A colonoscopy, a root canal, an ingrown toe nail, and being forced to listen to an entire golf tournament on the radio are just a few things that come to mind that are almost as fun as fishing Lake Ray Roberts when the wind is gusting to 30+mph.  The exact conditions faced by the North Central Region anglers competing in the final two qualifiers of 2025 on Lake Ray Roberts, back to back on June 21^st and 22^nd.

We have all heard it said that “the wind is your friend”.  I suggest that with a friend like that, one certainly does not need any enemies!!  Nevertheless, the real indicator or how friendly the wind is for an angler on a given day is reflected in the tournament results.  And on that note, it was quite obvious on Saturday that the wind was in love with Todd Greenwood, McKinney Bass Club, who was fishing his first regional qualifier of the season and who had the only five fish limit of the day, weighing in a whopping 19.70 pound bag of Ray Bob Behemoths for first place ($432).  Todd’s weight was an impressive ten pounds more than the second place bag weighing 9.64 brough in by Jerry David, Denton County Bass Club, who was also fishing his first event of the season.  Jerry’s bag was anchored by the big bass of the tournament, a 6.64 pound pig, which just edged out Todd’s big’un of 6.55 pounds.  As impressive as all that sounds, it was non-boater Jordan Fudge who brough in a three fish limit of 12.44 pounds, and dominating the non-boater side for a third time in a row! ($144) If this guy ever gets his own boat, there may be a new sheriff in town!  For the rest of us fishing on Saturday, what can I say, it blows …. Literally.  The wind was a menace all day to say the least, and just like every qualifying event this year, it was gusting to over thirty by weigh in with white caps at the boat ramp!.

Thank goodness the wind forecast for Sunday’s event was supposed to be a bit better than Saturday.  WRONG!! It was certainly worse!  Brutal is the word that comes to mind, and that is surely reflected in the overall results on Sunday. Not very friendly at all, a  total of 5 bass were brought to the scales on Sunday!  Not by one angler, not by two anglers, but it took four anglers to bring a collective limit to the scales Sunday afternoon.  Jerry David, Denton County Bass Club again brought in the biggest bass of the day, a 5.16 pound beauty, which was also enough for first place and a total payday of $430.  DaShon Peck, The Colony Bass Club, had one fish for 4.75 pounds and second place, while Stephen Farrar, Tarrant Christian Bass Club, finally woke up and brought a fish to the scales weighing 4.65 pounds and good enough for third place.  Andrew Wren, Tarrant Christian Bass Club, while finishing in fourth place with 2.63 pounds, did walk away with bragging rights for catching the most fish of all the anglers on Sunday, with two!  What a Ray Bob smack down.   I am sure all the angers who fished both days are chomping at the bit to get back out there….not.  However, it was not just tough on the boaters, as the non-boaters, Jordan Fudge and Chris Demiglio, both with  The Colony Bass Club, were unable to bring a keeper to the scales and zeroed for the day.  However, since they were the only two non boaters competing on Sunday, they both got first place points and each received $72 dollars!  Not bad for not catching a fish!!

Now that the 2025 Qualifying Events are completed and the dust has settled (or heck blown onto the plains of Africa), your 2025 North Central Region, Club Division, boater Angler of the Year is ANDREW WREN and the non-boater Angler of the Year is  CHRIS DEMIGLIO!  Congratulations Andrew and Chris on a great season and punching your tickets to the B.A.S.S. Super Regional Tournament!  Joining Andrew and Chris at the super regional and representing the North Central Region will be the top boater and non boater from the N.C. Regional championship to be held on Lakes Bob Sandlin and Cypress Springs in October later this year!  Who will it be???  Will the wind blow??  To be continued………

Want to join in on the fun and take a shot at fishing the next level?  Be sure to watch for the North Central Region’s 2026 Schedule and make plans to throw your chatterbait in the ring!  Hope to see you next year!!

Stephen Farrar

Texas BASS Nation

North Central Region Director

Club Division

(682) 465-6165

Sfarrar@texasbass.org 

Lake Ray Roberts & AOY Photo Results:

June 2, 2025 – The North Central Region of the Texas Bass Nation, Club Division, has changed the location of the 6^th and final qualifying tournament set to be held on June 22, 2025, on lake Texoma to Lake Ray Roberts.  The tournament will still be held on June 22^nd, however, instead of Texoma, the event will take place on Lake Ray Roberts with the official launch located at Johnson Branch of the State Park.  Your can register for this event at texasbassonline.com/nc-tournaments. 

When asked about the change, Stephen Farrar, the North Central Region Director, had this to say: “While I am generally opposed to making any changes to the North Central Region tournament schedule once it has been set and posted at the beginning of the year, there are certain instances where a change is necessary based on safety concerns or conditions that are outside of the Region’s control.  In this instance, Lake Texoma crested at 18 feet above conservation pool approximately three weeks ago, the highest it has been in over a decade, and as of today the lake is still almost 13 feet above conservation pool.  With limited access to the lake, the potential threat of floating debris, and an additional 12 inches or so of rain expected in the coming weeks, I thought it was best to give the anglers who have participated in the North Central Region trial this year to have a say in whether to move the tournament to a different lake as well as which lake that would be” 

The participating anglers, by a slim margin, voted to move the lake to Ray Roberts on June 22, 2025, setting up back to back tournaments on Ray Roberts to finish out the 2025 North Central Region tournament qualifying schedule.

“I would like to thank all of the participating anglers for their assistance and cooperation in this regard, as well as their patience and understanding during this process”.  – Stephen Farrar, Regional Director.

If you need further information concerning the lake change or general information about the north central region, club division tournaments or membership, please visit www.texasbassonline.com/nc-tournaments or contact Stephen Farrar, North Central Regional Director at SFarrar@texasbass.org.

Stephen Farrar

North Central Region Director

Texas Bass Nation, Club Division SFarrar@texasbass.org