The back-to-back Texas Elite Series tournaments couldn’t have been more different. At Lake Fork, I targeted shad spawns, fished deep and pitched baits to spawners. I made every cast filled with the anticipation that it could produce a 10-pound or better largemouth.
The next week at the Sabine River, 3 feet was deep water, and a 4-pound bass was an absolute monster. Going from one fishery to the other required a serious mental adjustment.
Practice days
I spent the first practice day in Taylor and Hillebrant Bayous, two of the better-known bass fishing areas on this waterway. They had the best water color and received the most fishing pressure in the tournament.
The cover there included hard wood, cypress trees, reeds and bank grass. I got enough bites to believe I could catch 6 to 9 pounds there during the tournament, which is a good day on the Sabine.
My most productive baits were a green pumpkin Z-Man Palmetto BugZ and a white 3/8-ounce Bassman’s double-willow spinnerbait. I relied on that one-two punch throughout the tournament.
On day two of practice, I fished close to the takeoff in Orange City. Local tournaments release a lot of fish in this area, and a few Elite pros always do well there. I had only three keeper bites, but one was a 3 1/2-pounder, which is like a unicorn on that body of water. However, I didn’t feel like I could catch a limit there.
I went back to Taylor Bayou on the third practice day and tried to expand on what I found the first day. I covered more water, hoping to find something I might have to myself. That didn’t happen, but I felt like I could grind out a decent limit.
Tournament days
After blastoff, I made the hour-long run to Taylor Bayou. By the time I got there, most of the good stretches were already taken up by other Elite pros. I basically got in the middle of the crowd and caught a 1 3/4-pound bass on my first cast. That was a solid fish to start with, and it gave me confidence.
I ran to a second stretch, got in behind two boats, and caught three more keepers. I caught bass No. 5 two hours before I had to check in. I made the run back early, just in case the water on Sabine Lake, which is a large bay off the Gulf Coast, was rough due to 20 mph winds. That proved true.
I had 30 minutes left to fish when I got close to Orange. I pulled up to a stretch where I caught a bass in practice and boated a good one that allowed me to cull. That gave me 7 pounds, 4 ounces, good enough for 42nd place.
I ran back to Taylor Bayou the next day and started on the stretch where I had caught most of my keepers the day before. This time, I went straight to flipping instead of starting off with the spinnerbait. I caught two fish, including a miraculous 4-pounder.
I knew I already had enough weight to fish on Day 3. I relaxed, slowed down and picked things apart. I caught two more keepers. Then the bite shut off for a few hours. I finally boated two more bass well after noon and was able to cull a small one.
Thanks to the 4-pounder, I weighed in 9-15 and jumped to sixth place. I was in the hunt to win.
On the third morning, I was tempted to run to a totally different portion of the river. But I went back to Taylor Bayou because I didn’t want to feel like a dummy if taking a gamble on water I had never fished didn’t work out. I caught two keepers early before the bite shut down.
I fished a few more hours, long enough to realize my primary area had played out. I decided it was time for a Hail Mary. I ran back across Sabine Lake and all the way up a creek my roommate Brad Whatley told me about earlier in the week.
I started flipping the Palmetto BugZ into the first cypress tree I came to and had seven bites. I caught one keeper, broke off one while swinging it into the boat and lost a third bass that felt decent.
With only minutes left, I fished other cypress trees and lost one over 3 pounds, a really big fish for the Sabine. I ran back to the weigh-in with three in the livewell that weighed 3-14. That dropped me to 30th place.
It’s tough to lose bass, but I’m encouraged I made good decisions. It gives me confidence for the rest of the season.
