March 4, 2004
• Matt Williams
• Archives
A favorite destination for all anglers from around the country, Big Sam usually produces big weights for spring tournament fishermen.
Sam Rayburn, a massive 114,000-acre impoundment in east Texas, has been an annual stop during the four-year history of the TTT. The trophy lake rarely disappoints. Winning weights often exceed 20 pounds, and 8-pound-plus fish are common.
The TTT visited Sam Rayburn at roughly the same time in 2002. Randy Qualls of Streetman, Texas, caught nearly 20 pounds of fish on a Carolina-rigged Brush Hog. Qualls found bass staging in 14 to 16 feet of water.
Another technique always popular on Sam Rayburn during the spring is running big Rat-L-Traps over the huge expanses of hydrilla.