ON TOUR
COSTA FLW SERIES
detAiLs
Feb. 23-25, 2017
presented by yeti
hosted by jasper-Lake sam Rayburn Area Chamber
of Commerce and jasper County development district
Costa FLw series division: southwestern
SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR
BROOKELAND, TEXAS
Castledine used a Rage Bug when sight-fishing.
Winning Angler
Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas
Winning Weight: 66 pounds, 11 ounces (15 fish)
Stat Line: Castledine’s win was his fifth in FLW competition.
Three of his other victories also came on Rayburn through T-
H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League events in 2014 (1) and
2013 (2). He also won a Costa FLW Series Southwestern
Division event on Toledo Bend in 2011.
By David A. Brown
photos by MAtt pACe
Winning Baits
Castledine spent the first
part of each morning target-
ing prespawn fish with a 1/2-
ounce white Strike King Hack
Attack Heavy Cover Swim Jig
with a white Strike King Rage
Swimmer as a trailer or a
Strike King KVD 2.5 square-bill
crankbait in orange belly craw.
For his more prominent
sight-fishing tactics that fol-
lowed, he used a Strike King
Rage Bug (blue craw and
California craw) on a 5/0
Gamakatsu EWG Monster
hook. Bait selection, he notes,
was essential to taking advan-
tage of the spawning game.
“I really like the Rage Bug
because it’s compact, so the
fish rarely bite the pincers
off,” Castledine says. “Also, I
like a bait that’s thin enough
and soft enough to get good
hook penetration.”
Castledine’s bed-fishing
delivered a 9-pounder that
took the Big Bass award for
CONDITIONS
day two. On day three, he
nabbed another 9 on a deep
spot with a 10-inch water-
melon red Strike King Rage
Tail Anaconda Texas-rigged
on a 5/0 hook with a 3/8-
ounce weight.
Target Areas
Castledine mostly fished
the mid-lake region and
focused on shallow, grassy
pockets with the occasional
meandering ditch. On the
final day, which Castledine
started in the ninth-place
position, these spots yielded
a solid limit of about 16
pounds on the swim jig and
square-bill, which provided a
much-needed stress reliever
and confidence boost that
readied him for the first of
two key moves.
“I had a creek where I saw
fish on beds before the rain
hit [Monday and Tuesday
during practice] and dirtied it
up,” he recalls. “I never went
Weather | sunny to mostly sunny; windy on days two
and three
Air Temperature | low 80s on days one and two; mid-
60s on day three
Water Temperature | 59 to 66 degrees
Water Clarity | approximately 1 foot of visibility in the
main lake, with less in the feeder creeks
Wind | calm on day one; W at 5 to 10 mph on day two;
NE at 15 to 20 mph, then dropping to 5 to 10 mph on
day three
Moon Phase | waning crescent
Predominant Lake Features | buck brush, hackberry,
hay grass and hydrilla
Fishery Type | lowland impoundment
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FLWFISHING.COM I APRIL 2017