Chevy Pro Bryan Thrift drives it home at Rayburn
Fast, shallow and with moving baits.If you were to script the perfect scenario for a Bryan Thrift victory, those would be the key pieces. But today at the Sam Rayburn Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Chevy, Thrift proved that he can not only break his own stereotype, but he can win when he does it.Relying on ultra-slow flipping tactics with a Texas-rigged Damiki Knock Out, Thrift brought in a 17-pound limit – the day’s heaviest – to come from 2 pounds, 14 ounces behind Walmart pro Mark Rose and lock up his third Tour victory.
“I had to pitch that bait up there, let it sink and shake it,” Thrift said, “then I’d feel the ‘thunk.'”
Thrift picked up an early limit this morning with a Z-Man Original ChatterBait, then scoured cypress trees and shallow grass in a backwater area upstream on Sam Rayburn to upgrade his weight. On some trees, he made 10 to 15 casts and spent up to 20 minutes picking them apart from every angle.
“They stayed pretty consistent every single day,” Thrift added. “There’s not a lot of depth where I was fishing, so the fish didn’t have anywhere to go.”
For his victory, Thrift earned $125,000, which includes a $25,000 Ranger Cup bonus.
Stay tuned for the entire winner’s story and the patterns of the rest of the top five.
For complete results, visit FLWOutdoors.com
