Hanselman wins second consecutive Rayovac FLW tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir;
Wilson wins co-angler title

Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Mercury with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 60 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win Hanselman earned $35,815, pushing his season winnings to more than $69,000 from just two tournaments.

“I’m honestly shocked. That’s about the only way to describe how I feel right now,” said Hanselman, who won the Texas Division opener on Lake Amistad in February. “You always want to win but to take two in the same season is just incredible.”

In order to secure his victory, Hanselman targeted small drains that led to spawning flats in the mid-lake area.

“In practice I found that the majority of the fish were along the sides of the points. Not at the tip, not in the back, but right along those longer sides,” Hanselman said. “I narrowed the pattern down to three spots across the lake and decided to pursue them further in the tournament.

“I was looking for fish that had already spawned,” Hanselman continued. “I specifically focused on those drains, or pinch points, where they’re forced to go in and out of the beds.”

Hanselman said that he managed to catch around 15 fish on day one using an Okeechobee Craw–colored Strike King Slither Rig – the same bait he used the entire tournament

“It really did what the name suggests. When I was flipping it slid right into that thick cover where I needed it,” Hanselman said.

On days two and three, Hanselman returned to those same areas and found a similar bite.

“I caught almost 25 fish on day two and was able to bring in around 15 on day three,” Hanselman said. “It was pretty exciting.”

Hanselman went on to say that the unusually high water level on Sam Rayburn didn’t affect his strategy as much as other anglers.

“I wanted to keep it simple. I didn’t want to get lost way back in the pine trees. I was looking for fish that had already spawned at those drains and it worked.”

The top 5 pros on Sam Rayburn Reservoir and what they were using to catch their fish:

1st: Ray Hanselman, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 60-8, $35,815
Tournament winner Ray Hanselman flipped a junebug-colored beaver-style bait on a Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten Slither Rig and a 6/0 heavy-gauge hook

2nd: Kris Wilson, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 53-6, $13,878
Runner-up Kris Wilson caught all of his fish on a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits lizard.

3rd: Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 52-10, $10,745
Jim Tutt’s top bait was a 6-inch Gambler Ace soft stick bait with a 4/0 wide-gap hook that he altered with a lead weight and fingernail polish

4th: James Stricklin Jr., Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 50-15, $8,954 + $252 Big Bass award … 4. James Stricklin Jr. caught his fish on a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver. He hooked his bait laterally for better hooksets and fewer snags in the heavy cover.

5th: Denny Brauer, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 50-3, $8,058
Flipping legend Denny Brauer tempted his fish with Strike King Rage Craws and Rage Bugs. The latter seemed to produce best in the afternoons and in muddy water.

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dan Wilson of Pilot Point, Texas, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on Sam Rayburn Reservoir were:

1st: Dan Wilson, Pilot Point, Texas, 15 bass, 39-4, Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower outboard + $5,000 Ranger Cup
2nd: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 35-8, $4,500
3rd: Clint Lipham, Conroe, Texas, 12 bass, 32-8, $3,600
4th: Collin Cooper, Smithville, Texas, 11 bass, 31-3, $3,150
5th: Tim Montz, Wichita Falls, Texas, 12 bass, 29-11, $2,700
6th: Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, 13 bass, 28-6, $2,250
7th: Bubba Finstad, Ranger, Texas, 10 bass, 26-3, $1,800
8th: Mark Mowery, Longview, Texas, 11 bass, 22-14, $1,575
9th: Denny Swartz, Broussard, La., eight bass, 21-6, $1,350
10th: Michael Stilley, Nacogdoches, Texas, 11 bass, 21-5, $1,125