Even Stephen

Johnston takes 3-pound lead heading into final day of Stren Texas competition on Sam Rayburn

JASPER, Texas – Proving that bass fishing is a sport that no one can predict, numbers were down today at the Stren Series Texas Division event on Sam Rayburn, but the phenomenal catch of day two was going to be pretty tough to beat. All told, competitors caught 1,032 bass weighing more than 2,400 pounds, not too shabby by any means, but still a couple hundred pounds shy of yesterday’s haul.

Anglers are bringing in the bass despite nearly everyone’s claim that it’s tough out there on Sam Rayburn. A 10- to 20-degree drop in air temperatures certainly didn’t help anyone’s comfort level, and it didn’t help the bite, either.

However, good catches were still posted by many, though the top of both the pro and co-angler leaderboards stayed the same. Stephen Johnston of Hemphill, Texas, continued his Rayburn dominance with a 14-pound catch that brought his three-day total to 52 pounds, 1 ounce that gives him a 3-pound edge over his closest competition heading into the final day.

Johnston slows down

Johnston caught the lion’s share of his day-one and day-two limits (weighing 18-8 and 19-9, respectively) on a French crankbait known as the Sebile that is new to the United States. But with the cold front changing the landscape today, Johnston slowed it down.

“I had to slow-fish right off the bat,” Johnston said. “This morning, I missed the first five bites I had. Yesterday, I caught a 6-pounder and a 4-pounder in the first five bites.”

Knowing that sometimes the mental game is as important as anything in a bass tournament, Johnston buckled down and kept doing what he does best – taking big bass out of Sam Rayburn, a lake on which he frequently guides.

“I put my head down and just went fishing,” Johnston said. “I had a limit by 8:30 and culled a few ounces during the day. I caught 10 keepers and beat on everything I had.”

With temperatures dipping even lower tonight and highs topping out in the mid-50s tomorrow, no one is too sure what to expect on the final day, though many predict it will be tough. As for Johnston, he’s just hoping to seal the deal with a win that has proved elusive to him despite his extensive Sam Rayburn experience. Since 1999, Johnston has scored five top-10 finishes here, excluding this week’s tournament, and has yet to finish in the top spot.

“I’m just going to swing for the fence,” he said. “I’ve been in this position five times, and I have not won it. I’m feeling it.”

Millender retains No. 2 spot

Randy Millender of Teague, Texas, also saw his weight slip a bit today, but he held on to his No. 2 position with 3 pounds separating him and the leader. Millender caught 13-7 on day one, but busted a huge 22-pound sack yesterday only to fall back down to 13-10 today.

“During the day, they just quit,” Millender said. “I think with this cold front, the fish bit really early. I had my limit in 30 minutes on a Rat-L-Trap.”

Despite the stingy bite, Millender did manage to cull twice during the day, and he has a theory as to what he needs to do to catch fish tomorrow.

“I think they’re backing up and moving out a little deeper because of the cold weather,” he said. “I think it’s going to be tough tomorrow. We’ve got to slow down and fish a little deeper.”

Millender has one Stren Series win on Sam Rayburn, a victory he claimed in 2000.

Haralson stays in third, Truax moves up to fourth

Remaining in the third-place position is Charles Haralson of Laredo, Texas, whose 12-pound, 3-ounce day-three catch was his lowest yet. Haralson’s three-day total of 46 pounds, 9 ounces has him 5 pounds, 8 ounces behind Johnston.

David Truax of Beaumont, Texas, caught the day’s only 20-pound stringer, as his five-bass limit clocked in at 20 pounds, 4 ounces and moved him 20 spots up the leaderboard to fourth place and into the finals.

“I started out on one spot and caught a big one, and then I went to another spot and caught a limit,” Truax said. “Then I went to another spot and caught another big one.”

Obviously, Truax said his third day was decidedly not tougher than the first two days, as his weight has improved steadily every day – 10-1 on day one, 15-6 on day two and 20-4 Friday for a three-day total of 45 pounds, 11 ounces.

“I caught them flipping the first day and caught 10 pounds,” he said. “I was cranking yesterday and caught 15 pounds. I fished a spinnerbait today and caught 20. I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow!”

Rest of the best

In the fifth spot is Timpson, Texas, pro Stan Burgay, whose 16-pound, 5-ounce day-three catch brought his combined total to 43 pounds, 13 ounces. He has remained upwardly mobile throughout the event, catching 12-15 on day one and following that up on day two with 14-9.

Rounding out the top 10 pros who will compete in tomorrow’s final round:

6th: Jim Guzman, Coldspring, Texas, 15 bass, 42-13

7th: Tommy Durham, Waxahachie, Texas, 15 bass, 42-12

8th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, 15 bass, 42-12

9th: John Bond, Owasso, Okla., 15 bass, 42-9

10th: Shane Gibson, Kilgore, Texas, 15 bass, 41-15

Barnett continues co-angler reign

The day-two co-angler leader, Kerry Barnett of Waldron, Ark., remains at the top of the heap despite a tough day that brought him only three bass worth 6 pounds, 9 ounces. That raised his combined total to 38 pounds, 15 ounces, still strong enough for first with a 2-pound, 1-ounce margin over his nearest competition.

“I had a pretty tough day,” Barnett said. “I caught better fish at about 10 o’clock, which took a lot of pressure off me.”

Barnett has yet to reveal his method of choice, though he said yesterday it’s something he’s been doing for years. He relied on that technique again today, he said.

“I did what I’ve been doing all week,” Barnett said. “My partner did all he could do to put me on fish, and I didn’t lose a fish all day.”

Rogers moves up to second

Yesterday’s No. 4, Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, moved up into the second spot today with a five-bass catch weighing 12 pounds, 7 ounces that bumped up his grand total to 36 pounds, 14 ounces. Rogers is one of FLW Outdoors’ most accomplished co-anglers, with 17 top-10 finishes to his credit, including six top-10s and one victory on Sam Rayburn.

“I caught them on a mini-Carolina rig with a Senko on it in about 8 feet of water,” Rogers said. “It was really tough. All I caught were five keepers.”

Despite his local knowledge of the lake, as a back-of-the-boat angler, Rogers said he remains dependent on what his pro partner does tomorrow.

“We’ll see what the boater does, and I’ll go from there,” he said.

Teer, Moser separated by an ounce

With the winner determined by the heaviest four-day catch, every ounce counts this week, and currently, only 1 ounce separates No. 3 co-angler Joey Teer of Texarkana, Ark., from No. 4 Kenny Moser of Alba, Texas.

Teer struggled on day one but peaked on day two with a 22-pound, 2-ounce catch. He caught only two bass today worth 5-2 to bring his two-day total to 32 pounds, 10 ounces.

Moser has been slightly more consistent though his weight did fall today, as he brought in only three worth 8 pounds, 3 ounces to put him at 32 pounds, 9 ounces, right behind Teer.

Rest of the best

In the fifth position is Alan Moore, moving up four slots from ninth, with a three-bass catch today that weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. His combined three-day weight clocks in at 30 pounds, 10 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers who will compete in tomorrow’s final round:

6th: Ray Peace, Arlington, Texas, 10 bass, 30-5

7th: Danny Cherry, Kountze, Texas, eight bass, 29-14

8th: Michael Savage, Clever, Mo., 12 bass, 29-9

9th: Bill Guillory, Jasper, Texas, 13 bass, 29-4

10th: Gilbert Herald, Pittsburg, Texas, 12 bass, 28-13

The final takeoff will commence at 7 a.m. Saturday from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located off Highway 255 West in Sam Rayburn.