A dense fog on Sam Rayburn Reservoir forced the cancellation of the final day of competition Saturday at the FLW Series Southwestern Division opener on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Dry Prong, La. resident Kevin Lasyone, who led the first two days of competition and was set to start day 3 with a 10 1/2-pound lead, was declared the winner. Lasyone’s two-day total of 53-01 earned him the victory and a winner’s check worth $54,200.
The top 10 were in the water for most of the morning on Saturday, waiting for the fog to dissipate and competition to resume. When the fog did not lift, tournament director Ron Lappin and FLW officials made the decision to cancel the final day shortly before 11 a.m., due to safety concerns.
“We didn’t see conditions improving,” Lappin said. “So, we opted on the side of safety.”
Lasyone said he agreed with the decision and was happy to earn his first career FLW Series win, but was still disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to fish the final day of competition.
“I was really looking forward to fishing all day at my spot,” Lasyone said. “The past few days I’ve left the area early, trying to manage my fish for three days of competition. I was planning to fish there all day today. It’s great to get the win, though. The Good Lord blessed me and when it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Lasyone said his spot was a 150-yard stretch located in the middle of a community hole. He sat his boat in depths of about 25 feet while he made casts up to depths of 12 to 15 feet, dragging his black, blue and gold-colored 3/4-ounce V&M Sneaky Snake jig amid a few isolated stumps.
“The fish that I caught were pre-spawn – fat and healthy,” Lasyone said. “There was a younger guy near me, but he was fishing shallow. I was making sure to keep my boat out in 25 to 30 feet. The key was really slowing down. I had to fish extremely slow.”
Lasyone said he added in a V&M Wild Thang worm with a1/2-ounce weight on Friday.
“On Thursday my co-angler and I put around a dozen keepers in the boat. Friday, we caught 20 to 25. The fish were pulling in and reloading. I knew when I found this big school in practice that it had potential, but I didn’t realize that they were that big.”
When asked about the jig trailer that he had been throwing, Lasyone was coy.
“I don’t mind talking about the Sneaky Snake jig, but I’m going to keep my trailer close to the vest at this point. I will say that I was planning to throw a different one today.”
Here are the final totals for the Top 10:
1. Kevin Lasyone: 53-01
2. T.J. Goodwyn: 42-09
3. Scotty Villines: 41-03
4. Kris Wilson: 39-05
5. Darold Gleason: 37-11
6. Jon Englund: 36-07
7. Billy Billeaud: 35-14
8. Garrett Hilton: 35-12
9. Jason Bonds: 35-09
10. Christopher Jones: 35-06
