By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
Driving back home to Del Rio, Texas, on Sunday morning, Ray Hanselman was still in a state of shock.
Despite having a good bit of confidence in fishing Sam Rayburn Reservoir, a product of his good tournament showings there in the past, Hanselman was a little wary of the conditions he found before the second Texas Rayovac Series event got under way. He wasn’t alone in being overwhelmed by the amount of water that had flooded into the huge Sabine River impoundment.
Heavy rains over the past several weeks (some from the same system that drenched the Sabine River Elite Series) caused the reservoir to rise significantly – 5 to 7 feet by some estimates – and created a veritable playground for bass looking to partake in their annual spawning ritual. Thousands of trees and bushes that would’ve been otherwise dry or just along the water’s edge were now in play as bass had taken up refuge in and around the woody cover.
It was nothing Hanselman hadn’t seen or gone up against before. He’s a full-time guide at Lake Amistad and is well-versed in horsing Texas-sized bass out of submerged trees and brush.
To do it well enough over the course of 3 days in tournament competition, though, was a different and more nerve-wracking enterprise. He pulled it off in fine fashion, averaging a tick over 20 pounds per day to become the first angler to win two straight Rayovac Series events (he also won at Amistad in February) in the same division.
He opened with a 20-09 effort, took over the lead on day 2 with a stout 23-05 stringer and closed out the win with 16-10 on the final day. Every fish he weighed in came flipping a beaver-style bait into flooded trees and bushes.
“I’m in shock,” he said. “I felt like I was due to win some, but going back to back … it just set up to my style of fishing. I usually do well on both lakes and it just worked out and I’m just so thankful.
“It’s starting to sink in. Rayburn has just always clicked with me. I’ve always done well there and I felt like I’d have a decent showing, but to win was unbelievable.”
He’s held the lead in two separate tournaments at Rayburn in the last 18 months, but couldn’t close them out. This time, he executed time and again in the face of tough conditions.
“This one all fell together right,” he added. “I was able to put three or four key fish in the boat. Other guys had the same bites, but I was able to get them out of the trees.”
Here’s how he did it.
Practice
Hanselman knew the water was going to be high upon arriving for practice, but how much shoreline cover it brought into play took him by surprise.
“I’ve seen it high, but not that high,” he said. “It’s so overwhelming with all that structure everywhere.”
He trained his focus on places where bass would be heading in to spawning areas or coming out to recover from spawning.
“This time of year, you want to look at pinch points where they’re going in and coming out,” he said. “Protected banks are key and so are drains.”
BassFans will recall he fished drains during his win at Amistad, but at Rayburn he got bites flipping lines of brush leading into drains.
“I wasn’t so much looking in the center of drains like I did at Amistad,” he said. “There were a lot of fish out there and I know a few guys caught them in the hay grass.”
Fishing without a hook in practice, he got bites going down opposing sides of drains leading into spawning flats or other similar shallow areas.
“I found two key areas where I could spend lot of time that had a lot of the same stuff,” he said. “I also found three or four spots that had isolated drains.”
Competition
> Day 1: 5, 20-09
> Day 2: 5, 23-05
> Day 3: 5, 16-10
> Total = 15, 60-08
Heading into the tournament, Hanselman figured an 18-pound daily average would be good enough to put him in contention.
He started in an area that produced several bites in practice and capitalized on just about all of them.
“I got an extra 5-pounder that bumped me up to 20 pounds,” he said. “There were several of us fishing that one area on day 1. Todd Castledine and Russell Cecil were in there and I was getting nervous that water got beat up pretty good.”
He went back to his day-1 area on day 2 and put 15 pounds in the boat by 9 a.m., then pulled off of it in a strategic move.
“During practice, we had a string of days with a south-southwest wind so there were a lot of places I could flip or fish right because of the wind, so I ran to one area where I figured there’d still be fish,” he said.
When he got there, the wind wasn’t blowing on it so he moved on to a similar spot – an isolated drain – and picked off a 5-pounder. He jumped to another stretch of drains and added two more 5s and a 4 to bump his total up to 23-05, which put him in the lead heading into the final day.
“I went in an hour early,” he said. “They were biting on day 2. We had a light front coming through with some lower pressure and I felt like I was fishing fresh fish that had just moved in.”
He opened the final day on the same area he started day 2 and it was similarly productive.
“I had my weight by 10 so I went back to my day-1 spot and caught eight or 10 fish, but they were all 2 1/2-pounders,” he added. “The pressure got high and the lake slicked off with blue-bird skies. I was lucky in that I made the right decision to go where I went.”
Winning Pattern Notes
> Hanselman said the vast majority of the fish he caught were hugging the bottom, but weren’t real aggressive with their strikes.
“Some were that classic double tap and you know you’ve got them, but they weren’t attacking it,” he said. “If they felt you, they’d let it go. They weren’t real aggressive so I had to get them right away. The bites were real subtle.”
> He said in normal-pool conditions, the outer edges of the buck brush around Rayburn are the water’s edge. He remembers finishing 2nd in a tournament back in 2005 fishing the same area as he did last week.
“The brush then was in 2 to 3 of water,” he said. “Now, it was in 7. I don’t know if the bait I was using triggered more big ones or if I was deeper than other guys. I just got three or four better bites each day and got them in the boat.”
Winning Gear Notes
> Flipping gear: 7’6” heavy-action Power Tackle No Ratz casting rod, Shimano Curado 300 casting reel, 65-pound Sufix 832 Advanced Superline, 1/2- and 3/4-oz. Strike King Slither Rig (Okeechobee Craw), 7/0 unnamed octopus hook, unnamed beaver-style bait (junebug).
The Bottom Line
> Main factor in his success – "The equipment. Being prepared for that style of power fishing with the rod, reel, line, everything was important.”
> Performance edge – "That Slither Rig made a difference. Other people were flipping just a jig or a Texas-rigged beaver bait, but I like the Slither Rig because it’s sometimes more weedless than a jig. With the skirt, it gives off the profile of a bluegill and the skirt hides the hook more. If I was fishing trees without leaves, I’d throw the half-ounce size and I’d go with a 3/4-ounce version if I was in the really thick stuff.”
Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.
Final Results
1. Ray Hanselman -- Del Rio, Tx -- 20-9 (5) -- 23-5 (5) -- 43-14 (10) -- 16-10 (5) -- 60-8 (15) -- $35,815
2. Kris Wilson -- Montgomery, Tx -- 20-7 (5) -- 16-3 (5) -- 36-10 (10) -- 16-12 (5) -- 53-6 (15) -- $13,878
3. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 21-13 (5) -- 13-3 (5) -- 35-0 (10) -- 17-10 (5) -- 52-10 (15) -- $10,745
4. James Stricklin Jr -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 13-8 (5) -- 18-14 (5) -- 32-6 (10) -- 18-9 (5) -- 50-15 (15) -- $9,206
5. Denny Brauer -- Del Rio, Tx -- 22-14 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 38-8 (10) -- 11-11 (5) -- 50-3 (15) -- $8,058
6. Joe Don Setina -- Pittsburg, Tx -- 23-6 (5) -- 11-0 (4) -- 34-6 (9) -- 15-5 (5) -- 49-11 (14) -- $7,163
7. Tj Goodwyn -- Center, Tx -- 21-11 (5) -- 15-5 (5) -- 37-0 (10) -- 10-10 (5) -- 47-10 (15) -- $6,268
8. Ricky Guy -- Humble, Tx -- 22-13 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 36-11 (10) -- 7-10 (3) -- 44-5 (13) -- $5,372
9. Randy Sitz -- Prosper, Tx -- 19-14 (5) -- 10-13 (5) -- 30-11 (10) -- 10-10 (4) -- 41-5 (14) -- $4,477
10. Tommy Dickerson -- Orange, Tx -- 15-5 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 31-3 (10) -- 3-0 (2) -- 34-3 (12) -- $3,582
The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.
11. Chris McCall -- Brookeland, Tx -- 12-4 (5) -- 18-7 (5) -- 30-11 (10) -- $3,358
12. Cloys Warren -- Bastrop, Tx -- 8-9 (5) -- 21-4 (5) -- 29-13 (10) -- $3,134
13. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 13-0 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 29-10 (10) -- $2,686
14. Nick Lebrun -- Shreveport, La -- 12-6 (5) -- 17-3 (5) -- 29-9 (10) -- $2,686
15. Rob Digh -- Denver, Nc -- 15-1 (5) -- 14-7 (5) -- 29-8 (10) -- $2,938
16. Justin Morton -- Etoile, Tx -- 14-5 (5) -- 15-0 (5) -- 29-5 (10) -- $2,686
17. Troy Broussard -- Beaumont, Tx -- 18-0 (5) -- 11-2 (5) -- 29-2 (10) -- $2,686
18. Thomas Martens -- Jonestown, Tx -- 13-6 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 29-0 (10) -- $2,686
19. Trevor Romans -- Plano, Tx -- 12-3 (5) -- 16-12 (5) -- 28-15 (10) -- $2,686
20. Dicky Newberry -- Houston, Tx -- 13-13 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 28-15 (10) -- $2,686
21. Albert Collins -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 14-6 (5) -- 14-1 (5) -- 28-7 (10) -- $2,462
22. David Mansue -- Hemphill, Tx -- 16-0 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 28-5 (10) -- $2,462
23. Bob Vote -- Kingwood, Tx -- 13-14 (5) -- 14-5 (5) -- 28-3 (10) -- $2,462
24. Corey Harris -- Chatham, La -- 18-15 (5) -- 8-10 (5) -- 27-9 (10) -- $2,462
25. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 15-9 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 27-3 (10) -- $2,462
26. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 16-0 (5) -- 10-11 (5) -- 26-11 (10) -- $2,238
27. Eric Wright -- Balch Springs, Tx -- 14-5 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 26-10 (10) -- $2,238
28. Lance Duff -- Liberty, Tx -- 10-15 (5) -- 15-5 (5) -- 26-4 (10) -- $2,238
29. Matt Cooper -- Smithville, Tx -- 9-10 (4) -- 16-5 (5) -- 25-15 (9) -- $2,238
30. Jeff Cade -- Richardson, Tx -- 22-10 (5) -- 3-3 (2) -- 25-13 (7) -- $2,238
31. Chris Russell -- Montgomery, Tx -- 14-11 (5) -- 10-15 (5) -- 25-10 (10) -- $1,791
32. Kevin Lasyone -- Dry Prong, La -- 10-10 (5) -- 14-15 (5) -- 25-9 (10) -- $1,791
33. Travis McGuire -- Lubbock, Tx -- 15-12 (5) -- 9-1 (5) -- 24-13 (10) -- $1,791
34. Joey Romano -- Denham Springs, La -- 12-8 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 24-7 (10) -- $1,791
35. Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 12-15 (5) -- 11-2 (5) -- 24-1 (10)
36. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 12-7 (5) -- 11-7 (5) -- 23-14 (10)
37. Eric Brigman -- Bryan, Tx -- 14-5 (5) -- 9-6 (5) -- 23-11 (10)
38. T W Hardy -- Silsbee, Tx -- 15-14 (5) -- 7-12 (5) -- 23-10 (10)
39. T.R Andreas -- Kerrville, Tx -- 10-11 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 23-10 (10)
40. Stephen Johnston -- Hemphill, Tx -- 12-7 (5) -- 11-2 (5) -- 23-9 (10)
41. Craig Workman -- Fort Worth, Tx -- 13-11 (5) -- 9-13 (5) -- 23-8 (10)
42. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 13-4 (5) -- 10-3 (5) -- 23-7 (10)
43. Bill Oshinn -- Granite Bay, Ca -- 13-7 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 23-3 (10)
44. Michael Lafleur -- Orangefield, Tx -- 12-13 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 23-2 (10)
45. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 11-8 (5) -- 11-6 (5) -- 22-14 (10)
46. Rogelio Abrego -- Laredo, Tx -- 9-5 (5) -- 13-4 (4) -- 22-9 (9)
47. Jeromy Francis -- Magnolia, Tx -- 8-8 (5) -- 13-10 (5) -- 22-2 (10)
48. Terry Stevens -- Hutto, Tx -- 7-2 (4) -- 14-15 (5) -- 22-1 (9)
49. Neal Gilmore -- Magnolia, Tx -- 7-9 (4) -- 14-7 (5) -- 22-0 (9)
50. Gene Eisenmann -- Frisco, Tx -- 10-8 (5) -- 10-15 (5) -- 21-7 (10)
51. Ed Klobas -- Arlington, Tx -- 11-6 (5) -- 10-0 (5) -- 21-6 (10)
52. Andy Gaia -- Tomball, Tx -- 12-1 (5) -- 8-13 (5) -- 20-14 (10)
53. Tommy Murray -- Bedford, Tx -- 12-7 (5) -- 8-4 (5) -- 20-11 (10)
54. Mike Richardson -- Thorndale, Tx -- 12-0 (5) -- 8-11 (4) -- 20-11 (9)
55. Andrew Upshaw -- Sapulpa, Ok -- 7-14 (5) -- 12-12 (5) -- 20-10 (10)
56. Ken Smith -- Dallas, Tx -- 8-15 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 20-9 (10)
57. Charles Dubroc -- Hessmer, La -- 14-8 (5) -- 5-12 (3) -- 20-4 (8)
58. Ryan Bowman -- Seneca, SC -- 9-6 (5) -- 10-13 (5) -- 20-3 (10)
59. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 8-13 (5) -- 11-4 (5) -- 20-1 (10)
60. Randy Deaver -- Blanchard, La -- 5-12 (3) -- 14-4 (5) -- 20-0 (8)
61. Justin Margraves -- Diana, Tx -- 11-8 (5) -- 8-8 (5) -- 20-0 (10)
62. Joshua Moore -- Grand Cane, La -- 10-7 (5) -- 9-7 (5) -- 19-14 (10)
63. Philip Crelia -- Center, Tx -- 11-2 (5) -- 8-11 (5) -- 19-13 (10)
64. Darryl Folse -- Glynn, La -- 10-3 (5) -- 9-10 (5) -- 19-13 (10)
65. Timothy Griffin -- Zapata, Tx -- 10-8 (5) -- 9-4 (5) -- 19-12 (10)
66. Trea Luedke -- Montgomery, Tx -- 9-10 (5) -- 10-1 (5) -- 19-11 (10)
67. Brendan Kennell -- Del Rio, Tx -- 11-4 (5) -- 8-6 (5) -- 19-10 (10)
68. Jeff Bridges -- Lumberton, Tx -- 11-3 (5) -- 8-5 (5) -- 19-8 (10)
69. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 8-15 (5) -- 10-8 (5) -- 19-7 (10)
70. Craig Frilot -- Breaux Bridge, La -- 10-4 (4) -- 9-3 (5) -- 19-7 (9)
71. Charlie King -- Coushatta, La -- 9-5 (5) -- 10-0 (5) -- 19-5 (10)
72. Bill Cook -- Houston, Tx -- 9-5 (5) -- 10-0 (5) -- 19-5 (10)
73. Walt Roberts -- Village Mills, Tx -- 8-14 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 19-3 (10)
74. Gary Lafreniere -- Asherton, Tx -- 6-14 (4) -- 12-3 (5) -- 19-1 (9)
75. Alton Wilhoit -- Harrah, Ok -- 9-12 (5) -- 9-3 (5) -- 18-15 (10)
76. Lamar Ward -- Willis, Tx -- 9-7 (4) -- 9-6 (5) -- 18-13 (9)
77. Phil Marks -- Dallas, Tx -- 10-0 (5) -- 8-12 (5) -- 18-12 (10)
78. Holt Markum -- Irving, Tx -- 6-11 (5) -- 11-8 (5) -- 18-3 (10)
79. Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Tx -- 8-12 (5) -- 9-6 (5) -- 18-2 (10)
80. Robert Kenyon -- Cordova, Tn -- 8-9 (5) -- 9-7 (5) -- 18-0 (10)
81. Chris Wilkerson -- Conroe, Tx -- 9-14 (5) -- 7-15 (5) -- 17-13 (10)
82. Jerrel Pringle -- Hemphill, Tx -- 5-12 (3) -- 11-15 (5) -- 17-11 (8)
83. William Flournoy -- Diboll, Tx -- 9-11 (5) -- 7-12 (5) -- 17-7 (10)
84. Jerry Propst -- Jasper, Tx -- 9-4 (5) -- 8-0 (5) -- 17-4 (10)
85. Chris King -- Jasper, Tx -- 10-11 (5) -- 6-7 (4) -- 17-2 (9)
86. Randy Despino -- Colfax, La -- 12-1 (5) -- 5-0 (2) -- 17-1 (7)
87. Chase Markum -- Paradise, Tx -- 7-9 (3) -- 9-6 (5) -- 16-15 (8)
88. John Hatton -- Buna, Tx -- 8-15 (5) -- 8-0 (5) -- 16-15 (10)
89. Lamonte Loyd -- Gilmer, Tx -- 8-12 (5) -- 7-12 (5) -- 16-8 (10)
90. Clifton Coffey -- Liberty Hill, Tx -- 11-13 (5) -- 4-8 (3) -- 16-5 (8)
91. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, Tx -- 5-3 (3) -- 11-2 (5) -- 16-5 (8)
92. Harley Brigman -- Bryan, Tx -- 9-3 (5) -- 6-14 (4) -- 16-1 (9)
93. Philip Henderson -- Pineville, La -- 8-1 (5) -- 7-9 (5) -- 15-10 (10)
94. Joe Gerard -- Concordia, Ks -- 11-1 (5) -- 4-5 (3) -- 15-6 (8)
95. Bo Keith -- Haughton, La -- 9-13 (5) -- 5-6 (3) -- 15-3 (8)
96. Shane McKnight -- Greenwell Springs, La -- 5-7 (3) -- 9-11 (4) -- 15-2 (7)
97. Craig Schuff -- Springtown, Tx -- 6-11 (1) -- 8-3 (4) -- 14-14 (5)
98. Dean Perkins -- Broaddus, Tx -- 12-2 (5) -- 2-10 (1) -- 14-12 (6)
99. Rob Burns -- Plano, Tx -- 7-2 (5) -- 7-9 (5) -- 14-11 (10)
100. Donnie O'neal -- Pflugerville, Tx -- 12-5 (5) -- 2-2 (1) -- 14-7 (6)
101. Mike Dorcz -- Humble, Tx -- 6-14 (4) -- 7-7 (4) -- 14-5 (8)
102. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 5-7 (3) -- 7-11 (5) -- 13-2 (8)
103. Robert Sparks -- Heflin, La -- 7-3 (5) -- 5-12 (4) -- 12-15 (9)
104. Kevin Gressett -- Tioga, Tx -- 7-5 (3) -- 5-9 (3) -- 12-14 (6)
105. Craig Massey -- Houston, Tx -- 12-6 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 12-6 (5)
106. Randy Cisler -- Mesquite, Tx -- 8-5 (5) -- 4-1 (2) -- 12-6 (7)
107. Brian Ankrum -- Natalia, Tx -- 5-6 (3) -- 7-0 (4) -- 12-6 (7)
108. Gary Brooks -- New Braunfels, Tx -- 5-7 (3) -- 6-11 (3) -- 12-2 (6)
109. Rick Carter -- Alba, Tx -- 7-8 (5) -- 3-11 (2) -- 11-3 (7)
110. Justin Woodall -- Shreveport, La -- 9-8 (5) -- 1-8 (1) -- 11-0 (6)
111. Steve Conselvi -- Eureka, Ca -- 6-9 (4) -- 4-7 (3) -- 11-0 (7)
112. Tim Reneau -- Del Rio, Tx -- 10-3 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-3 (5)
113. Andrew McClusky -- Silsbee, Tx -- 7-14 (5) -- 1-11 (1) -- 9-9 (6)
114. Chase Brooks -- Iraan, Tx -- 3-3 (2) -- 6-6 (3) -- 9-9 (5)
115. Jeff Cloud -- Lubbock, Tx -- 8-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-13 (5)
116. J.B. Young -- Deer Park, Tx -- 8-13 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-13 (3)
117. Kenneth Chapman -- Odessa, Tx -- 1-11 (1) -- 7-2 (2) -- 8-13 (3)
118. Greg Gelner -- Belton, Tx -- 1-12 (1) -- 6-9 (5) -- 8-5 (6)
119. Adam Amick -- Boerne, Tx -- 7-5 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-5 (5)
120. Kevin Madeley -- Vidor, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-4 (3) -- 6-4 (3)
121. Chris Hart -- Bozeman, Mt -- 2-13 (2) -- 3-7 (2) -- 6-4 (4)
122. Leo Hill -- Cypress, Tx -- 2-7 (1) -- 3-12 (2) -- 6-3 (3)
123. Kelly Owens -- Crowley, La -- 6-2 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-2 (4)
124. Bob Kujan Jr -- Belton, Tx -- 2-13 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-13 (2)
125. Jake Hufstetler -- Lufkin, Tx -- 1-14 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 1-14 (1)
Mark Rouse -- League City, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
