Holy Trinity

Trinity, Texas, native David Curtis finds himself in a familiar spot - the top of the leaderboard on Sam Rayburn Reservoir

JASPER, Texas - Pro David Curtis is quite a killer on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

Since 1998, Curtis has made the top 10 on the big lake four times, three times in the EverStart Series and once on the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail. He now leads the EverStart Series Central Division season opener on Sam Rayburn with a five-bass catch weighing 25 pounds, 3 ounces, but to hear him tell it, it's just plain good luck.

"I just came back from the TTT at Amistad, so I was limited to a day and a half of practice," said Curtis, who finished fifth at the Amistad event. "I really just went fishing today. I went to an area where I got a couple of bites, put the trolling motor down and, fortunately, the ones that bit were the big ones."

Although Curtis did find his bass-rich honeyhole during his limited practice time, he said the bites he got there in practice weren't anywhere near as impressive as the ones he found Wednesday.

With a slim 1-pound, 5-ounce lead over second-place pro William Davis of Russellville, Ala., Curtis is hoping for anything but a repeat performance from last year's EverStart event on Sam Rayburn. After finishing third after day one of the 2004 event, Curtis caught only one fish on day two and ultimately finished the tournament in 45th. Although he found the motherlode on day one this time around, he knows how quickly luck can change on a fishery like Sam Rayburn.

"I could easily have a bad day tomorrow," he said. "I hope and pray I don't. I just hope that jinx from last year is gone."

Davis lucks out, hauls in 9-pounder

In the No. 2 spot after day one is Davis, a competitor who might just be the luckiest among the current top 10 pros. Davis lost two fish in the morning and did not have a fish by 10:30 a.m., more than three hours after launch. Nevertheless, Davis still managed to catch a limit weighing 23 pounds, 14 ounces, including a 9-pound lunker that earned day-one big-bass honors.

"I was catching them on a Senko and flipping," Davis said. "I changed up a little bit, went a little further in the bushes, and got eight or nine bites."

Curtis and Davis both took off in the last flight Wednesday, but Davis claims his boat number did not deserve the credit for his phenomenal catch.

"I didn't catch a fish in the last hour," he said. "I knew they were in there; I was just trying to figure out the best way to catch them. The fish are changing."

Davis fished shallow water Wednesday, with depths up to 4 feet.

Dunnaway takes advantage of unexpected sunshine

Unlike Curtis and Davis, Dunnaway had an early flight out this morning and proved that Rayburn bass bite no matter the time of day. His five-bass catch of 21 pounds, 13 ounces included an 8-pound, 8-ounce monster.

"We had a really good day," Dunnaway said. "I caught my first one 10 minutes into the day. Then the storm came, but I caught a few fish. When the sun popped back out, that's when I caught the 8-8."

Rayburn competitors experienced drastically changing weather conditions today, first battling fog, then heavy rain with brief thunder and lightning before the sun came out early in the afternoon. Competitors reported that the bass were still biting in both stormy and sunny conditions.

Best of the rest

Landing in fourth on the pro side Wednesday was Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tenn., with a five-bass limit that weighed 20 pounds, 14 ounces.

Behind him in fifth is John Sappington of Willard, Mo., who weighed in a limit of bass totaling 19 pounds, 15 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 pros on Sam Rayburn after day one:

6th: Wade Hendricks of Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 19-11
7th: Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., five bass, 19-9
8th (tie): Wade Caperton of Leoma, Tenn., and Yancy Windham of Gordo, Ala., five bass, 19-8
10th (tie): Eric Ambort of Mabelvale, Ark., and David Moore of Cambridge City, Ind., five bass, 19-2

What's eating Gilbert's bait

Co-angler Gilbert Herald of Pittsburg, Texas, hauled in a stringer weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces ﾐ a weight that would have landed him in fourth if he were fishing the pro side. With the five-bass limit, Herald heads into day two with a 5-pound, 3-ounce lead over his nearest competitor.

Claiming his impressive haul was simply blind luck, Herald fished with pro Charles Ditto on day one and used Ditto's patent-pending invention, the Parasite weight clip, to hold his worm on. Ditto, however, caught 9 pounds Wednesday and sits in 140th on the pro side.

"We went to an area and started throwing a Carolina rig," Herald said. "I caught the big fish right after we got there, and then I caught another big one. It wasn't until 1 o'clock that I finished out my limit on a Wacky Worm."

Picha, Lebert, Lessard, Coffman among other top co-anglers

Behind Herald in second is Joseph Picha of New Prague, Minn. Picha caught five bass that weighed 16 pounds. Robert Lebert of Brookeland, Texas, enters day two in the No. 3 spot thanks to a limit of bass that weighed 15 pounds, 9 ounces.

Currently in fourth is Jon Lessard of Tullahoma, Tenn., with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 15 ounces, and he is followed by Corydon, Ind., resident Randy Coffman in fifth. Coffman caught five bass Wednesday that weighed 14 pounds, 9 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers after day one on Sam Rayburn:

6th: Danny Easley of Clay, Ky., five bass, 13-10
7th: Jason Hannah of Forest, Miss., five bass, 13-9
8th: Ernie Hillebrandt of Sam Rayburn, five bass, 13-8
9th: Jeary Wheeler, Batesville, Ark., five bass, 13-6
10th: Michael Herron, Paris, Texas, five bass, 12-15

Competition will resume Thursday from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 RR 255 W. in Jasper. The full field of 200 boats will be in the hunt for one of 10 slots in both divisions for Friday and Saturday's competition.

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Posted by DODGE at February 23, 2005 04:49 PM in Tournament (FLW)