Team Abu Garcia pro George Jeane Jr. of Evans, La., caught five bass weighing 15 pounds even Saturday to win the Stren Series Texas Division tournament on Toledo Bend with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 40 pounds, 15 ounces. For his victory, Jeane Jr. earned $17,437 cash and a 198VX Ranger Boat powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics.
“The wind had a lot to do with this win,” said Jeane Jr., who said he caught 12 keepers on the final day of competition. “Everything changed up when the wind started blowing and I got on a lot better fish.”
Jeane Jr. said he caught all of his fish during the tournament on a 10-inch Berkley PowerBait worm and targeted brush piles on the edge of creek channels in 18 to 20 feet of water. Jeane Jr. said the fact he was “born and raised” on Toledo Bend had a large factor in the win.
“When the wind blew I knew where to go to get out of the wind,” Jeane Jr. said. “I went into the tournament knowing I was going to throw the worm and it worked out.”
Jeane Jr. opened the tournament in 29th place after catching five bass that weighed 8-14. On Friday, he caught five bass that weighed 17-1 and made the top-10 cut in third place.
Rounding out the top five pros were Tim Reneau of Del Rio, Texas (15 bass, 37-6, $6,975); Jamie Fralick of Martin, S.D. (11 bass, 34-8, $5,580); Patrick Fuller of Tyler, Texas (13 bass, 31-12, $4,882); and Robert Collett of Zapata, Texas (13 bass, 31-11, $4,185).
Fralick caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Thursday – an 8-pound, 5-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Folgers Big Bass award of $265.
