Jason Bonds, of Lufkin, and Billy Howell, of Galveston, brought 24.82 pounds of bass to the scales to win the final regular-season event of the 2013 season of the Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela’s on June 1 at Cedar Creek Lake.
The winning anglers took home a new boat and motor, valued at $25,000.
Despite having never fished Cedar Creek Lake before, the winning anglers persisted through a tough day of fishing points with Carolina rigs.
“We didn’t have a clue where to go,” said Bonds. “We stopped at the first bridge. Everyone around us were killing the fish, but we couldn’t get a bite.”
After a few changes in locations and losing a few big fish, the team took a break to catch their breath.
“I lost a three and half-pounder at the boat,” said Bonds. “I had to sit down and get a drink and compose myself. But I guess that’s what it took. After that, we started catching them.”
With an initial limit of 12 pounds, the team concentrated on improving their overall weight.
“We culled a few fish around noon and I felt like we had a pretty good limit,” said Bonds. “I told my partner that I thought we were about a seven or eight-pounder away from winning this and about ten minutes later we catch a seven-pounder.”
The anglers added $1,530 in Angler’s Advantage cash to take home a total of $26,530 in cash and prizes. This win put the team into third place in the standings for TXTT Team of the Year.
Second-place finishers Mike Burns, of Lucas, and Rob Burns, of Plano, weighed a total of 21.62 pounds of bass to take home over $5,000, including Angler’s Advantage cash.
Fishing with large crankbaits on points near the launch area, the team credits preparation and meditation as the key to their strong performance.
Landan Ware, of Jewett, and Russell Lee, of Sachse, took home the $2,355 third-place prize and $1,020 in Angler’s Advantage cash for their 21.27-pound limit.
The anglers reported high winds and caught 30 keepers on crankbaits and Carolina rigs.
The next stop for the Texas Team Trail is the two-day TXTT Championship on legendary Falcon Lake on October 12-13. The championship will feature high payouts with unprecedented contingency opportunities.
For additional information, anglers are encouraged to call 210-788-4143 or check out the TXTT website at www.texasteamtrail.com.
