BRProud.com

Louisiana fisherman leads in national bass fishing tournament at Sam Rayburn Reservoir

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Professional angler and Louisiana resident Darold Gleason is leading day two of a three-day Bassmaster Central Open tournament at Sam Rayborn Reservoir in east Texas.

Gleason, who lives in Many, La., secured a five-fish limit weighing in at more than 27 pounds on Friday, bringing his two-day total consisting of 10 bass to 44 pounds, 4 ounces, according to tournament standings posted on bassmaster.com.

Gleason explained to outdoor writer David A. Brown how he had a successful second day.

“I have a system and I’m just running it,” Gleason told Brown. “I’m trying to catch what I can in the morning to get a limit. When I get a limit, no matter what it weighs, I’m locking a 3/4-ounce V&M football jig in the Gleason’s Candy color in my hand.”

Gleason used a rod rigged with 15-pound fluorocarbon line when he threw the jig, which he paired with a V&M J-Bug trailer.

Gleason caught his five-fish limit early by using a Carolina-rigged V&M Pork Shad lure and a V&M Baby Swamp Hog lure — also in the Gleason’s Candy color — to target schools of bass. Gleason also drop-shotted a morning dawn-colored 4 1/2-inch V&M Straight Shooter worm, according to Brown.

Gleason said he focused on fishing offshore structure, particularly wood and roadbeds.

Angler Masayuki Matsushita follows Gleason in the day-two standings by less than two pounds.

Saturday’s 2:45 p.m. weigh-in will conclude the Bassmaster Open at Sam Rayburn. Click here to keep up with the third and final day of the tournament.

LATEST NEWS