Sam Rayburn conditions favor shallow bite
Stren Series Texas anglers likely to rattle shallow grass on day two
JASPER, Texas – With the forecast calling for an 80-percent chance of precipitation Thursday, Stren Series Texas Division anglers were already collecting on those odds by takeoff time at Sam Rayburn Reservoir on day two. The field of 173 pros and as many co-anglers began competition shortly after 7 a.m. in a thick, foggy atmosphere of 100 percent humidity and can look forward to damp conditions throughout the day including rain.
Likely showers and scattered thunderstorms in the morning through midday will give way to even wetter conditions by afternoon when competitors begin pulling back in to Umphrey Family Pavilion to weigh their day-two catches at the midpoint of this four-day event, the second of the 2008 Stren Texas season.
Fog hovered over the takeoff area this morning, but tournament officials determined it safe to adhere to the scheduled 7 a.m. start time. Stren Tournament Director Ronnie Lappin instructed boaters to keep their light poles “in and on” until conditions clear on the water.
To what extent the prolonged wetness will affect yesterday’s solid catch rate remains to be seen. However, anglers fished in high humidity and afternoon precipitation on Wednesday as well, so it’s possible Thursday’s best catches will again tip the scale at 20-plus pounds. Some anglers even reported that increased cloud cover and some rain along with warming conditions, on tap for today, would enhance the bite on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
Morning report
Today’s conditions are far from picnicking weather, but that doesn’t mean Sam Rayburn’s population of largemouth bass won’t want to strap on the feedbag. In fact, some pros – like Tommy Ellis of Paris, Tenn. – think the leaden skies and showers could boost catch rates.
Ellis, whose eight FLW Outdoors top-10 finishes include one on Sam Rayburn from the 1998 Wal-Mart FLW Tour, is currently sitting in 111th place, so he’s banking on a stronger shallow-water bite today to better his standing.
“We’re hoping (weather conditions) are going to make (the fishing) better,” he said. “Usually with thick cloud cover like this, you can count on them coming in shallower.
“It makes them a little more aggressive. It should be a good early bite.”
With Rat-L-Traps fished in relatively shallow water being the dominant pattern Wednesday, things could line up even better Thursday for the field.
Tournament logistics
Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a $40,000 198VX Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics 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. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,500 to the highest-finishing participant in the contingency program. Yamaha or Evinrude will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup earnings if “Powered by Yamaha” or “Powered by E-Tec” guidelines are met.
Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $5,000 plus a $30,000 Ranger boat and trailer if contingency guidelines are met.
In Stren Series competition, pros supply the boats, fish from the front deck against other pros and control boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck and compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes on days one, two and three, with the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers advancing to day four based on their three-day accumulated weight. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
Event information
Anglers will take off from Umphrey Family Pavilion located at 5438 RR 255 W. in Sam Rayburn, Texas, at 7 each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins also will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 800 W. Gibson St. in Jasper, beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The Sam Rayburn Reservoir Stren Series tournament is hosted by the City of Jasper.
On the Web
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 3 p.m. Central today.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:51 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 62 degrees
Expected high temperature: 71 degrees
Water temperature at the ramp: 59 degrees
Wind: E at 3 mph
Maximum humidity: 100 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly cloudy with rain and thunderstorms likely; rain may be heavy at times, and some storms may be severe; light and variable winds becoming SSE at up to 7 mph