A tale of two tournaments
After a paltry day three, EverStart competitors hope Sam Rayburn returns to its opening-round form
JASPER, Texas – For the first two days of the EverStart Series Central opener on Sam Rayburn, competitors hauled in several thousands of pounds of bass and weighed in impressive lunkers weighing as much as 10 pounds. In fact, on day two, two pros caught 10-pound bass, and William Davis of Russellville, Ala., set a new EverStart Series record for heaviest two-day catch with 51 pounds.
That all changed on day three, when the rain and thunderstorms turned into sunshine on the second day of a cold front. The bass all but quit biting, and the awe-inducing catches all but disappeared. It felt like a different tournament on a different lake.
Pro Jerry Green did managed to bag a limit of bass weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces, and he is followed by day-one leader David Curtis with 13 pounds, 5 ounces. But as everybody here is well aware, on a lake like Sam Rayburn, a 10-pound fish is just a cast away.
The general feeling is that the bite could pick up today with increasing cloud cover and chance of showers. The air temperature should remain at a high of 60 degrees.
On the co-angler side, two local anglers lead the pack, with Sam Rayburn resident Ernie Hillebrandt in the lead with 11-4 and Brookeland angler Robert Lebert behind him in second with 10-8.
Both pros and co-anglers are competing not only for the prestige of an EverStart tournament win but also some lucrative prize packages, with $10,000 cash plus a fully rigged Ranger boat going to the winning pro. The winning co-angler will earn $5,000 cash plus a boat if he meets contingency guidelines.
The final weigh-in will take place at 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 800 W. Gibson in Jasper.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:45 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 42 degrees
Expected high temperature: 60 degrees
Water temperature: 58 degrees
Wind: from the east-northeast at 6 mph
Maximum humidity: 64 percent
Day’s outlook: Mostly cloudy in the morning with a few showers developing in the afternoon