DENTON, Texas — Set an alarm for noon. Then set another one for 5 p.m.
If you’ve been following the action on Lake Ray Roberts for the 10th annual Toyota Texas Bass Classic, those are two times you’ll want to remember. The 5 p.m. hour is when the champion of this prestigious tournament will be crowned and awarded $100,000, a Nitro Z20 with dual Power-Poles, and bragging rights that he was tops among a field that included 38 of the best bass anglers in the world.
But the noon hour, well, that’s when the mystery really begins.
From the 7 a.m. launch today at Lake Ray Roberts State Park until 12 p.m., the 10 remaining anglers in the field (not to mention the fans back home,) will be able to follow the action via a live leaderboard located at www.toyotatexasfest.com.
But from noon until 3:15 when the Tundra 10 are finished fishing for the day, that leaderboard will be turned off. That means that the anglers, and of course the fans, will be left in suspense until the TTBC champion is crowned Sunday afternoon.
That’s a really significant feature of this tournament, especially considering that the majority of remaining anglers anticipate the best bites of the day to happen very early (in the first hour,) and then to settle until the afternoon hours. If that happens, there could be significant movement throughout the standings, and it will be unbeknownst to everyone except the guy reeling in the hogs.
Matt Herren entered Sunday’s action with a two-day total of 34 pounds, 8 ounces. The 11 remaining anglers are all within 4-4 of the lead, though, which means that one significant bite could determine the champion.
Herren is followed by Andy Morgan (34-0,) Bryan Thrift (33-12,) Dave Lefebre (32-4,) Chris Zaldain (32-0,) Kevin VanDam (31-8,) Cody Meyer (31-4,) Luke Clausen (30-8,) and Greg Hackney and Aaron Martens (both with 30-4.)
It’s one of the closest final fields in the history of this event, which is a major fundraiser for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s youth and urban outreach programs. And every man in the Tundra 10 knows they have a chance to win.
“I wouldn’t have been working until 2 a.m. this morning to get second (place,)” Martens said. “I’m glad I’m not seven or eight pounds out. Really, four pounds isn’t that much. It’s one fish.”
Morgan said adjusting to conditions today will continue to be a major factor in the TTBC. The anglers have been faced with a myriad of variables so far – high water that began falling quickly, gale-force winds in practice giving way to calm days, cloud cover clearing into bright skies, and a full moon that always seems to affect fish in strange ways.
“I wish I was dialed in on something,” said Morgan, who has the biggest bag of the tournament so far with a 22-0 pound limit on Saturday. “I’d like to make one cast and there’s 10 pounds, but we know that’s not the case. I was talking with (Herren) last night, and it’s going to be cloudy again, so that will change things up again. That’s what keeps us engaged as pros … It’s the game, the guess.”
Lefebre said he’s not counting on Morgan’s weather prediction. He also wasn’t planning on making the Tundra 10, after having caught no fish on Saturday by noon. But the bite eventually went in his favor.
“I think the weatherman here is worse than where I live in Erie, Pennsylvania,” he joked. “I think it’s going to be pretty similar to yesterday; sunny, but a little more windy … But just to make the cut is a blessing. I caught them really late yesterday to get in here, and I’m getting the bites to blow it away if I can get the stupid things in the boat. I’ve got a one-track mind with two rods rigged exactly the same way. That’s it. I’m ready to go.”
Herren knows his lead heading into Sunday is tenuous, but he’s confident he can find the fish to stave off the field.
“I just have to fish,” he said. “We’ll all play the cards we’re dealt … I’ve been struggling in the mornings, so I’m going to start off a little differently. We’ll see how that goes.”
And so will everyone else – until noon, at least. The final story won’t be known until 5 p.m.
