Helsley wins on Tawakoni
QUINLAN, Texas – Matt R. Helsley won the Boater Division in the American Bass Anglers Open Series, Presented by Caymas Boats, East Texas Division 11 third tournament of the season, held May 13, 2023, at Lake Tawakoni.
Launching out of the West public ramp in Quinlan, Texas, Helsley from Duncanville brought in four bass to win with 9.42 pounds. He capped that catch with a 3.61-pounder that won the division big bass honors.
“I fished lily pads for too long,” Helsley remarked. “I spent four hours doing that. I had about 30 blowups. I had a lot of short fish. We got lot of bites all day.”
In second for the boaters, Michael W. Allen of Clarksville landed a 5-bass tournament limit for 8.62 pounds.
Taking the third spot for the boaters, Brian Brown from Yantis found three keepers for 8.47 pounds. He anchored that sack with a 3.15-pounder.
“I caught one bass on a frog,” Brown revealed. “I caught another on a swim jig and one on a ChatterBait. I broke off a fish that hit a ChatterBait. It would have won the tournament for me. I caught a bunch of short fish all day. When the sun came out, it got tough.”
In fourth place for the boaters, Scott Dean from Terrell landed four keepers for 7.29 pounds. Kenneth Moore from Red Oak followed with three bass going 6.44 pounds with a 3.16-pound kicker.
In the Co-Angler Division, Mike J. Casanova of Frisco landed a 3-bass division limit to win with 8.09 pounds. He sealed the victory with a 3.78-pounder that won the tournament lunker title.
Taking second place, Aaron J. Uncapher from Tyler found two keepers for 4.53 pounds.
“For the first half of the day, we fished frogs and toads around grass mats,” Uncapher said. “We brought got 30 bites. We moved to the other side of the lake and I caught a couple of bass on a fluke.”
Finishing third for the co-anglers, Chris B. Lawson from Livingston came in with two keepers for 3.70 pounds.
“I caught my two fish on a ChatterBait early in the morning while it was raining,” Lawson reported. “I had a couple short fish, one on a ChatterBait and one on a square-bill crankbait.”
Jordan C. Clayton from Wichita Falls finished fourth with one bass for 3.31 pounds. Lynn Roller of Fort Worth finished fifth for the co-anglers with one 2.26-pounder.
The division concludes its regular season at Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Louisiana-Texas line on June 17, 2023. That event runs out of Lost Frontier, located at 5518 TX-21 in Hemphill, Texas. The public is invited to attend the free weigh-in.
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.
