NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL– Michael Johnson and Byron Albrecht, who hail from nearby Waco, have fished together competitively for 12 years, but none of their previous outings compare to their victorious run to the Texas Team Trail (TXTT) Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s held Saturday and Sunday on Lake Whitney.
Johnson and Albrecht caught a limit on both days of the championship for a total of 10 bass weighing 41.32 pounds. After weighing five bass for 19.56 on Day 1, they registered the big bag of the tournament on Sunday – a 21.76-pound haul that vaulted the duo from third place to the championship title. They also caught the big bass of the tournament, an 8.64-pound kicker on Sunday, that helped seal the win.
The victory earned the pair a Z519 Ranger bass boat with a Mercury 225 ProXS motor. Combined with Angler Advantage and Big Bass Award bonuses, they totaled $59,997 in cash and prizes over the weekend.
In all, 86 teams competed in the championship for a total purse of $120,915 in cash and prizes.
“It’s hard to put into words how nice this is,” Johnson said. “We’ve fished together so long and put in so much work. It’s really special to say you’ve won a boat against the guys we competed against this weekend. There are some really good sticks on the TXTT.”
The TXTT Lucas Oil Team of the Year was decided at the championship event as well. Will Imhoff and Shane London clinched the trail’s Team of the Year honors on Sunday after finishing in 11th place at the championship on Lake Whitney with a two-day total of 24.68 pounds.
For their TOY win, Will & Shane will receive custom Lucas Oil rings and paid entry fees for the 2023 TXTT season.
Imhoff and London started the Texas Team Trail season off right with a seventh-place finish on Lake Amistad in March. Though they slipped to 80th in the May 7 competition on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, they rebounded to finish fifth at Rayburn on May 8. Imhoff and London finished with 669 points in 2021 team scoring.
“I’m at a loss for words right now,” Imhoff said after he and London collected their Team of the Year trophies. “This was our first year ever to fish any kind of team series. Shane and I were a little skeptical about how we would compete, but we fished some good events. We thought that bobble on the first day at Rayburn would shoot us in the foot. To prevail today is pretty exciting.”
2022 TXTT scheduled events:
February 19 – Sam Rayburn
March 19 – Amistad Cedar Creek
April 23 – Lake Texoma
May 21 – Sam Rayburn
Championship
June 11-12 – Choke Canyon