Tournament Reports
| |
Bryan Bass Club Tournament Reports |
Conroe
Bryan Bass Club - December 5-6, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was normal. The club fished out of April Plaza marina on the south end. Mild morning and afternoon, moderate to strong winds, with water temperatures in low-70's and stained clarity. Fifteen members fished.
Results - Gerald May finished in first place with a three-fish 12.38 catch. Jerry Kuykendoll was second with 11.26 on Sunday, and Larry Glover was third with 7.12. Jerry had big bass at 7.78, and it reigns as big bass of 1998 for the club.
Patterns - Gerald fished bulkheads on secondary points with a watermelon lizard using 3/16 weight. Jerry used a pumpkinseed lizard with chartreuse tail. Larry used neon worms with ½ oz weight. Small fish off docks, larger fish off points or bulkheads.
Somerville
Bryan Bass Club - November 14-15, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was up so high that most launch ramps were closed. The club fished out of Yegua Park on the southern shore. Warm morning and afternoon, overcast skies, mild to moderate winds, with water temperatures in mid-70's and stained clarity. Fifteen members fished.
Results - Gerald May finished in first place with a five-fish 12.81 catch on Sunday. Bobby Barnes was second with two fish weighing 5.24 on Saturday, and Vince Neal was third with a nice 4.04 caught the same day.
Patterns - Gerald fished a pocket next to a flooded road bed holding a nice concentration of bass. Bobby and Vince had their few bites in random locations. Several small bass caught. Bass appeared to be really scattered because of the flooded trees, brush, picnic tables and road beds. Few boats on the lake.
Livingston
Bryan Bass Club - October 10-11, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was up from recent low conditions, but still a couple feet low. The club fished out of Waterwood with BASS Federation on Saturday. Some other ramps had problems with the low water. Warm morning and afternoon, moderate south wind Saturday, calm Sunday, with water temperatures in low-80's and muddy clarity upper lake and stained lower lake. Eight members and a guest fished.
Results - Clyde Wilkerson finished in first place with a 15.16 five-fish limit on Saturday. This finished first in the BASS Federation regional too. Sam Fling was second with one 2.74 caught Sunday, and Roger LaGerard (a guest) finished third with a 2.02 caught Sunday too.
Patterns - Clyde fished down toward the dam where the water was not as stained or muddy. He caught fish on whatever he threw on Saturday but bigger ones liked his favorite, the carolina rig. Sam said his one bite came on a spinner bait near rip rap. The key seemed to be the place not the lure. Most club members did not catch keeper size fish, and it was either feast or famine in the Federation tournament too (mostly famine).
Sam Rayburn
Bryan Bass Club - September 12-13, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was down what seemed like 4 feet and dropping. The club fished out of Cassells Boykin Park. For those unfamiliar with upper parts of the lake, this park is off S.H. 147 on the west side of the bridge, about a mile down F.R. 3123. The launch ramp has four lanes, a parking lot for about 50 vehicles, and requires a county fee or permit. Warm morning and afternoon, hard rains/wind from the coastal hurricane, with water temperatures in mid-80's and stained clarity.
Results - Charlie Thomas finished in first place with a 12.96 catch on Saturday. Clyde Wilkerson was second with 10.96, and Sam Fling finished third with 9.92, all caught Saturday too.
Patterns - Charlie and Clyde fished close to the launch site, one alternately cranked a twin-blade buzz-bait or slow rolled a spinner-bait, the other used a june bug color florida-rigged Culprit worm. Sam fished on the other side of the bridge using a wacky worm and his usual rat-l-trap pattern. The fishing was tolerable, though wet, on Saturday, but everyone's bite seemed to shut down on Sunday. A hard south wind kept most club members off the main lake.
Toledo Bend
Bryan Bass Club - August 22-23, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was down what seemed like 6 feet and dropping. It was difficult to cram into Lowes Creek for launch and a Federation weigh-in on Saturday. Relatively clear water for the lake, stumps visible in some boat lanes. Warm morning and afternoon. Water temperatures in high-80's.
Results - Bobby Barnes finished in first place with a 9.25 catch. Charlie Thomas was second with a 8.31 (and finished in the money with BASS Federation Saturday). Larry Glover finished third with 6.74 in his two fish bag.
Patterns - Bobby caught his winning fish using a wacky-worm or Spittin' Image top-water off a grass line in Housen Bay. Charlie caught his fish using a red blood-line worm with silver sparkle back in a creek/slough. Larry caught his two fish on a wacky-worm in a creek bend lined with hydrilla (one was just over 5 pounds). There were occasional schools of "big" fast-moving bass around some of the "small" bass schools, however these were too unpredictable for a pattern. Most bites came slow, light, subtle out a little from the grass mats. Lots of "small" bass caught all day, and a couple "big" hook-straighteners got away.
Richland Chambers
Bryan Bass Club - July 18-19, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was down 2 feet and dropping, Richland and Chambers arms stained, lower lake clear. Hot morning and afternoon. Water temperatures in high-80's or low-90's. The club launched at Midway Landing (Larry Winters maintains a nice family-oriented park with daily hook-ups and camp-sites, plenty of parking, a two lane ramp and small store with grill, midway south side of Richland arm).
Results - Charlie Thomas finished in first place with a 4.52 catch. Art Wilson was second with a 4.25 and Larry Glover finished third with 3.59 in his two fish bag.
Patterns - Charlie caught his winning fish off a tank dam not far from Midway Landing. Art caught his fish using a carolina rig on the main lake point between the Richland and Chambers arm (pretty crowded there), and Larry caught his fish on Pop-r's early morning. It was so hot some club members left early. You always notice lots of locals fishing for whites and crappie on the main lake point, but there were others in the area fishing for black bass too in brush structure placed in deeper water between 15-25 feet. A few competitors in a team tournament on the lake that weekend did quite well taking over 30 pounds to get first. Most club members never established a consistent location or pattern during our tournament.
Conroe
Bryan Bass Club - June 06-07, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was normal, upper lake clearing, mid-lake stained, lower lake clearing. Warm morning and afternoon. Water temperatures in mid-80's. The club launched by April Plaza, the old Lake Conroe marina near the dam on 105
Results - Bobby Barnes finished in 1st place with 12.11 on Saturday, including a 7.49 big bass. Mark Beckman had 8.26 for 2nd place. Sam Fling's 4.48 catch from Saturday held on to third. Fourteen members fished. Bobby and Mark also placed in the money for the BASS Federation Regional on Saturday.
Patterns - Bobby caught his big bass under a floating dock using a crank-bait. He used a black-blue lizard on rip-rap for another, and other fish came from docks. Mark fished docks too. Sam caught his two fish on a point close to the launch site first thing in the morning. Brush-pile patterns didn't hold up producing mostly small fish. You could see some locals run-and-gun to hit a lot of their piles to produce a catch.
Somerville
Bryan Bass Club - May 02-03, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was stable, patches of flooded brush along certain shores about one to two feet deep from previous low water. Passing thunderstorm on Saturday, mild Sunday. Warm morning and afternoon. Water temperatures in mid-70's. Water stained to muddy. The club launched out of Overlook Park.
Results - Mark Beckman finished in 1st place with a nice 11.84 limit on Sunday. Clyde Wilkerson did better Sunday too with 8.60 for 2nd place. Art Wilson's 7.44 catch from Saturday held on to third. Fourteen members and an associate fished.
Patterns - Mark found the fish scattered in the flooded brush. He used a BullDog-brand spinner-bait to cover lots of water especially along shores getting less fishing pressure. Clyde switched to flipping a jig along every scarce piece of timber on the lake. Art used a chartreuse spinner-bait. Feeding fish appeared to be relatively shallow. Some nice strippers were caught over the weekend in deeper water.
Sam Rayburn
Bryan Bass Club - April 04-05, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was dropping over past week. Cool morning, mild afternoon. Some wind Saturday, mild Sunday. Water temperatures in high-60's, low 70's. Water clear to stained. The club launched at Mills Creek Park.
Results - Clyde Wilkerson finished in 1st place again with a solid 14.05 limit on Sunday, and his partner Jerry McDowell got 2nd with 10.53 catch. Bobby Barnes caught 8.60 for third. Eight members and an associate fished. No one in the club did well in the Federation regional on Saturday, many fished mid-lake that day.
Patterns - Dropping water appeared to scatter bass, but Clyde and Jerry figured it out. They used spinner-baits and carolina-rigged centipedes north of Mill Creek park to catch small and keeper bass all day in one to eight feet of water. Bobby flipped brush in Buck Bay with a watermelon lizard to pluck out his bass, losing bigger ones in the thick of it.
Sam Rayburn
Bryan Bass Club - March 21-22, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was up a few feet. Cool but nice weather, some wind. Water temperatures in mid 60's. Water clear with some wind-blown debris or staining. The club launched at Mills Creek Park.
Results - Clyde Wilkerson finished in 1st place with a 7.82 catch on Saturday. Bobby Barnes caught 4.53 for second, and Art Wilson caught 3.78 for third. Eleven members and an associate fished.
Patterns - Most regarded fishing to be off pattern from previous week. Clyde used lizards and carolina rigs back in Bear Creek. Bobby tried wacky worms on secondary points. Art pitched watermelon red-flake plastic on flooded willow points on creek bends.
A couple of Clyde's bass at Rayburn
Toledo Bend
Bryan Bass Club - February 21-22, 1998
Conditions - The lake level has been a foot high for a couple months. Nice weather on Saturday, but we got drenched Sunday morning. Water temperatures in mid 50's. Water clear in main, stained in cove, muddy in creek. The federation launched at Lowes Creek marina.
Results - Sam Fling finished in 7th place Saturday in the BASS Federation regional tournament, then duplicated his pattern on Sunday for another good limit weighing 13.27 to claim first place in the club tournament. Charlie Thomas caught 11.19 on Saturday to secure second place, and Jerry McDowell caught 9.14 for third. Ten members and an associate fished.
Patterns - Sam caught his bass in creeks using a toledo-red Rat-L-Trap. Charlie flipped a Zoom kudzu lizard in flooded brush. Jerry used a carolina rig on secondary points/humps/flats with grass. Others caught fish using similar patterns, including spinner baits in flooded cover. Members stayed on the south end of the lake near Indian Mound and Housen Bay.
Toledo Bend
Bryan Bass Club - January 17-18, 1998
Conditions - The lake level was a foot high, up from fall lows. Nice weather for January, some southwest winds affecting main lake fishing. Water temperatures in low to mid 50's. Water clear in main, stained in cove. The club launched at Fling Point.
Results - After a mediocre Saturday, Sam Fling weighed in a 18.84 five fish limit on Sunday for first place. His big bass at 5.98 was just under the 6 pound minimum for club big-bass pot. Bobby Barnes weighed in a 13.43 limit for second, and Clyde Wilkerson had 10.0 for third. Byron Rippstein (a young associate member) caught a nice 5.5 pound bass on Saturday. Ten members and an associate fished, and everyone caught fish.
Patterns - Sam caught his bass off main lake grass on clay humps with stick-ups in 4 to 6 feet water using orange rat-l-traps. Bobby used two patterns fishing chartreuse/white spinner baits for shallow bass and fishing deep crankbaits where grass dropped off at 15 feet close to 30 foot water. Clyde used a light watermelon-color carolina rig on isolated 12 foot grass close to 25 foot water. Members stayed on the south end of the lake.
Some of Bobby's catch
Return to current year reports page