Good luck catching Curtis

TTT Championship qualifiers need big bites to gain ground

JASPER, Texas – With over a 10-pound lead, it looks as though pro David Curtis will be heading home to Trinity, Texas, with his second Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship title. But stranger things have happened and everyone is well aware of Sam Rayburn’s big-fish potential.

What makes Curtis so invincible is not necessarily his lead, but his experience on Big Sam. On day one he worked an area where big fish were scattered. It took patience, but the reward was well worth the wait. But if those scattered fish don’t cooperate today he can tap into one of his many backup areas and play defense.

Also on Curtis’ side are the conditions, which are expected to remain identical on day two as they were on day one.

Second-place pro Marcus Faske seems focused on retaining second, rather than swinging for the fence in an attempt to catch Curtis.

“This is his lake,” said Faske, who lives near Lake Travis in Austin, Texas. “I honestly don’t think I can catch him. I’d be happy with second place.”

Third-place pro David Hogge had similar feelings Sunday morning.

“Ten grand (for second place) would be fine with me,” Hogge said.

The competition on the co-angler side is still wide open. One angler to watch today would Bill Rogers, the Curtis equivalent from the back of the boat. The Jasper native won the Stren Series Texas Division points title and has a dozen top-10 finishes on Rayburn and Toledo Bend. On day one, he caught a limit weighing 9-8, good for 15th place.

But what makes Rogers dangerous today is his pro partner Randy Millender. Millender is in sixth place on the pro side, which means he’s around good fish. Rarely does Rogers not catch fish when he’s around fish. Who was Millender’s day-one partner? That would be Ronnie Bickham, who caught 17 pounds yesterday for the co-angler lead.

Competitors will weigh in their catches today at 3 p.m. at the Umphrey Family Pavilion located just north of Jasper on Rural Road 255 West.

The winning pro could win as much as $75,000 in cash and prizes, including a fully rigged Ranger boat, and the co-anglers are gunning for as much as $50,000 in cash and prizes, also including a fully rigged Ranger.

Sunday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:18 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 59 degrees

Expected high temperature: 85 degrees

Water temperature: 80-84 degrees

Wind: SE at 9 mph

Maximum humidity: 57 percent

Day’s outlook: party cloudy