell,Duke 5 5 11.55 47 14.08 25.63 5 5 14.08 24 77
25-Hoffman,Jason Woody,Michael 4 4 11.73 45 13.41 25.14 5 5 13.41 25 76
Five wildcard entries- N/A
Day-1-Big Bass-(9.84)- James Stricklin and Bill Redding of Sam Rayburn, TX.-$700Day-2-Big Bass-(6.90)-Mark Hatfield and John McDiffitt of Palestine, TX.-$700
All bass were recovered and live released by the Stratos Boats fish recovery team.
Day-1 Tally- 316 bass weighing 810.99 lbs with 53 limits registered.Day-2 Tally- 257 bass weighing 649.93 lbs with 38 limits registered
Lowrance Electronics tournament winner of $500 cash & a $589 LMS-480 sonar/GPS unit- Gary Conrad and Chuck Parker.
This was a shared weight team tournament with a $33.000 package in cash & prizes.
The top-25 teams (plus 5 wildcards) from this event qualified for an entry free birth at the $250,000 International Stratos Championship scheduled to be held at Old Hickory Lake, in Nashville, TN, on September 25-26-2004 for a $100,000 first place winners package.
For more information on Stratos Boat Tournaments call (Toll-Free)- 877-9-STRATOS.
Stratos Boat Owners Tournament Sponsors; Stratos Boats, Evinrude/Johnson Outboards, YUM, Lowrance Electronics, North American Fisherman, GenMar, First Mate, Please Release Me, and the Stratos Boat Owner Anglers.
This Ed Snyder/Outdoors Tournament Report Sponsored By; The Stump Restaurant & Club- The Bass Buster Inn- and the LSRPA.
20 lb -Plus- Weights Dominate Sealy Splash
By Patty Lenderman
Feb. 22, 2004 - Twin Dikes Marina, Lake Sam Rayburn, TX.)... Well everyone has been waiting for it, and now it is finally happening. The bass are moving in shallow and they’re hungry. Limit after limit was brought to the scales February 22nd at Twin Dikes Marina as the 257 teams brought in their catch at the 2nd event for the Sealy Outdoors Open Team Splash. Ten teams weighed in over 20 pounds, and there were four big bass weighed in over 9 lbs. Lynn Shivers and Darrell Proffitt achieved victory in the event with their limit, including their 9.50 top honors big bass kicker, plus two over 6 lbs to follow in their sack.
The bass are steadily marching to shallow water as the daytime temperatures are climbing to 70 degrees and water temps are climbing with it. The average water temperature was reported to be around 59 degrees, but in some areas as high as 64 degrees. These competitors had a picture perfect day to be out on the lake, with mild temps in the 60’s and a gentle breeze.
Darrell Proffitt & Lynn Shivers took all the top honors, 1st place over all and 1st place big bass. "We had a full bag by 12:00" Darrell reported. "Our last cull was at 12:30." Throwing carolina rigged Zoom lizards, Darrell used a cherry seed color while Lynn used watermelon blue. Their carolina rig had a 3/4 oz weight and a 2 1/2 foot leader. "We were throwing in 3’-5’ pockets with flooded trees and bushes. Lynn literally called the catch. We threw in one spot and pulled out a 6 lb’r, and Lynn said ’now all we need is one between 9-10 lbs for a kicker’. The very next cast, in the same spot, he pulled her out." They caught their big bass and their two 6 lbr’s around 11:00, all in the same 20 minute period.
Coming in 2nd place was a team of cousins, Max and William Hawthorn. They weighed in a limit of 26.53 lbs, and had an 8.93 lb kicker to go with it. It was hard to pick the big bass out of their bag, they had two that looked just alike. "We had an awesome day. We caught them when it counted." They found their fish a little deeper, in about 12’-14’ off of main lake points. They used a 1/2 oz carolina rig with a 3 1/2 foot leader and a green pumpkin trick worm. They culled four times to their final weight.
Scooter Clark and Lance Hughes cranked 1/2 and 3/4 oz red rattle traps all day for their limit. They went to the warmer water in the backs of coves and caught their fish in 5’-6’ depths. The water was stained and grassy, which was just right to cull three limits throughout the day. They also caught a 30 lb catfish. This team is sponsored by Castaway Rods.
Fathers and sons, mothers and sons, couples, cousins and buddies - they were all there, as young as 11 years old. It is a family style event for everyone to enjoy.
Rounding out the top 10 overall: 1st $12,000 28.40 lbs Darrell Proffitt & Lynn Shivers
2nd $ 6,000 26.53 lbs Max Hawthorn & William Hawthorn
3rd $ 4,000 22.71 lbs Scooter Clark & Lance Hughes
4th $ 3,500 22.44 lbs David Ozio & Kevin Wing
5th $ 3,000 22.05 lbs Marvin Konecny & Vince Neal
6th $ 2,500 21.92 lbs Alice Stringer & Bradley Stringer
7th $ 2,300 21.29 lbs Curtis Fisette & Scotty Reynolds
8th $ 2,200 20.40 lbs Allan Shivers & Pete Shivers
9th $ 2,100 20.31 lbs Paul Eason & Cory Rambo
10th $ 2,000 20.23 lbs Michael Jordan & Jesse Moody
....and what it took to make a check
30th - $ 700 - 15.84 lbs - P.D. Evans & Alton Jones
Top 3 big bass: 1st $ 750 9.50 lbs Darrell Proffitt & Lynn Shivers
2nd $ 500 9.35 lbs Curtis Fisette & Scotty Reynolds
3rd $ 250 9.29 lbs Allen Shivers & Pete Shivers
There were 149 limits weighed in, and a total of 960 tournament bass for an incredible 2606.65 lbs. That’s an average weight of 2.72 lbs per fish. Like Bob Sealy said, "It’s only going to get better"
The next Sealy Outdoors Team Splash event is scheduled for March 28 on Toledo Bend Lake. Whether you can fish all of the events or just one, it is open for anyone who would like to compete for these cash prizes. 30 places are paid per event, and 30th place receives $700 in winnings, it is only $250 per team to enter.
Also mark your calendars for the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the McDonald’s Big Bass Splash on Sam Rayburn April 16, 17 & 18. This event has a record breaking $500,000 payout, with $244,800 in hourly paybacks. It will be a block party like none other including entertainment by country music artist Neal McCoy. Bass fishing legend Jimmy Houston will be there and there will be concessions, games and activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Tournament sponsors include: Triton, Mercury, Vexlar, MinnKota, Berkley, Wave Worms, Acadamy, Easy View Tackle Systems, Costa Del Mar, Shimano, Pure Fishing, Port-A-Cool, Polar Eyes, Bass Medics Rejuvenade, Dawson Marine, Toledo Town USA, Needmore Tackle & Latch Oil Inc.
5 bass/20.20 Lbs Takes Rayburn Bass Champs
By Ed Snyder/Outdoors
Skeeter Bass Champs East Texas Team Tournament Trail
February 14, 2004, Umphreys Family Pavilion Park, Lake Sam Rayburn, TX.
If ever there was an extreme sporting event that tested the skills of its dedicated athletes it would be much like the event that took place here today. For after a week of torrential downpours that dumped almost a foot of rain into the Lake Sam Rayburn waters, the 464 anglers who teamed up to compete in this Bass Champs tournament would be tested even further with continuing, horrific fishing conditions, “ENHANCED” by freezing rain and sleet born on arctic winds. But as “tuff” as this event would be was as “tuff” as these anglers were who managed to catch & weigh 367 bass topped off with a 5 bass/20.20 lb winning limit brought in by Rick Barnes and James Stricklind JR. of Sam Rayburn, TX.
Thank God for the new Pavilion Park and the Sam Rayburn Pavilion Park Association, stated Tournament Director/President, Chad Potts, as this has been an extreme test for our Bass Champ anglers fishing skills with so much foul weather concentrated into such a small period of time. But, as they say, ‘The Show must go on’ and our tournament anglers have really illustrated their dedication to that axiom today by rising above the adverse extremes to produce some really great video for our upcoming HD/Net and Outdoor Channel television airings. We figured that the weather conditions would hurt us as we really weren’t expecting to draw the 232 teams that we did here for this event, but we did, which shows the strong drawing power that Lake Sam Rayburn has for the tournament anglers. This wasn’t exactly a sweetheart of a Valentines day for most of our anglers, but it was sure a sweet one for Barnes and Strickland who won over $33,000 in cash and prizes for this event.
1st 20.20 lbs (Skeeter/Yamaha) Rick Barns & James Stricklind Jr
2nd 19.42 lbs ($4,000) Donald Stringer & Bradley Stringer
3rd 17.42 lbs ($3,000) Rusty Harvey & Kevin Castilaw
4th 16.34 lbs ($2,000) Juanita Robinson & Donnie Robinson
5th 16.21 lbs ($1,200) Joe Joslin & Brantley Salter
6th 15.85 lbs ($1,100) Curtis Kayda & Tim Miller
7th 15.60 lbs ($1,080) Jack Carroll & Rick Hill
8th 15.52 lbs ($1,070) Jason Hanks & Maark Woolems
9th 15.47 lbs ($1,060) David Czudek & David Czudek Jr
10th 15.00 lbs ($1,050) Jesse Adams & Larry Price
Big Bass 9.53 lbs ($1,000) Curtis Kayda
Total tournament fish: 367
Total tournament weight: 1013 lbs
Total tournament limits: 24
All tournament bass were live released back into lake Sam Rayburn by the Skeeter Bass Champs fish recovery system with 367 bass- weighing 1,013 lbs.
Next Bass Champs East Texas Tournament event will be held on March 13, 2004, on Lake Toledo Bend at Cypress Bend Resort. This Lake Sam Rayburn tournament event will be aired on the Outdoor Channel and HD/Net.
For more information on the Skeeter Bass Champs tournament tour call 817-439-3274 write- Bass Champs Inc; - PO BOX 89 - Haslet, TX. 76052 - or click to bass champs.com
Skeeter Bass Champs Tournament Sponsors; Skeeter Boats-Yamaha Outboards-HD/Net- Academy- Allen Samuels Dodge- Maui Jim Glasses- Yo-Zuri Baits- Diamond Cut- St Croix Rods- MotorGuide- Daiwa- Oasis Casino- Continental Batteries- Keel Shield- Bottom Line Electronics- XTools- DualPro- Wave Worms- Please Release Me- Johnson Fiberglass- All-Star Marine Electronics- Pro-Rule- Martins Maps- The Outdoor Channel- and the Bass Champs Tournament Anglers-
This Ed Snyder/Outdoors Tournament report sponsored by- The World of Fishing- Umphreys Family Pavilion Park- The Stump Restaurant and Club- The Bass Buster Inn-
1 Rick Barns James Stricklind, Jr. 5 20.20 $33,000 = Skeeter/Yamaha + $5000 Skeeter Bonus
2 Donald Stringer Bradley Stringer 5 19.42 $4,000
3 Rusty Harvey Kevin Castilaw 4 6.64 17.42 $3,000
4 Juanita Robinson Donnie Robinson 4 16.34 $2,000
5 Joe Joslin Brantley Salter 5 16.21 $1,200
6 Curtis Kayda Tim Miller 3 9.53 15.85 $2,100
7 Jack Carroll Rick W Hill 5 15.6 $1,080
8 Jason Hanks Marc Woolems 4 15.52 $1,070
9 David Czudek David Czudek Jr. 5 15.47 $1,060
10 Jesse Adams Larry Price 5 15.00 $1,050
11 Tony Weems Eric Weems 5 14.96 $1,040
12 David Gregg Ray Beck 5 14.84 $1,030
13 Ernie Hillebrandt Slade Dearman 5 14.49 $1,020
14 Rick Westfall Chris Hayes 5 14.40 $1,010
15 James Shaw Chuck Salter 5 14.22 $1,000
16 Ted O'dell Bo Fea 5 14.03 $550
17 George Jeane Jr. George Jeane Sr. 5 13.86 $550
18 Taylor Griffin Brian Hampton 5 13.51 $550
19 David Underwood Kyle Rowe 5 13.23 $550
20 Butch Covington Frank LeBarron 4 12.3 $550
21 Bill Harlan Albert White 3 12.16 $500
22 Jeff Scifres Sean Gaffney 5 11.92 $500
23 Aaron Choate Chad Stelly 5 11.88 $500
24 Tim Palculict Klint Myers 4 11.56 $500
25 Greg Christian Bill Wilcox 5 11.16 $500
26 Kris Hunt James 'Tim' Lee 2 8.29 11.00 $500
27 Ronald Risenhover Jerry McKnight 5 10.80 $500
28 Russ Carter Scott Bailey 5 10.75 $500
29 Wayne White Pete Shivers 5 10.72 $500
30 Jerry Ketcham Gordan McBride 4 10.55 $500
31 Bill Moore Joe Lackey 2 8.78 10.15 $500
32 David Vandervort George Johnson 5 10.03 $500
33 Max Hawthorne Mack Rose 5 9.96
34 Tim Ward Neil Ward Jr. 4 9.88
35 Michael Hollomon Paul Copty 2 9.85
36 Nick Albus John Hatton 2 9.32
37 Kevin Broussard Phil Broussard 2 9.27
38 Glen Kimble Reagan Kimble 4 9.21
39 Stene Evans Michael Shivers 3 9.14
40 Lee Yowell Brian Schott 2 9.01
41 Bruce Salter Wendell Wright 3 8.82
42 Billy Penick Jerrel Pringle 3 8.71
43 Mark Herron Stan Burgay 3 8.68
44 Mike Bono Wade Reed 2 8.67
45 Curtis Fisette Scotty Reynolds 3 8.64
46 James Elliott Ron Hendricks 3 8.60
47 Gary Baker Jason Dew 3 8.55
48 Michael Lowery Lance Lowery 2 8.40
49 Shannon Price Willie Fabre 3 8.30
50 Malcolm Rachal Robert Ates 2 8.25
51 Todd Hopson Frank Williams 3 8.20
52 Alvin Jones James Jones 3 8.15
53 Bill Sanders Timothy Locke 2 8.00
54 Mike Taylor Steve Crowell 2 7.86
55 Jerry Roy Rochelle Roy 3 7.79
55 Lyndell Pearson Chris Lewis 4 7.79
57 Wally Killman Ray Pollock 4 7.5
58 Randy Turner Jerry McMullen 2 7.25
59 RL Cunningham Steve Delia 2 7.15
60 John Frazier Eric Troxel 2 6.96
61 John Bryan Don Irwin 3 6.77
62 William Perego Ray Lamb 2 6.68
63 Len Adcock Terry Watson 3 6.67
64 Keith Stout Brian Hoffpauir 3 6.60
65 Donny Webb Richard Crenshaw 3 6.58
66 Bennie Jarrell C.D. Monk 2 6.57
66 Stephen Cox Sandy Cox 3 6.57
68 Todd Castledine Jaret Latta 3 6.34
69 Roger Nash Charles Patterson 2 6.22
70 Archie Hadley R.J. Zimmerman 2 6.12
71 Clifford Wilcox Brandon Wilcox 3 6.08
72 Craig Dowling Andrew Lipshaw 3 6.06
73 James McCaskey Norman Sanders 2 6.05
74 Rusty Clark Butch Carmack 3 6.04
75 John Lewis Sr. John Lewis Jr. 3 5.99
75 Roy Sanford Gene Colvin 2 5.99
77 R.W. Jaynes Tommy Bankhead 2 5.96
78 Troy Reed David Shoemaker 2 5.89
79 Daren Squier Jason Sloan 2 5.85
80 Douglas Posey Lloyd Curtis 2 5.66
81 Steve Benson Kevin Joiner 2 5.58
82 Spencer Hubbard Steve Dillard 1 5.57
83 Sam Creel Pete Ellis 3 5.56
84 Larry Coleman Curtis Thompson 3 5.55
85 Dan Self Kevin L Green 2 5.45
86 Michael Taylor 2 5.43
87 Robert Laird Michael Laird 2 5.41
88 William Bill Cook John Hale 2 5.40
89 Jerry Sanders Danny Lindsey 2 5.35
90 Ken Smith Clay Clenvenger 3 5.33
91 Ray Pierce Duck Wright 2 5.27
92 C.J. Nichols Tri Brewer 1 5.00
93 Davis Minter Justin Minter 3 4.99
94 David Harvey Jr. Cory Rambo 1 4.71
95 Micky Jones Rusty Jones 2 4.65
96 Chris Gallender Darien Duhon 2 4.59
96 Robert Glende Gary Glende 2 4.59
98 Roger Griffin Tommy Washington 2 4.56
99 Mike Fullerton Bob Fox 2 4.5
100 Eddie Gonzales Colan Gonzales 2 4.49
101 William Bauer Brad Bauer 2 4.47
102 L.B. Shelton James Silva 2 4.37
103 George Seale 2 4.36
104 Thomas Holbrook 2 4.17
105 Shawn Broadright Gary Crumpton 2 4.16
106 Dwight Billingsley Quincy Stephenson 2 4.08
107 Dan Hilton Loran Compton 1 4.01
108 Howard Wilson Eric Wilson 2 3.90
108 Eddie Hall Adrian Coble 2 3.90
110 Charles Andre' Charles Leon 1 3.88
111 Rusty Neagebauer Billy Maddox 1 3.75
112 Tommy Bullard Johnny McKee 2 3.67
112 Andy McKinney Duane Jungerberg 2 3.67
114 Mike Burch Randy Quin 1 3.63
115 Mark Couch Ronnie Milner 2 3.47
115 Clint Goodeaux Allen Trafford 1 3.47
117 Larry Weppler Dennis Fikes 1 3.46
118 Kevin Flowers Keith Ford 1 3.44
119 Al Hogan 1 3.35
120 Rodney Dotson Eddie Stagg 1 2.95
121 Rex Acker Roy Benignus 1 2.92
122 Bob Bryant Victor Shepard 1 2.77
123 Bill Hudspeth Rick Seitter 1 2.73
124 Bill Murphy Donnie Golleher 1 2.72
125 Kelly Pendleton Jason Ponzio 1 2.65
126 Jerry Sisco Mike Cortelloni 1 2.58
127 John Cuol Robert Perry 2 2.53
128 Timothy Achee Bob Narron 1 2.45
129 Randy Smith Mitch Grimes 5 2.27
130 James Kitchens Mike Mason 1 2.13
131 Floyd Blackman Darrell Markham 1 1.98
132 Randy Qualls Michael Metcalf 1 1.89
133 Craig Marsh John Alvin Anderson 1 1.80
134 Chad Langston Andy Jackson 1 1.67 Maui Jims
135 Key Puckett Royce Martin 4 0.00
136 Ben Cockrell Michael Lewis
136 Billy Hinds Frank Mire
136 Billy Skweres Sue Sinclair
136 Bob Vote Andy Vote
136 Bobby Addison Donald Randall
136 Bobby Gilbert Rodnet Cooper
136 Brad Downey Sonny Glasco
136 Bryan Jansen Chris Snider
136 Buddy Day John Martin
136 Charles Sheffield Chuck Sheffield
136 Charlie McGee David Rabalais
136 Chris Clemens Anthony Clemons
136 Chuck Sterling Clint Sterling
136 Cory Lowery Kenny Jones
136 Curt Walker Mark Davis
136 Curtis Simpson Randy Allen
136 Daniel Reeks John Flora
136 Danny Cherry Rodney Cherry
136 Danny Fowler Dale Drewery
136 Darrell Adams
136 Darren Roberts Clark Moore
136 David McLauchlin David Kirk
136 David Thibodaux Judy Folks
136 Derick Kuyrkendall Forrest Wilson
136 Dinton Kitchens Gary Bratton
136 Donald LeBlanc Gene Stovall
136 Doug Welch C.A. Welch
136 Galen Webster
136 Gene Bagley Mitch Stephenson
136 George Cox Michael Harrington
136 Glenn Sadler Bobby Sarton
136 Greg Haight Mark Sheckler
136 Greg Patterson Jimmy Greer
136 Jack Wheeler Greg Williams
136 James Hamilton Phil Yunker
136 Jason Birdwell Dwayne Dennis
136 Jason Nash Tommie Young
136 Jesse Parker MarkDunson
136 Joe Nance Michael Lochbaum
136 John Gunnels Dicky Newberry
136 John Sonnier David Carpenter
136 Johnie Fountain Crystal Fountain
136 Johnny Coulter Johnny Coulter Jr.
136 Johnny Davidson Tony Spivey
136 Keith Drewery Kyle Drewery
136 Keith West Allen West
136 Kelly Jones Jimmy Wilforg
136 Kevin Biskamp Doris Biskamp
136 Kevin Rawson Larry Gilley
136 Larry Stamps Donnie Morgan
136 Lindy Hadley Kraig Welborne
136 Lorin Lively Gary McCorquodale
136 Lyndell Bray
136 Lynn Graves Lee Graves
136 Michael Bolton Kathy Carter
136 Michael Duff Lance Duff
136 Michael Jordan Jesse Moddy
136 Mike Webb Mike Webb
136 Patrick Fisher Steven Sides
136 Paul Welch Roland Hickman
136 R.Paul Trick Bo Standley
136 Randy Duplechine Terry Williams
136 Randy Hanna Lonnie Stanley
136 Randy Michaler Say Childs
136 Rick Hollingsworth Mark Stewart
136 Rick Skidmore Jason Jordan
136 Rickey Newman Donald Cessna
136 Ricky Fuqua Brent McNeal
136 Ricky Guy Larry Cotton
136 Ricky Smith Allen Hilner
136 Robert Busby Russell Sowell
136 Robert Byrd Jr. Robert Bryd
136 Rodney French Ronnie French
136 Ronald Reid Ronnie Reid
136 Ronnie Teel Jeff Lognion
136 Scooter Clark Lance Hughs
136 Scott Dean Allen Shelton
136 Scott Micheletti John Sixkiller
136 Scott Springer `Bob Taylor
136 Scott Thorton
136 Shane Hilton John Salamone
136 Sonny Viola Glenn Viola
136 Stacy Scott Taylor Lindsey
136 Steve Ingram Patrick Ingram
136 Steven Morehead Joe Moss
136 Teddy Gordon Chad Sensat
136 Terry Sandlin Johnny Reich Sr.
136 Tim Culver Ricky Moceaux
136 Tom McGee Dennis Wilson
136 Tom Nolan Blake Pizzolato
136 Vic Cooper Jason Wells
136 Warren Schmidt Glen McCuller
136 Wes Dawson Teddy Cloide
136 Yancey Long Mark Mueck
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07/03/2004
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Of Horny Toads, Fishin’ Buds, and Miracle Baits By Ed Snyder/Outdoors
“GET YOUR (bleeping) HANDS OFF OF MY HORNY TOAD!! “ Was the first expletive, deletive, editive from a long string of deletive expletives to be edited out of this amazing fishing story for at least a PG rating of readability. But as afternoon Storms rolled in the heavens opened up in all its glorious thunder and wicked lightning, I seriously do believe that “GOD” was trying to tell us something!!
Standing at the Piney Point gas pumps filling my tank, fishing amigo Lindy Hadley, a pulled up to inform me about being HOT on bass and wanted to see if I wanted to come along with him to catch a few. “Naw, was first response telling him that I had too much to do and wouldn‘t be free until after 3pm. “Well, he shot back, Mike Taylor and I are leaving about 2pm if I changed my mind. “Naw, was my second response, stressing that it would be at least 2:30pm before I could possibly break free. “Well, he shot back again as he further tantalized me with, “I’m killing them right now on a new soft plastic bait called a Horny Toad and MAN are those bass are eating them like crazy! Well, you can be “annoyed” just so much as by 2:pm we were heading east on Hwy-255 towards Lindys “Horny Toad” water.
“This new bait has only been on the market for about a month now, Lindy informed as he handed me a chunky piece of soft plastic that had two curved flippers on one end. “These baits have been HOT these past few days, as yesterday I fished through five packs of them that managed to put a bass on my line about every 4th cast. “In fact, Lindy further bragged, I would’ve had a 26 lb stringer to weigh-in at a tournament!
Hearing about these “so-called” miracle-baits has been a part of my intelligence gathering fodder for as many years as I’ve been writing about them. So I really only took a skeptics interest in Lindys braggadocios story, and only hoped that we could catch at least ONE bass on this interesting looking chunk of plastic. But within only minutes of fishing this bait Lindys “Horny-Toad” water literally exploded in a fast and furious testimony of what the bait could do as we loaded our rods with plenty of bass action.
The bait, put out by the ZOOM Bait Company in its line of soft plastics, comes 5 to a package and is marketed as a “Super Salt Plus” Horny Toad bait. It is rigged weightless with a 5/0 hook thru a provided hook-slot that makes it weedless. The bait is heavy enough for easy casting over brush, grass, or lily pads where it is then retrieved in little hops to look much like a small rat or mouse “skittering” across the water. The curved split-tails of the bait are turned in slightly to provide “skittering” feet-like movements that become absolutely irresistible to the bass lurking under the thick grass-mats or dollar lilies when “skittering” them across holes or openings in the grass.
We tried to disprove the lures incredible appeal to the bass by chunking blades and jigs into the same cover, drawing no feeding interest at all. But upon switching back to the Horny Toad its skittering action reactivated the bass bite, “maybe not” on every 4th cast, but close enough! After my invitational fishing trip with Mike Taylor and Lindy Hadley was cut short by thunder & lightning, I took heed from the heavenly warnings and cleaned up this article by editing out all of the expletive deletives, which may have cut it by about five, or so pages, but a clean and truthful article is more believable than a profane report right? …………………….….RIGHT!
For more information on this Horny Toad “incident” contact Mike Taylor at the Stump Restaurant & Club -(409)-698-9495 or Lindy Hadley at -(214)-762-4750.
The Umphrey Family Pavilion, a new Sam Rayburn facility is constructed with a twelve-sided 5,600 sq. ft. gazebo-type structure that covers approximately 12,000 square feet of concrete pad area with clean and comfortable restroom and concession facilities, also has a large parking area within its boundary that accommodates about 400 or more vehicles. Built for the purpose of increasing tourism within the Jasper County and Lake Sam Rayburn Area, the new Umphrey Family Pavilion was designed and built to host multiple activity events, which includes not only Fishing Tournaments, but Musical Concerts, Trade Shows- Family Reunions, Company/Organizational Seminars, Outdoor Sporting Events, Boat & Auto Shows, etc, etc. For more information on scheduling your upcoming event at the new Umphrey Family Pavilion contact the (LSRPA) Lake Sam Rayburn Pavilion Association - P:O: Box 5032 -Sam Rayburn, TX. 75951 -or call-(409)-698-2554 or click to www.fishingworld.com/pavilion or e-mail Ed Snyder pressangler@jas.net or cell-phone contact -(409)-382-5478.
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