Weather Getting Right Just In Time For Texas Team Trail Opener On Rayburn Saturday
Winter weather that brought snow and ice to Southeast Texas has played havoc with recent bass tournaments on Sam Rayburn Lake, but that could change for the better for the Texas Team Tournament series opener there this Saturday.
In late January the second day of competition in the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division was canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. For the Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division tournament last Saturday the water temperature was down to 45 degrees – the coldest it has been in years. Anglers in both tournaments had one word for the fishing – “tough.”
“The weights in the Rayovac tournament were way down from what you would typically expect this time of year,” said Mike Hastings, Texas Team Trail Tournament Director, who noted that more sleet and snow were being dumped on the lake this week.
But that might not be the tournament killer it could be this time of year, Hastings said.
“What has us encouraged going into our event is that we are going to have a two-day warming trend,” he said. “Thursday and Friday are going to be warm and the weather stable, and that is going to continue through our tournament on Saturday.”
That means, Hastings said, some big catches are expected in the Texas Team opener Saturday.
“It’s pre-spawn and historically on Rayburn that is usually a lipless crankbait, Chatterbait and Slim Jig type bite. A lot of the anglers will be targeting submerged vegetation.”
Hastings said he expects a lot of anglers to spend a good part of their fishing time casting lipless crankbaits and in the tournament last year about this time Slim Jigs and vibrating lures like the Chatterbait play a big role.
“This is our third season and we are expecting a full field of 225 teams,” he said.
A major attraction for the anglers is the fact that all the tournaments are nationally televised, with the programs also airing on a lot of local networks, so there is a tremendous amount of exposure.
“It’s all made possible by the sponsors and you can go to the website to see the complete list,” he said. “They are all important to us. Cabers is our title sponsor and we also have tremendous support from Ranger, Triton and Stratos. Evinrude is also a major sponsor.”
To fish the series each angler must pay a $30 membership fee, then each team pays a $250 entry fee to fish each tournament. The Texas Team Trail Anglers Advantage Program also allows each team, for an additional $100 entry, to compete in an additional payout bracket, with a $100 percent payback.
“A fully-rigged boat is guaranteed for first place at every tournament,” Hastings said. “That is a boat, motor, trailer and electronics, ready to fish. At the championship, two fully-rigged boats are guaranteed, one for first place and one for second place.”
Anglers who pre-register online get an additional bonus – practice time. If they are registered online before midnight Thursday they are allowed to pre-fish on Friday.
The complete schedule for the 2014 season includes: February 15, Sam Rayburn Lake, Registration 3-7 p.m. on Friday, Umphrey Pavilion, Hwy 255, Brookeland, TX (http://www.visitlakesamrayburn.com/umphreypavilion.html); March 15, Ray Roberts Lake, Registration 4-7 p.m. on Friday, March 14, Elks Lodge, 1601 Marina Circle, Sanger, TX
(http://www.elks.org/lodges/contactus.cfm?LodgeNumber=2862); April 12, Lake Texoma, Registration 4-7 p.m. Friday, April 11, Highpoint Marina, 120 Texoma Harbor Dr, Pottsboro, TX, (http://www.highport.com); May 3, Lake Livingston, Registration 4-7 p.m. on Friday, May 2, Waterfront Lodge, 371 Navaho Trail, Onalaska, TX (http://www.thewaterfrontlodge.com); and the Championship, June 7-8, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Registration 4-7 p.m. on Friday, June 6, Big Bass Marina, 363 Big Bass Lane, Many, LA, (http://www.bigbassmarina.com).
Texas Team Trail
Sat, Feb 15, 2014
Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Umphrey Family Pavilion
Call 210-788-4143
