Lemon Takes Oklahoma Division Opener at Grand Lake
Billy Lemon of Sand Springs, OK won the Oklahoma division Ram Truck Open Series opener at Grand Lake on April 16, 2016. Lemon had a 21.72 pound limit, anchored by the day’s 6.71 pound boater Big Bass to win a total of $5830. “I caught my fish just like everybody else. I was using a homemade jig and a Gene Larew Hoodaddy. I probably had 10-12 bites throughout the day. The areas I fished were on both ends of the lakes. My pattern was mainly just running pockets where the fish are spawning,†said Lemon.
Kirk C. Smith of Edmond, OK finished in second place with 20.47 pounds winning $1575. “Most of my fish came off of the bed. My first fish of the day was a five pounder that I saw yesterday. Then, I caught two that I couldn’t see, blind casting. The rest all came from sight fishing. I really had to hunt for good water clarity,†said Smith.
Lee L. Sanders of Stillwater, OK finished in third place with 19.06 pounds to take home $1050. “I fished a jig all day long and it was slow. I only had two fish at noon. Later in the afternoon, I pulled into one pocket and finished off my limit,†said Sanders.
Top Five Boaters:
1. Billy Lemon 21.72 $5830
2. Kirk Smith 20.47 $1575
3. Lee Sanders 19.06 $1050
4. Brett Stearnes 18.61 $735
5. Ryan Wilbanks 18.36 $630
There were 80 boaters registered for this Ram Truck Open Series event.
Stan Forrester of Westville, OK was the co-angler champion of the Ram Truck Open Series event held on April 16, 2016 at Grand Lake. Forrester brought in12.45 pounds to the scales to win $1500. “I only caught four keepers all day and I didn’t have a fish until 11:30. I just picked up a jig and started catching them,†said Forrester.
Derek J. Thurman of Collinsville, OK finished in second place on the co-angler side with 11.07 pounds. Thurman also had the co-angler Big Bass of the day, a 5.44 pounder, to win a total of $693. “We ran to the mid-lake area. I was swimming a craw and started catching fish to establish a pattern. I broke off a couple and after cleaning up my fishing a little bit, I finished my limit. Most of my fish came from 4-6 feet of water on secondary points and transitions. The fish seemed to staging, sitting just off of the drop,†said Thurman.
Mack M. Hale of Cherryvale, KS brought in 10.85 pounds to finish in third place and win $335. Hale used Senkos and jigs for his day’s catch.
Top Five Co-anglers:
1. Stan Forrester 12.45 $1500
2. Derek Thurman 11.07 $693
3. Mack Hale 10.85 $335
4. David Caldwell 10.82 $235
5. Patrick Weir 10.53 $201
There were 41 co-angler entries for this Ram Truck Open Series event.
Complete results can be found at this link.
For more info on the Oklahoma division of the Ram Truck Open Series visit www.ramopenseries.com or call ABA tournament manager, Chris Wayand, at (256) 230-5627. The next Oklahoma event is on May 14, 2016 at Lake Eufaula.
Ram Truck Open Series anglers can take advantage of the “no boat on boat draw†format along with huge payouts for the 2016 season. First place boaters can win a guaranteed $5000 first place, regardless of number of entries. Payouts will increase to $6000 for the first place boater with a 100 boat field. Over the course of four divisional events and the area championship, anglers will be competing for a spot in the 2017 Ray Scott Championship.
Lots of contingency money is up for grabs during the 2016 Ram Trucks Open Series Series season. Anglers participating in the Triton Gold program can earn up to $7,000 at 2016 divisional events and up to $50,000 at the 2017 Ray Scott Championship. Anglers can also take advantage of other programs such as T-H Marine Atlas Rewards, Power Pole Captain's Cash, Garmin Grand Giveaway, Livingston Lures Cash for Big Bass, Abu Garcia Revo Big Bass Bonus, Maui Jim Bonus, and Mercury/Motorguide bonus money.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, GEICO, Berkley, Abu Garcia, T-H Marine, Hydrowave, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Maui Jim, Power Pole, Dr. Dan's, Garmin, and Simms Bass. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or by visiting americanbassanglers.com.