Texoma Midday Update – Day 3
Calmer conditions set the stage for final-round showdown
Spend three days on Lake Texoma and this Red River reservoir will show you three different looks. Such was the case for the top 10 finalists at the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Frabill. Following a sunny and windy day one and a partly cloudy and calmer day two, the lake brought mostly sunny and calm conditions this morning to start the final round.
Jeff Reynolds’ day-two pattern
The day’s makeup required some adjustment, but anglers seemed to be managing. When we last saw day-one leader Jeff Reynolds, the Oklahoma pro had a limit estimated at 15 pounds. He’d caught fish on topwaters and plastics and was on the hunt for his big kicker.
Top co-angler Daren Scott was having a good morning with several nice fish caught on a mix of reaction baits and Carolina rigs. He’ll likely do well today, but keep your eye on local co-angler Dan Wilson. Entering the day a little more than 1 1/2 pounds off the lead, Wilson had a productive morning of topwater fishing, so this could be interesting.
Typically, calm and sunny conditions mean you put away the topwater and fish lower in the water column. However, we watched Reynolds and Scott draw some pretty vicious topwater bites under the sunny, still conditions of midday. The likely explanation was the voluminous schools of shad they were fishing near.
Seventh-place pro Jeff Sprague said he needed more wind to stimulate his reaction bite, but the Texas pro found he could get bit on a Carolina-rigged worm. He had a couple good ones and a small keeper around 10:30.
Elsewhere, second-place pro T.R. Andreas was having a slow morning, but we saw him put a solid keeper in the boat. Fourth-place pro Hayden Burkett spent a lot of time flipping a giant laydown. Yesterday, he caught fish on deep brush when the sun came out, so it’s possible that today’s brighter conditions could ignite that bite.
As for third-place pro Alton Wilhoit, we knew where he was fishing, but our camera boat found that the treacherously shallow and stumpy creek into which he’d pushed was too risky for those unfamiliar with it’s woody minefield. Fishing laydowns with a spinnerbait, he should have the place all to himself.
Day three’s complexion could make many scenarios possible, so look for drama at the final weigh-in beginning at 3 p.m. CT.
Tournament details
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 7:00 a.m. CT
Takeoff Location: Highport Marina, 120 Texoma Harbor Drive, Pottsboro, TX 75076
Weigh-In Time: 3:00 p.m. CT
Weigh-In Location: Highport Marina