JASPER COUNTY, Texas — Low water will likely make for a unique challenge during the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops, the second tournament of the season for the College Series Legends Trail competitors.
“I project it to be over 10 feet lower than normal. It is as low as it has been since 2011,” reported River Lee in late November. (The water was still holding low in early January.) The Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops angler lives and guides in east Texas. “I don’t know what to expect, really. I assume they would do the same things, but they will relate to different pieces of cover and structure.”
Tournament days are scheduled for Feb. 25-26, with daily takeoffs and weigh-ins taking place at Umphrey Family Pavilion. All teams will earn Team of the Year points, while the Top 10% of the field will earn a berth in the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The one-day Strike King Bassmaster High School and Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Junior Series tournaments will follow on March 1.
Sam Rayburn is one of the top destinations in the country for the sheer number of bass it holds and the potential for giant five-bass limits, and it has been a frequent host for Bassmaster events. Most recently, Chris Miller won the weather-shortened February 2025 Bassmaster Open tournament on Rayburn with a one-day total weighing more than 28 pounds.
While the weather can be volatile, and the low water will no doubt make navigation more difficult than usual, the early season is one of the best times to visit this premier fishery. A couple of scenarios could play out. Bass may be in full prespawn mode, or there may be a mix of prespawners and spawners.
“A lot of times, the bass will be in prespawn,” said Lee. “If we have a warm spell, we could get [have] a couple fish push to the backs and spawn. They will pull up and feed first thing in the morning on gizzard shad. The early morning bite on Rayburn is good from January through March.”
Points, drains and ditches, and the hard spots and cover in those areas, will play a big role in this tournament, as will brushpiles.
“The brushpiles and stumps will probably be really good with the lake being so low,” Lee added. “Brushpiles have been overfished the last few years, but I think [they] will be a much bigger player this time.”
While Rayburn has historically produced good hydrilla, Lee feels the quality of the grass won’t be as high.
“I don’t think it will play much at all,” he said. “I suspect the people fishing grass will probably be catching 15-pound bags. The big bags are going to be caught offshore.”
Lee expects big crankbaits, Carolina rigs, jigs, jerkbaits, Neko rigs and jighead-minnow presentations to be in play, depending on the water temperature.
“If the water temperature is in the mid-50s, the Neko will play,” he added.
Follow along with all of the action from the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir and the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Junior Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir on Bassmaster.com.
Jasper Development District No. 1 is hosting these event.
