Record crowds are expected at the weigh-ins for the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the Sabine River at Orange, Texas, this week – the kick-off for the 2015 Elite Series schedule – but the fishing might be another story, said veteran B.A.S.S. pro Davy Hite.

Heavy rains along the river system are going to make the fishing “challenging,” said Hite, who won the 1999 Bassmaster Classic in the Louisiana Delta east of the Sabine drainage, a water system somewhat similar to the backwater sloughs and log-jammed bayous along the Sabine.

“The river is way up. There has been a lot of rain here – and a lot of rain north of here. They have nine flood gates open at Toledo Bend and that water is coming here. It’s the same at Sam Rayburn. There’s just a lot of water coming out of those two lakes.”

That said, Hite believes the fishing will actually be better this week than it was in 2013, the only other time the Elite Series has come to the Sabine. That’s because it’s been a while between hurricanes, he said.

“Hurricanes come through here every 5 to 10 years and that kills a lot of the freshwater fish,” Hite said, noting that the saltwater intrusion not only kills bass, but a lot of the forage fish the bass feed on.

“The longer these bass have been between hurricanes the larger they get and the better the population gets. It’s real similar to the Louisiana Delta where I won the Classic,” he said. “If the hurricanes did not have such an impact on the freshwater fish there would be world records here. It is just such a food factory.”

Since it has been a while between hurricanes, Hite said he believes the fish will be bigger and there will be more of them to fish for this week – in spite of the high water from all the rains.

And, in spite of the high water, the river is a great fishery and Orange is a great town to hold an Elite tournament, he said.

“When we were here two years ago it was the greatest crowd ever at an Elite event, so it’s going to be great to kick off a new season with 9,000 or 10,000 or more at the weigh-ins.”

When the Elite Series last visited Orange in March 2013, records were shattered with 33,650 people attending the event over four days. The mark smashed the previous attendance record of 17,920, set in 2011 in Decatur, Ala., by a whopping 15,730 fans. The 2013 event in Orange also broke the record for single-day attendance at an Elite Series event, with 14,950 fans turning out for the Saturday weigh-in. The previous record was 14,050 at the Decatur event in 2011.

 

Bassmaster Elite Series

Mar 19-22, 2015

Sabine River – near Orange, TX

City of Orange Boat Ramp

www.bassmaster.com