JASPER, Tex. – Shake up the picture and hope for a big-bass mixture.
That’s about the only choice available to the 233 competitors on Friday in the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by SEVIIN.
The three-day derby scheduled this week on Rayburn has been trimmed to a one-day shootout thanks to some dangerous weather that has east Texas on alert. Stiff winds forced Thursday’s Day 1 competition to be postponed, though tournament officials remained hopeful they still could pull off a two-day tournament. Saturday’s forecast of severe thunderstorms and sustained winds of 15-20 mph dashed that chance, however, and competition that day also has been cancelled.
That means most carefully crafted plans have been scrapped and home-run swings are sure to be on display Friday across this 114,500-acre fishery.
“We pretty much knew coming in that Saturday would be a no go,” said Trinidad, Tex. angler Danny Ramsey, who drew Boat No. 1 in Thursday’s ill-fated attempt to get onto Rayburn.
“I have two spots with fish on beds,” he said. “I was thinking I’d hit them, come away with five good bites for 20 pounds or so and then go out and scope for a big roaming bass. I didn’t want to keep pounding the fish I might need for Day 2.
“But now that we’re down to only one day, I’ve got to keep hitting my best spot and yank every single one that bites my line.”
Ramsey wasn’t the only one reconsidering strategy on Thursday afternoon when word came that the Open would be a one-day event.
“It definitely takes out the question of how you manage your fish,” said Mike Mayo, another east Texas ace who is familiar with Rayburn and its legendary catches through the decades.
“I was going to work my way into the heart of my area as the day went on,” the Athens, Tex. Angler said. “But I’m rethinking my process. I probably go straight to the best spot as soon as I can get there.”
Unlike Ramsey, Mayo’s not fishing beds. He noted, though, that Rayburn’s bass have been biting like they’re in full spawn.
“There are fish in 4 feet of water or less,” he said. “There are a lot of males. You know because when you drop a bait on them, they immediately hit it. If we had continued (with the weather we had prior to Thursday), I’m confident we would’ve seen more females moving up, too.”
Rayburn’s sprawl, however, provides anglers a number of ways to boat big bites.
“You can go to 30 feet of water and catch fish,” Mayo said. “You can scope them. You can catch them spawning. The key is gonna’ be who starts in the right spot, who gets in the right area.”
Veteran pro James Niggemeyer agreed.
“In a big bass shootout, there’s more an emphasis on luck” said Niggemeyer, who lives in Van, Tex., about two hours north of Sam Rayburn Reservoir. “We as pros want to believe we can always make things happen but sometimes crossing a 9-pounder – that’ s just something that happens on its own…And if you catch a 7, 8, 9-pounder, that’s going to have a tremendous effect on your day.”
Rayburn’s bounty was on full display during practice when Wisconsin pro Adam Rasmussen hooked a 13-13 lunker and Oklahoma’s Austin Cranford caught an 11-11 largemouth. And just last week, a 41-pound limit of five bass was caught in a Texas Team Trail event on “Big Sam.”
Ramsey said the cold front that moved through Wednesday, and the bigger one behind it on Saturday, shouldn’t taper the bite much, if at all.
“It’ll be a bit squirrely in places, especially spots that were exposed to the north wind,” he said. “But I’m from here and I can tell you, once fish are on beds here, they’re staying (through the spawn). If there are eggs, they’re not leaving.”
Ramsey predicted it will take 30 pounds or more on Friday to win on Rayburn. Mayo and Niggemeyer expect a similar output, saying a bag in the high 20s will be necessary for a first-place finish.
“I think we see a slugfest,” Mayo said. “Sure, the water’s rising and we’ve had cold rain. But there are so many ways to catch fish here. And there are some really big fish.
“I feel bad for B.A.S.S. and the anglers that this had to be shortened to a one-day tournament, but I don’t see anything else that could be done,” Mayo added. “And honestly, I’m excited about this. It does make it interesting when you shake things up a bit. And like I said, I think we some huge bags.”
The one-day Open is set to begin with a 7 a.m. CT takeoff from Umphrey Family Pavilion in Brookeland, Tex. Weigh-in is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT from the same location.
Jasper County (Texas) Development District #1 is hosting.
