ATHENS, Ala. – Chance Ryals of Tahlequah, OK, put together a solid five fish limit this weekend of 17.82 lbs. at Lake Tenkiller, OK, on Saturday near Park Hill. His largest of the 5, weighing 4.30 lbs.
Temperatures in Oklahoma have been average for this time of year but with an abundance of rain. The Corp of Engineers has kept the lake level below the normal pool. Lake Tenkiller is a flood control lake. It can rise and fall over 25 feet and still be accessible for fishing and recreation. The spawn has passed in June, and water temps linger just below 80 degrees. Shad are schooled up, and anglers must act quickly to get the morning bite before the sun comes up. It’s not long before schools of fish return to the lake’s deeper areas. Tenkiller stays relatively clear, with visibility reaching 10-15 feet at times.
Ryals, he had located some fish in deeper water and went to them right away. Lake Tenkiller is deep and cold enough to keep smallmouth bass; we saw some at the scales. For the win, Chance took home the coveted Eagle and a check for $3500.00 He explains his day below.
“I was chasing big schools of fish today. They have gathered up in deep water this time of year. I fished from 10 feet down to 45 feet as the day progressed. I had a limit by 8 am and just kept after it, looking for the better bite. I culled up as much as I could because these fish are all ounces from each other. The weights show how tough it is right now but I’m very happy with today. I couldn’t have done anything else than what I did, and I’m thrilled with the result. This was a very good field of anglers.
All the top 3 anglers had the exact same patterns. They went deep. It was a game of ounces in this event and the weights show it. In second place Eli Brumnett of Wagoner, OK fished a solid event with a 5 fish limit weighing 17.50 lbs. The bigger bites were difficult to find. Eli finishing 2nd took home a check for $1800.00
“I caught my fish on a Ned rig, a minnow, and a bug today. I alternated between those three baits but the deep schools were where I stayed. I had my limit early and kept my nose down. I culled 7 or 8 times but it was a numbers game. I caught 20 today, not nearly as many as Josh but they were the right ones.”
Finishing in 3rd place was Josh Teply of Harrah, OK, with a 5-fish limit of 17.23 lbs. Numbers were not a problem, as many anglers reported 40-50 fish being caught. As the wights show, a 4 lb average for the top 3 anglers was all the lake would show today. For all his fish, Teply added $1200.00 to his pocket.
“I fished deep all day too. Deeper than Eli and Chance. I was in 50-70 feet of water. I started there and stayed there. I had my limit within 30 minutes after take-off and only threw one bait at them. I caught at least 50 fish today just following big schools.”
Many anglers held big bass for this tournament, all hovering around the 4 lb mark until Travis Snyder came in with a smallmouth that broke the 5 lb mark at 5.11 lbs. worth $450.00
Finishing in 4th place was Mitch Meredith of Ft Gibson, OK, his five fish limit of 14.78 lbs. Finishing in 5th place is Jason Adams of Guthrie, OK, with five fish for 14.48 lbs.
This tournament was only the second event for the Oklahoma division. A scheduled event on Grand Lake for April 27th was canceled but rescheduled for the fall to be fished in conjunction with the divisional 2-day. If you have missed these tournaments so far, this is OK! In order to be eligible for the 2-day, you must fish one event in the season. This means you can fish the final event on Grand Lake scheduled for Friday, September 20th, and qualify for the 21st and 22nd (2-day event) on the same weekend! Both events will be held at Wolf Creek in the City of Grove, OK.
At the end of the season, the Angler of the Year in this division and the top 200 anglers by points will receive an invitation to fish the 2025 Ray Scott Championship.
Complete Final Results Link
For more information on upcoming tournaments, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. Online, see www.americanbassanglers.com
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