The frog bite was on at Sam Rayburn Reservoir but Texan Albert Collins avoided that temptation and won the B.A.S.S. Nation Central Divisional.
While runner-up Brandon Pedigo and other contestants turned in double-digit sacks today by fishing plastic frogs in the shallow grass, Collins stuck with an offshore summertime pattern of targeting channel swings near points. He brought a 17-pound, 4-ounce limit of five bass to the scales to clinch the victory. He noted the fish were caught at various depths.
"I was fishing different areas of the lake," said Collins, who finished with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 53-4. "In some areas they were in 6 to 8 feet and in some areas they were in 18 to 20 feet.
"My primary lure, the one I caught the most fish on, was a Missile Baits Tomahawk worm [in the Love Bug hue]." The 48-year-old plumber from Nacogdoches, Texas, said he rigged the worm Texas style with a 5/16-ounce lead weight and a 5/0 Gamakatsu worm hook.
On the first day, he tried to fish as many different areas and types of habitat as he could to accumulate a decent weight, which he accomplished with a 16-12 limit to move into the runner-up spot behind Pedigo.
The second day started slowly for Collins, but he finished strong with the heaviest bag of the tournament (19-4) and leapfrogged over Pedigo to take over the lead. Collins won the Livingston Lures award of $250 because he led the tournament on Day 2.
The fishing got tougher for Collins during Friday's final round, because he exhausted several of his best spots in order to build such a heavy stringer of bass on the second day.
"It worked out well though," said the Nacogdoches Bass Club member. "I planned everything out, and it worked."
Collins credits his partner in the draw tournament, Kevin Johnston of Missouri, for letting him call the shots in the final round. "He let me position the boat to the point to where I had a good advantage to throw at everything without getting interfered with," he said.
Photo: Winner of the B.A.S.S. Nation Central Divisional on Sam Rayburn Reservoir is 2013 Bassmaster Classic qualifier Albert Collins of Texas, who had a three-day total of 53-4.
Photo by John Neporadny/Bassmaster