BROOKELAND, Texas (Jan. 12, 2019) – It was more of the same Saturday on Day Three of the FLW Tournament at Sam Rayburn Reservoir – big limits, big bass and big smiles from tournament leader Terry Bolton of Benton, Kentucky. Bolton weighed a solid five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 10 ounces to maintain his lead heading into Championship Sunday.
The field is now trimmed to the final 10 pros for Sunday, and Bolton (15 bass, 73-13) will start with a 4-pound, 12-ounce lead over second-place pro Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, (15 bass, 69-1) who led the first day of competition. Also in contention for the win in third place is the angler considered by many to be the best in the world, Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, (15 bass, 68-14). Bolton and LeBrun are both seeking their first career Tour win – Lebrun in his first career Tour event – while Thrift has six career wins and surpassed Andy Morgan Saturday for the most career top-10 finishes in FLW Tour competition with 40.
"I've had a blast this week," said Bolton, who is fishing in his 168th career FLW Tour event – tied for 5th most all-time. "This lake is fishing phenomenal. I mainly fished the same areas that I have been all week today, but I also tried some new ones. I caught some keepers, but nothing that would really help me. I probably didn't catch quite as many today, but the wind was a factor."
Bolton estimated that he caught around 40 fish Saturday, throwing the Rapala DT14 and DT16 crankbaits that used to bring 33 pounds to the scale Friday but also mixing in a ¾-ounce Accent spinnerbait.
"I weighed in one bass on it today," Bolton said about the spinnerbait. "I caught them with it on the first day, but not the second. I throw it when it's sunny, to see if I can get quality."
Bolton has been in this position before, leading an FLW Tour event going into the final day. He has two second-place Tour finishes, two third-place Tour finishes, and four fifth-place Tour finishes. But, the victory has eluded him. His 168 career events without a victory is the most among active FLW Tour pros. Bolton, however, said that he's not feeling the pressure and just enjoying the moment and going fishing.
"One thing that I've learned out here on the Tour is that when it's your time, it's your time – you can't stop it. And if it's not your time, there's nothing that you can do about it. So I might as well enjoy it. I'm going to get to fish the final day, on a great fishery. Would I love to win? Sure, it'd be very big for me. But is it the end all, be all, stomp my feet and go home mad if I don't win? No.
"I've been very fortunate this week and I've had a lot of fun. We're going to do the same thing tomorrow."
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:
1st: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 73-13
2nd: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 69-1
3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 68-14
4th: Evinrude pro Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 62-13
5th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 60-11
6th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 56-12
7th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 15 bass, 54-13
9th: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., 15 bass, 52-9
Finishing in 11th through 30th are:
11th: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Va., 15 bass, 51-9, $12,000
13th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 50-6, $12,000
14th: Bass Pro Shops pro Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 50-4, $12,000
19th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 49-1, $11,500
22nd: Andy Wicker, Pomaria, S.C., 15 bass, 47-14, $10,500
23rd: Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 47-10, $10,500
25th: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 15 bass, 44-15, $10,500
29th: Jon Englund, Farwell, Minn., 15 bass, 43-14, $10,500
Overall there were 148 bass weighing 443 pounds, 11 ounces caught by pros Saturday, Twenty-nine of the final 30 pros were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.