COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Andrew Shafer frowned as he pointed eastward to one of his favorite shoals that now sits high and dry. Suffice it to say, this will be a common frustration as the National Guard FLW College Fishing Texas Regional Championship field searches a diminished Lake Somerville.
Shafer and his Texas A&M partner, Weston Brown, along with 19 other teams face a lake that typifies the severe drought plaguing the Lone Star State. As water woes have lingered for several months, this Yegua Creek impoundment has been lowered some 10 feet to supply much-needed water for local consumption. At the morning takeoff from Rocky Creek Park, a wide swath of dry, cracked mud dotted with driftwood and freshwater mussel shells separated the normal shoreline from to the boats beached at the edge of a far-receded lake.
The extensive loss of traditional shoreline habitat will deny anglers many opportunities from flipping wood to walking frogs over grass. Shafer stated that his team will start the day knowing that at least a quarter of their spots will be unreachable. Nevertheless, he said that Somerville has plenty of fishable habitat remaining.
“It may not look like it but you have a lot to fish out here – rock, brush, a little bit of everything,” Shafer said. “I still think the fish are going to bite; I’m just sure how they’re going to hold up to the pressure because this lake’s never seen a great deal of pressure. But I think you’ll see some really good sacks this first day. I think it’s going to be a great tournament all together.”
Lamar University’s Danny Iles shares that optimism. In his view, the lake’s meager level may actually serve to level the field somewhat.
“It’s going to be tough to beat A&M in this tournament, but I think the low water is going to even that out and give everyone else a chance because it brings other things into play,” he said. “Everybody’s fishing more or less the same thing. It’s just a matter of who can stay focused and grind out five good bites today.
“If the (water level) was normal, I believe everybody would be fishing lily pads, throwing frogs and swimming a jig. Right now, instead of doing that, everybody will probably be throwing moving baits – crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits – and covering a bunch of water.”
Making his third appearance at the Texas Regional, Stephen F. Austin’s Ryan Watkins said that the low water not only concentrates the bass – it also concentrates the forage. Find the food, he said, and you’ll find the fish. Important for him and his partner Andrew Upshaw will be to find a bait that stands out from the natural buffet.
“With the water so low, the fish will be roaming and following the bait,” Watkins said. “The only problem is that there’s so much bait everywhere. We’re trying to do something different than the bait because a lot of people are throwing shad baits. You have to be doing something different and you definitely have to be moving fast. They’re wanting a reaction strike.
“We’re going to be moving around a lot. It’s definitely going to be a run-and-gun tournament, but if you have a spot where you can sit, you’re going to be in good shape.”
Shafer said that he and Brown will begin their days by covering water with reaction baits and then slow down as the sun gets higher and probe specific areas.
No doubt, the day will prove frustrating for those who struggle to find productive spots. But the fish haven’t left – they’re just concentrated in fewer areas. Those who find the gold mines will carry hefty bags to the scales.
“I think anything over 20 pounds would make me happy,” Shafer said. “We’ve had a 26-pound sack out here in a tournament and I would love to replicate that. But with anything over 20 pounds, I’d be ecstatic.”
Tournament logistics
Anglers will take off from the Lake Somerville Marina located at 505 Marina Drive in Brenham, Texas, at 7:30 a.m. each morning. All weigh-ins will be held at Duncan Field located at 830 George Bush Drive in College Station. Thursday and Friday weigh-ins will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at 5 p.m., or upon the completion of the Texas A&M vs. Baylor football game. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The top five teams from each regional tournament advance to the national championship where the first-place team wins an award of $100,000; $25,000 for their school and $50,000 cash and a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors for their fishing club.
Texas A&M will be hosting the College Fishing Festival throughout the three day tournament. Students and fishing fans alike will be treated to the a Ranger Boat simulator, Sony PS3 Gaming Trailer, tailgate games, a sports zone along with contests for cash and several prize give-aways. The festival will take place at Duncan Field from 2-4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
College Fishing is free to enter and FLW Outdoors provides boats and drivers for each competing team along with travel allowances. All participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
Sunrise: 7:22 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 68 degrees
Expected high temperature: 85 degrees
Wind: NNW at 10-15 mph
Max. humidity: 45 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny