Alton Jones Jr. started Thursday in 82nd place and finished in 11th, thanks to his 26-pound, 10-ounce bag – the heaviest of the tournament. Bobby Lane jumped from 93rd to 22nd with his 24-9 limit. They were examples of how quickly your fortunes can change at Sam Rayburn, where there are so many bass weighing 4 pounds and more, much more.
Lane’s day changed in an instant, around 10:30 a.m., when he had a 10- or 11-pound limit on his scorecard. He was just about to pick up his trolling motor and move when he caught a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass. So he decided to stay.
“I went through that area again, after a bait change, and caught a 4-4 and a 3-12,” Lane said. “Then I found another area just like it and caught a 5-9 and a 5-10. It’s days like this that are why we do this for a living.”
And it’s days like Lane and Jones had yesterday that illustrate how quickly your day and your tournament can turnaround on Rayburn.