Play it again, Sam

Water level up, temps down at Stren Central event on Sam Rayburn

JASPER, Texas – Central Division competitors were ready to play the game again Wednesday at Sam Rayburn Reservoir as the Stren Series returned to this eastern Texas fishery for the 10th time in its nine-season history. The field of bass anglers awaited the 6:30 a.m. takeoff in chilly conditions, and some were restructuring their game plans to adjust for the cold front that is passing through that had been preceded by significant rains earlier in the week.

Local Jasper, Texas, pro Keith Stephenson said the water level on Sam Rayburn – which had been relatively low in recent months – had risen about 4 feet in the last six or so weeks that he’s been away fishing various circuits. But he said it is the unseasonably cool temperatures that will have an even greater impact on fishing this week during the Stren Central event. At a scant 60 degrees, the expected high for today is a full 13 degrees below normal for this time of year, and weather reports are calling for slightly colder temperatures yet Thursday and Friday – expected highs of 59 degrees those days – before things warm up a bit into the upper 60s for Saturday’s tournament finale.

“Sunday it flooded, so there’s going to be some muddy water in the creeks, but I think the cold weather is going to affect fishing more than anything,” said Stephenson, who won the co-angler big-bass award for a 5-pound, 10-ounce catch at the inaugural Wal-Mart FLW Series event a few weeks ago on Georgia’s Lake Lanier. “I think it’s going to fish a little slower and a little deeper.”

Several weeks before this event – which was moved to Sam Rayburn because of extremely low water levels at Toledo Bend, the originally planned site for the second stop of the Stren Central schedule – pundits were predicting that bass here would be in all stages of the spawn, so a wide variety of patterns would work. However, Stephenson said that isn’t necessarily the case at present; he intends to focus on fishing spinnerbaits, worms and other small plastics.

“A lot of the spawn is over with now,” said Stephenson, who fished Sam Rayburn last week as a co-angler in a BASS event. He added that many of the good fish that may have been left over for many of the flippers and sight-fishermen may be gone. “The bedding fish have been plucked.”

While Stephenson said he guesses it will take anywhere from 12 to 15 pounds per day over the first couple of tournament days to make the cut, another pro from Dallas is predicting higher weights. Paul Whitman Jr. said he would put the cut at about 35 to 36 pounds for a two-day accumulated weight. Though anglers may have a few flipping sticks out on Sam Rayburn this week, Whitman said he believes much of the field will end up fishing “a lot of plastics shallow.”

Logistics

As many as 200 pros and 200 co-anglers will compete for two days to determine the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers who advance to Friday’s semifinal round, based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the semifinal round and anglers compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners on day four are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

Anglers will take off from Umphrey Family Pavilion at 6:30 Central time each morning. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina, which is located at 5438 RR 255 W. outside Jasper beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 800 W. Gibson in Jasper beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

For bass-fishing fans unable to attend the festivities in person, you can catch all the weigh-in action live at FLWOutdoors.com with FLW Live. Show time starts at 2:30 p.m. Central today.

At stake

Anglers competing in the Pro Division will fish for a top award worth as much as $60,000, including a fully rigged Ranger 519VX powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and EverStart batteries plus $10,000 cash. Pros will have the chance to earn an additional $10,000 bonus award from Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. Ranger will award another $3,000 to the winner if he or she is a participant in the Ranger Cup program or $1,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant. Yamaha will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup earnings if the participant meets “Powered by Yamaha” guidelines. Co-angler competitors cast for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a Ranger boat and trailer if contingency guidelines are met.

Competitors will also be vying for points that could earn them a berth into the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Decatur, Ala., for a shot at $140,000 in the Pro Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. The highest finishing pro and the highest finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will qualify for the 2007 $2 million Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will have a shot at bass fishing’s first $1 million prize.

Wednesday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:17 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 38 degrees

Expected high temperature: 60 degrees

Water temperature at the ramp: 59 degrees

Wind: N at 6 mph

Maximum humidity: 85 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy, gusting winds