Dean wins on Cedar Creek

MALAKOFF, Texas – Scott Dean won the Boater Division won the American Bass Anglers Open Series, Presented by Caymas Boats tournament held on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Cedar Creek.

The Caymas pro-staffer from Terrell landed a 5-bass tournament limit weighing 18.59 pounds. Dean finished with a 3.72-pound average. 

“Most of my fish came on spinnerbaits,” Dean advised. “I was going along behind people throwing other baits and working my spinnerbait. It was a different look for the fish. The fish were so shallow I could see them hitting my spinnerbait. I made a pass through one area and caught a fish just as I was coming out. That tipped me off to where they were. I went back through that area and caught a limit. I caught about 12 keepers and culled twice. I culled my last fish at 2 p.m.”

The division 2023 season opener was originally scheduled for Feb. 25 at Richland Chambers Reservoir in Corsicana, Texas. However, that event was rescheduled to Sunday, March 5, 2023, as the second part of a doubleheader. The new division season opener took place as Part 1 of the doubleheader on Saturday March 4.

Both tournaments took place at Cedar Creek Reservoir and ran out of the Log Cabin ramp in Malakoff. These two events were completely separate tournaments, not a 2-day tournament. On Saturday, Dean placed fourth with five bass at 16.24 pounds.

In second place for the boaters on Sunday Matt R. Helsley of Duncanville found five good keepers for 17.94 pounds. One of his keepers outshined the rest. Helsley capped that catch with a 5.91-pounder that took the tournament lunker title. During the Saturday tournament, Helsley also placed second with five bass at 20.68 pounds. 

“I went out in the first boat on Sunday and that made a difference because we had a lot more people on the lake than the previous day,” Helsley commented. “I had the spot all to myself the previous day. I fished slow at the edge of the grass with creature baits. I only culled once.”

Locking down the third spot for the boaters during the Sunday tournament, Michael W. Allen from Clarksville finished with a 5-bass limit weighing 15.64 pounds. He anchored that bag with a 4.81-pound kicker. 

In fourth place for the boaters on Sunday, Robert E. Anderson of Alba brought in five keepers for 14.03 pounds. Rounding out the top five boaters on Sunday, Garrett D. Whitley from Quinlan landed five bass going 13.38 pounds with a 4.78-pound kicker. Whitley won the Saturday tournament with five bass and 21.83 pounds, including an 8.46-pounder that won the Saturday lunker race.

In the Co-Angler Division on Sunday, Lynn Roller of Fort Worth won with a 3-bass division limit going 11.04 pounds. That gave him a winning average of 3.68 pounds. 

“I mostly threw a finesse rig with a split-shot in five feet of water or less,” Roller reported. “I caught my biggest bass on a Berkley Frittside Junior crankbait. I landed my first fish at about 7:15 a.m. and had a limit by 10:45 a.m. The lake came up a couple inches overnight. I fished mostly around hay grass.”

Taking second for the co-anglers on Sunday, Jordan C. Clayton from Wichita Falls found three keepers for 10.79 pounds. One of them dropped the scale to 4.48 pounds. He found some unusual fish-holding cover to bag his bass.

“I threw a black and blue Jackhammer ChatterBait with a blue baby craw trailer,” Clayton detailed. “I caught both of my big fish off a lawn chair in about a foot of water on back-to-back casts at noon. I didn’t even have a bite until noon.” 

Rickey R. Morris came down from Calera, Okla. to placed third among the co-anglers on Sunday. He brought in three bass for 9.95 pounds. One of those weighed 5.60 pounds, giving Morris the division big bass honors. 

“I got all my bites and caught all my bass by flipping a Texas rig with a green pumpkin Senko around grass, laydowns, and retainer walls,” Morris said. “We got on a pattern around cuts and retainer walls. I had a limit by 8 a.m. and caught 10 keepers throughout the day.”

Jimmy “Griff” W. Griffith of Athens, Texas, placed fourth on Sunday for the co-anglers with three bass going 9.30 pounds. That included a 4.51-pound kicker. Griffith won the Saturday tournament with three bass at 10.56 pounds topped by a 6.06-pounder that took the division lunker award. 

Mike P. Reilly from Canton finished fifth for the co-anglers during the Sunday tournament. He brought in three keepers weighing 8.90 pounds. In the Saturday tournament, Reilly finished second with three keepers at 9.48 pounds during his first ABA event and the first time he ever fished Cedar Creek Reservoir. 

The division next visits Lake Tawakoni on May 13, 2023, for the third event of the season. That tournament runs out of the West Public ramp in Quinlan, Texas. To register for the May 2023 tournament, CLICK HERE.

American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, T-H Marine, Power Pole, RT Outdoors, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression.

For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.

This story was written by ABA staff writer John N. Felsher. To submit articles of interest email info@americanbassanglers.com.