Big blow

High winds will hamper anglers at Stren Series Texas event on Lake Texoma

DENISON, Texas – If Winnie the Pooh had entered the Stren Series tournament on Lake Texoma, he’d surely have Piglet kiting behind the boat by a sweater string on this blustery day. Imagery aside, anglers will have to grind through a rough start.

Boaters and co-anglers launching Wednesday from Hipoint Marina faced overcast conditions with 15- to 20-mph winds that are projected to double in strength as a storm system passes through northern Texas. A north wind will flip directions this afternoon and shuffle the deck. Boater Darrell Lyons of Hemphill, Texas, predicts a lot of scrambling at that point.

“The wind is supposed to blow as hard as 40 to 50 mph out of the south, and that changes things for everyone,” he said. “That’s really going to contain everyone to small pockets, boat houses and that sort of thing. It’s going to kill the main-lake points.”

Anglers without a full suit of foul weather gear were the exception this morning, as anyone who had monitored the Weather Channel knew that showers and thunderstorms could dampen an already challenging day. Lyons said success in today’s conditions would depend as much on sharp focus as on sharp hooks. “You just buckle down and fight through it – you take some waves over the bow and pump the water out on the backside.”

With devastating flood waters from torrential spring rains only a month departed, mud lines are still visible on marina buildings and 15 feet up the boat-ramp light poles. As tournament director Ron Lappin notes, heavy winds have the lowered lake turbid as well.

“The lake has colored up in the last couple of weeks because fall has arrived and the wind direction has changed,” Lappin said. “When the wind switches to the south, that will make it tough on the guys who want to fish the north end of the lake, but there’s plenty of fish to be caught in other areas.”

Weather permitting, Lyons intends to run 25 miles from the marina and look for bass “anywhere from almost dry dirt to 20 feet of water” along the lake’s steep, rocky banks. Estimating 12 to 16 pounds as the the top-10 cut for day one, Lyons plans on fishing topwater plugs, shaky-head worms, and crankbaits.

Local pro Craig Reedy of Denton, Texas, also plans a diverse attack: “I’m throwing a little of everything. You have to mix it up and see what they want. You have to let the girls tell you what they want to do.”

Kellogg’s pro Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas, will fish shallow and target rocks, wood, docks and boat launches. He’ll also utilize the “junk fishing” strategy.

“I’ll be covering a lot of water,” Tutt said. “There’s a pattern to (how the fish feed), but you have to ride around a lot. I’ll give each spot all the lures I’m fishing to see what they’re triggering on today.”

Tutt’s weather analysis: “On this lake, the wind is really good for fishing, but it’s not very good for running. However, I think it turns the fish on more. It puts them right on the bank and puts the shad there, so that makes them easier to catch.”

Tournament logistics

The Stren Series event, which runs Oct. 17-20, represents the last of four regular-season Texas Division events. The total purse for the Detroit River event is $275,225. The winning pro could earn as much as $65,000 in cash and prizes if various contingencies are met, and the winning co-angler could earn as much as $35,000.

Action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. Central time at Hiport Marina, located at 120 Texoma Harbor Drive in Pottsboro, Texas.

Wednesday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:33 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 65 degrees

Expected high temperature: 80 degrees

Water temperature: 73-74 degrees

Wind: S at 20 mph

Humidity: 64 percent

Day’s outlook: windy, with scattered thunderstorms