Curtis closes final FLW TTT tourney with big win
By DONALD GERVAIS Lakecaster Correspondent

Outdoors photo/Donald Gervais DAVID CURTIS, left, holds up part of the 28 pound 3-ounce five-fish limit he caught on the opening day of the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship presented by Abu Garcia, held Oct 13-14 on Lake Sam Rayburn.The Trinity,Texas angler had a 10 pound advantage over the second place angler going into the final day.TTT tournament director Ron Lappin helps display the top catch of the tournament.

Wal-Mart Outdoors sponsored the first Texas Tournament Trail (TTT) in February 2001 on Lake Sam Rayburn, it was only fitting that the final event be held on the same waters where it began. Jasper's Carl Svebek III won the inaugural event in 2001. Trinity pro David Curtis won the final contest, the 2007 season championship held Oct 13-14.

No angler will miss the TTT, presented by Abu Garcia, more than Curtis, who calls Sam Rayburn his adopted home water for good reason. Curtis captured his second TTT season championship with a two day total of 42 pounds and 15 ounces to take home his best ever payday, over $75,000 in cash and prizes. The victory brought his earnings from the trail to over $229,000 and career earnings in all FLW events to over $400,000.

Curtis took a sizeable lead on the first day of the event, which pitted the top 50 pro anglers of the season, with a five fish limit weighing 28 pounds and 3 ounces. Curtis had slightly more than a 10 pound lead over the closest competitor and clinched the victory with his second day limit weighing 14 pounds and 12-ounces.

Co-angler leader Ronnie Bickham sat in a similar cat seat going into the final round with a 3-pound lead over his co-angler competitors, however, he fell short on his day 2 catch of two fish, sliding into 4th place. The slip allowed Matt Rigby, who had been tied in a 3- way tie for 4th place, to claim his second co-angler title and take home cash and prizes valued at over $50,000. Rigby, a fifth grade teacher in San Antonio's Bob Lewis Elementary School, fished with pro angler Paul Ferguson on Day 1, and with Mike Montanez on the last day.

Oklahoma co-angler Mark Oakley earned the Snickers Big Bass award- $1,000 in cash, with his lunker catch of 10 pounds and 12 ounces on day one.

"I thank God for each and every fish I caught today," said Curtis at the day one weigh in. "Unbelievable. It was just a phenomenal day for me, the best ever."

Curtis won a TTT event on Sam Rayburn in March 2004, the year he won the TTT championship at Lake of the Pines. He also had a Stren event win on Toledo Bend Lake in 1999 and was point leader in the Stren Central Division in 2005.

"I had two great coangling partners, Billy Eaton and Gary Carlock," acknowledged the full time pro angler. "I want to thank Gary for his support today and understanding when I was in a position to win this tournament."

Stephen Johnson, a Toledo Bend fishing pro, made a charge on day two to overcome the 12 pound difference between his first day catch (4th place with 16-14) and the leader's. Johnson brought the largest stringer on day 2 to the scales, and second largest of the tournament, that weighed 19 pounds and 8 ounces. He cut the deficit by half, finishing with 36 pounds and 6 ounces to take the runner up spot. Neither top two finishers caught a lunker kicker bass in the tournament.

"I finished with 36 pounds and never caught a fish over 5 pounds," said Johnson, who took home

$11,000 in place and contingency money. "That is testament to the great fishery that exists here on Lake Sam Rayburn."

Charles Reagan, of Marquez, who began his competitive fishing in 1980 and was the TTT season champion in 2002 at Belton Lake, climbed from 7th place on day one, to take third place in the pro division. He had catches of 16-pounds 4- ounces and 15 pounds 9 ounces for a total of 31 pounds and 13 ounces. He took home $4,500.

Lee Batson of Forney caught a total of 29 pounds and 13 ounces and took home 4th place honors and $6,500 in place and contingency monies. Marcus Faske, a firefighter from Austin, sat in 2nd place on day 1 with the third largest catch of the tournament, weighing 17 pounds and 12 ounces. He brought but four fish to the scales on day 2 to slip into 5th place with 29 pounds and 11 ounces. He earned $4,750 for his fishing efforts.

Michael Herron of Paris, Texas rounded out the top six of the pro division with a 2-day total of 27 pounds and 5 ounces to earn $3,500.

Co-angler Raymond Balcerowicz, of Crosby, paired with pro Michael Herron on Day 1 and with Robert Case on Day 2, put together catches of 12-7 and 11-5 to take the runner up spot in the co-angler division and take home $2,000.

Third spot in the coanglers went to Jeff Nichols of Gainesville. He shared the boats of pro anglers Rick Turner and Johnson, the runner up, to catch 21 pounds and 15 ounces and win $1,500.

Bickham, of New Boston, who had the largest stringer of any co-angler in the tournament, took home 4th place and $2,350 with the help of pro anglers Randy Millender and James Stricklin Jr. Oakley, with the help of his big bass of the tournament, took 5th place and $1,000 for his catch of 21 pounds and 5 ounces. He fished from the back of the boat of pro anglers Jerrel Pringle and Charles Hammack.

Co-angler Jimmy Ballard of Powderly earned $1,550 for his 6th place finish. He was in 2nd place on day 1 when he was partnered with Faske, 2nd place pro angler for the day and then with Scott Jenkins on Day 2.

Calvert explained that the high cost of the TTT to the sponsors, over $1 million in 2007, and the other tournaments available to the anglers in Texas were part of the reasons for ending the TTT. He looked forward to returning to Lake Sam Rayburn for other FLW Outdoor events in 2008, including a Stren Series Texas Division tournament to be held Feb. 20-23. The City of Jasper sponsored the TTT final event.

The final TTT championship field was divided into two flights for the take off at 7 a.m. each day. Anglers competed under blue bird skies on Saturday with 5 mph winds from the Southeast with the barometer reading 30.23 in. Hg (inches of mercury) and with temperatures beginning at 53, and climbing to 83 by weigh in time. Conditions were similar on the second day with an occasional puffy cloud but with winds that crept up gradually over the day to 10-15 mph as the humidity increased and the barometer dropped to 29.80 in. Hg.

For a complete list of the daily catches visit FLW online at: http://ttt.flwoutdoors. com/tournament.cfm ?cid=6&t=news

Fishing facts:

Day 1 Limits: 47

Total fish caught 353, weighing 849 pounds and 12 ounces

Live Release: 351

Day 2 Limits: 28

Total fish: 244, weighing 655 pounds and 4 ounces

Live Release: 243

The Winners Ways

David Curtis used knowledge of the lake that he accumulated over the years and one spot he found in practice to claim the top spot at the 2007 TTT Championship event on Lake Sam Rayburn.

Curtis, a Ranger boat and Yamaha pro who calls Lake Livingston his home waters, credited a DD22 in a shad pattern as the best bait over the two days, including the bait that caught his biggest bass of day 1 that was close to 7 pounds. Other baits used to catch the 44 pounds of bass he accumulated included Carolina-rigged Lake Fork Baby Creatures in green pumpkin color and black and blue Stanley _- ounce jigs tipped with a black/blue Gambler trailer.

Points, humps, and drops in 8-16 feet of water in mid lake areas were targeted by the 4 year married pro angler, using Castaway rods and Shimano reels spooled with 12-pound test P Line.

Stephen Johnson, a guide on Toledo Bend, brought the second largest stringer of the tournament, weighing 19 pounds and 8 ounces, to the scales as he made a charge to catch the Curtis on Day 2. He made up half the difference and had to settle for the runner up spot.

Third place pro finisher Charles Reagan admitted that the winds on day 2 blew him off of several of his spots.

The Austin City firefighter targeted fish in Buck Bay in depths of 4-7 feet with a 5/8 ounce Lucky Craft rattling bait model LV500, seeking scattered grass and stumps. The Ranger boat/Mercury motor pro angler, who calls Lake Travis his home water, chose to use All Star rods and Shimano reels, spooled with 15-pound test green colored Big game line.

Co-angler Mark Oakley made his first ever trip to Lake Sam Rayburn from Davis, Ok. He caught the biggest bass of the tournament using a DD22 "redeye" while fishing with pro Jerrel Pringle near the 147 Highway Bridge on day 1 in 9-13 feet of water fishing around stumps..

Co-angler champion Matt Rigsby has to use patience as a 5th grade teacher in San Antonio. He had to show patience as he fished from the back of the boat with frogs over the two days for his second event win.

A 3-pound bass caught in the last 15 minutes of day 2 gave him his limit and the weight to take the victory.

Key to success for the coangler, who calls Armistead his home waters, is the St. Croix Legend tournament frog rod he used. A Shimano reel was strapped to the heavy action rod and the reel was spooled with 65-pound test to assure the hooked fish get to the boat. He said that the better bites on the frog came later in the day.