Event: 2022 Bassmaster Central Open, Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Scenario: Making his home in Huntington, Texas, about three miles from this 114,000-acre lake, Combs knows the Angelina River impoundment like the back of his hand. Suffice to say, when tournament practice found Rayburn about 6 feet low, he knew this late-October event would present a significant challenge.
“Rayburn is a very flat lake, so 6 feet (below normal pool) is really low,” Combs said. “Everything I normally fish was too shallow.”
Exacerbating the diminished water level, seasonal weather patterns had draped the lake in pure misery. On the upside, a welcome change toward the tournament’s conclusion would move things in the right direction for Combs to capitalize.
“One of the main things that I remember was we had an extremely hot summer that year,” Combs said. “There was some grass in the lake, but the fish were really scattered. There were some grass fish, but I knew they wouldn’t hold up for three days.
“That hot summer just had so many fish out chasing shad in open water. They’re moving fast, and they’re hard to target when they’re out there. That’s why the weights were so low; the heat had the fish doing a little bit of everything.”
As Combs recalled, some competitors were catching bass on vibrating jigs in what grass remained in the water. He also heard of an upriver bite, although the low water presented access issues in the Angelina and Attoyac river arms.
Drawing on his decades of Rayburn experience, Combs initially planned to stick with the familiar deep-water tactics, but even his typically dependable go-to deal was no gimme.
“The normal Rayburn patterns, cranking offshore and hard bottom areas, were as tough as I’ve ever seen it, but that’s what I chose to stick with,” Combs said. “With that heat, the fish didn’t want to hang there on any one spot — they were roaming.
“I practiced my normal milk run, but I ended up with just a few fish. So I went into the tournament concerned about not being able to catch a limit.
The decision: While the offshore stuff typically keeps him in the game, Combs said it was his willingness to maintain an open mind and shift gears that delivered the win. Essential to that truth was a modest little anomaly he happened upon during a bout of practice fatigue.
“I had practiced four or five days — more than normal for here,” Combs said. “After three days, I was bored, so I was idling and looking at stuff I don’t normally look at.
“Halfway back in a main lake creek, I found a little ridge of hard bottom on a mud flat, and I thought, ‘This just looks like something that would be overlooked.’”
Reminding him of spots where he’d previously caught fish, this inconspicuous area produced only one practice bite, but it was a solid fish. Moreover, Combs suspected such an isolated gem would, at some point, show its potential.
“All I had was a hunch that this was what I was looking for, even though I just got that one good bite in practice,” he said. “It let me down the first two days, and I was running all over, but the third day, I got two good ones (4- to 5-pound range) that gave me the win.”
Combs fished his key spot with a Strike King Structure Jig (Okeechobee craw) and a Texas-rigged Strike King Zeus Worm. Through the event, he also found schooling fish in a channel and caught them on a Strike King 5 XD (Tennessee Shad), while a Strike King 6 XD (chartreuse blue) fished over of a brushpile produced a 6-pounder.
Combs also caught a key final-round fish late in the day, when he moved to an area of shallow grass and threw a Strike King Tungsten Thunder Cricket.
Day 1 saw Combs catch a 14th-place limit of 14-4 and then earn his final-round berth with a second-day bag that went 15-6 and moved him up to seventh. Breaking out of his traditional offshore mindset and giving that special spot another look contributed to a triumphant final effort, which yielded a Championship Saturday catch of 16-11 and secured his come-from-behind victory.
Game changer: After his tucked-away spot failed to produce in the first two rounds, Combs said the weather conditions guided his decision to give it one more shot.
“It was a lot cooler on that last day,” Combs said. “Fall was finally getting there. It had been so hot, but it was finally starting to cool down.
“Also, I got there a lot earlier that last day. We got out earlier with only 10 boats. I had been hitting that place around 10 every day, but as soon as I arrived on Day 3 there was a lot of fish there. I think the fish were setting up early and then they’d scatter and chase shad the rest of the day.”
Takeaway: Combs admits that the tournament’s initially tough complexion had him leaning more on the familiar; the tried-and-true tactics that have consistently carried him through the slim pickings. This time, he determined he needed to step outside his comfort zone and a big shiny trophy now sits on his mantle as a constant reminder of a decision well made.
“My game plan was probably one that doesn’t end well all the time — I was fishing history,” Combs said. “I knew it was going to be tough, and my whole game plan was to get everything right one day and catch a 25-pound bag, but I didn’t come even close.
“I knew one big day could make something happen. That’s the way I was taught to fish Rayburn. You don’t go to the bank, you stay offshore and fish for that little window when you can make hay.”
Combs said he recalls the exact moment he took control of the situation and course corrected.
“It was the middle of Day 2, I only had a couple fish in the box and I said, ‘I’m being stubborn,’ Combs said. “I came in and fished some grass and caught a few good fish that got me into the Top 10 and put me in position to win.
“The key for me was knowing when to say, ‘Enough is enough. I gotta fish this thing like an out-of-towner.’”
