Durham bulls his way to 2003 TTT Championship title
Texas native nets $15,000 in cash plus Ranger boat package on Lake Ray Hubbard
ROCKWALL, Texas – After netting a meager 5-pound, 6-ounce stringer on the opening day of the 2003 Texas Tournament Trail Championship, Tommy Durham of Waxahachie, Texas, knew that he would have to turn in a remarkable performance on Sunday just to finish in the top 20. As it turned out, he need not have worried. With his back against the wall, Durham not only landed the biggest five-fish stringer of the entire tournament, but he also managed to snare the championship title that had eluded him for years.
He earned $50,000 in cash and prizes, including $15,000 cash plus an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 519VS Comanche bass boat, as the 2003 TTT Champion.
Not bad for two days of fishing.
“Obviously, yesterday started out pretty rough for me,” said Durham, who ultimately recorded a two-day catch of 22 pounds, 15 ounces. “Last night I was pretty dejected. It was really hard not to get too down on myself. But I made the decision to put everything behind me. I also knew that I needed to change things up coming into today and that’s what I did. Today, everything just worked out.”
After using a Carolina rig with a variety of California Custom worms in yesterday’s competition, Durham switched over to a Norman crankbait in a perch color and finally found the successful presentation he’d been looking for. Specifically, Durham said he targeted bass on rocky, underwater points in about 8 feet of water.
“I wound up catching eight keepers today, which was a real change from what I had going yesterday,” said Durham. “Switching over to a moving bait made all the difference. I had to run that crankbait down real fast and crash it into the rocks. That’s what seemed to work the best.”
However, although he began to have success, Durham knew he was still facing an uphill climb.
“It was really tough to come from that far behind,” he said. “But I knew if everything fell into place, I’d have a chance.”
Although Durham has had plenty of success on the Texas Tournament Trail over the years – including a tournament title on Lake Lewisville in 2003 and an eighth-place finish on Lake Amistad in 2002 – he had never really come close to winning the TTT championship before today. And for Durham, that made winning the title all the more sweet.
“I’ve had a history of not performing well in championships,” said Durham. “So it really feels good right now. It’s nice to finally get off the snide.”
Three times not the charm for Qualls
With back-to-back second-place finishes to his credit in Texas Tournament Trail Championship events over the past two seasons, Randy Qualls of Streetman, Texas, thought that this might finally be his year to take home the top prize. However, after leading the tournament throughout much of the afternoon, Qualls’ two-day catch of 20 pounds, 6 ounces came up short once again. The result was his third second-place finish in a row, a feat that almost defies statistical odds.
“After I finished in second place the last two years, I was praying that I would finally win it this year,” said Qualls. “But I only caught three fish both days and I lost another big fish today. It was tough all the way around.”
Qualls said he used a 1/2-ounce FireTiger Luher Jensen crankbait in about 8 feet of water to land the majority of his catch.
“I pretty much stayed in the rocks and grass all day,” he said.
For his efforts, Qualls received a $6,000 payday. But, perhaps more importantly, Qualls said he is now more determined than ever to bring home a championship title.
“I’ve got to get back next year,” he said. “I really want to win one of these things so I can finally get the monkey off my back.”
Best of the rest
Landan Ware of Jewett, Texas, used a two-day catch of 20-pound, 3-ounces to finish the championship in third place and net a check for $4,500. However, because he also met a variety of sponsor incentive clauses, Ware received an additional $4,500 in bonuses.
Day-one leader David Truax of Beaumont, Texas, finished the day in fourth place after landing a two-day catch of 19 pounds, 15 ounces. Truax took home $6,500 in prize money and bonuses.
Fifth place belonged to Jason Reyes of Humble, Texas. Reyes turned in a two-day catch of 19 pounds, 5 ounces to win $2,500 in prize money.
Rounding out the top 10 pro finalists were Jim Behnken (sixth) of Garden Ridge, Texas, with a catch of 18 pounds, 11 ounces; Stan Burgay (seventh) of Timpson, Texas, with a catch of 18 pounds, 4 ounces; Lendell Martin Jr. (eighth) of Nacogdoches, Texas, with a catch of 18 pounds, 2 ounces; Randy Millender (ninth) of Teague, Texas, with a catch of 17 pounds, 7 ounces; and Robert Collett (10th) of Zapata, Texas, with a catch of 17 pounds, 3 ounces.
The Texas Tournament Trail Championship marks the final event of the 2003 season.
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