TW_Staff
10-20-2008, 12:44 PM
Alton Jones, Lay Lake Bassmaster Classic (AL), Feb. 22–24
Alton Jones dragged a jig straight down the middle of deep ditches with timber, and also spooned up some fish. "I had little drains that were full of timber and I'd move to the shallowest edge, and then go even a little bit shallower and maybe find one or two extra trees, and there'd usually be fish there," Jones said. "I had to be fishing in the bottom of the ditches and I had to bring the bait right down the middle of the channel. When I'd feel it come across a piece of wood, I'd get ready, because that's when the strikes occurred."
Jig gear: 7' medium-heavy Kistler Magnesium TS rod, Ardent XS1000 casting reel, 14-pound Silver Thread fluorocarbon line, 3/4-ounce Booyah Pigskin (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BPSJ) or 1/2-ounce Booyah AJ's Go2 jig (Ozark Craw), 3 1/2" Yum Chunk trailer (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YC) (black/blue flake).
Spoon gear: 6'6" medium-heavy Kistler Magnesium TS rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=KMGC), same reel, 17-pound Silver Thread fluorocarbon, 3/4-ounce unnamed spoon (white/chartreuse/blue)Brett Hite, Toho FLW Tour (FL), Aug. 28–March 2
Brett Hite swam a ChatterBait-style jig through pathways in the lily pads in 2 to 4 feet of water. He fished Lake Kissimmee.
Swim-jig gear: 7'4" medium-heavy Performance Tackle B. Hite Special fiberglass rod, unnamed casting reel, 20-pound Sunline Sniper fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SLFCS), 5/8-ounce Phenix Vibrator jig (green-pumpkin, black blade)
He tipped the jig with two different trailers (green-pumpkin) – Yamamoto Swimming Senko (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YSS) and a Yamamoto Twin Tail grub (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YA4DTG). He dyed the tails chartreuse with a marker. "It's just a subtle color change," he said. "Whether it's a bluegill or shiner, they both have a little lighter tail, so I just wanted some contrast.Mike McClelland, Harris Chain Elite Series (FL), March 6–9
Mike McClelland threw a trick worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZTW) exclusively at the Harris Chain, where he targeted pad stalks and grass clumps. One key was to pull the worm against a pad stalk and shake it, which he though created sound when the hook bumped against the weight. He caught most of his fish in 3 1/2 to 4 feet of water.
Worm gear: 7'4" medium-heavy Falcon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FCRC) Mike McClelland signature series rod, Quantum PT Tour Edition casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 15-pound Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SIF) or 50-pound Spiderwire Ultracast braided line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SWUI), 3/16- or 1/4-ounce unnamed lead weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu Round Bend hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GWHRB), Zoom Trick Worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZTW) (black or 'Bama bug).
He said the fluorocarbon line was important due to its sensitivity. "I was able to feel a lot of light bites that I might have missed with any other line."Kevin VanDam, Toho Elite Series (FL), March 13–16
Kevin VanDam snubbed his nose at the no-brainer bank bites and found a wad of crankbait fish well offshore in Toho. These were fish that had likely already spawned, already went through their post-spawn recuperation, and were thus subject to stay put and eat, no matter what the weather did.
Crankbait gear: 7' Quantum Energy PT crankbait rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QECR) (composite), Quantum Energy 750PT reel, 17-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Strike King RedEye Shad (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SKRES) (blue-chrome/sexy-shad).
He swapped out the two stock hooks on the RedEye for two No. 2 Mustad extra-short-shank Triple Grips (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MTGTH). "That's the best rod, reel, line and hook combo for landing these fish," he noted. "I've experimented a great deal with it all, and to me, this is the program. I never lost a single bass in the tournament."Michael Bennett, Lewis Smith FLW Tour (AL), April 3–6
Michael Bennett relied on a mix of bedding and pre-spawn fish at Lewis Smith, where he sight-fished and skipped docks. The outside edges of his best docks sat in about 80 feet of water, with the inside edges over 30 to 40 feet. The fish were suspended underneath.
He'd skip the Sinking Minnow underneath and let if fall on a slack line. "In practice they were taking it after it had fallen about 5 feet," he said. "By the third day, it was 10 feet, and on the last day, it was 25 or 30 feet. I had to let it go for as long as I could stand it."
Sight-fishing gear: 7'2" medium-heavy Fenwick Elite Tech Strokin' Special rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FETC), Abu Garcia Revo casting reel (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRP), 17-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), 1/2-ounce unnamed tungsten weight, 2/0 offset-shank hook, 3" Berkley PowerBait Beast (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BPBT) (pearl).
If he deemed a bed-fish non-aggressive: 7' medium-heavy Fenwick Techna AV Spinning rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FETS), Abu Garcia Cardinal 702 spinning reel (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGC7), 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC) , 1/4-ounce unnamed dropshot weight, 1/0 unnamed offset-shank hook, Berkley PowerBait Hand Pour finesse worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BFWH) (watermelon).Paul Elias, Falcon Elite Series (TX), April 3–6
Paul Elias cranked both shallow areas and deep points at Falcon en route to a monster 20-fish, 132-08 record-setting total (6 1/2-pound average). On deep points, he'd "kneel and reel" (a technique he made famous) in order to hit the 15-foot-deep sweet spot. He also did some Carolina-rigging.
Shallow crankbait gear: 6'6" medium-action Quantum PT Series rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QECR), Quantum PT Tour Edition 1160 casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), Mann's C4 square-billed crankbait (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MCES) (chartreuse/blue back).
He swapped out the stock #4 hooks on the C4 for #2 Gamakatsu 4X Strong trebles (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GT4X).
Deep crankbait gear: Quantum PT Signature Series Paul Elias crankbait rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QSSCR), Quantum Energy PT Tour Edition E750 casting reel (5:1 ratio), 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), Mann's 20+ deep-diving crankbait (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MGTS) (Ol' Homer).
Carolina-rig gear: Quantum PT Signature Series Greg Hackney flipping rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QSSCR), Quantum PT Tour Edition 1160 casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 50-pound Stren Super Braid (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SSBG) , 20-pound Berkley Big Game leader, 1-ounce tungsten weight, 6/0 Gamakatsu Superline EWG worm hook, 12-inch Mann's Jelly worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MJW) (plum).Todd Faircloth, Amistad Elite Series (TX), April 10–13
Todd Faircloth worked flats at Amistad that featured isolated trees – just three or four trees together were better than a big cluster – and they were places that the fish were using in their transition from the spawn. The tops of the trees were submerged under 4 or 5 feet of water. He threw a Senko and swimbait.
Swimbait gear: 7'6" medium-heavy CastAway flipping rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=CBSCR), unnamed casting reel (6:1 gear ratio), unnamed 20-pound fluorocarbon line, unnamed size 1 treble hook, unnamed 8-inch plastic swimbait (chartreuse shad).
Senko gear: 7' heavy-action CastAway Mag Series rod, same reel and line, unnamed 1/4 or 3/8-ounce tungsten weight, unnamed 5/0 offset-shank hook, 6-inch Yamamoto Senko (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YAS) (watermelon/black-green flake).
Alton Jones dragged a jig straight down the middle of deep ditches with timber, and also spooned up some fish. "I had little drains that were full of timber and I'd move to the shallowest edge, and then go even a little bit shallower and maybe find one or two extra trees, and there'd usually be fish there," Jones said. "I had to be fishing in the bottom of the ditches and I had to bring the bait right down the middle of the channel. When I'd feel it come across a piece of wood, I'd get ready, because that's when the strikes occurred."
Jig gear: 7' medium-heavy Kistler Magnesium TS rod, Ardent XS1000 casting reel, 14-pound Silver Thread fluorocarbon line, 3/4-ounce Booyah Pigskin (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BPSJ) or 1/2-ounce Booyah AJ's Go2 jig (Ozark Craw), 3 1/2" Yum Chunk trailer (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YC) (black/blue flake).
Spoon gear: 6'6" medium-heavy Kistler Magnesium TS rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=KMGC), same reel, 17-pound Silver Thread fluorocarbon, 3/4-ounce unnamed spoon (white/chartreuse/blue)Brett Hite, Toho FLW Tour (FL), Aug. 28–March 2
Brett Hite swam a ChatterBait-style jig through pathways in the lily pads in 2 to 4 feet of water. He fished Lake Kissimmee.
Swim-jig gear: 7'4" medium-heavy Performance Tackle B. Hite Special fiberglass rod, unnamed casting reel, 20-pound Sunline Sniper fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SLFCS), 5/8-ounce Phenix Vibrator jig (green-pumpkin, black blade)
He tipped the jig with two different trailers (green-pumpkin) – Yamamoto Swimming Senko (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YSS) and a Yamamoto Twin Tail grub (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YA4DTG). He dyed the tails chartreuse with a marker. "It's just a subtle color change," he said. "Whether it's a bluegill or shiner, they both have a little lighter tail, so I just wanted some contrast.Mike McClelland, Harris Chain Elite Series (FL), March 6–9
Mike McClelland threw a trick worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZTW) exclusively at the Harris Chain, where he targeted pad stalks and grass clumps. One key was to pull the worm against a pad stalk and shake it, which he though created sound when the hook bumped against the weight. He caught most of his fish in 3 1/2 to 4 feet of water.
Worm gear: 7'4" medium-heavy Falcon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FCRC) Mike McClelland signature series rod, Quantum PT Tour Edition casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 15-pound Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SIF) or 50-pound Spiderwire Ultracast braided line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SWUI), 3/16- or 1/4-ounce unnamed lead weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu Round Bend hook (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GWHRB), Zoom Trick Worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZTW) (black or 'Bama bug).
He said the fluorocarbon line was important due to its sensitivity. "I was able to feel a lot of light bites that I might have missed with any other line."Kevin VanDam, Toho Elite Series (FL), March 13–16
Kevin VanDam snubbed his nose at the no-brainer bank bites and found a wad of crankbait fish well offshore in Toho. These were fish that had likely already spawned, already went through their post-spawn recuperation, and were thus subject to stay put and eat, no matter what the weather did.
Crankbait gear: 7' Quantum Energy PT crankbait rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QECR) (composite), Quantum Energy 750PT reel, 17-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Strike King RedEye Shad (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SKRES) (blue-chrome/sexy-shad).
He swapped out the two stock hooks on the RedEye for two No. 2 Mustad extra-short-shank Triple Grips (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MTGTH). "That's the best rod, reel, line and hook combo for landing these fish," he noted. "I've experimented a great deal with it all, and to me, this is the program. I never lost a single bass in the tournament."Michael Bennett, Lewis Smith FLW Tour (AL), April 3–6
Michael Bennett relied on a mix of bedding and pre-spawn fish at Lewis Smith, where he sight-fished and skipped docks. The outside edges of his best docks sat in about 80 feet of water, with the inside edges over 30 to 40 feet. The fish were suspended underneath.
He'd skip the Sinking Minnow underneath and let if fall on a slack line. "In practice they were taking it after it had fallen about 5 feet," he said. "By the third day, it was 10 feet, and on the last day, it was 25 or 30 feet. I had to let it go for as long as I could stand it."
Sight-fishing gear: 7'2" medium-heavy Fenwick Elite Tech Strokin' Special rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FETC), Abu Garcia Revo casting reel (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGRP), 17-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), 1/2-ounce unnamed tungsten weight, 2/0 offset-shank hook, 3" Berkley PowerBait Beast (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BPBT) (pearl).
If he deemed a bed-fish non-aggressive: 7' medium-heavy Fenwick Techna AV Spinning rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=FETS), Abu Garcia Cardinal 702 spinning reel (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=AGC7), 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC) , 1/4-ounce unnamed dropshot weight, 1/0 unnamed offset-shank hook, Berkley PowerBait Hand Pour finesse worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BFWH) (watermelon).Paul Elias, Falcon Elite Series (TX), April 3–6
Paul Elias cranked both shallow areas and deep points at Falcon en route to a monster 20-fish, 132-08 record-setting total (6 1/2-pound average). On deep points, he'd "kneel and reel" (a technique he made famous) in order to hit the 15-foot-deep sweet spot. He also did some Carolina-rigging.
Shallow crankbait gear: 6'6" medium-action Quantum PT Series rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QECR), Quantum PT Tour Edition 1160 casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), Mann's C4 square-billed crankbait (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MCES) (chartreuse/blue back).
He swapped out the stock #4 hooks on the C4 for #2 Gamakatsu 4X Strong trebles (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=GT4X).
Deep crankbait gear: Quantum PT Signature Series Paul Elias crankbait rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QSSCR), Quantum Energy PT Tour Edition E750 casting reel (5:1 ratio), 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=BTFCC), Mann's 20+ deep-diving crankbait (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MGTS) (Ol' Homer).
Carolina-rig gear: Quantum PT Signature Series Greg Hackney flipping rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=QSSCR), Quantum PT Tour Edition 1160 casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 50-pound Stren Super Braid (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SSBG) , 20-pound Berkley Big Game leader, 1-ounce tungsten weight, 6/0 Gamakatsu Superline EWG worm hook, 12-inch Mann's Jelly worm (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=MJW) (plum).Todd Faircloth, Amistad Elite Series (TX), April 10–13
Todd Faircloth worked flats at Amistad that featured isolated trees – just three or four trees together were better than a big cluster – and they were places that the fish were using in their transition from the spawn. The tops of the trees were submerged under 4 or 5 feet of water. He threw a Senko and swimbait.
Swimbait gear: 7'6" medium-heavy CastAway flipping rod (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=CBSCR), unnamed casting reel (6:1 gear ratio), unnamed 20-pound fluorocarbon line, unnamed size 1 treble hook, unnamed 8-inch plastic swimbait (chartreuse shad).
Senko gear: 7' heavy-action CastAway Mag Series rod, same reel and line, unnamed 1/4 or 3/8-ounce tungsten weight, unnamed 5/0 offset-shank hook, 6-inch Yamamoto Senko (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=YAS) (watermelon/black-green flake).