GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Lake Travis near Jonestown, Texas, will host up to 400 of the Lone Star state’s best bass anglers April 21 when the new Texas Tournament Trail rolls into town for the third $205,000 tournament of its inaugural season.
“The fishing is going to be excellent,” said Bill Taylor, tournament director for the Texas Tournament Trail. “We are hitting the lake at the right time of year, so we could see some huge largemouth bass. We also expect to see some nice spotted bass brought to the scales.”
O.H. Ivie Reservoir near Leaday, Texas, produced some memorable moments for Triple T anglers earlier this month as two bass weighing more than 10 pounds were brought to the scales. Webb Fry of Spicewood, Texas, weighed-in an 11-pound, 12-ounce heavyweight in the Pro Division, and Cindy Arnold of Waco, Texas, landed a 10-pound, 7-ounce largemouth in the Co-Angler Division. The biggest catch of the tournament, however, was the result of five smaller bass that together landed Mike Hastings of Austin, Texas, $45,000 including $10,000 cash and a new Mercury-powered Ranger bass boat.
In February, the Triple T awarded $30,000 cash and a new Yamaha-powered Ranger bass boat to Carl Svebek III of Sam Rayburn, Texas, for winning the trail’s opening event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Brookeland, Texas. Svebek also collected an additional $5,000 from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program to boost his total winnings to $70,000 in cash and prizes.
Svebek and Hastings will be among Pro Division anglers looking for victory on Lake Travis when the one-day tournament kicks off at daylight April 21 from Jones Brothers City Park in Jonestown. Some 200 co-anglers are also expected to take a shot at winning up to $34,000 in the tournament when the weigh-in at Jones Brothers Park starts at 3 p.m.
The winner of the Pro Division will receive $10,000 cash and a new fully rigged Ranger 518VX bass boat. Ranger Boats will kick in an additional $20,000 if the winner is a registered Ranger owner, thus boosting the potential first place award to $65,000. The top co-angler will receive $4,000 cash plus a new fully rigged Ranger R91 bass boat if he or she is a registered Ranger owner for a total prize package worth $34,000. Additionally, Ranger Boats will award $5,000 to the highest finishing pro participating in the Ranger Cup incentive program.
Run by Operation Bass, the nation’s premier bass tournament organization, the Texas Tournament Trail will host four one-day qualifying events and a two-day, no-entry-fee championship in 2001. Each qualifying event features a maximum field size of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers. The Texas Tournament Trail Championship will feature the trail’s top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers in a shootout for a share of $195,000 in cash and prizes.
The Texas Tournament Trail’s format is designed to accommodate anglers of various skill levels. While pros supply the boats and control their movement, co-anglers fish from the back of the boats. Each person is fishing independently and competing against anglers in his or her own division. A 200-point scoring system ensures equitable treatment of all competitors. Under the system, an angler receives 200 points for a win, 199 points for second, 198 points for third and so on. Every angler who receives weight credit during a tournament receives points. This point system will determine who advances to the Texas Tournament Trail Championship presented by Pepsi and Frito-Lay.
Richland Chambers Reservoir near Corsicana, Texas, will be the site of the fourth qualifying event May 12, and Toledo Bend Reservoir near Hemphill, Texas, will host the Texas Tournament Trail Championship Oct. 20-21. Entry fees for the qualifying events are $350 for pros and $100 for co-anglers.
Contact Operation Bass at 270-362-4880 to enter the Texas Tournament Trail or visit www.texastournamenttrail.com for additional information.