DENISON, Texas – With gusting winds and thick cloud cover, the Lake Texoma bass came to life on day three of the Stren Series Central Division event. While the rain held off for most of the day, the fish did not, as the top 20 pro and top 20 co-anglers put on quite a show.
Nine of the top 10 pros brought a limit to the scale Friday. Leading the charge once again was Rick Turner of Tyler, Texas, with 14 pounds, 15 ounces. While Turner was able to manage a sizable catch, he said it was much more difficult today than yesterday.
“Those five were the only keepers I caught,” he said. “I could only fish two of my spots because of the wind and rain. As I was coming in, I had about five extra minutes to spare. I stopped to fish for a little while, and I caught a 2-pound spot to fill out my limit.”
Turner continues to pound his deep, rocky smallmouth areas with a Spot Remover jighead and Zoom green-pumpkin finesse worm.
“These smallmouths are all mixed up,” Turner said. “They’re biting better when it’s nice and sunny out.”
Turner plans to continue his successful smallmouth pattern tomorrow.
“I just have to believe that they’ll bite sometime tomorrow. I’m smallmouth all the way; I don’t have a backup plan.”
Hartsell hurting for fish
Toby Hartsell had a great day three on Lake Texoma, catching five bass that weighed 12 pounds, 13 ounces. The only problem is that he may have milked his spot dry.
“I’m pretty much out of fish,” said Hartsell, a resident of Livingston, Texas. “Tomorrow is either going to be really good or really bad.”
Today Hartsell focused on largemouths with a 5/16-ounce crawdad jig. He caught his bass in and around docks and rock piles. Incredibly, this is Hartsell’s first time on Texoma.
“Tomorrow I’m going to try to finesse a few smallmouths.”
Rea moves up to third
Larry Rea put together another solid day, catching 12 pounds, 9 ounces. The Stigler, Okla., pro has been consistent all week, catching a solid limit each day.
“I might be able to get 10 pounds tomorrow,” Rea said. “But will I ever get a big bite?”
Texas machine within striking distance
Stren Series Central Division points leader Chris McCall caught yet another limit Friday. Using mostly spinnerbaits, the Jasper, Texas, resident scrounged up five largemouths that weighed 12 pounds, 7 ounces.
Despite sitting in fourth place, McCall might still be the favorite to win this event. He won the last Stren Central event, held on Sam Rayburn, and hasn’t missed the cut in a Central Division qualifier all season.
“I had a few tough FLWs to start the season, but I had some great friends help me out,” McCall said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself; I’m really happy I’ve been able to turn it around.”
Whether McCall is using his best poker face remains to be seen.
“I don’t know, I feel like I’m starting to run out of fish. I don’t think I can beat these smallmouth guys. The biggest problem is that I’ll be sharing water with two local tournaments that start tomorrow.”
McCall then unveiled his backup plan.
“I’ve got a lot of brush piles that have been there a while. I just may go fish brush.”
McFarlin fifth
Pro Don McFarlin of Gordonville, Texas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces, which was good enough for fifth place heading into day four.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros, who will be fishing tomorrow on the fourth and final day of Stren Series competition on Lake Texoma:
6th: Tommy Martin of Hemphill, Texas, five bass, 11-4
7th: Chris Slopak of Prairie Grove, Ark., five bass, 11-0
8th: James Fredieu of Saint Martinville, La., five bass, 10-2
9th: Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, five bass, 10-1
10th: Keith Combs of Temple, Texas, four bass, 9-13
Branum takes over co-angler lead
Brian Branum of Longview, Texas, caught the heaviest bag from the Co-angler Division on day three. Branum’s 12-pound, 5-ounce total was anchored by two 4-pound largemouths. Lately, he has been on a roll with big fish.
“Yesterday I caught a 23-inch smallmouth,” he said. “Today I only lost one fish. I saw it inhale the lure, but I guess I didn’t give it enough time. I would have had at least 15 pounds, but I’m happy with what I have. It was a great day all the way around.”
Branum said his key bait this week has been a Giggy Head jig. Today he used the 1/8-ounce variety around small boulders, and yesterday he employed the smaller 3/32-ounce version.
“I would swim the bait by the boulders and off the drop,” said Branum, who is the owner of Tour Tackle, which makes the Giggy Head jig. “The fish would either hit it around the boulders or after it slid down the drop. I fish almost nothing else. I fish it with a Gamakatsu hook and a green-pumpkin Zoom finesse worm. It’s a really well-balanced jig.”
Tomorrow Branum starts with nearly a 4-pound lead.
“I’m guessing I need 7 or 8 pounds tomorrow to win.”
Kenta Kimura once again managed to finagle a few hefty smallmouth bass. The Livingston, Texas, native caught four bass on day three that weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces. Kimura will fish Saturday from the second position.
K.D. Moore of Euless, Texas, is in third place with 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
Kenny Moser of Alba, Texas, is in fourth with 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and Bill Gift of Alix, Ark., is in fifth with 6 pounds, 1 ounce.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers, who will be fishing tomorrow on the fourth and final day of Stren Series competition on Lake Texoma:
6th: Billy G. Yelverton of Baton Rouge, La., three bass, 6-0
7th: Kelly Mason of Achille, Okla., three bass, 5-10
8th: Bill Guillory of Jasper, Texas, two bass, 3-15
9th: Phillip Hudnall of Newkirk, Okla., two bass, 3-4
10th: Ronnie Bickham of New Boston, Texas, one bass, 3-1
The final day of Stren Series competition begins at 7 a.m. Central time Saturday at Highpoint Marina in Pottsboro.