Erb triumphs at SE Region-Texas BASS qualifier
By DONALD GERVAIS Lakecaster Correspondent

KENNETH ERB, second from right pictured above, uses two hands to hold up his 10.33 pound Lake Sam Rayburn lunker that earned him big bass and top spot at the Feb. 2 Southeast Region- Texas BASS Federation Nation event with 27.66 pounds. Helping to show Erb's catch are: left to right: Ron Esman, tournament staff, J. Miller, tournament Mcee and far right Morris Mooney, tournament director. The three largest fish all tipped the scale at over 7 pounds. Pictured left, Pat Baker holds up two fish from his five-fish limit that took second place at the Southeast Region-Texas BASS Federation Nation second qualifying event of 2008 on Sam Rayburn Lake with 20.07 pounds. Baker took second big bass of the day with the 9.05 fish he holds in his left hand.

Kenneth Erb of the Beaumont Bass Anglers took the win at the second qualifying event of the 2008 Southeast Region-Texas Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society's (BASS) Federation Nation on Feb. 2 at Lake Sam Rayburn with a five fish limit weighing 27.66 pounds. Erb bested 178 anglers in 139 boats, a record number of anglers fishing the Rayburn event, with his limit that included the big bass of the day, a 10.33-pound lunker.

Outdoors photos/Donald Gervais

Four flights of competitors took off at daybreak with temperatures in the mid 40's. By the 3 p.m. weigh in time, anglers had shed their cold weather gear as the temperature hit the 70-degree mark under mostly sunny skies and South winds blowing 3-6 mph. It was an improvement over the first event held Jan 19 on Toledo Bend where competitors fished in 40-degree weather with north winds howling up to 20 mph. Although anglers fished in more hospitable conditions this time, figuring out the fish proved difficult for most of the field as but 25 anglers brought 5-fish limits to the scale. Eric Adams, the winner of the opening event, was not one of them.

"I haven't caught a fish in two weekends fishing on Rayburn," said Adams. "That's a record for me." Adams would have to settle for the minimum points that were awarded for the event, 179.

Point standings at the six qualifying events determine the top 40 anglers who will compete for the BASS State Team. The top six anglers in the state tournament move on to the regional event. The top six of each region fish in the international Federation nation tournament. The top angler of each of the eight regions qualifies to fish in the Bassmasters Classic, the super bowl of bass fishing. With so much on the line in each tournament pre fishing is an important part of most tournament anglers' game plan.

"I don't pre fish for tournaments in lakes I know," said Erb of Nederland. "I have found that I catch the good ones pre fishing and on tournament day I don't do so well. I only pre fish in lakes I am not familiar with."

Erb, a life member of BASS, knows Lake Sam Rayburn well having fished it since 1968. He used his knowledge to catch his fish in Buck Bay where he kept his Bass Cat boat, powered by a Mercury motor, in four feet of water and made casts into two feet around grass.

ASenko, in an undisclosed color, fished Texas-style, without a sinker, was the key to the retired safety specialist's success. He used Falcon rods and Shimano reels, spooled with 20-pound test Silver Thread to slowly fish the plastic bait all day. He reported catching six keeper fish in his best ever fishing day. The big bass of the tournament bit midday and was brought into the boat with the aid of his fishing partner of 6 years, Billy Perkins of Beaumont.

Pat Baker of the SE Texas Bassmasters was 7 pounds behind the winner and took second place with 20.07 pounds, including second big bass of the day, a 9.05-pound bass. The self-employed oil and gas field worker did pre fish for the event.

"I found them in practice and went straight to them," said Caldwell, who fishes in the new federation nation club and has had numerous second and third place finishes in regional qualifiers. "I went to them and stayed there all day."

The Caldwell angler used two techniques to catch his fish in 10-11 feet of water in the southern end of the lake. He began fishing a plastic bait, Carolina-style, and had a limit by 10 a.m. He then switched to a DD22 crank bait to catch upgrades, including the 9-pound bass, which was among the top five biggest fish he's caught over the years.

Gear of choice included Bass Pro Shop rods and Daiwa reels spooled with 17- pound Trilene red line. Baker, who will be fishing an upcoming Stren tournament and who was guarding specifics about his catching ways, acknowledged Dusty Rhoades Marina for keeping his Nitro boat, powered by a Mercury motor, tournament ready.

Third place finisher Danny Golden, with a 19.21-pound limit, was more forthright about divulging his catching ways.

Golden, the region's angler of the year in 1997, targeted fish in 3-6 feet of water, near grass edges on the southern end of the lake using All Star rods and Quantum reels, spooled with 15-pound test Big Game line, in green color. He used his Champion bass boat, powered by an Evinrude motor to get to his fishing areas. He did not pre fish.

Rounding out the top six finishers were: James Coleman, Beaumont Bass Anglers, 4th place with 18.12 pounds; Randy Knight, Bryan Bass Club, 5th with 17.62 pounds and Donald Gregg II of the Southern Bass Masters in 6th with 17.32 pounds.

315 fish were caught in total, weighing 804 pounds.

For a comprehensive list of the tournament standings, BASS information and the schedule of the remaining events visit the Texas Federation Nation's online site at: http://texasbass. com/

The next event for the SE Texas region will be March 15 at Lake Conroe with weigh beginning at 3 p.m