The word from local anglers has been “the bite is tough on Sam Rayburn” for weeks, but Bass N Bucks contenders showed their skill as three sacks over 20 lbs crossed the scales August 7, 2010. The weights of the top two teams were separated by less than an ounce, Brian Brown & Scott McCarty took 1st place with 22.03 lbs for a $5,000 payday.
Bass N Bucks weigh-ins normally begin at 3:00, but for the Summer Series the time is set to 2:00. The summer heat is hard not only on the anglers but the fish as well, so an earlier weigh in time is appreciated by all. During the first half of the procession of anglers bringing in their creel, weights in the high teens were setting the mark. As the last teams began rolling in, winning weights were nudged a little higher.
Danny Iles, fishing with his grandfather Wayne Johnston was the first to hit the 20 lb mark with 20.14 lbs. Right after that Scott McCarty and Brian Brown heaved their sack to the scale registering 22.03 lbs to take the lead. Soon after, Joel James & Sam Creel brought their limit in, and came within an ounce of catching the leaders with 21.91 lbs. They all had vastly different stories to tell.
Winners Brown & McCarty had fished this same piece of real estate this time last year and had done well, so put their faith in it again for this event. “It was just a strip of grass next to a creek in 8′-10′. We were flipping jigs, and caught our limit right away. We were able to cull four times after that. All of our fish were caught before 10am. We didn’t catch anything else after that.” The team had executed well and didn’t lose any fish, boated every one. Their biggest weighed 7.18 lbs. They earned their 1st place check for $5,000.
For 2nd place anglers Sam Creel & Joel James, it was an all day effort. They had one spot picked out with shallow grass. Using a combination of plastics and jigs, at 11am they only had one keeper in the boat. “At that point I thought we had made a mistake,” Sam stated. “I suggested to Joel that we move and try another spot, but he insisted that we give it just one more hour where we were.” Their fish started to turn on after that, and Joel landed their 7.29 lb kicker. The fish continued to bite and they wrapped up their limit and culled twice before heading in. Their day on the lake produced a check for $2,500.
Iles & Johnston ultimately took 3rd place position with their 20.14 lb sack. “We started out deep, but after two hours we didn’t have a single fish in the boat and decided to do something different.” They headed to shallow pepper grass, about 4′ deep, and tied on Stanley Ribbits. “They were definitely on a frog bite today. We pretty much burned up the trolling motor batteries staying on the move.” Boating 8 keepers to cull from, they ended up with 5 good chunks to win a $2,000 check. Danny was also the highest qualifying Ranger Cup boater, winning an additional $250. He also won the Cabela’s bonus of $250. “I’d like to thank Needmore Tackle, Power Tackle, Falcon Lures, Sebile, Costa Del Mar, Ranger, Mercury, Cabela’s and Carlson’s Marine for their support.”vThe Big Bass of the day was brought in by the team of Cory Rambo & Rusty Clark weighing 7.84 lbs. The team won $1,000 for that individual catch and another $800 for their 10th place overall finish.
Top Team Line-up:
| 1st | $5,000 | 22.03 lbs | Brian Brown & Scott McCarty |
| 2nd | $2,500 | 21.91 lbs | Sam Creel & Joel James |
| 3rd | $2,000 + | 20.14 lbs | Danny Iles & Wayne Johnston |
| 4th | $1,400 | 19.27 lbs | Mark Franks & David Truax |
| 5th | $1,000 | 19.12 lbs | Andrew Upshaw & James Mitchell |
| 6th | $1,000 | 18.03 lbs | Alan Moore & Clint Teutsch |
| 7th | $1,000 | 17.92 lbs | Chris Harvey & Rusty Harvey |
| 8th | $1,000 | 17.66 lbs | Pete Ellis & Trey Ellis |
| 9th | $ 900 | 17.59 lbs | Jason Wells & Vic Cooper |
| 10th | $ 800 + | 17.49 lbs | Cory Rambo & Rusty Clark |
| 11th | $ 600 | 17.36 lbs | Bert Thompson & Bill Guillory |
| 12th | $ 500 | 17.28 lbs | Greg Christian & Bill Wilcox |
| 13th | $ 500 | 16.96 lbs | Charles Shofner & Chris Delvalle |
| Big Bass | $1,000 | 7.84 lbs | Cory Rambo & Rusty Clark |
Congratulations to Bass N Bucks 2010 Anglers of the Year!
| 1st Series | Dave & Derrick Mong |
| 2nd Series | Tommy Howard & Jim Furr |
| Conroe Series | Shawn Shry & Rodney Turpin |
Now that all regular season events have run, the top 20 teams by points (who didn’t already qualify through the 1st Series or Conroe Series) will also advance to the two day championship on Sam Rayburn September 18-19.
There will be over $70,000 awarded in cash and prizes at the 2010 Bass N Bucks Championship, and the qualifiers from the 1st Series, Conroe Series and Summer Series will be separated into two brackets for two 1st place winners!
The full listing of Championship Qualifiers can be found at the BassNBucks websiteand the 2011 schedules are also posted. Get ready – the 2011 season begins December 4, 2010 on Sam Rayburn!
The Bass N Bucks tournament series is shaking it up a little for 2011. The East Texas 1st Series will have a series of 5 events entirely on Sam Rayburn. There will be a separate Toledo Bend Series, also having 5 events, starting in February. Then in June the 2nd Series will begin with three events to wrap up the season. The championship for the 1st & 2nd Series will be held on Sam Rayburn, and then there will be a separate championship for the Toledo Series on Toledo Bend.
For more information visit the website or call 409-727-8941.
Special thanks to Bass N Bucks 2010 sponsors: Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Cabela’s, American Rodsmiths, V & M, Cyclone Baits, Vicious fishing, Lowrance, Tiremax, Wulf Outdoor Sports, ProRule, Snagproof, Jasper Chamber of Commerce, and FishingWorldBy: Patty Lenderman
