Fishing during the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Fork May 9-11 should be phenomenal, according to FLW Tour pro Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C., who will be fishing in his first competition on the fabled Texas lake.

“The only time I have fished it was when I went over there and spent a couple of days on the water after the Sam Rayburn tournament (in late March),” Arey said. Arey finished 38^th at Rayburn, but followed that with a win on Beaver Lake April 10 and is now ranked 16^th in the FLW Tour AOY standings.

“When I was there the fish were coming up to spawn, so it is definitely going to be post spawn for us. I don’t think the fish will be all the way out deep. They will be on the secondary stuff on the way out,” he said.

“The shad spawn might also play a role in the tournament,” added Arey who hopes to improve on his outcome in the two previous TTBCs he has fished. Arey finished 32^nd in 2012 and 42^nd last year in the TTBC, both on Lake Conroe.

“Lake Conroe is an absolutely phenomenal fishing lake, but we were there at the absolute worst time (October) and I struggled in both those tournaments, but I am looking forward to turning it around at Lake Fork,” he said.

When he starts practice Arey said he will do a lot of riding and graphing the deep structure.

“I’ll be trying to find those little groups of big females that have done their thing, areas that can stand three or four days of pressure. I really need to dial into one or two of those areas. I plan to practice shallow and deep, but I think the tournament will be won deep,” he said.

The slot limit will also play a major role in the outcome of the tournament, he said. Due to the 16- to 24-inch slot limit on Lake Fork, there are no professional competitions held there, so this will be the first time, since the 2008 TTBC, that professional anglers will take to the water for a pro competition.

“Because of the slot limit there will be a lot of 3- and 4-pounders we can keep in the bag so there will be a lot of 20-pound bags weighed in,” said Arey who qualified by being one of the top 15 anglers in the PAA Tournament Series AOY points. The three-day tournament combines the top 15 in Angler of the Year (AOY) points from all three major tournament trails including the Bassmaster Elite Series, FLW Tour, and PAA Tournament Series.

The anglers will compete on Lake Fork for three days, with the field being reduced to the top-10 for the final round on Sunday, May 11. The tournament is a non-entry fee event and all 50 competing anglers will receive guaranteed prize money.

“It’s going to be a power fishing tournament,” Arey said. “I plan to get down there and throw big baits – and catch big fish. It should be a blast.”

 

Toyota Texas Bass Classic

May 9-11, 2014

Lake Fork

Sabine River Authority

http://www.toyotatexasbassclassic.com