The Rayovac FLW Series is headed to Sam Rayburn Reservoir Oct. 2-4 for a tournament presented by Evinrude when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers will take to the water for the final stop of 2014 in the Texas Division.
“Sam Rayburn was the first place I started fishing,” said Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats pro Jim Tutt. “I like it because I’m very familiar with it. But, it gets a lot of pressure and fishes very small for such a big lake. You have to either cover a lot of water and fish a lot of spots or get on a group of fish and stay in one area the whole time where you don’t have to fight the crowd.
“The lake is only a foot below full pool, which is actually high for this time of year,” said the Longview, Texas native. “There also seems to be a lot more hydrilla than usual.
“I think a variety of patterns will work, because we’re right in the beginning of the fall transition,” Tutt continued. “Anything from deep brushpiles, to the edges of grass, all the way to flipping matted grass should work.
“I’d say the top three baits in the tournament will be something to flip grass with, like a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, something to fish deep with, like a football jig, and some sort of topwater like a Heddon Zara Spook.
“The fishing has been tough all summer,” Tutt went on to say. “But, there was a tournament here recently where some guys caught over 30 pounds. I’d say the winner will have to bring in a three-day total of 58 to 62 pounds. Someone will probably bust a big bag, but I think it will be tough to do that three days in a row.”
Anglers will take off from Cassels-Boykin County Park located at FM Road 3123 in Zavalla, Texas, at 7 a.m. each day. Weigh-ins will be held daily at the launch site beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
