JASPER, Texas (March 22, 2006) - Pro Chris McCall of Jasper, Texas, caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces to lead day one of the Stren Series Central Division bass fishing tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
Many events, including this one, were originally scheduled be held on nearby Toledo Bend Reservoir but were moved to Sam Rayburn because of extremely low, unsafe water conditions in Toledo Bend. As a consequence, fishing pressure on Sam Rayburn has been heavy for the last several weeks. However, bass are in all stages of the spawn in the lake and still willing to bite, as evidenced by Wednesday's catch weights.
McCall, who finished 11th in the Stren Series Central Division opener on Lake Amistad, and has more than $165,000 in career earnings, added another $725 to that on day one after winning the day's big-bass award in the Pro Division with an 8-pound, 11-ounce bass. Regarding the intense fishing pressure, McCall said it's had an effect, but the sheer quality of the fishery has offset that effect to a degree.
"I did much better than I thought I would. I had a poor practice and was singing the blues for a while," McCall said. "But I just made a milk run today of some of my usual places. I caught fish both going in (to spawn) and coming out."
McCall chose to keep the type of lure he was throwing to himself, but he did hint that it was a moving bait and that he's covering lots of water.
Rounding out the top five pros are Bob Weaver of Lawton, Okla. (five bass, 22 pounds, 8 ounces); Derek Remitz of Hemphill, Texas (five bass, 21 pounds, 4 ounces); Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas (five bass, 20 pounds, 8 ounces); and Jerry Dolezal of Bullard, Texas (five bass, 19 pounds, 7 ounces).
Bill Guillory of Jasper leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 21 pounds, 2 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Bill Rogers of Jasper (five bass, 17 pounds, 3 ounces); Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark. (four bass, 14 pounds, 12 ounces); Billy Yelverton of Baton Rouge, La. (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces); and Matt Williams of Nacogdoches, Texas (four bass, 13 pounds, 14 ounces).
Blaylock, who was the youngest angler to ever qualify for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship in 2005, earned $245 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to an 8-pound, 4-ounce bass. The next Stren Series Central Division event will be held on Lake Texoma near Denison, Texas, April 26-29.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.