Bryan Bass Club Tournament Reports

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Last Report Listed: June, 2008, at Sam Rayburn

For many years, the club started their tournament year enjoying the mild January weather down at Falcon Lake in south west Texas

Finishing places in a tournament are determined using a best-day approach, the best weight from one day or the other, not both. A few members choose to compete only one day and return home, while many fish both hoping to do better the next day.

Some bring guests or family members. For more information on the club's tournament lakes, click here.

Toledo Bend - Bryan Bass Club - January 19-20, 2008

Conditions: Strong cold north winds with light rain clearing on Saturday, then freezing on Sunday morning warming with strong south winds and clear skies. Water temperatures were in the upper-40's, stained water clarity, lake level four feet low. Nine members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times Saturday at Cypress Bend along with Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region, and launching Sunday from a public ramp at Pendleton Bridge.

Randy Knight finished seventh place, Sam Fling eighth place and Bob Barnes thirteenth place in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament, drawing checks on Saturday.

Patterns: Randy Knight ran north to the 1215 area using a red Excalibur lipless crankbait over grass in shallow 3'-5' guts on Sunday. Sam Fling ran south to Hausen Bay using a spinner-bait with white skirt and gold blades over grass in a shallow creek. Richard fished with Randy using the same pattern.

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Above: Randy with a couple bass from Sunday	Above: Richard with a couple bass from Sunday

Sam Rayburn - Bryan Bass Club - February 02-03, 2008

Conditions: A little rain in the morning, clearing to warm moderate southern wind by afternoon on Saturday, and heavy fog most of the morning, then moderate warm southern wind by afternoon on Sunday. Water temperatures were in the lower-50's, stained water clarity, lake level five feet low. Twelve members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times Saturday at Umphrey's Pavilion along with Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region, and launching Sunday from Monterey Park.

Randy Knight finished fifth place and Bill Ray sixteenth in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament, drawing checks on Saturday.

Patterns: Randy flipped a black-blue color jig along grassy areas near Veach or the Canyons on Saturday. Allen cast a red color 'trap crankbait over grass. Bill cast a carolina-rigged watermelon-red color Zoom Mag Lizard at Robby's hole on Sunday.

Conroe - Bryan Bass Club - March 15-16, 2008

Conditions: Strong north wind on Saturday followed by strong southeast wind on Sunday. Water temperatures were in the upper-60's, stained water clarity, lake level normal pool with slight rise from week's rain. Nineteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times Saturday at StowAway Marina along with Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region, and launching Sunday from Caney Creek's Scotts Ridge ramp. The Saturday club weigh-in ended up being changed to the Caney ramp because unexpected federation procedure changes affected weigh-in for clubs and a timely healthy handling of bass.

Larry Glover finished in sixth place, while Sam Fling and Bob Barnes tied for fifteenth place in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament, drawing checks on Saturday.

Patterns: Larry flipped a tx-rigged 1/4oz watermelon color 8" lizard behind Clyde and anchored his three big bass weight with a 9.74lb kicker for a best-day weight of 21.32 lbs. Ray flipped a 1/8oz florida-rig watermelon-red color Lake Fork Craw and a Strike King titanium wire copper/chrome double-willow chartreuse-white skirt color spinner bait around bean bushes in the first jungle area, anchoring his four bass weight with a 8.7lb kicker for his best-day 19.10 lbs on Sunday. Clyde flipped a tx-rigged 3/8oz watermelon color 8" lizard and a 1/8oz weighted trick worm in coves south of the 1097 bridge for his best-day weight of 17.90 lbs. As a boat, both Clyde and Larry did well with a best-day weight totaling 39.22 lbs. Some Conroe pictures below...

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Above: Danny with a couple of his bass on Saturday	Above: Bill with a couple of his bass on Saturday	Above: Ray with a couple of his bass on Saturday	Above: Mike with a couple of his bass on Saturday
Above: Doug with a couple of his invisi-bass	Above: Ray with an 8.7 on Sunday	Above: Clyde with a couple of his bass on Sunday

Limestone - Bryan Bass Club - April 19-20, 2008

Conditions: Moderate south winds Saturday and Sunday following a mild cold front. Water temperatures were in the lower-70's, muddy water clarity, lake level normal pool with slight rise from week's rain. Sixteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times Saturday at west side dam county park (BRA 1) along side Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region, and again Sunday at the same ramp.

Clyde Wilkerson finished in seventh place in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament, drawing a check on Saturday.

Patterns: Clyde pitched a watermelon color Zoom trick worm shallow and used a tandem blade white color 3/8oz spinnerbait in water up to 8 feet for his best-day weight of 11.04 lbs and first place. Mike caught his bass off beds using a lightly weighted watermelon/red color Lake Fork craw worm on Sunday. His daughter patiently worked for an hour to catch her first beding bass on this trip. Randy also used a watermelon/red color Lake Fork craw worm.

Livingston - Bryan Bass Club - May 17-18, 2008

Conditions: Moderate west winds Saturday and Sunday. Water temperatures were in the mid-70's, muddy water clarity, lake level normal pool. Sixteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times on Saturday and Sunday at Kickapoo Marina, across the cove from the Federation tournament.

Randy Knight finished at 20th place in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament on Saturday.

Patterns: Clyde used Bandit and Bomber crankbaits in "blue boy" colors and a Zoom Lizard in june-bug color. Mike used a watermelon-red color Zoom Fluke in the backs of shallow creeks to get some late-spawning bass on Saturday. Sam used a black-emerald color Zoom Brush Hog along shorelines and boat docks on Sunday.

Sam Rayburn - Bryan Bass Club - June14-15, 2008

Conditions: Scattered showers on Saturday then hot, clear and calm on Sunday. Water temperatures were in the upper-70's, stained water clarity, lake level one foot low. Eight members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times on Saturday and Sunday at Monterrey Park, across the lake from the Federation tournament.

Randy Knight finished in 24th place at in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament on Saturday.

Patterns: Ray was swimming a 3/16oz tx-rig watermelon-red color Zoom Big Dead Ringer along outside grass lines and slightly deeper into several brushpiles-treetops, plus casting a mojo-weight Creme Devils Tounge and a weightless Yamamoto Senko into grass clumps in 4' to 8' water, fishing an area not far from the weigh-in site for his best-day weight of 18.40 lbs on Saturday. Randy used a white spinner bait and a tx-rigged Dead Ringer. Clyde used Zoom Ol' Monster worms and carolina-rigged Zoom Dead Ringers, both little and big size in watermelon colors with chartruese tails, plus a yellow-magic top-water, fishing areas from Veech Basin up to Deer Stand or over to Pophers Creek. Some Sam Rayburn pictures below...

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Above: Ray with a couple of his bass on Saturday	Above: Clyde with a couple of his bass on Sunday	Above: Bob with a couple of his bass on Sunday

Choke Canyon - Bryan Bass Club - July19-20, 2008

Conditions: Partly cloudy skies, moderate southeast winds, hot summer conditions typical of the week before hurricane Dolly hit south Texas. Water temperatures were in the upper-80's, clear to stained water clarity, lake level one and a half foot low. Fifteen members and guests fished the club tournament, weighing in at normal times on Saturday and Sunday at Calliham State Park ramp.

Patterns: Austin, an associate member and a Bryan Bass Club Junior Bassmaster, picked up his 11.71 lb giant bass using a green-chartreuse color SPRO Frog in shallow cover early Sunday morning not far from the boat ramp. What a fight to get this monster bass into the boat. The bass was released in good shape after weigh-in. He flipped north shore grass points for his other bass. Sam cast a white-chartreuse color double willow spinner bait in shallow cover up river on Sunday for his best-day weight of 22.16 lbs. Larry also fished relatively shallow cover with tx-rig and carolina-rig watermelon-red color Zoom Lizards. Mikel caught his 7.15 lb bass for the members' big bass pot early Saturday morning casting a SPRO Frog shallow. There were 15 limits caught over the two days for a total of 114 bass with 4 bass over 6 lbs. Some Choke Canyon pictures below...

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Above: Austin with a giant 11.71 lb bass on Sunday

Sam Rayburn - Bryan Bass Club - January 27-28, 2007

Conditions: Mild southeast winds Saturday with rain late afternoon shifting to a northeast wind on Sunday with clear skies. Water temperatures were in the low-50's, muddy to stained water clarity, lake level four feet high and dropping slightly. Fourteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times Saturday at Jackson Hill Marina along with Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region, and launching Sunday from Monterey Park.

Randy Knight finished tenth place and Sam Fling finished twelfth place in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament, both drawing checks on Saturday.

Patterns: Bill Ray used a Bill Lewis 'Trap in 10'-16' water then a carolina-rigged watermelon-red color Zoom Mag Lizard off the outside edges of matted grass near Indian Creek. Bob used a tomato-craw color Lucky Craft lip-less crankbait in the Canyons, then flipped a plum color Zoom Mag Lizard into isolated 6'-8' deep flooded buck brush. Randy said he used a chartreuse-blue-back color Norman Deep Little N crankbait in 14'-16' water.

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Above: Bill with a couple bass from Sunday	Above: Bill with 9.4 lb big bass

Livingston - Bryan Bass Club - February 17-18, 2007

Conditions: Mild winds early Saturday morning changing with a 25-30 mph front before noon then calming again on Sunday with a sunrise freeze. Water temperatures were in the mid-40's, muddy water clarity, lake level normal. Twelve members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times Saturday at Waterfront Lodge Marina along with Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region, and launching Sunday from Broken Arrow Lodge ramp.

Randy Knight finished first place, Bill Rule second place, and Sam Fling seventeenth place in the Texas BASS Federation Nation Southeast Region tournament, all drawing checks on Saturday.

Patterns: Four members caught a total of seven bass over two days. Randy said he flipped a black/neon color tube in shallow 2-4 feet water. Bill said he flipped a black/blue color jig in 2 foot water. Richard said his keeper finally came Sunday pulling a "blue boy" color crankbait past deeper timber in the Kickapoo creek channel.

Amistad - Bryan Bass Club - March 10-11, 2007

Conditions: Mild winds both days from the north with scattered thunderstorms overnight. Water temperatures were in the mid-60's, with clear water clarity, and lake level at ten feet low. Sixteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times from the Air Force ramp.

During the following week, six club members fished the Texas BASS Federation Nation State Championship at Amistad. Later in the month, during a separate March tournament for the Southeast Region Texas Bass Federation Nation on Toledo Bend, Ray Rippstein finished 9th and Bill Rule 15th.

Patterns: At Amistad, Sam used a Lucky Craft lipless crankbait and Yamamoto Senkos near submerged brush. Bob used Yamamoto Senkos on a mid-cove point and near submerged brush. Doug and Bill did not give a report at the meeting.

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Above: Bob with a big 10lb bass during pre-fish	Above: Bob with his pre-fish 10lb bass	Above: Ray with one of his bass on Saturday	Above: Richard with some of his bass on Sunday

Above: Mike with some of his bass on Sunday	Above: Ray with some of his bass on Sunday	Above: Sam with a big 9.8lb bass on Sunday	Above: Bob weighing in at Federation Top-6 day one

Above: Bob weighing in at Federation Top-6 day two	Above: Randy weighing in at Federation Top-6 day two	Above: Clyde weighing in at Federation Top-6 day two

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Limestone - Bryan Bass Club - April 28-29, 2007

Conditions: Mild winds both days from the south with mid-morning fog on Sunday. Water temperatures were in the upper-60's, with muddy water clarity, and lake level at normal pool. Sixteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times from County Park 1 west of the dam.

Also this same weekend, Randy Knight finished in 3rd place and Bill Rule in 17th place, both club members drawing checks in the Southeast Region Texas BASS Federation Nation tournament on Saturday at Limestone.

Patterns: Randy used a pumpkin-blue color craw worm and a watermelon-red color craw worm with pinchers dipped in chartreuse, pitching in shallow water. Clyde cast a surface frog and pitched a watermelon-red (197) color Yamamoto Twin-tail Hula Grub in shallow water. Both said they needed to let their scented baits sit for a while and let the bass come to the bait. Bill used a texas-rigged watermelon-red color Yamamoto Senko in shallow water.

Conroe - Bryan Bass Club - May 19-20, 2007

Conditions: Clear skies, cool mornings and mild southeast winds both days. Water temperatures in the upper-70's, with stained water clarity, and lake level at normal pool. Fourteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times with Southeast Region Texas BASS Federation Nation at Anchorage Marina on Saturday and at Stowaway Marina on Sunday.

Patterns: Ray used unweighted watermelon-candy and watermelon-red color Yamamoto Senkos flipped to the downwind sides of flooded bean bushes on flats with one to three foot water. He credits Yo-Zuri copolymer line for withstanding the battle for his big bass while surrounded by flooded bean bushes. Danny cast a Storm 5 inch tilapia color soft plastic swim bait over hydrilla. Doug fished both 7 foot and 21 foot grass edges with a 1/8 oz weighted Yamamoto Senko.

Somerville - Bryan Bass Club - June 09-10, 2007

Conditions: Clear skies, hot clear days with mild southeast winds both days. Water temperatures in the lower-80's, with stained water clarity, and lake level 4 foot high and dropping. Fourteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times with Southeast Region Texas BASS Federation Nation at Overlook Park and changing Sunday morning from Yequa back to Overlook.

Patterns: Pat used a light-belly-dark-back color SPRO frog in the lily pads. Bill used watermelon-red color wacky worm or Zoom Baby Brush Hog plactics in the lily pads. Vince didn't say.

Choke Canyon - Bryan Bass Club - July 14-15, 2007

Conditions: Partly cloudy skies, hot days with mild southeast winds both days. Water temperatures in the upper-80's, with stained water clarity, and a recently risen lake level dropping 2 feet back to normal pool. Twenty-one members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at normal times from Callaham Unit state park.

Patterns: Doug pulled a carolina-rigged natural color BPS lizard through a 15-17 foot deep brushy flat inside a main-lake pocket, triggering strikes as the bait pulled free of the brush-like trees. Robby used a white color willow-leaf spinner-bait in 4 foot water near vegetation along secondary points, focusing where the wind formed current eddies. Sam used a red color 3/4oz Lucky Craft lipless crankbait on 3 foot inside and 12 foot outside grass lines.

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Above: Robby with his 8lb big bass	Above: Robby with his big bass on Saturday	Above: Richard with some of his bass on Saturday	Above: Doug with one of his bass on Saturday

Above: Sam getting a bass out of his livewell to weigh	Above: Sam with some of his bass on Sunday	Above: Doug with a couple 7lb bass on Sunday	Above: Doug realizes he won the tournament

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Coleto Creek - Bryan Bass Club - August 11-12, 2007

Conditions: Well, the club learned not to fish a south Texas power plant lake in the summer. Partly cloudy skies with overnight thunder storms, a relatively calm wind uncharacteristic for the south coast producing intense hot humid days. Water temperatures cooking in the upper-90's, with stained water clarity, and a recently risen lake level dropping a foot back to normal pool. Twenty members and guests fished the club tournament, most with only one or no bass each day, weighing in at the state park at normal time Saturday but early Sunday.

Patterns: On Sunday, Bill Rule cast his tiny 1/4oz willow-leaf spinner bait into shallow edges of the shoreline grass, finding a limit of small aggressive bass. Bill Ray worked shallower water with a green/white color Ribbit frog and topwaters. On Sunday, Bob Barnes tied on his last red/yellow color Lucky Craft 3/4oz lipless crankbait and ticked the grass edges.

Choke Canyon - Bryan Bass Club - September 15-16, 2007

Conditions: Partly cloudy skies with a mild northeast wind and typical hot humid days. Water temperatures were in the upper 80's, with clear to stained water clarity, and recent rising/falling lake levels returning to normal pool leaving matted grass along most shorelines. Seventeen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at the Calliham unit park at normal time Saturday but again early Sunday.

Patterns: Ray used a 1/16oz weight florida-rig watermelon-red color Lake Fork Craw Worm on a large 1-3 ft flat near Greyhound Point. Clyde slow-rolled a small spinner bait back to the grass line. While Sam burned a 3/4 oz spinner bait in 7-8 ft water. Randy Knight had a good 5 bass limit too and was late for weigh-in (awarded points instead of place by exception at the meeting). He said he used a one ounce jig in the grass mat.

Somerville - Bryan Bass Club - October 21, 2007

Conditions: Partly cloudy skies with moderate southwest wind and noticably cooler in the mornings. Water temperatures were in the mid-70's, with stained water clarity, and just under normal pool. Thirteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at the Lake Somerville Park/Marina boat ramp at normal time in a Sunday one-day event following the fall Open on the previous day.

Patterns: Ray took advantage of the strong south wind to drift past real shallow flooded reeds flipping a 1/8 oz florida-rig watermelon-red color Lake Fork Craw Worm. Clyde used a crankbait over the rocks and a 1/4oz white color spinnerbait through the dead brush line. Bill used a shaky-head rig over rocks.

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Above: Bill with a couple of his bass	Above: Larry with one of his bass	Above Clyde with a couple of his bass and Don in the background
Above: Mike with one of his bass	Above: Mike's daughter, Ashley, her fish looks bigger	Above: Ray with a couple of his winning bass

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Coleto Creek - Bryan Bass Club - November 17-18, 2007

Conditions: Partly cloudy skies with mild wind Saturday shifting to cool rainy north winds Sunday. Water temperatures were in the low-70's, with stained water clarity, and normal pool. Thirteen members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at the GBRA park at normal time both days.

Patterns: Randy used a 1/4oz carolina-rig watermelon color Yamamoto Senko early Sunday for a small limit, then culled by bouncing a perch color crankbait off submergered trees. Ray cast a mojo-rig Zoom watermelon color Trick Worm on the edge of a south-side grassy main lake point on Saturday before the north wind hit Sunday. Mike James pitched a junebug color grub around shallow timber.

Stillhouse Hollow - Bryan Bass Club - December 08-09, 2007

Conditions: Clear skies with moderate south wind Saturday shifting to cold rainy north winds Sunday. Water temperatures were in the upper-60's, with stained water clarity, and normal pool. Twelve members and guests fished the club tournament weighing in at the dam marina park at normal time both days.

Patterns: Clyde used a carolina-rig junebug color Zoom lizard or trick worm off a main lake point with ledges that dropped off at 15, 18 and 24 feet. Randy used a Yo-Zuri ratl-trap style crankbait around relatively shallow submerged trees in main lake coves. Bill ran up river and used a minus-one crankbait or shakey-head rigged plastics.

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Above: photo of Bill Ray	Above: photo of Clyde	Above: photo of Bill Rule	Above: photo of Don

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Archives of Previous Years

Archive of 2006 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 2005 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 2004 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 2003 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 2002 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 2001 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 2000 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 1999 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 1998 Club Tournament Reports

Archive of 1997 Club Tournament Reports

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