Wilson Tops Co-anglers on Rayburn
Pilot Point, Texas, angler wins new Ranger boat
A steady path of progression lead Dan Wilson to the co-angler division victory in the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Mercury. The only co-angler to improve his productivity each day, Wilson posted weights of 11 pounds, 1 ounce, 13-04 and 14-15 and finished with a winning total of 39-04.
Hailing from Pilot Point, Texas, Wilson did most of his damage flipping heavy cover, but he also sampled several other seasonal options.
“The first day, I actually Carolina-rigged the majority of the day,” he says. “The second day, we did a little bit of everything. I threw spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits, Texas rigs – I actually flipped some.
“My pro and I were mostly fishing open banks [on day two], so we really didn’t spend much time busting brush. But today, I drew out with Ricky Guy, and he told me the night before, ‘There’s no use in you bringing anything but your flipping stuff.’ And I said, ‘That’s a plan.’”
For the flipping action, Wilson relied solely on a black-and-blue Strike King Rodent. He Texas-rigged the bait with a 3/4-ounce Strike King tungsten weight and a 4/0 Strike King Hack Attack flipping hook.
The bait’s color, he says, was a good fit for the mostly stained water that he and Guy fished in an area called “the canyons,” north of the Highway 147 Bridge.
“I think that black-and-blue was a little more visible,” Wilson says. “I did try some other colors, but I never did get picked up, so I went back to black-and-blue and never put it down all day.”
Working behind an efficient flipper like Guy is tough for a co-angler, but when Wilson noticed his pro focusing on trees, he made it his mission to hit every pile of untouched buck brush.
“I flipped it anywhere I could,” Wilson says. “I’d put it in the dirtiest spot I could find.”
Top 10 Co-anglers
1: Dan Wilson – Pilot Point, Texas – 39-04 (15) – Ranger Z117 with 90-hp Outboard: $27,000 + Ranger Cup: $5,000
2: Bryan New – Belmont, N.C. – 35-08 (15) – $4,500
3: Clint Lipham – Conroe, Texas – 32-08 (12) – $3,600
4: Collin Cooper – Smithville, Texas – 31-03 (11) – $3,150
5: Tim Montz – Wichita Falls, Texas – 29-11 (12) – $2,700
6: Rick Parker – Kaufman, Texas – 28-06 (13) – $2,250
7: Bubba Finstad – Ranger, Texas – 26-03 (10) – $1,800
8: Mark Mowery – Longview, Texas – 22-14 (11) – $1,575
9: Denny Swartz – Broussard, La. – 21-06 (8) – $1,350
10: Michael Stilley – Nacogdoches, Texas – 21-05 (11) – $1,125