Brent Ehrler is no stranger to winning big fishing tournaments. He’s won just about everything a guy can win on the FLW circuits, a Major League Fishing event or two and he has his eyes set on an Elite Series and/or Bassmaster Classic win now. But the Toyota Texas Bass Classic was one he had in the back of his mind and really wasn’t sure it would ever happen with the hammers that often win in the Lonestar state.
But Ehrler used one big bite added to an already impressive limit on the final day to propel him to the winner’s circle and overtake tournament leader Jason Christie in literally the final minutes of the event. Ehrler used a combination of crankbaits and swimbaits to catch 23 pounds off his best area early in the day but was saving one spot for the final hours of the tournament. The gamble paid off as that spot yielded a 10-pound, 11-ounce giant largemouth bass that gave him not only 31 pounds and change for the final day but also the largest bass of the event that was good for the new Toyota Tundra truck. Ehrler’s 31 pounds was also enough to take the win by two pounds over tournament leader Christie.
Ehrler relied mostly on a hollow-belly swimbait as well as a football jig and a deep diving crankbait. He also said that 11 of his 15 fish came from one magic underwater point that dropped off into deep water. But it ran way out into the lake and the fish were setup in 18 to 25 feet of water. His 10 pound kicker came from a spot he had fish before in previous TTBCs but had been unable to fish it until the final day because of other anglers being on the spot during the first two days of competition.
Final Standings:
- Brent Ehrler – 89 lbs. 12oz.
- Jason Christie – 87 lbs. 12oz.
- Andy Morgan – 83 lbs. 12oz.
- Chris Lane – 83 lbs. 8 oz.
- Shad Schenck – 81 lbs. 4 oz.
- Casey Ashley – 79 lbs. 4 oz.
- John Crews – 78 lbs. 8 oz.
- Mike Iaconelli – 72 lbs. 8 oz.
- Keith Combsm – 65 lbs. 12 oz.
- Brandon Palaniuk – 51 lbs.
Toyota Tundra Big Bass: Brent Ehrler – 10 lbs. 11oz.
LEER Heavyweight: Jason Christie – 37 lbs. 4oz.
More information can be found at ToyotaTexasBassClassic.com.
