Sam Rayburn Day 4 Coverage

It's anyone's game on Rayburn

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2:05 p.m. – That will do it for the blog and leaderboard

We’ve had another exciting day but now it’s time to shut down the blog and leaderboard. LeBrun and Bolton are basically tied for the unofficial lead but Thrift and Warren are both within striking distance of taking over. Make sure to watch our live weigh-in at 4 p.m. CT on flwfishing.com to see who is crowned champion at the 2019 FLW Tour opener on Rayburn.

Thanks for following along and we will see y'all at the next FLW Tour event on Toho!

 

1:35 p.m. – Thrift is making a push

This has turned into a four-horse race between Bolton, LeBrun, Thrift and Warren. They are all bouncing around trying to piece together an afternoon bite. Thrift just culled up a pound and gave us a little better breakdown of his total weight, which is heavier than what we thought it was. Now he is unofficially less than 3 pounds off the lead. We have 30 minutes left of FLW Live then we are closing the coverage down. Honestly, any of those four anglers have a legitimate chance to win this thing.

 

12:45 p.m. – Warren is in the game

Chad Warren is on the verge of making an epic comeback. He was working a Neko rig in a spot that he thought dried out but low and behold he caught a 6+ pounder. He says that this is the biggest bag he has ever had in his boat during a tournament and another giant will push his limit to the 30-pound mark. Today’s weigh-in is going to be electric to say the least.

 

12:15 p.m. – It’s close

The updates have really slowed down for everyone in the top 10. It is crazy to think that we have seen such big bags weighed in all week and the tournament might won by a matter of ounces. A big kicker for Bolton, LeBrun or Thrift could mean a giant payday. FLW Live will be up for another hour and 45 minutes so make sure you're watching!

 

11:25 a.m. – Slowing down

So far, we have had a old fashioned Texas showdown between Bolton and LeBrun. Their weight estimates are so close that either angler could truly have the lead. They both are making slight adjustments to stay on the fish because the bite seems to be dying down for them. Look for these guys to put some more bigguns in the boat late in the day like they have been doing all week.

 

11:15 a.m. – LeBrun culls

Since the last update LeBrun has upgraded with a 4-pounder. He caught the fish dragging a Texas-rigged Senko across some grass. He has also been setting the hook a lot on a bunch of dinks. Now, his smallest two fish are a 2 3/4-pounder and a 3 1/2-pounder.

 

10:30 a.m. – Bolton with a big

Terry Bolton has been searching all morning for a big bite and his wishes finally came true. The Kentucky pro just bagged a 5-pounder to unofficially launch himself back into the lead.

 

10:15 a.m. – LeBrun

LeBrun is fishing way up the lake in some super-dirty water. Since we pulled up on him he has been working a blade, jerkbait and crankbait. He actually just broke off a jerkbait in some shallow brush and immediately started throwing back at the same spot with a crankbait. The service isn’t the greatest for our FLW Live crew but eventually he’s likely to move to some spots where we can get a camera on him effectively.

 

9:55 a.m. – LeBOOM!

We just had reports that Nick LeBrun has a 20-pound limit in the livewell. He says everything is going according to plan. LeBrun could be working on a championship bag as he has three fish in the livewell that he should easily be able to cull.  

Bryan Thrift also made a few nice culls, but is still 8 pounds behind LeBrun. He caught them on a deep-diving crankbait.

 

 

 

 

9:40 a.m. – A few updates

Bolton’s morning bite has died down and now he is starting to roll through the baits. We have seen him toss a number of baits looking for the right one.

Thrift is wrecking the small-spotted bass and recently he made a tiny cull. The last few days he had a quality fish in the boat at this point. Having takeoff take place 45 minutes later than usual may have worked against Thrift's big fish bite window.

Tutt is settling in nicely and now has a 10-pound limit. His bait of choice is a Berkley Bad Shad.

 

9:25 a.m. – Warren, Bolton

After catching a 5 1/2 – pounder Chad Warren unofficially has the biggest bag of the day. He is fishing the same spot as day three but just further out from shore. Right now, he is chucking a crankbait but he says he is ready to throw all kinds of baits as the day goes on.

Terry Bolton is now set up on the spot that produced his giants on day two. With a decent limit in his boat the rest of his day revolves around catching the kickers.

 

8:50 a.m. – First catches

Terry Bolton is lighting them up at his first spot. He is throwing a Rapala crankbait and catching fish almost every cast. He says he has around 12-13 pounds. FLW Tour rookie Sam George started the day out with a 4-pounder and four-small keepers. LeBrun boxed a 4-pounder and a couple 2-pounders at his first spot. On FLW Live Bryan Thrift had a loon bite his swimbait. He was unable to land it but it goes to show that this guy literally catches everything.

It seems like most pros should be able to put a 10 to 12-pound limit in the boat fairly easily today. The 4+ pounders will be the gamechangers as the day progresses.

Update: 8:52 a.m – Nick LeBrun unofficially has 14 pounds in his livewell. He couldn’t ask for a much better start to his day.

 

8:30 a.m. – Bolton leads the pack to work on Monday morning

It's unconventional, but that only makes things more exciting. The FLW Tour is wrapping up its 2019 season opener at Sam Rayburn this morning on a first-ever tournament Monday. High winds forced the postponement of day four yesterday, so tournament directors moved the final round to today, which means Terry Bolton has had to sleep on his day-three lead two nights in a row. 

A lot can change in a day, especially in post-frontal conditions that might only produce a high of 48 degrees. Luckily, the wind is forecast to die down today, which should offer a little relief for the top 10 as they finish up what has been a slugfest of a tournament on Big Sam. 

Bolton caught a megga 33-pound-plus bag on Friday using a couple of Rapala crankbaits. On Saturday, he resorted to a spinnerbait and junked around to get his limit but was unable to crack 20 pounds. He now leads Nick LeBrun by 4 pounds and change, and Bryan Thrift by just a little more than that. It shoudl be a Monday shootout in Texas.

 

Conditions

Temperature at takeoff: 43 degrees

Forecast high: 48 degrees

Sky: sunny

Precipitation: 0 percent chance of rain

Wind: N at 5

 

Tournament Details

Presented by Polaris

Hosted by Jasper County Development District

Takeoff: 8 a.m. CT at Umphrey Family Pavilion, 5438 RR 255, Brookeland, TX

Weigh-in: 4 p.m. CT at Umphrey Family Pavilion

FLW Live: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT