Carrillo Cool in Victory
He’s probably the most relaxed competitor this writer has ever encountered in tournament fishing. Just don’t mistake his cool demeanor on the outside for a lack of intensity deep down inside. Ricardo Carrillo of Laredo, Texas, was all business on the water at this week’s Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Lake Amistad presented by Frabill.
Carrillo caught 11 pounds, 15 ounces, 6-10 and 5-4 in three days for a tournament total of 23-13 to win the co-angler division by more than 3 pounds. For his efforts, Carrillo earned his very first bass boat, a Ranger Z117 with 90-hp outboard.
“On the water I just do my thing,” he says. “I do whatever I have to do. I focus on me and fishing against the other co-anglers, not the pro. And once I’m done fishing, I relax because from there it’s out of my hands.
“I never quite. Never quit,” he continues. “I’m relaxed, but when I’m fishing I fish until the last second.”
Carrillo had a two-part strategy that worked perfectly in this tough-bite tournament.
First, he relied entirely on a finesse approach by fishing a drop-shot with a 1/4-ounce weight and a pumpkinseed and chartreuse finesse worm.
Second, he made sure to leave his bait in the water as much as possible, even when his pro partners were casting and retrieving.
“I was mostly casting and dragging it a little,” Carrillo says about the drop-shot. “It wasn’t vertical like traditional drop-shotting. I was kind of fishing it like a Texas rig and jigging it back.
“I knew on every spot we fished that fish had to be there if the pro was willing to stop. So I wanted to use something subtle. They were fishing Texas rigs and crankbaits, and they were struggling. I knew I needed something slower because fishing was going to be tough. I actually caught more fish than my pros.”
Carrillo’s presentation worked in the grass on day one, in a mix of grass and rock on day two, and on the deep rock structure that he fished with pro Brian Ankrum today.
His steadfast commitment to the drop-shot was the right recipe for victory.
Top 10 Co-anglers
1st – Ricardo Carrillo – 23 pounds, 13 ounces
2nd – Gilbert Miller – 20 pounds, 9 ounces
3rd – Dan Wilson – 19 pounds, 14 ounces
4th – Justin Hallmark – 17 pounds, 8 ounces
5th – Buck Hux – 17 pounds, 4 ounces
6th – Michael Huckman – 17 pounds
7th – Russell Lohman – 16 pounds, 6 ounces
8th – Mark Mowery – 16 pounds, 3 ounces
9th – Anthony Ferdinando – 15 pounds, 12 ounces
10th – Chase Hux – 13 pounds, 1 ounce
Complete Results
Click here for complete results.