HEMPHILL, Texas — Texas angler Bryan Howell fished to his strengths on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Kayak Series tournament at Toledo Bend Reservoir, landing a five-bass limit measuring 92.25 inches that vaulted him into first place for the day.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area resident anchored his bag with two 19.50-inch largemouth, helping him build a three-inch cushion over second place Barry Davis of South Carolina and Ohio’s Matt Ball.
“I knew the potential was there,” Howell said. “I’m honestly shocked how tough it was. It was tough for me too. I didn’t expect only 92 inches to be leading it after Day 1. But it is a tough time of year.”
Known for its giant largemouth, Toledo Bend was a little on the stingy side for kayak anglers on Saturday. Howell was the only competitor to eclipse the 90-inch threshold while 29 kayakers caught 80 inches or better. Chalk it up to September in the south.
Howell has fished Toledo Bend several times before, each time ending with a disappointing result. Today, he fished in his comfort zone, focusing on an area of submerged grass in 4 to 8 feet of water where the bass were feeding on smaller shad. Six different presentations produced bites.
To his surprise, only two of his fellow competitors were also fishing in his area and only a couple of bass boats joined from time to time.
“I thought there were going to be 20 guys around,” he said. “I didn’t really move around much, just stuck around one area and rotated through different baits.”
It was a slow start to the morning, but Howell’s first bite was his first 19.5-inch largemouth. From there, he slowly added to his total and bookended the day with the second 19.5-incher.
“Slowly but surely I started catching some fish,” he said. “It was fun. I was fishing grass and fishing the way I like to fish.”
Although slower than he expected, Howell knows there are plenty of big bass swimming around his area.
“You could see them busting, fish that were big,” he said.
Davis finished the day in second with 89.25 inches, anchoring his bag with a 22.75-inch largemouth. Ball is third with 89 inches followed by Garrett Morgan in fourth with 87.75 inches and Jeremiah Smith in fifth with 87 inches.
Jacob Lavergne caught the Big Bass of the Day, a 23-inch largemouth.
The full field of anglers will compete again tomorrow. Lines-in is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. CT and anglers will have until 2:30 p.m. to fish. The top finishers will be recognized at the awards banquet at 5 p.m. at Pendleton Park in Hemphill, Texas.