POTTSBORO, Texas – Lake Texoma is known as a diverse impoundment that possesses healthy populations of both smallmouth and largemouth bass. However, Texoma can get tough in windy conditions as anglers tend to congregate due to travel limitations. Ironically, the windy conditions experienced at the 2017 Texas Team Trail event, presented by Cabela’s, helped the winning team of Josh Williams and Michael Roger. Instead of running to their preferred pocket, Williams and Roger were forced to stay in the Caney/Solider Creek area and fish methodically. To their surprise, it turned out to be the perfect program.

Williams and Roger started the day targeting smallmouths. They caught a few small ones, but knew the pattern wasn’t strong enough. They attempted to run to their primary area, but the wind forced them to a different marina, where they had one spawning bass marked on their GPS.

“We had that one marked, but we caught another bed fish that we stumbled on,” said Williams. “We could barely see the two fish we caught on beds; it was dingy. It was windy, but where we were it was somewhat protected.”

After triggering both to bite, they experienced a lull. Instead of prowling the shallows in search of more spawners, Williams and Roger backed away from the bank and hit the jackpot.

“From 1 to 2 p.m. we hit a flurry,” added Roger. “We finished our limit and culled two or three times.”

At 2 p.m. their kicker bit, and chaos ensued.

“I told him when I hooked the big one that if we get this fish in, we got a shot at winning a boat,” recalled Williams. “Of course, it jumped several times.”

Williams and Roger’s late flurry came from a series of brush piles in 10 to 12 feet. Their kicker, which registered as the Big Bass of the tournament, weighed 8.70 pounds.

“This was an old area where I set some brush piles years ago,” Williams explained. “We fished some of that old brush and some new brush that someone else planted. All those brush fish were post-spawners.”

When targeting mid-depth brush, Williams and Roger Texas-rigged a Cajun Lures Brush Hawg (watermelon red).

When they sight-fished, they employed a Cajun Lures Bayou Bug (white). Their other weigh fish came from a Santone Lures swim jig (Matt’s Blue Herron) with a swimbait trailer.

“The key for us was the wind,” said Williams. “We would’ve went to a different area if it hadn’t been so windy. The wind forced us to slow down and fish thoroughly. It forced us to make multiple casts at the targets.”

For five bass that officially weighed 22.66 pounds, Williams and Roger earned a RangerZ519 with a 225-horsepower Evinrude outboard. In addition, they claimed $1,830 of Anglers Advantage cash and $1,065 for Big Bass. Their total payday was $42,895.

“We’ve been fishing these Texas Team Trail events for three years,” concluded Williams. “This is the best of the best. To win one of these, you have to out-fish some big sticks. It’s pretty amazing.”

Lauck-Martin second

Less than a pound behind Williams and Roger with 21.82 was Robert Lauck and Ted Martin. Their big fish weighed 5.11 pounds.

With $1,342 in Anglers Advantage cash, the two earned $6,667.

Idleman-Vaca third

Doyle Idleman and Marco Vaca finished third with a five-bass limit weighing 21.44 pounds. The two started the morning on a shad-spawn pattern until the wind closed that brief window.

“Then we went bed fishing,” said Idleman. “We found them late yesterday on beds. We had probably 10 or 12 marked, but we weren’t real sure on the quality because the water was so dingy, even in just 2 or 3 feet. But every fish we weighed came from bed fishing.”

Idleman and Vaca primarily used Biffle Bugs in green pumpkin and watermelon colors. They first got the spawning bass fired up by throwing swimbaits or flukes before following up with the Biffle Bug.

“Late in the day we were in this pocket looking for more beds. We came across a laydown and fired a ChatterBait up near it. A giant came up and just smoked the bait, but it only got the trailer. It was a 5- to 6-pound fish that would have helped us big time. It would’ve culled out a 3-pounder.”

For third place, Idleman and Vaca earned $4,415.

“We feel real fortunate. We had a good day, but if we would’ve got that one ChatterBait fish it would’ve been a great day.”

Strickland-Telles fourth, Albus-Guzman fifth

Kevin Strickland and Casie Telles weighed five bass worth 20.19 pounds, taking fourth place and earning $3,167. Behind them was Nicholas Albus and Jim Guzman with 20.66 pounds. Anchoring Albus and Guzman’s stringer was an 8.03-pound largemouth, the second biggest bass of the day. For fifth place, they earned $2,762.50.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 teams at the 2017 Texas Team Trail event on Lake Texoma:

6th: Lance Robelia and Russell Parrish, 20.01

7th: Jeff Reynolds and Johnny Thompson, 19.51

8th: Lee Yowell and Brian Schott, 19.17

9th: Scott and Hayden Burkett, 18.94

10th: Spencer McAlester and Terry Alsup, 18.87

Up next

The final event of the 2017 season, the Texas Team Trail Championship presented by Cabela’s, is slated for June 3-4 on Lake Livingston.