Outdoor Briefs

The folks at Sealy Outdoors are celebrating their 40th Anniversary on Sam Rayburn on April 19-21, and it’s going to be a biggie.
Around since 1984, the “Amateur Only” event is considered the granddaddy of all big bass tournaments. Anglers will be casting a record pay back of $1.3 million payback this year, the biggest since the $1 million 25th Anniversary event in 2009.
The kitty includes more than $571,000 in hourly money that will be paid out for the 15 biggest bass of each hour over three days.
First place for biggest bass of each hour pays $10,000, down to $500 for the 15th place. The first exact weight 3, 4 and 5- pound bass of each day wins $10,000. Anglers who buy a bonus T-Shirt and win first place during select “bonus hours” can double their money.
The angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament wins a fully-rigged Phoenix boat, 3/4 ton RAM pick-up and $150,000 cash.  Second overall pays $50,000, plus an Idle Time Travel Trailer; third place, $30,000; fourth place, $20,000; and fifth place, $10,000.
Contestants who weigh the first exact weight 3.00, 4.00 and 5.00 pound bass of each day wins $10,000.
Big money tournaments almost always draw a crowd. If Sealy’s 40th Anniversary tournament is as popular with anglers as the 25th annual event was, thousands of hooks will be in the water.
Sealy said his 25th Anniversary tournament drew more than 7,000 anglers.
“It’s really hard to say what to expect this year,” he said. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see 6,000, maybe more.
With water levels already dipping beyond six feet low, anglers are cautioned about motoring at high speeds, especially before daylight. If you are on the water before daylight, make sure your navigation lights are in good working order. It would be wise to play it safe, hang close to the bank and stay off the throttle until safe light.
Entry fee is $190 for one day, $240 for two days and $290 for three days. For more info, sealyoutdoors.com.

Texas pro Livesay notches 5th at ‘Classic

Lee Livesay of Longview notched the best finish of three Texans in the 2024 Bassmaster Classic held March 22-24 on Grand Lake in Oklahoma.
Livesay, 39, finished fifth. He boated 49 pounds, 11 ounces over three days, slightly more than nine pounds off the winning mark set by Justin Hamner of Northport, Alabama.
Livesay won $25,000. Hamner, 33, banked $300,000.
Two other Texans competed the ‘Classic. Clark Wendlandt of Leander finished 28th and rookie Ben Milliken of New Caney wound up in 50th.
Milliken, 35, is currently tied with Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois in the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year races. McKinney is only 19.

Mundy, Bonds crush 37-13 in TXTT

Derek Mundy of Broaddus and Jason Bonds of Lufkin topped a field of 205 teams with 37 pounds, 13 ounces on five bass to win the Texas Team Trail event on March 23 on Sam Rayburn. They won a Nitro Z18 bass boat and contingency money valued at $41,845.
Second place finishers Hayden Heck and Ken Berthelot, both of Lufkin, reeled in 35-02. Eight other limits topping 20 pounds were brought to the scales. Next stop for the TXTT is Lake Fork on April 13, followed by Richland Chambers on May 4 and the Toledo Bend Championship on June 8-9….
On Cedar Creek Lake, Terry Alsup of Ardmore, Oklahoma and Spencer McAlister of Denison topped 279 teams with five bass weighing 24.60 pounds. They won $25,000 cash. Second went to Chad Maddux of Wylie and Jake Meeks of Farmersville with 22.11. Two other teams cracked 20 pounds.