Sticking With Frog Paid Off For Crelia

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

The Spro Bronzeye Popper Frog looks pretty gnarly for having been out of the package only a couple weeks (see picture below). The white paint is mostly stripped away. The fierce red eyes are nearly worn off. Very little of the red paint on the nose of the bait has survived. The skirt legs are intact, but who knows how much longer they can hang on.

“It held up,” said Philip Crelia, who put the frog through the rigors last week, using it to catch every fish he weighed and then some to win the Sam Rayburn Texas EverStart in wire-to-wire fashion.

His 47-04 total over 3 days was a little more than 3 pounds heavier than runner-up Kris Wilson. Wind was a factor throughout the tournament, especially on day 3 when just six of the 10 contestants weighed a limit, and Crelia won despite bringing just two fish to the scales on the final day. But having fished Rayburn steadily since his pre-teen years, he relied on his vast knowledge of the reservoir to lock up his first EverStart Series title.

“It’s still hard to wrap my head around it,” he said. “I thought I would do well, but I didn’t think I’d have a chance of winning it.”

Here’s how he did it.

Practice

Crelia put in 3 solid days of practice on what he considers his home waters -- he lives equidistant between Rayburn and Toledo Bend -- and thought a deep-cranking gameplan would be the ticket as he couldn’t get decent size on the frog program.

The weather was warm and calm, but he knew that if the wind picked up -- and it did -- the fish would push up on an adjacent flat.

“Having so much time on that lake, I knew what the weather conditions would make the fish do,” he added. “I told a buddy if I get wind and clouds, it could be good.”

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 19-02
> Day 2: 5, 18-14
> Day 3: 2, 9-04
> Total = 12, 47-04

The pleasant conditions that were prevalent throughout practice gave way to wind and clouds during the tournament and forced Crelia away from his deep-water program.

Early on day 1, as the wind began to pick up, he pulled into his second spot and stuck a 6-pounder with the frog. He didn’t put the frog down and boxed a 7-pounder at the end of the day to anchor his 19-02 limit. He estimates that single frog endured between 200 and 300 blowups over the course of practice and competition.

“I stuck with it the other 2 days and never picked up another bait,” he said. “That’s where it helped knowing the lake.”

The wind blew harder under sunny skies on day 2, but the frog bite continued to produce quantity and quality. He went though 15 keepers and brought a pair of 6-pounders to the stage to give himself nearly a 4-pound lead after 2 days.

“I just knew, with the conditions and the way the wind was blowing, an area that held big fish,” he said. “To get a limit every day, I was having to run and cover a lot of water. I was catching a lot of fish, but for size it was one here and one there.”

He immediately hit his big-fish spot on day 3 because of the bigger winds. Within 20 minutes, he had a 3-pounder and a 6-pounder, which accounted for his final-day weight and sealed the win.

“The fish were still there, but it’s 2 feet of water and you can’t work any other bait through that stuff,” he said, noting the blows of 25-plus mph were crashing waves over his front deck. “I only had 20 minutes to really fish. After that, I was just hunting new water.”

He lost two other fish on day 3, but luckily several other leaders were struggling with the conditions and came in light as well.

“I was sweating it all day,” he said. “I was frustrated with myself for not being be able to get a limit because I knew I had the one good one. I thought if I could have 13 or 14 pounds that would at least make everyone else have to catch them. I saw a couple of the other competitors running around and I knew they wouldn’t be running that hard if they had a real good sack of fish.”

Pattern Notes

While Crelia had a milk run of spots where the frog caught fish, his big-fish spot was a wind-blown, main-lake point where three different types of bank grass converged. It was close to some deeper water and was adjacent to a spawning flat.

“The fish were just set up in there,” he noted. “It’s on the main lake so you have a lot of fish moving through there.”

Sticking with the frog proved to be his best decision, even in the gusty conditions.

“Some people will throw it this time of year, but nobody was willing to throw it last week because they thought it was too windy,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in it. I’ve done really well on the frog and I know they’ll hit it no matter how rough it gets. If the fish are there, they’ll eat it.

“I caught them all in pretty choppy water on days 2 and 3. My co-anglers were telling me there was no way I would get bit.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Frog gear: 7’2” medium-heavy Shimano Cumara casting rod, Abu Garcia Revo SX-HS casting reel (7.1:1 ratio), 65-pound P-Line Spectrex IV Braid line, Spro Bronzeye Popper 60 Frog (albino).

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – “Just having a lot of confidence in the bait. I knew it was going to catch the quality that I needed. And having the local knowledge of where the big ones are supposed to be and instead of fishing a lot of water and catching a lot of little fish, I wasn’t weeding through as many fish as other people were.”

> Performance edge – “On days 2 and 3, my Power-Poles were crucial. Otherwise, every time I’d catch a fish the wind would blow me 200 yards before I could get everthing situated again. The biggest thing though was my Legend boat and being able to get up there and run around. One other thing I was thankful for were my Oxygenators. They really helped me when one of the aerators in my livewell blew on day 1.”

Notable

> Crelia runs Hometown Tackle and Marine in Center, Texas with his father, James Crelia.

> It turned out to be a clean sweep of the weekend for Crelia, who teamed up with his dad on Sunday to win a local club tournament at Sam Rayburn with a 16-pound stringer.

Final Standings

Field Size -- 132 boats

1. Philip Crelia -- Center, Tx -- 19-02 (5) -- 18-14 (5) -- 9-04 (2) -- 47-04 (12) -- $32,189

2. Kris Wilson -- Montgomery, Tx -- 12-08 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 16-11 (5) -- 44-01 (15) -- $11,036

3. Lamonte Loyd -- Gilmer, Tx -- 13-15 (5) -- 20-04 (5) -- 7-10 (3) -- 41-13 (13) -- $9,197

4. Phil Marks -- Dallas, Tx -- 16-14 (5) -- 13-07 (5) -- 8-10 (5) -- 38-15 (15) -- $8,277

5. Justin Morton -- Etoile, Tx -- 13-07 (5) -- 13-05 (5) -- 11-06 (5) -- 38-02 (15) -- $7,357

6. Patrick Fuller -- Tyler, Tx -- 16-12 (5) -- 14-08 (5) -- 5-10 (4) -- 36-14 (14) -- $6,438

7. Timothy Griffin -- Zapata, Tx -- 9-15 (3) -- 19-12 (5) -- 6-13 (1) -- 36-08 (9) -- $5,518

8. Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Tx -- 14-10 (5) -- 11-07 (5) -- 7-15 (5) -- 34-00 (15) -- $4,598

9. Shane Hilton -- Alexandria, La -- 12-09 (5) -- 11-09 (5) -- 9-00 (5) -- 33-02 (15) -- $3,679

10. John Tanner -- Quitman, Tx -- 12-06 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 9-00 (5) -- 33-00 (15) -- $2,759

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Keith Combs -- Huntington, Tx -- 13-13 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 23-08 (10) -- $1,839

12. Buz Craft -- Vidalia, La -- 11-00 (5) -- 12-07 (5) -- 23-07 (10) -- $1,839

13. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 9-09 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 23-04 (10) -- $1,839

14. Stephen Johnston -- Hemphill, Tx -- 9-08 (5) -- 13-09 (5) -- 23-01 (10) -- $1,839

15. John Ballard -- Wichita Falls, Tx -- 9-06 (5) -- 13-10 (5) -- 23-00 (10) -- $1,839

16. David Harvey -- Beaumont, Tx -- 11-14 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 22-10 (10) -- $1,380

17. Jonathan Garrie -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 15-06 (5) -- 7-03 (5) -- 22-09 (10) -- $1,380

18. Larry Byrd -- Lake Charles, La -- 14-05 (5) -- 8-04 (5) -- 22-09 (10) -- $1,380

19. Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 14-03 (5) -- 8-06 (5) -- 22-09 (10) -- $1,380

20. Zach King -- Clarksville, Ar -- 13-12 (5) -- 8-08 (5) -- 22-04 (10) -- $1,380

21. Gary Vining -- Morgan City, La -- 11-10 (5) -- 10-06 (5) -- 22-00 (10) -- $1,288

22. Kevin Lasyone -- Dry Prong, La -- 13-00 (5) -- 8-15 (3) -- 21-15 (8) -- $1,288

23. Dicky Newberry -- Houston, Tx -- 9-14 (5) -- 12-01 (5) -- 21-15 (10) -- $1,288

24. Nicholas Albus -- Trinity, Tx -- 12-15 (5) -- 8-15 (5) -- 21-14 (10) -- $1,288

25. Eric Wright -- Scurry, Tx -- 12-13 (5) -- 9-00 (5) -- 21-13 (10) -- $1,288

26. Chris McCall -- Brookeland, Tx -- 11-13 (5) -- 10-00 (5) -- 21-13 (10) -- $1,196

27. Bob Ramsdell -- Sour Lake, Tx -- 11-05 (5) -- 10-05 (4) -- 21-10 (9) -- $1,196

28. Terry Adams -- Berwick, La -- 11-13 (5) -- 9-09 (5) -- 21-06 (10) -- $1,196

29. Darold Gleason -- Leesville, La -- 9-11 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 21-05 (10) -- $1,196

30. David Mauldin -- Round Rock, Tx -- 10-04 (5) -- 11-00 (5) -- 21-04 (10) -- $1,196

31. Danny Iles -- Hemphill, Tx -- 11-02 (4) -- 9-13 (5) -- 20-15 (9) -- $1,104

32. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 12-03 (5) -- 8-10 (5) -- 20-13 (10) -- $1,104

33. Robert Brown -- Round Rock, Tx -- 13-07 (5) -- 7-05 (5) -- 20-12 (10) -- $1,104

34. Elton Thomae -- Jasper, Tx -- 11-00 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 20-12 (10) -- $1,104

35. Jeff Sprague -- Forney, Tx -- 9-12 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 20-10 (10) -- $1,104

36. Bradley Johnson -- Henderson, Tx -- 12-00 (5) -- 8-06 (5) -- 20-06 (10) -- $1,104

37. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 8-14 (5) -- 11-06 (5) -- 20-04 (10) -- $1,104

38. James Caldemeyer -- Gilmer, Tx -- 7-08 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 20-02 (10) -- $1,104

39. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 12-11 (5) -- 7-06 (5) -- 20-01 (10) -- $1,104

40. Jeremy Guidry -- Opelousas, La -- 10-15 (5) -- 8-15 (5) -- 19-14 (10) -- $1,104

41. Kevin Walker -- Buna, Tx -- 9-11 (5) -- 9-14 (5) -- 19-09 (10) -- $1,012

42. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 10-08 (5) -- 8-14 (5) -- 19-06 (10) -- $1,012

43. Adrian Smiley -- Bossier City, La -- 9-04 (5) -- 10-00 (5) -- 19-04 (10) -- $1,012

44. Holt Markum -- Paradise, Tx -- 12-00 (5) -- 7-01 (5) -- 19-01 (10) -- $1,012

45. Michael Herron -- Paris, Tx -- 9-03 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 18-15 (10)

46. Patrick Starnes -- Zapata, Tx -- 10-01 (5) -- 8-13 (5) -- 18-14 (10)

47. Richard Broxton -- Temple, Tx -- 8-12 (5) -- 10-01 (5) -- 18-13 (10)

48. Jim Phillips -- Greenwood, Ms -- 8-15 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 18-11 (10)

49. Brad Drake -- Paris, Tx -- 9-02 (5) -- 9-07 (5) -- 18-09 (10)

50. Richard Cunningham -- Ragley, La -- 10-10 (5) -- 7-10 (4) -- 18-04 (9)

51. Paul Ferguson -- Whitehouse, Tx -- 10-03 (5) -- 7-14 (5) -- 18-01 (10)

52. Harold Allen -- Shelbyville, Tx -- 8-05 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 18-00 (10)

53. Jeffrey Cade -- Richardson, Tx -- 9-07 (2) -- 8-09 (5) -- 18-00 (7)

54. Cody Malone -- Sulphur Springs, Tx -- 2-11 (2) -- 15-00 (5) -- 17-11 (7)

55. Shane Moore -- Argyle, Tx -- 9-13 (5) -- 7-14 (5) -- 17-11 (10)

56. Bert Thompson -- Benton, La -- 5-12 (4) -- 11-12 (5) -- 17-08 (9)

57. Rick Carter -- Alba, Tx -- 12-00 (5) -- 5-07 (4) -- 17-07 (9)

58. Mark Child -- Mansfield, Tx -- 8-10 (5) -- 8-10 (5) -- 17-04 (10)

59. Bill Lee -- Harker Heights, Tx -- 11-09 (3) -- 5-07 (2) -- 17-00 (5)

60. Jerrel Pringle -- Hemphill, Tx -- 7-06 (4) -- 9-07 (5) -- 16-13 (9)

61. Craig Moore -- Monahans, Tx -- 9-15 (5) -- 6-09 (5) -- 16-08 (10)

62. T W Hardy -- Silsbee, Tx -- 10-02 (5) -- 6-03 (3) -- 16-05 (8)

63. Johnny Winfree -- Deville, La -- 10-13 (5) -- 5-07 (3) -- 16-04 (8)

64. James Stricklin, Jr. -- Texarkana, Tx -- 6-10 (2) -- 9-10 (5) -- 16-04 (7)

65. Tommy Durham -- Whitney, Tx -- 7-02 (5) -- 8-13 (4) -- 15-15 (9)

66. Jeromy Francis -- Magnolia, Tx -- 8-11 (5) -- 7-04 (4) -- 15-15 (9)

67. Trent Durst -- Longview, Tx -- 8-01 (3) -- 7-14 (5) -- 15-15 (8)

68. Tommy Dickerson -- Orange, Tx -- 7-14 (4) -- 8-01 (5) -- 15-15 (9)

69. Brian Clark -- Haltom City, Tx -- 9-05 (5) -- 6-09 (5) -- 15-14 (10)

70. Ricky Campbell -- Waxahachie, Tx -- 7-15 (5) -- 7-15 (4) -- 15-14 (9)

71. Keith Caka -- Montgomery, Tx -- 7-09 (5) -- 8-01 (4) -- 15-10 (9)

72. Chad Griffin -- Cresson, Tx -- 8-15 (5) -- 6-10 (5) -- 15-09 (10)

73. Christopher Brasher -- Spring, Tx -- 11-00 (5) -- 4-08 (2) -- 15-08 (7)

74. Patrick Cascio -- Brookeland, Tx -- 11-14 (5) -- 3-04 (2) -- 15-02 (7)

75. James Bass -- Carthage, Tx -- 9-04 (5) -- 5-14 (4) -- 15-02 (9)

76. Russell Lohman -- Pineville, La -- 6-15 (5) -- 8-01 (5) -- 15-00 (10)

77. Naohiro Maruo -- Justin, Tx -- 7-04 (4) -- 7-10 (5) -- 14-14 (9)

78. Dave Parsons -- Yantis, Tx -- 6-09 (5) -- 8-03 (5) -- 14-12 (10)

79. Keith Surber -- Longview, Tx -- 7-01 (4) -- 7-08 (4) -- 14-09 (8)

80. Ronnie Sharp -- Hammond, La -- 9-02 (3) -- 5-03 (3) -- 14-05 (6)

81. Todd Littleton -- Bossier City, La -- 9-08 (5) -- 4-12 (3) -- 14-04 (8)

82. Ernie Paul -- Longview, Tx -- 5-14 (4) -- 8-02 (3) -- 14-00 (7)

83. Stewart Herndon -- Graham, Tx -- 9-01 (5) -- 4-14 (3) -- 13-15 (8)

84. Brett Harris -- Tyler, Tx -- 9-06 (5) -- 4-07 (4) -- 13-13 (9)

85. Jacky Hawthorne -- Greenville, Tx -- 6-08 (4) -- 7-04 (5) -- 13-12 (9)

86. Rob Burns -- Plano, Tx -- 4-11 (3) -- 8-09 (5) -- 13-04 (8)

87. Dwain Burns -- Long Branch, Tx -- 12-02 (5) -- 0-13 (5) -- 12-15 (10)

88. Joe Gerard -- Concordia, Ks -- 5-11 (4) -- 7-04 (4) -- 12-15 (8)

89. Kerry Fisher -- Midland, Tx -- 8-13 (5) -- 3-12 (2) -- 12-09 (7)

90. Robert Collett -- Zapata, Tx -- 8-04 (5) -- 4-05 (3) -- 12-09 (8)

91. Peter Daniels -- Shreveport, La -- 4-11 (3) -- 7-14 (5) -- 12-09 (8)

92. Dean Perkins -- Broaddus, Tx -- 6-03 (4) -- 6-06 (3) -- 12-09 (7)

93. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 5-06 (3) -- 6-11 (4) -- 12-01 (7)

94. Darren Haydel -- Houma, La -- 8-10 (3) -- 3-03 (2) -- 11-13 (5)

95. Joe Don Setina -- Pittsburg, Tx -- 8-13 (5) -- 2-14 (2) -- 11-11 (7)

96. Gene Eisenmann -- Frisco, Tx -- 7-08 (5) -- 4-03 (3) -- 11-11 (8)

97. Michael Yoder -- Texarkana, Ar -- 7-09 (5) -- 3-09 (2) -- 11-02 (7)

98. Alton Wilhoit -- Harrah, Ok -- 11-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-00 (5)

99. Art Garza -- Buna, Tx -- 7-03 (5) -- 3-11 (2) -- 10-14 (7)

100. Melvin Dunn -- Orange, Tx -- 8-15 (5) -- 1-14 (1) -- 10-13 (6)

101. Aaron Presley -- Moore, Ok -- 4-12 (3) -- 6-01 (4) -- 10-13 (7)

102. Bubba Petrich -- Yorktown, Tx -- 7-14 (5) -- 2-14 (2) -- 10-12 (7)

103. Kelly Jones, Jr. -- Deer Park, Tx -- 3-08 (2) -- 7-04 (5) -- 10-12 (7)

104. Raymond Balcerowicz -- Crosby, Tx -- 1-09 (1) -- 9-00 (5) -- 10-09 (6)

105. Mario Riojas -- Blanchard, Ok -- 3-03 (2) -- 7-04 (5) -- 10-07 (7)

106. Toby Tucker -- Granger, Tx -- 4-13 (3) -- 4-11 (3) -- 9-08 (6)

107. Cloys Warren -- Alvin, Tx -- 5-12 (4) -- 3-08 (2) -- 9-04 (6)

108. Ricky Guy -- Humble, Tx -- 9-02 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-02 (5)

109. Jim Criswell -- Del Rio, Tx -- 6-05 (4) -- 2-11 (2) -- 9-00 (6)

110. Jeff Kitchens -- Henderson, Tx -- 6-06 (3) -- 2-07 (1) -- 8-13 (4)

111. Randy Allen -- Shreveport, La -- 5-01 (3) -- 3-03 (2) -- 8-04 (5)

112. Randy Cisler -- Mesquite, Tx -- 3-04 (2) -- 4-11 (3) -- 7-15 (5)

113. Dan Battarbee -- Zwolle, La -- 1-09 (1) -- 6-00 (3) -- 7-09 (4)

114. Bob Sealy -- Sam Rayburn, Tx -- 7-08 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-08 (5)

115. Mario Carreon -- Las Cruces, Nm -- 7-08 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-08 (5)

116. Marty Sugg -- Pattonville, Tx -- 2-05 (1) -- 5-03 (3) -- 7-08 (4)

117. Torrey Parkhurst -- Weatherford, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-03 (3) -- 7-03 (3)

118. Bill Lloyd -- Brookeland, Tx -- 1-09 (1) -- 5-10 (4) -- 7-03 (5)

119. Raul Morineau -- Mexico City D.F.,Mexico -- 3-05 (2) -- 3-14 (2) -- 7-03 (4)

120. Michael Randolph -- Austin, Tx -- 5-14 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-14 (4)

121. David Mullins -- Coppell, Tx -- 2-01 (1) -- 3-11 (2) -- 5-12 (3)

122. Joey Martin -- Livingston, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-11 (1) -- 5-11 (1)

123. N. Dee Williams -- Cushing, Tx -- 5-01 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-01 (3)

124. Elbia Ebert -- Porter, Tx -- 3-04 (2) -- 1-10 (1) -- 4-14 (3)

125. Trent Huckaby -- Fort Stockton, Tx -- 4-12 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-12 (3)

126. David Truax -- Hemphill, Tx -- 4-10 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-10 (3)

127. Tim McClure -- Tyler, Tx -- 4-09 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-09 (2)

128. Mike Holland -- Ragley, La -- 4-06 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-06 (2)

129. Matthew Scogin -- Magnolia, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-06 (2) -- 3-06 (2)

130. David Curtis -- Trinity, Tx -- 0-00 (5) -- 3-02 (2) -- 3-02 (7)

Arva Butler -- Kirbyville, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Joseph Layton -- Jasper, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

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