JASPER, Texas – The $1 million Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Presented by Frito Lay will make its second regular-season stop April 5 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The tournament will feature as many as 400 anglers and will pay out as much as $205,000, with the winning pro receiving as much as $65,000 in cash and prizes.
The Texas reservoir, a popular tournament destination, is expected to be in its prime for the TTT event thanks to bedding bass and big spawning females that will likely be found in the bushes. Pro angler Shane Allman of Sam Rayburn says these bushes are key to finding tournament-winning bass.
“Look for pockets off the well-known main-lake flats and get back up in the bushes,” Allman said. “Key on areas that have deep-water access nearby. That’s where the bigger females will be, and that’s what it’s going to take to win this tournament.” Wacky-rigged Senkos, tubes and lizards are expected to be primary baits.
Anglers will take off from Twin Dikes Marina in Brookeland at 6 a.m. followed by the weigh-in, also held at the marina, at 2:30 p.m. Two hundred pros and 200 co-anglers comprise a full field, with pros supplying the boats, fishing from the front deck against other pros and controlling boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers.
The winning pro will receive a guaranteed cash award of $10,000 plus a 519VS Ranger bass boat valued at $35,000. If the winning pro is the registered owner of a Ranger Boat that was purchased new from a Ranger dealer, he will receive a $20,000 bonus from Ranger Boats for a top pro award valued at $65,000. The winning co-angler is guaranteed a top award of $4,000, and if he is the registered owner of a Ranger boat purchased new from a Ranger dealer, he will receive a 195 Ranger valued at $30,000.
Additionally, the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program will earn a $5,000 bonus, and Garmin will award $1,000 to the winning pro if his boat is equipped with a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/sounder.
The TTT’s third stop will be a two-day event on Lake Lewisville in Lewisville May 10-11. The final regular-season event will be on Toledo Bend Reservoir in Many, La., June 7. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship Oct. 18-19 on Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall.
For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.
FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.