Williams Stages Epic Comeback for Co-angler Title
Given the lack of control over site selection and preferred fishing styles and the day-to-day inconsistencies of randomly selected pros, co-anglers have a tough road to tournament victory. That said, placing 75th on day one rarely gives cause for optimism.
But don’t tell that to Nacogdoches, Texas, co-angler Matt Williams, who paired his day-one weight of 9 pounds, 6 ounces with a whopper day-two bag that went 21-11 and soared into fourth place.
“I had a good three days; I had good partners and they worked their tails off to make sure I had something to fish,” Williams says.
With a cold front passing through right before the tournament, Williams faced another level of challenge in trying to figure out what each day might offer in terms of general opportunities.
“It’s a whole different deal every day,” Williams explains. “You don’t ever know what you’re going to need, so you have to be prepared. I brought everything that I own because I didn’t want to be without something and I ended up using four things.”
Williams caught fish on a frog, a swim jig and a drop-shot, but during the tournament, one of his pros enlightened him to the effectiveness of a certain presentation.
“There’s something about fishing a Carolina rig around hay grass down here,” says Williams. “That was the main deal and that’s what I caught my bigger fish on.”
Williams baited his C-rig with green pumpkin Yamamoto and Zoom lizards. Short leaders (18 inches) were essential to Williams’ Carolina rig success, as well as rig presentation.
“Those fish were hanging right on the edge of the hay grass,” says Williams, who captured his first career victory. “The key was to throw right into the edge of that grass and just bring it right out.
“You’d get one every once in a while out away from the hay grass, but not very often.”
Top 10 Co-anglers
1. Matt Williams – Nacogdoches, Texas – 45-15 (15) – $28,450
2. Randy Hicks – Lumberton, Texas – 44-08 (14) – $6,250
3. Dan Wilson – Pilot Point, Texas – 44-00 (15) – $5,000
4. Paul Villarreal – Dallas, Texas – 42-10 (12) – $4,000
5. Chaz York – Vidor, Texas – 38-07 (13) – $3,500
6. Bill Fussell – Thibodaux, La. – 36-08 (13) – $3,000
7. Larry Foster – Galena, Mo. – 35-13 (14) – $2,500
8. Kerry Barnett – Waldron, Ark. – 35-03 (12) – $2,000
9. Taylor Ramey – Brandon, Miss. – 34-15 (15) – $1,600
10. Trey Sammons – Sherman, Texas – 34-10 (12) – $1,350