Texas professional bass angler Pake South didn’t just win at the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir on Feb. 21, 2026. He destroyed records and made angling history.
South stacked up 96 pounds, 15 ounces over three days to claim the Bassmaster Open title on the sprawling East Texas reservoir. His margin of victory measured 15 pounds, 14 ounces, one of the widest gaps in Open history. On a fishery known for giant limits, he still made the rest of the field look like they were fishing for second.
A Slow Start
South opened with 28 pounds, 1ounce, leaving him in fifth place and nearly nine pounds off the lead. In most events, that kind of deficit is hard to make up. On Rayburn, it’s just Tuesday.
Day two changed everything. South dropped 34 pounds, 4 ounces on the scales, the heaviest bag of the round, and jumped into first with a five-pound cushion heading into Championship Saturday. He sealed the deal with his biggest limit of the week, 34 pounds 10 ounces, anchored by a lunker 10-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that turned heads at weigh-in.
That final-day giant helped cement the 96-pound 15-ounce total, and a statement win for the Winnsboro, Texas angler.
Short Practice, Big Adjustments
The win came on the heels of a top-10 finish at a recent Bassmaster Elite Series stop at Lake Martin. South drove through the night to make it back to Texas and barely had time for practice.
“The boat wasn’t even charged, so I actually slept in until noon to let it charge up,” South said. “I know where they like to live on that lake, but I didn’t really have a great practice. I knew I was going to have to run some new water and figure it out on the fly.”
Because he was not chasing points in this Open, South said he fished loose. That mindset showed. He rotated through key drains and avoided forcing unproductive water.
The Moment That Sealed It
Midway through the final day, South used his forward-facing sonar to spot two large fish cruising a drain. He made a long cast, and the smaller of the pair snatched his bait.
“I didn’t realize how big she was until she opened her mouth at the boatside, and that’s when I got really excited,” South said.
The scale later read 10 pounds 15 ounces.
South never relocated the second fish, which he guessed could have pushed into the mid-teens.
Gear That Got It Done
South kept his approach simple with two primary setups. In more open water, he threw a Berkley Stunna 112 jerkbait on a 6-foot-8-inch medium-power moderate-fast action rod. Around heavier cover, he switched to a 7-foot-3-inch medium-heavy Fenwick World Class rod for a power-finesse presentation.
South paired both rods with Abu Garcia Zenon X casting reels. He spooled 20-pound Berkley 100 percent fluorocarbon for the jerkbait and 20-pound test for the heavier work.
“When you’re competing at this level, confidence in your equipment matters,” said South. “I knew what my plan was going into those final two days, and when you trust your setups, it lets you focus on fishing instead of second-guessing yourself.”
Pake South Is A Rookie on the Rise
The victory adds fuel to an already strong rookie campaign on the Elite Series trail. A top-10 at Lake Martin showed he could hang. A runaway win at Rayburn proved he can close.
“Watching Pake execute this week was impressive,” said Marc Kempter, Vice President of Marketing for Pure Fishing. “He started strong, but what he put together on the final two days of competition was truly special.”
With Rayburn in the rearview and momentum on his side, South now shifts back to the Elite schedule, climbing both the Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year standings.
Editor's Note: It's no surprise that largemouth bass fishing in Texas can be hot, hot, hot! If you're headed to Texas in search of lunkers and good times, be sure to look into Lake Fork.
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