Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Lake Texoma presented by Evinrude with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 58 pounds, 13 ounces. Hanselman is the first person to ever win three consecutive tournaments in a single season on any Rayovac FLW Series circuit. For his win, Hanselman earned $30,431.
“The win really hasn’t sunk in yet. I tried to keep the record out of my mind so I wouldn’t get nervous fishing,†said Hanselman, a six-year Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division veteran. “I just came into this event focused on winning Angler of the Year.â€
Hanselman said that he targeted mid-lake pockets, particularly where there was a separation between the bank and flooded weeds.
“The fish feed in there and there’s some spawning going on so the larger males tend to guard the area,†Hanselman said.
“On day one, I hooked two big smallmouths and lost them,†continued Hanselman. “Around 10 a.m. I decided to focus on the largemouth bite and boated a 3 ½-pounder. I caught three more comparable fish in 30 minutes, then went to a different pocket and caught another three. By 2 p.m. I had a quality stringer.â€
Using a Power Tackle rod and a Strike King Sexy Frog, Hanselman went into days two and three looking to capitalize on his day one pattern.
“On day two I retraced my tracks and went to the same spots from Thursday and caught a 5-pounder early. By 10 a.m. I had about 18 or 19 pounds of fish in the livewell,†Hanselman said. “After bringing in 23 pounds for the day, I knew I could take the tournament.â€
Hanselman said the flooded creeks and tributaries that filled the lake with red, muddy water worked to his advantage.
“Anglers abandoned their favorite spots to try and find the cleanest water,†HanseIman said. “I was lucky and found water that was stained but not muddy. If that flood wouldn’t have happened a few days prior to the tournament, I wouldn’t have won.â€
On the final day of competition, Hanselman said he stuck to his original pattern and quickly caught his winning limit.
“The day started out slow and I began to get nervous. Luckily, I caught my 5-pound kicker at 9:30 a.m. and finished out a solid limit by 10:45,†Hanselman said.
Hanselman went on to say that staying focused and fishing smart was his key to victory.
“I watched guys burn through their pockets in no time,†said Hanselman. “I went out there and did my best to fish calm and it worked.â€
The top 10 pros on Lake Texoma were:
1st: Ray Hanselman, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 58-13, $30,431
2nd: Bradley Hallman, Norman, Okla., 15 bass, 46-13, $11,792
3rd: Nick Lebrun, Shreveport, La., 14 bass, 46-6, $9,129
4th: Joe Don Setina, Pittsburg, Texas, 15 bass, 45-13, $7,608
5th: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 15 bass, 39-4, $6,847
6th: Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, 12 bass, 38-2, $6,086
7th: Brian Ankrum, Natalia, Texas, 10 bass, 33-3, $5,326
8th: Robert Brown, Round Rock, Texas, 10 bass, 32-9, $4,565
9th: Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, nine bass, 31-8, $3,804
10th: Craig Frilot, Breaux Bridge, La., nine bass, 23-4, $3,043
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Ray LaJeune of Eunice, Louisiana, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor, with a three-day total of eight bass weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Sam Rayburn Reservoir were:
1st: Ryan LeJeune, Eunice La., eight bass, 21-12, Ranger Z117C with 90 HP outboard engine + $5,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Randall Vaughan, Blanco, Texas, eight bass, 18-1, $3,851
3rd: Billy Cline, Grapevine, Texas, six bass, 16-2, $3,081
4th: Bill Gift, Lindale, Texas, seven bass, 15-12, $2,696
5th: Jimmy Ballard, Paris, Texas, four bass, 11-10, $2,311
6th: Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, six bass, 10-12, $1,926
7th: Chris Bobo, Denison, Texas, three bass, 9-13, $1,541
8th: Buddy Hicks, Port Neches, Texas, four bass, 9-4, $1,348
9th: Bubba Finstad, Ranger, Texas, four bass, 8-9, $1,155
10th: Hugh Rose, Davis, Okla., four bass, 8-6, $963
