We have reached the time of the year that makes us bass fisherman lose sleep. The male bass are roaming around in the shallow water getting ready to make beds, the females are lurking out a little deeper waiting on the water temps to rise just a little more and the weekend bass fisherman is wishing every day was a Saturday! If tournaments are your thing, then you should be thrilled with Rayburn this time of the year. The problem is not IF you can find a tournament to fish, it's WHICH tournament do you fish. There are team tournaments, individual tournaments and even couples tournaments. Some of the tournament trails even have tournaments for the kids with no entry fee required. If you have never fished a tournament in the past but are interested in easing into the scene, check out the calendar page and visit a few of the tournament websites. For you husband & wife duos, I suggest checking out the couples associations. There are two different trails that have couples tournaments on Rayburn. If nothing on the calendar interests you, use your computer to find a local bass club. Simply Google "bass clubs ". Local clubs are a very good place to get started with tournament fishing. Most of these offer friendly advise, low entry fees and the opportunity to make fishing buddies forever. No matter what level of interest you have in tournaments, Rayburn has something for you this time of the year. Another reason we all love this time of the year is the simple fact you can catch bass on a variety of lures. You don't have to be an expert to catch fish. You can throw a spinner bait, drag a Carolina Rig, rip a Rat-L-Trap through grass or pitch a jig in the buck brush and catch bass. Not only can you catch bass, the chance of catching that bass of a lifetime increases this time of the year because of the females being pulled up into the shallows and loaded down with eggs. When you get home from work this evening, spend some time with your boat. Charge the batteries and knock the dust off those rods & reels. Get out on the lake while the weather is good and enjoy what Sam Rayburn has to offer. Hope to see you on the water soon! Photos shared on the Sam Rayburn Lake Facebook page