Brian Tolley finished in eighth place in the Co-Angler division of the Walmart Bass Fishing League, Cowboy Division, Tournament headquartered at Umphrey Pavilion on Lake Sam Rayburn, May 9.
Tolley’s total five fish limit weighed in at 11 pounds, 12 ounces. He drew Tommy Mackey of College Station as his boating angler, who finished 19th. Tolley earned $310 for his catch.
“Tommy was kind of quiet, didn’t say too much when I met him the night before the tournament,” said Tolley. “He said we were going to fish deep water using a Carolina rig.” The duo began their fishing day in front of Caney Creek. “The fish were feeding like crazy, but unfortunately they were all small, but every time you threw your line out you were getting a bite.”
Tolley opted for a drop-shot worm in Watermelon Candy color. “That color seems to work exceptionally well on Rayburn, especially in the grass,” said Tolley. Besides the Carolina rig, Mackey was also probing with a X 10 shad colored crankbait. Tolley boated one keeper and Mackey had three keepers from the same location when they decided to crank up the motor and try the Black Forest area.
Out in front of the Back Forest boat ramp there is a grass bed they decided to try out. “On my first cast I dropped my drop-shot rig and caught a keeper. Now I had two keepers. Threw out there again and another one bit it. Then it slowed down a little bit.”
By 1:00 p.m. Tolley had his five fish limit; weigh-in was 2:30 p.m. “I got lucky and came in at 8th place in the Co-Anglers.”
We read a lot about the anglers who win tournaments, but what about the co-angler? Holley is a good example of a regular co-angler.
Over the years Tolley’s best finish in the Walmart Tournaments as a co-angler was second place in 2002 on Grand Lake in Oklahoma.
“I practiced all week for that tournament. I hadn’t caught a keeper fish the whole week prior to the tournament and I was extremely discouraged. However, I ended up catching a four pound bass on the first day of the tournament that put me in 15th place; next day I caught six or seven pounds which put me in the top 10, and the next thing you know I ended up coming in second on the last day.” He missed winning the tournament by 2 ounces.
Fishing bass tournaments as a co-angler is not something new for the 55 year old fisherman. He fishes six or seven tournaments every year, “all the BFLs that are typically held on Rayburn, Toledo Bend, or the Red River,” said Tolley.
He started bass fishing in 1993. “I was hiring guides and going fishing. One day I decided I’m going to do these tournaments as a co-angler, fish with somebody different every tournament, let me learn a bunch of different things rather than going out with the same guys all the time. If I get lucky, I will win a little money; if not, I had a great Saturday.” By his estimation he has fished about 129 tournaments between the BFL and Rayovac.
When asked if he had his own boat, he replied laughing, “No, I sure don’t. I have five kids instead.”
Many of his friends have asked him why he doesn’t buy a boat and try his luck as a professional angler. “If you are going to turn pro you have to go out there days before the tournament and practice. You have to put a lot of time in it, and I just don’t have the time. It’s a lot more fun at the end of the day to go out there, fish, spend your $110.00 (entry fee), give the boat owner some gas money, pack up your tackle and go home. You don’t have to deal with cleaning, servicing the boat, and all the other things that comes along with owning a boat.”
Many of the boat owning anglers he fished with in previous tournaments are now Facebook friends, and they visit and travel together to the different tournaments. “I get to practice with them a day or two before the tournament.”
Tolley will be back on Lake Sam Rayburn on May 30 fishing another Cowboy tournament as a co-angler hoping to earn some prize money, but most of all he will have another chance to get out and have some fun fishing.
