Keith Combs watched another angler fishing in front of him down the same bank of Lake Tawakoni, both of them working the same shoreline in a rotation found in several places on the lake Thursday afternoon.
The first angler departed and Combs continued fishing toward a spot he said “was just obvious … it just looked like it would have a bass on it.” It did, and when Combs got it to the boat the largemouth weighed 9.23 pounds … a monster that propelled him to the lead after the first day of the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix.
“I already had another good one in the livewell and was thinking about flipping it into the boat,” said the Power Tackle pro from Texas. “Then I saw it, got the net under it and just dropped it into the livewell because another boat was in the area. I didn’t really look at it until later and it surprised me. I thought it might be a good 7- or 8-pounder.”
Combs claimed big bass honors and a lead of more than six pounds going into the second day of the three-day event. Business Unlimited pro Lance Vick of Texas is second with 18.04 pounds, followed by Bass Pro Shops pro Edwin Evers of Oklahoma (17.91), Phoenix Boats pro Gary Clouse of Tennessee (17.09) and Ranger Boats pro Todd Auten of South Carolina (16.21).
The full field will compete Friday on Lake Tawakoni before being cut to the Top 30, which will return there for the final day. Friday’s weigh-in will be at 3 p.m. at West Tawakoni City Park. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be at Bass Pro Shops in Garland at 4:30 p.m., with anglers at the store prior to the weigh-in to meet fans and conduct free seminars beginning at noon.
The winner will receive a prize package worth more than $45,000 including cash and a new Phoenix Boats 719 Pro outfitted with a Mercury Optimax 225 and T-H Marine Atlas Jackplate. Points standings after this event also will determine the final 15 berths in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Conroe in October.
Combs day was ‘perfect’
Combs guides on Lake Amistad in Del Rio, about eight hours from Lake Tawakoni, and had fished the 36,000-acre Sabine River impoundment about five or six years ago during spring.
So when he arrived here this week, he was “starting from scratch … I didn’t know much of anything about it, really.” But with shad and bass pounding the shoreline and some fresh water coming into the lake from Wednesday’s severe weather here, Combs figured he had as much of a shot as everyone else.
Turns out, Combs bagged the biggest bass of the PAA Tournament Series season as well as the biggest one-day catch of the series’ short two-year history.
“It was a perfect day,” he said. “It got a little stressful for a while with other people in the rotation, but that’s the way this lake sets up right now. We were all rotating (in key areas) and my timing was just good.”
Pros reported catching numerous fish during the day, but finding keepers or quality bites was the key. Yamaha pro Todd Faircloth of Texas said he probably caught 30, but had just three keepers. Ranger pro Todd Auten of South Carolina had about half that number, and others reported consistent action.
“My thumbs are just chewed up,” said Sandi Karnes of Livingston. “I had good fish on and lost a couple, and caught them pretty well during the day. I just decided to camp out in an area where I felt confident there were fish moving in and out.”
Combs said he flipped a “conventional bait” and added a prototype Power Tackle “Lateral Perch” lure due out soon. He said it has a lead head, soft tail and a hook that comes out the side of the bait’s flat body, which helps with skipping.
“It’s a little bit of confidence knowing you have something the other guys don’t have yet,” he said. “I caught them deep on it at Guntersville and now I know it works in shallow water, too. But Friday’s a different day. I could fall flat on my face, although I’m just going to go out looking for five good bites.”
Mixed tales
Clouse, the owner and founder of Phoenix Boats, had a limit by midday and then went hunting.
“I started catching them when I got there and didn’t quit until about 11:30 or 12,” he said. “I left to go look for some other stuff for Friday, but I probably should have stayed put. I thought I could get rid of one smaller fish doing some other stuff and that didn’t work out too well.”
Auten, however, had blanked by midmorning and then went on a tear in the final half of the day. He’s gunning for a Top 10 finish to try to move up in the points standings and earn a Toyota Texas Bass Classic berth.
“At 11 o’clock I didn’t have a keeper,” he said. “Everyone’s hitting a lot of the same stuff. The fish are moving around, in and out, and there’s a lot of bait everywhere. But there’s a lot of 10-inch fish … it seems like you’re catching those and then you get one big one.”
Tournament facts -The tournament is the third of four in the 2010 PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series presented by Carrot Stix. The winner will earn a prize package worth more than $45,000 including cash and a newPhoenix 719Pro XP boat powered by a Mercury Optimax225hp engine and outfitted with aT-H Marine Atlas Jackplate. Eligible anglers also may benefit from theBass Pro Shops Tournament RewardsandPhoenix Boats First Flight bonus payout programs.
Friday’s and Saturday’s morning launches at 7 a.m. and Friday’s weigh-in will be at West Tawakoni City Park. Saturday’s final weigh-in featuring the top 30 pros will be held at theBass Pro Shopsin Garland. All launches and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. Free seminars will be held at Bass Pro Shops beginning at 12:30 p.m. prior to the Saturday weigh-in.
About the PAA – The Professional Anglers Association is a non-profit organization that gives professional anglers a unified voice in order to aid in the growth of the sport of professional bass fishing. The PAA also aims to administer educational programs to the average angler, to increase enjoyment of the sport, and to embrace sound conservation practices to further the future of the sport.
PAA Associate Sponsors – The PAA Tournament Series is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, E21 Carrot Stix, Lazer Trokar, Markel Insurance, Phoenix Boats, Nitro Boats, T-H Marine, Fishouflage, SolarBat, U.S. Reel, Sign Designs, BoatU.S. Foundation, Mercury Marine and Jasper Engines and Transmissions.PAA Hosts -The City of Garland, TexasBy: Alan Clemons
