BROOKELAND, Texas – It’s been a busy few weeks for Sam Rayburn Reservoir, and the popular fishery will host two more events on Saturday and Sunday – a doubleheader weekend for the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Cowboy Division. Even with all the pressure as of late, the lake is still kicking out big bags, and anglers fishing these two BFLs should expect plenty of action as the bass move shallow to spawn.
What to expect
Kaden Mueck has four MLF Top 10 finishes on Rayburn, including a third-place showing at the Toyota Series event last month. In addition to that event, he also finished in the Top 20 in a recent Bassmaster college event, which was held just after a Bassmaster Open on the fishery.
“It’s been getting a lot of pressure between the Toyota, Open and college tournaments, as well as some big high school tournaments and local stuff,” Mueck began. “But it’s warming up, and you are going to see a lot of those bass moving shallow to spawn. Plus, we have a full moon coming up, so I think a lot of those fish will be moving up to spawn.”
Anyone who saw the coverage of those recent events knows that the prespawn bite was in full effect, and Mueck says that will still be the case, but that there will be even more options for BFL anglers.
“A lot of those things that were working – the shallow drains leading into spawning pockets – will still play, because there are still a lot of prespawners to be caught,” he said. “With some of the fish moving shallow, I think it’s going to open more ways to catch them and have a shot to win. Guys can have a good bag up in the dirt, or they can catch them out ‘Scoping around, so that should even the field out more.”
There’s also a chance for some sight fishing, which may look a little different this year due to the water level. The lake is about 9 feet below full pool.
“I’ve never seen it this low, so I don’t know where they are going to spawn, because all of the normal areas are out of water,” he began. “The good thing is the whole lake is fishing really well, and we haven’t had a lot of rain to muddy up the water, so there’s good fishable water across the whole lake.”
Baits to bring
Mueck expects forward-facing sonar to help anglers catch bass at this event, with jighead minnows and Neko rigs likely being popular bait choices. With BFL rules limiting forward-facing sonar use to three hours, he expects a swim jig (for covering water) and a Senko (for dragging along the bottom) will be top producers the rest of the day.
What will it take?
Rayburn is full of big bass, and Mueck says they’ll show up at the weigh-in. He says either day has the potential for a 30-plus-pound bag. He’s also expecting solid weights further down the standings.
“There’s always a chance for a ‘30-bag,’ and think you’ll see a lot of limits in that 18- to 22-pound range,” he said.