TW_Staff
06-22-2011, 10:50 AM
The recent Kentucky Lake FLW Tour Major offered yet more evidence that this was a crazy spring. Record flooding, record cold and violent weather pushed the spawn back in nearly all geographic regions. But with the onset of June heat and humidity, thoughts of the late and crazy spring seemed to vanish.
The fishermen may have forgotten about the late spring, but the fish didn't. Two weeks ago, Luke Clausen won the Potomac FLW Tour Open on a spawning pattern, when nearly everyone else in the field ran post-spawn patterns. And Chad Grigsby won Kentucky Lake on Sunday fishing the mid-depths. There were huge schools of fish on some of the deep main-river ledges, but the classic ledge pattern didn't hold up for the win. The fish there just weren't eating like they should have been in June.
It would be easy to blame the weather. A series of thunderstorms on days 3 and 4 certainly hurt the ledge bite. But in the end, Grigsby's shellbed flat on the north end harbored more active, reliable fish that went wild on the final day and propelled Grigsby to victory with a stunning 22-14 final-day limit. He did catch some key kickers on the south end, but ultimately, it was his north-end shellbed flat that pushed him to victory.
For the past several years, June events at Kentucky Lake have been won with main-river ledge-fish. There was every expectation that would be the winning pattern again, and the ultra-hot big-fish areas in the south end of Kentucky Lake would probably best the field.
Grigsby was well aware of that south-end bite, and when he arrived for the 3-day official practice, he launched on the south end.
"I spent a whole day at New Johnsonville," he said. "Last time we were here, I had a terrible first day, but caught 20-something the second day. So I went down there (to new Johnsonville) and tried to figure it out. It wasn't going on down there. Then I spent a day around Paris, then a day at the dam. I caught them okay at Paris, and I wound up using one of those spots in the tournament.
"But I found a spot the last day of practice up by the dam," he added. "Those were the two key spots and I eventually caught all my fish on those two spots."
Winning Pattern:
As noted, the Paris spot accounted for several key fish, but Grigby's north-end flat was much more reliable ñ especially as the extreme weather set in on day 3.
About his north-end spot, Grigsby said: "It was a flat up by the dam. A channel-swing came in and went almost to the bank, but on the channel-swing there's a flat that's about 12 feet deep with a ditch in it, where it dips to like 16. The ditch runs north-south for a long ways, then comes up to 11 feet and goes back down into the main-river channel. On top of the west side of the ditch there's a shellbed for about 300 yards.
"It was all on a secondary channel and I just kind of slowed down and went back and forth across that 300-yard stretch."
On the shellbed flat he threw what he described as a "3/4-ounce shakey-head," which was a 3/4-ounce Secret Lures football jig with the weedguard torn off and strung with a 12" homemade worm that 2nd-place Kevin Snider gave him. However, he changed to a Strike King 6XD crank on the final day and they wanted it.
He also threw the Secret Lures football jig tipped with a Berkley Chigger Craw.
About his Paris spot, Grigsby noted: "It was a channel-swing out on the main-river channel. It was out by the red buoys and I think a lot of it was the current. They didn't bite there the final day - they weren't pulling water and the wind blew out of the north.
"The area had a couple little dips to where it would be 18 feet maybe, and a couple of little fingers coming out at like 16 feet deep."
Winning Gear:
Shakey-head gear: : 7'3" medium-heavy Abu Garcia Vendetta (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGVCR) rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRSTX)casting reel, 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), 3/4-ounce Secret Lures football jig (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SLMVPFJ), 12" homemade worm (plum).
He threw the craw-tipped Secret Lure football jig (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SLMVPFJ) on the same gear. He tipped it with green-pumpkin Berkley Chigger Craw (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BPCC).
Cranking gear: 7'10" medium-action All Star rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ASTCKR), Abu Garcia Revo Winch (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRW)casting reel, 10-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), Strike King 6XD (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC) (sexy shad).
Main factor: "Just keeping an open mind and not worrying about having to go over and fish another spot. I think the key was not having many spots and just trying to get as much as I could out of three or four key little spots. The shellbed was a pretty big area, and there were lots of local and other boats there, but I fished all around it. I would go and try to find another shellbed, but I'd always come back. That was the deal and they were right on the edge of the ditch where it dips down."
Performance Edge: "Probably that Revo Winch (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRW). I actually had another cranking rod with a regular Revo STX, but on a regular STX, that 6XD is hard to crank. You don't realize it until you change how much that Winch saves your arm."
TW Staff
The fishermen may have forgotten about the late spring, but the fish didn't. Two weeks ago, Luke Clausen won the Potomac FLW Tour Open on a spawning pattern, when nearly everyone else in the field ran post-spawn patterns. And Chad Grigsby won Kentucky Lake on Sunday fishing the mid-depths. There were huge schools of fish on some of the deep main-river ledges, but the classic ledge pattern didn't hold up for the win. The fish there just weren't eating like they should have been in June.
It would be easy to blame the weather. A series of thunderstorms on days 3 and 4 certainly hurt the ledge bite. But in the end, Grigsby's shellbed flat on the north end harbored more active, reliable fish that went wild on the final day and propelled Grigsby to victory with a stunning 22-14 final-day limit. He did catch some key kickers on the south end, but ultimately, it was his north-end shellbed flat that pushed him to victory.
For the past several years, June events at Kentucky Lake have been won with main-river ledge-fish. There was every expectation that would be the winning pattern again, and the ultra-hot big-fish areas in the south end of Kentucky Lake would probably best the field.
Grigsby was well aware of that south-end bite, and when he arrived for the 3-day official practice, he launched on the south end.
"I spent a whole day at New Johnsonville," he said. "Last time we were here, I had a terrible first day, but caught 20-something the second day. So I went down there (to new Johnsonville) and tried to figure it out. It wasn't going on down there. Then I spent a day around Paris, then a day at the dam. I caught them okay at Paris, and I wound up using one of those spots in the tournament.
"But I found a spot the last day of practice up by the dam," he added. "Those were the two key spots and I eventually caught all my fish on those two spots."
Winning Pattern:
As noted, the Paris spot accounted for several key fish, but Grigby's north-end flat was much more reliable ñ especially as the extreme weather set in on day 3.
About his north-end spot, Grigsby said: "It was a flat up by the dam. A channel-swing came in and went almost to the bank, but on the channel-swing there's a flat that's about 12 feet deep with a ditch in it, where it dips to like 16. The ditch runs north-south for a long ways, then comes up to 11 feet and goes back down into the main-river channel. On top of the west side of the ditch there's a shellbed for about 300 yards.
"It was all on a secondary channel and I just kind of slowed down and went back and forth across that 300-yard stretch."
On the shellbed flat he threw what he described as a "3/4-ounce shakey-head," which was a 3/4-ounce Secret Lures football jig with the weedguard torn off and strung with a 12" homemade worm that 2nd-place Kevin Snider gave him. However, he changed to a Strike King 6XD crank on the final day and they wanted it.
He also threw the Secret Lures football jig tipped with a Berkley Chigger Craw.
About his Paris spot, Grigsby noted: "It was a channel-swing out on the main-river channel. It was out by the red buoys and I think a lot of it was the current. They didn't bite there the final day - they weren't pulling water and the wind blew out of the north.
"The area had a couple little dips to where it would be 18 feet maybe, and a couple of little fingers coming out at like 16 feet deep."
Winning Gear:
Shakey-head gear: : 7'3" medium-heavy Abu Garcia Vendetta (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGVCR) rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRSTX)casting reel, 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), 3/4-ounce Secret Lures football jig (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SLMVPFJ), 12" homemade worm (plum).
He threw the craw-tipped Secret Lure football jig (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SLMVPFJ) on the same gear. He tipped it with green-pumpkin Berkley Chigger Craw (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BPCC).
Cranking gear: 7'10" medium-action All Star rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ASTCKR), Abu Garcia Revo Winch (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRW)casting reel, 10-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), Strike King 6XD (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC) (sexy shad).
Main factor: "Just keeping an open mind and not worrying about having to go over and fish another spot. I think the key was not having many spots and just trying to get as much as I could out of three or four key little spots. The shellbed was a pretty big area, and there were lots of local and other boats there, but I fished all around it. I would go and try to find another shellbed, but I'd always come back. That was the deal and they were right on the edge of the ditch where it dips down."
Performance Edge: "Probably that Revo Winch (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRW). I actually had another cranking rod with a regular Revo STX, but on a regular STX, that 6XD is hard to crank. You don't realize it until you change how much that Winch saves your arm."
TW Staff