{"id":1404802,"date":"2026-02-23T09:20:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/?post_type=photo-gallery&p=1404802"},"modified":"2026-02-25T09:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T15:39:16","slug":"top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026","status":"publish","type":"photo-gallery","link":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"\"
In the state where records are made to be broken that was exactly what happened at the 2026 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Battery Tender. And fittingly, a native Texan claimed the record under conditions ideal to achieve the feat. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Pake South followed a textbook East Texas prespawn largemouth scenario by targeting big females using a ditch to migrate toward a spawning flat. The area produced a three-day total of 96 pounds, 15 ounces, with daily weights of 28-1, 34-4 and 34-10 to break the all-time winning weight for the Opens series. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie anchored his final limit with a 10-15 giant to seal the deal in front of friends and family. See the lineup of prespawn baits and get stocked up for the season ahead. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Click here to buy these lures at <\/strong>Bass Pro Shops<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Jack York (10th; 66-6)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
York relied on a glidebait, jerkbait and minnow rig to intercept prespawn largemouth on the move. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A primary lure was this 6-inch prototype glidebait under development by 6th Sense Fishing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A 6th Sense prototype jerkbait also produced quality bites. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
York also used this 6th Sense Shindo Shad Saltwater Series minnow on round jighead.  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Colby Bryant (9th; 55-15)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Bryant chose a sinking jerkbait to cover his most productive strike zone ranging from 10 to 15 feet. A minnow rig produced quality largemouth feeding on passing gizzard shad near the bottom. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Bryant used this Megabass Vision 110 +1 jerkbait for suspended prespawn largemouth in isolated timber relating to prespawn staging areas. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
In the presence of the shad, he switched to this 6th Sense Shindo Shad Saltwater Series on a round jighead. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Riley Harris (8th; 67-10)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Harris relied on a deep-diving crankbait and finesse-style worm. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
That choice was this 6th Sense Fishing Bounce Worm. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
For deeper strike zones he used this 6th Sense Crush 500DD deep diver. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Rylan Hamlin (7th; 68-0)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Hamlin opted for jigs, minnows and fuzzy dice baits. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A primary rig was this 3\/8-ounce Big Daddy Baits Spotlight Shad. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
For locating migrating fish he used this CrushCity Freeloader on a custom homemade jighead. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
This Hideup Coike 17mm with 3\/16-ounce weight produced for targeting individual fish. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Fisher Anaya (6th; 70-13)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Anaya followed up his Elite win the previous week with more success on a spike ball bait, while also using a minnow rig for targeting fish with forward-facing sonar. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A primary bait was this CrushCity Freeloader rigged on 1\/8-ounce jighead. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
For individual roaming fish he used this spike ball-type bait. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Click here to buy these lures at <\/strong>Bass Pro Shops<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Kollin Crawford (5th; 70-14)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Crawford\u2019s primary bait was a minnow rig complementing his forward-facing sonar tactics. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
That choice was this CrushCity Freeloader rigged on 1\/8-ounce VMC jighead.  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Brody Robison (4th; 74-12)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Robison used a glidebait, Neko rig and minnow setup. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A top lure was this 7.25-inch Cast Fishing Co. Echo, rigged on 1\/8-ounce Queen Tackle LS Tungsten Rollin Strollin Jig Head. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Robison also caught quality fish on this Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Also producing big bites was this Clutch Swimbait Co. Baby Boss.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Andrew Behnke (3rd; 80-4)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Behnke used a deep-diving crankbait and minnow rig. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
He completed the minnow rig with a Missile Baits Eye Roll Jig Head.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The deep-diving crankbait landed a share of the Texas lunker bites as well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Jace Lindsay (2nd; 81-1)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Lindsay favored the standard local one-two punch of a jighead minnow and jerkbait. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
That choice was this Megabass Vision 100 +2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
For the minnow setup he used this 8-inch Deps Sakamata Shad. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Pake South (1st; 96-15)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
South targeted prespawn female largemouth migrating through and around shallow ditches leading to spawning flats. His primary lure to intercept those fish on the move was a jerkbait that he used with forward-facing sonar tactics. A primary bait for targeting roaming females was a jerkbait, along with a secondary choice of a fuzzy-dice type bait. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
His top lure was this Berkley 112 Stunna. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jerkbaits and minnow rigs dominated the prespawn lineup of top baits. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1405461,"template":"","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[]},"bassmaster_plugin_short_title":"","bassmaster_plugin_photo_attribution":[{"id":1327291,"title":"Chase Sansom"},{"id":57365,"title":"Andy Crawford"}],"bassmaster_plugin_caption_attribution":[{"id":58716,"title":"Craig Lamb"}],"bassmaster_dfp":{"keyword":"toplures"},"bassmaster_ad_refresh_interval_bool":false,"bassmaster_ad_refresh_interval_length":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100038],"sponsors":[],"people":[104512,104536],"tournaments":[115687],"tournament-series":[1277],"byline":[],"class_list":["post-1404802","photo-gallery","type-photo-gallery","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opens","people-fisher-anaya","people-pake-south","tournaments-2026-bassmaster-open-at-sam-rayburn-reservoir","tournament-series-opens"],"yoast_head":"\nTop lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026 - Bassmaster<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026 - Bassmaster\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jerkbaits and minnow rigs dominated the prespawn lineup of top baits.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bassmaster\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bass\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T15:39:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bassmaster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/\",\"name\":\"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026 - Bassmaster\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T15:20:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-25T15:39:16+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":640},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Photo Galleries\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/slideshow\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/\",\"name\":\"Bassmaster\",\"description\":\"Pro Bass Tournament Fishing, Bass Fishing Tips & News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026 - Bassmaster","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026 - Bassmaster","og_description":"Jerkbaits and minnow rigs dominated the prespawn lineup of top baits.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/","og_site_name":"Bassmaster","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bass\/","article_modified_time":"2026-02-25T15:39:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@bassmaster","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/","name":"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026 - Bassmaster","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-23T15:20:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-25T15:39:16+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PakeTopLures.jpg","width":960,"height":640},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/opens\/slideshow\/top-lures-of-sam-rayburn-open-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Photo Galleries","item":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/slideshow\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Top lures at Sam Rayburn Open 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/","name":"Bassmaster","description":"Pro Bass Tournament Fishing, Bass Fishing Tips & News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/photo-gallery\/1404802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/photo-gallery"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/photo-gallery"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/photo-gallery\/1404802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1407245,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/photo-gallery\/1404802\/revisions\/1407245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1405461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1404802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1404802"},{"taxonomy":"sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsors?post=1404802"},{"taxonomy":"people","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people?post=1404802"},{"taxonomy":"tournaments","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tournaments?post=1404802"},{"taxonomy":"tournament-series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tournament-series?post=1404802"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=1404802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}