KILLEEN, Texas – As 100 of the best bass anglers in the Lone Star State gear up for the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship this weekend, they are going to be thinking about catching smallmouth bass in addition to the big largemouths they’re accustomed to seeing in Texas. The two-day championship event starts Saturday on smallmouth-rich Belton Lake near Killeen.
“A lot of people don’t realize that there are a lot of smallmouth here,” TTT Tournament Director Robert Vannerson said. “This is uncommon for Texas, which is primarily known for its largemouth populations.”
Belton is stocked with a sizable smallmouth population, and that will be critical to championship competitors as they try to hone in on the most active bite in Texas this time of year. Late October is prime time for smallies as the water temperature drops into their optimum activity range between 65 and 55 degrees.
At 12,300 acres, the lake bottoms out at a depth of 124 feet. Most of the shoreline is very steep, rocky habitat with majestic tall bluffs and long rocky points. Also, sand and mud flats can be found up the Leon River and Cowhouse arms. It has little aquatic vegetation, and timber is also limited.
“It’s a rather deep lake,” Vannerson said. “It’s not like Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn, which are both bigger but pretty shallow for their size.”
In addition to the prime smallmouth bite, officials last year lowered the minimum length requirements for bass from 16 inches to 14 inches. While competitors should reel in nice limits of 3 1/2- to 4-pound bass, Belton’s smallmouths can grow as large as 5 pounds and its largemouths can push into the 8- and 9-pound range. Vannerson estimates leading catch weights in the 15- to 17-pound range each day, with a few maybe reaching 20 pounds.
Many anglers have favored crankbaits and jigs in practice, and the weather in the area has been ideal for fishing with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees and light winds. The wind will be key to how well the bass will bite during the weekend. The forecast calls for a 40-percent chance of rain and increasing winds Saturday morning, but the weather should calm down again by Sunday.
Links:
Texas Tournament Trail gearing up for $195,000 championship
Championship qualifiers
Championship details and payouts