Bassmaster Elite Series Bull Shoals Top Baits

Top Baits: Bassmaster Elite Series Bull Shoals/Norfork

The Bassmaster Elite Series' third stop of the 2016 was a unique tournament for the organization and anglers as it featured competition on two bodies of water: the famed Bull Shoals Lake and the lesser known Norfork Lake. The two lakes are situated right in the heart of bass fishing country with Ranger Boats headquarters wedged right between the two and bass fishing history found in each direction. The tournament was predicted to be a heavy sight fishing event and did feature quite a bit of it, but the predominant patterns of the top-5 were void of any looking. Instead, anglers relied on shallow flipping and swimbaits on both of the tournament venues. Let's take a look at some of the top baits from the event.

1st Place - Randall Tharp

Tharp utilized a 3/8oz and 1/2oz 4x4 Randle Tharp Signature Series Jig in golden craw and green pumpkin for the majority of the event, but switched up to 5/8oz toward the end of the 3rd day on Bull Shoals. Tharp tipped his jig with a Zoom Super Chunk to mimic little bluegill the bass were being pestered by up shallow. Tharp fished his jig on Halo Rods and Lew's Reels spooled up with Gamma Fluorocarbon line.

2nd Place - Skeet Reese

Reese mixed it up during the event. At Bull Shoals, he flipped a Berkley Pit Boss with a 1/2oz tungsten bull weight in about a foot of water. He was utterly shocked how shallow he could pitch his bait and still get bit. His third day bag of 19lbs 2oz vaulted him up from 26th place all the way up to 3rd and put him in a position to possibly win the tournament on the final day. He started day 4 on Norfork by cranking a shallow running Lucky Craft Crankbait along the pea gravel banks, but eventually switched to the swimbaits. Reese did most of his damage on a shad colored 6" Basstrix Swimbait and also caught fish on a 7" Osprey Tournament Talon Swimbait.

3rd Place - Chris Zaldain

Zaldain pulled out a bunch of his west coast tricks this week at the dual lake tournament. He started it and ended it on Norfork tossing the 6" Megabass Magdraft Swimbait just slow rolling it along the bluffs and rocky shoreline where bass would come out from behind boulders or shade lines to absolute crush it. He alternated between two rods for the big baits: a Megabass Orochi XX F5-72XX Diablo Spec-R and unnamed model of the Megabass Levente Series Rods. He threw the swimbaits using 20lb Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon.

When it came to Bull Shoals, Zaldain was having a blast pitching his drop shot in the same type of areas most competitors were opting for big jigs and heavy plastics. For that use, Zaldain elected to use a 6" Roboworm Straight Tail Worm in the Margarita Mutilator color. Time and time again, Zaldain proved the strength of his 15lb Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon as he hung bass up in branches, hauled them through bushes and boat flipped fish. He tied a very short leader with a 2/0 Roboworom Rebarb Hook.

4th Place - Matt Herren

Matt Herren used two baits to catch his fish at the northern Arkansas Bassmaster Elite Series event. The yin and the yang of his approach included a green pumpkin Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket and a 1/2oz Santone Lures Jig.

5th Place - Bill Lowen

Bill Lowen focused his efforts on shallow water bass using a 3/8oz jig and a 4" black and blue flipping tube. He fished slowly and was likely catching spawning fish, although he was not sight fishing.

6th Place - Jacob Powroznik

Jacob Powroznik was one of the sight fishermen using his keen eyesight to make the final day cut of this two lake tournament. He relied primarily upon a wacky rigged V&M J-Mag finesse worm.

7th Place - Steve Kennedy

Steve Kennedy was another one of the anglers sight fishing and he used the old standy white jig to get a better look at his bait and insure he could see when a fish chomped down on it.

8th Place - Adrian Avena

Adrian Avena used a variety of lures during the tournament including finesse worms and swimbaits, however his most successful technique was flipping a chartreuse dipped watermelon colored Berkley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw into shallow brush. He rigged the soft plastic on a 3/0 straight shank flipping hook behind a 1/2oz tungsten weight. Avena's setup included a Abu Garcia Revo Premier Casting Reel and an Abu Garcia Villain Rod.

9th Place - Mike McClelland

McClelland was among the anglers fishing shallow water brush and rock to catch his fish at both Bull Shoals and Norfork. He flipped and pitched a Big Bites Fighting Frog in watermelon red using a lighter 1/4oz and 3/8oz tungsten weights to get a slower fall than many of his competitors presented. McClelland utilized his signature series Falcon Mike McClelland Swim Jig Rod - a 7'2" model - to make accurate pitches around thick brush and tight spaces.

10th Place - Brian Snowden

Brian Snowden had a very steady tournament finishing up in 10th place. He caught the majority of his fish flipping a green pumpkin Zoom Z-Hog soft plastic craw bait.

11th Place - Brandon Palaniuk

Brandon Palaniuk sight fished a bit here and there, but he also flipped a 3/8oz Eco Pro Tungsten Jared Lintner Heavyweight Flipping Jig in the green pumpkin color.

12th Place - Koby Kreiger

Known as an expert sight fisherman, Koby Kreiger road his superior eyesight to a top 12 finish at the Bull Shoals/Norfork event. To trick the spawning bass he, like Steve Kennedy, opted for a white bait - his, a Zoom Super Hog.

Bassmaster Elite Series Winyah Bay Top Baits

1st Place - Britt Myers

Britt Myers caught the majority of his weight in the event using a white 1/2oz Z-Man Elite Chatterbait tipped with a Keitech Swing Impact Fat 3.8 in 426 Sexy Shad. However, his most important bait may have been a white Zoom Super Fluke rigged weightless on a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG Worm hook which he tied on during the final day of the event in order to fill out his limit. When Myers arrived back to the weigh-in site, he only hoped he wouldn't drop out of the top 5, little did he know the tough day he experienced was not unique and his small limit was just enough to squeak by Brett Hite.

2nd Place - Brett Hite

Brett Hite introduced the world to a new vibrating jig combo comprised of a green pumpkin 3/8oz and 1/2oz Evergreen Jackhammer and a new Yamamoto soft plastic he designed.

3rd Place - Kelly Jordon

Kelly Jordon made a huge comeback on day 2 of the event and came within one fish of winning the tournament. He flipped a black/red Sweet Beaver with a 1/2oz tungsten weight and he also chucked a Z-Man Elite Chatterbait in a green pumpkin color paired with a Lake Fork Magic Shad in a similar color.

4th Place - Brent Chapman

Brent Chapman caught all his fish this week using a Tightlines UV Whisker Beaver in a green pumpkin/pbj color.

5th Place - Randy Howell

Howell notched a 5th place finish at the second stop of the Elite Series using an assortment of baits, but his top two choices were a weightless 5" Yamamoto Senko in a pink color and a Yamamoto Flappin Hog II in the watermelon/black/red color which he flipped using a 3/4oz tungsten sinker.

6th Place - Keith Combs

Keith Combs put up a solid 6th place finish in the event by flipping and pitching plastics in backwater areas. Combs tried a number of plastics, but he finally settled on a Zoom Brush Hog in the watermelon candy color which he rigged behind a 3/4oz tungsten sinker on 20lb Seaguar Flipping FC line.

Seaguar Flippin Lines

Seaguar, the inventor and world leader in fluorocarbon and premium fishing line, has expanded its portfolio with the launch of two new technique-specific fishing lines targeting heavy cover applications.

Seaguar Flippin’ Fluoro and Seaguar Flippin’ Braid are the brainchild of Denny Brauer, legendary flipping expert and BassMaster Classic Champion, according to Gerry Benedicto, Seaguar General Manager. “Denny’s interest in creating lines specifically for flipping applications really got the ball rolling about two years ago. His familiarity with Seaguar and his expertise in designing flipping rods, reels and lures helped us establish the framework for the right lines needed for this go-to technique.”

Brauer identified strength and sensitivity as the key characteristics required in the new Flippin’ lines. “This is about pulling big fish out of the nastiest vegetation you can find,” said Brauer. “You’re on a short line, and you need to feel the quick reaction strike and then literally horse the fish out of heavy cover.” He added, “Your line is one of the most important aspects of the presentation, and now Seaguar has made selecting the right line simple.”

	Line Qualities	Spool Size	Lb. Test
Flippin’ Fluoro	Best-in-Class Impact & Knot Strength Remarkable Abrasion Resistance Virtually no-stretch for extra sensitivity & better hook sets	100 yards	20, 25, 30
Flippin’ Braid	Round profile, 8 micro-weave strands in Lo-Vis black Exceptional Impact Strength & Abrasion Resistance No- stretch for extra sensitivity & better hook sets	100 yards	50, 65

Flipping is one of the most popular ways anglers fish for bass. Seaguar research shows that 9 out of 10 anglers use this technique when bass fishing, and 8 out of 10 have purchased rods and reels specifically for flipping. The launch of the line will be supported with the Flipping Encyclopedia Video Series. This collection of educational video shorts will feature Denny Brauer walking through the basics and benefits of the flipping technique, including when and why the presentation is critical, as well as explaining his equipment and lure choices based on the time of year. Brauer will also be featured in TV, print and electronic media to build awareness and trial for the new Flippin’ lines.

The Flippin’ lines are the second application- or species-specific products Seaguar has introduced recently. In 2014, Seaguar introduced STS, the first species-specific fluorocarbon leader material targeting Salmon, Trout and Steelhead. This product line was developed to meet the needs of anglers in the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes and the Northeast fisheries.

FLW Tour 2016 Lake Hartwell Top-10 Baits

John Cox Wins FLW Hartwell

John "What's a Depth Finder" Cox of Florida won the second event of the 2016 FLW Tour held on Lake Hartwell over the weekend. Cox, who famously fished the 2015 season without electronic graphs on his boat, utilized another backwater - as he did when he won on the Red River - to capture the win with a final day weight of 16lbs 2oz that pushed his total weight to 67lbs 6oz and edge 2nd place angler Clark Wendlandt by just 7oz. Running his aluminum boat as he has for much of his time on the FLW Tour, Cox was able to access the pond by floating over a very shallow sandbar that blocks the pond from the main river.

Cox's Arsenal:

For the first three days, Cox utilized wacky-rigged, green pumpkin and watermelon colored worms including 5" Yamamoto Senkos and Zoom Trick Worms that he skipped under docks where fish were most likely spawning. He employed a 2 power spinning rod with 10lb braid tied to a 10lb fluorocarbon leader. On the final day, Cox transitioned to a black/blue Z-Man Chatterbait and a Strike King Rage Menace to catch all of the fish inside his little backwater area.

FLW Hartwell Top-10 Baits

You're going to see a lot of that. That, pictured above, being a wacky rigged Senko or, more generally speaking, a stickbait. Most of the top-10 used some form of a wacky rigged soft plastic stickbait to haul in their catch this week. In fact the top 7 anglers all used it as some piece of their gameplan, but obviously the baits they chose to employ varied. Let's take a look at some of the anglers' choices:

2nd Place - Clark Wendlandt

Clark Wendlandt elected to fish a few soft plastic baits during the event including a Strike King Flipping Tube for bedding bass. When he wasn't directly looking at the fish, he opted for a wacky rigged Strike King Ocho or Strike King Shim-E-Stick.

3rd Place - Jamie Horton

Former BASS Elite Series angler Jamie Horton utilized the relatively new Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket rigged with the same wacky style used by a majority of the anglers.

4th Place - Jeff Gustafson

Canadian Jeff Gustafson primarily fished a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko, but also mixed in a Jackall Dowzvido 90SP jerkbait in a matte pearl white color.

10th Place - Powell Kemp

One of the few pros in the top-10 not throwing a wacky-rig, Powell Kemp of North Carolina, fished a Zoom Lizard, Zoom UV Speed Craw and ball head jig with a Netbait Paca Chunk trailer in a matching color. Check out the full rundown of baits on FLWFishing.com

New Shimano Curado 70 Reels In Stock

New Shimano Curado 70 Reels

When the situation calls for pitching, flipping, or casting light lures, anglers are now offered the a compact size in the new Shimano Curado 70 reels, available in both right- and left-hand retrieve and two gear ratios. The line-up includes the Curado 70HG and left-hand 71HG with 7.2:1 gear ratios, and the even faster retrieve Curado 70XG and 71XG, each with 8.2:1 gear ratios. All four reels feature a compact, lightweight durable Hagane body design, weighing it at 6.5-ounces for all-day, in-hand fishing comfort.

The Curado 70 reels are equipped with Shimano’s innovative SVS Infinity braking system to provide easy-to-manage, consistent spool control and brake force. SVS Infinity controls spool speed especially when using lighter lures, plus the external adjustment knob allows quick, precise adjustments when conditions change or switching baits.

Through Shimano’s Stabile Spool Design (S3D) that includes a thin wall aluminum spool to provide better balance, anglers will notice less spool vibration. Add in five S-ARB anti-rust ball bearings, and a one-way roller bearing for absolutely no handle backplay, plus Shimano’s X-Ship for even more smoothness and durability, and anglers can expect enhanced casting performance for longer casts – a welcome benefit when using lighter lures.

With the choice of two gear ratios, anglers can reel in 28-inches of line with 7.2:1 HG models, and 32-inches with the higher speed 8.2:1 XG reels. And speaking of line, the Curado 70 reels will handle from 105 yards of 10-pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line and up to 70 yards of 14-pound test. When used with standard PowerPro braid, the reels will hold 115 yards of 20-pound and up to 80 yards of 40-pound test.

A long standard among both bass and inshore anglers, Shimano’s Curado reels “are just so extremely versatile for all kinds of bass catching techniques,” said noted angler Mark Zona. “Having had the opportunity to field-test the new Curado 70 reels, they are ideal for quick, accurate casts, or when you need to downsize your lure and still want to work lots of water.”

You can find the New Shimano Curado 70 Reels at Monster Fishing Tackle before any other retailer.

2016 Bassmaster Classic Recap

All about the Classic

Talk about a comeback! Edwin Evers saved the best for last and absolutely crushed the field bringing in a final day limit of 29lbs 3oz en route to capturing the 2016 Bassmaster Classic crown. The event, held in Oklahoman Evers' backyard, was predicted to be an absolute slugfest, but turned out to be a tale of tough fishing conditions and low weights for all of the anglers, even Evers who nearly blew his shot at the classic when he only managed four fish on day one of the tournament.

At a glance, Evers' 10lb margin of victory makes his win look easy, but that was absolutely not the case. Heading in to the final day, and even halfway through the morning, it appeared as if another local, Jason Christie, would lay claim to the win, however, a flurry by Evers and some unsolicited information changed things rather quickly. After two days of fishing, Christie held a lead of 5lbs 11oz over his nearest pursuer and greater 6lbs over eventual winner Evers. All week Christie had made it clear he was not one of the many anglers who desired windy conditions, plainly stating it to anyone that would listen and on the final day, that's exactly what he got. Sustained winds and a large gallery of spectators almost certainly gave him trouble, but it might have been another incident that will go down in history as a deciding factor when fans look back on this classic.

After Evers had already boxed a significant portion of his monstrous bag, Christie came upon some shoreline spectators who told him he was down. When Christie commented he was probably 4lbs back, the spectator said, "no, Evers has 25lbs." Watching this unfold on Bassmaster Live, you could clearly see that Christie was rattled. As he spun his boat he inadvertently bumped boats with another spectator before starting to question what he had just heard. Prior to this information being given, Christie had clearly stated he had absolutely no desire to know what anyone else had as it might change his fishing style, the style which he had ridden all week to a sizable lead. Once those thoughts crept into his head, he felt the need to confirm this information, but he couldn't get his phone to see the Basstrakk weights. [Just to be clear, this is entirely legal on the final day of BASS Elite Series events - it's a new allowance, but it is completely acceptable.] From that point on, he fished far more rapidly than he had all week long. He jumped spots quickly, fished faster and kept a dialogue going about the incident for a short while after.

Back to Evers

• Day 1: 13lbs 12oz (4 fish)
• Day 2: 17lbs 8oz
• Day 3: 29lbs 3oz
• Total: 60lbs 7oz

Evers had to battle to even stay in the event after a first day that saw nothing go as planned. He scrambled and managed to only catch four bass. According to Evers, it was fortunate he even managed those four as he said it was an absolutely brutal day of fishing. Day two he went into full on survival mode using a flipping stick and a spinnerbait to catch a really good bag of fish weighing 17 1/2lbs. Evers acknowledged this wasn't part of his plan going into the event and fished in this manner simply to stay in the event, he really didn't know if he could remain close enough to Christie to have a legitimate chance at winning, but that was the only way he could find to catch fish. On the final day, with the winds blowing hard, he went way up the Elk River to an area he caught a few big fish in practice. It didn't take him long to change the game completely, boating several fish over 4lbs by 10am and putting lots of distance between him and Day 2 leader Christie.

On the first day of the event, Evers used a Megabass Flap Slap to catch all of his fish. On the second day, evers changed up and flipped a Zoom Z-hog and tossed a white spinnerbait. The final day he turned to a 5/16oz homemade flat rubber jig which he pitched to wood far up the Elk River to fish that were using the laydowns and staging areas for the upcoming spawn.

2nd Place - Jason Christie

• Day 1: 20bs 14oz
• Day 2: 16lbs 11oz
• Day 3: 12lbs 9oz (4 fish)
• Total: 50lbs 2oz

While it ended up being a home-state angler who won the classic by a huge margin, it wasn't the angler most people thought would do it. After two days of fishing and a 5 1/2lb lead over 2nd, it appeared Grand Lake stick Jason Christie was going to blow this tournament out. Eight hours of fishing and an improbable bag were all that separated Christie from winning the sport's biggest title. Christie caught them really well on the first two days despite having a floatilla of spectators that often hindered his ability to fish his desired locations.

Each of the first two days of the tournament, Christie managed 8 bites fishing the shoreline with a 1oz Booyah Spinnerbait paired with a shad style swimbait trailer that resembled a Keitech 3.8" Swing Impact Fat. He fished the spinnerbait right up against the shore and worked it as slowly as he could given the weight of the lure. Despite most of the anglers fishing a spinnerbait during the event, Christie's choice was made somewhat unique given the size of the bait. He used a 1oz while most competitors fished a 3/8 - 1/2oz model. He believed the added size caused the inactive bass to make a decision, either eat the thing or get out of its way.

3rd Place - Aaron Martens

• Day 1: 13bs 8oz
• Day 2: 16lbs 13oz
• Day 3: 16lbs 0oz (4 fish)
• Total: 46lbs 5oz

Given his inconsistent practice, Aaron Martens wasn't quite sure what to expect come tournament day, but he did have a lot of confidence he could figure it out and make a run at the classic title. His practice consisted of a day without a single bite, another day with 2 bites and finally a day with over 40 bites. The 40 bite day came on the last day of practice and provided him with the strategy he would use for the entire tournament - he was going to shallow crank, and by shallow we mean inches to only 3 feet of water where the fish had pushed up and were feeding.

Like Evers, Martens had a tough opening day of the Classic managing just 13 1/2lbs. The frustration of the low weight was compounded by the fact he managed nearly 20 bites during day and hooked only 7 fish. Once the day was over, he immediately started changing out all of his Gamakatsu G-Finesse Treble Hooks for a larger size on all of the front hooks of his crankbaits. His next two days were much better in terms of hook-up ratio and his weighs reflected that improvement bagging nearly 3lbs more on each of the last two days of the tournament.

During the event, Martens used a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap in the Texas Shad Crystal, Bone Orange Belly and Brown Mud Crawfish for all of his cranking. He used his namesake Enigma Aaron's Edge Rods and Shimano Metanium Reels with 12lb Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon.

4th Place - Bill Lowen

• Day 1: 16bs 9oz
• Day 2: 13lbs 15oz
• Day 3: 15lbs 3oz
• Total: 45lbs 11oz

Bill Lowen found ways to stick around the top-5 throughout the event with consistent bags of fish that never really catapulted him up the leaderboard or set him far behind either. Lowen fished very shallow all tournament using jigs and soft plastic tubes which he more or less crawled over the tops of rocks in water from 0 - 4ft of depth where bass were hanging out, but not aggressively feeding.

During the tournament, Lowen used a whole hodgepodge of lures including a Tightlines UV Bill Lowen Tube, a 3/8oz black/blue flipping jig with a Tightlines UV Bubba Craw trailer, a selection of spinnerbaits and on the final day he even threw a buzzbait a bit.

5th Place - Randy Howell

• Day 1: 17bs 6oz
• Day 2: 11lbs 13oz
• Day 3: 16lbs 7oz
• Total: 45lbs 10oz

Randy Howell nearly stumbled into the fish that would have propelled him to his second Bassmaster Classic victory. All week long Howell fished the Elk River and on day 2, despite his low weight, he actually started to figure out that the bass in the Elk were position around the isolated pieces of wood in the middle of the river; the structure Evers would fish day three to catch his monster bag. Howell was a serious player in the classic and had it not been for a poor day 2 and Evers show stopping day 3, he would almost certainly have played a bigger part in the storyline.
During the tournament, Howell primarily used a Livingston Lures Howeller Dream Master Classic Crankbait, a white spinnerbait and occasionally a Livingston Lures Jerkmaster 121 jerkbait.

New Rapala Shadow Rap Shad

When the Bassmaster Classic was last held on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Mike Iaconelli led after Day 1 and Brandon Palaniuk finished runner-up. Returning to that waterbody with a new Rapala bait has both anglers envisioning a slightly different outcome. Enter the new Rapala Shadow Rap Shad, a slow rising shad profile jerkbait.

 “Last time we were there, a jerkbait played a huge role in my second-place finish,” says Palaniuk, a six-time Classic qualifier. “So going back with the Shadow Rap Shad in my arsenal – a bait I didn’t have before, and something the fish have never seen – could be a huge key factor in trying to win this thing.” Iaconelli is optimistic also about his Classic chances with a Shadow Rap Shad. “I haven’t been this excited about a brand-new bait for a long time,” says Ike, the 2003 Classic Champion and 17-time qualifier. “Hands down, it’s going to be a player this year.” Iaconelli, Palaniuk and fellow Rapala pro Ott DeFoe all appreciate the Shadow Rap Shad advantage they’ll enjoy in the Classic, which will be contested March 4-6.

 “Knowing that I’m one of the very few guys who’s got it this year is going to let me fish with confidence,” says DeFoe, a five-time Classic qualifier and the 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year. “Fishing something different will help me catch more and bigger bass. With the action it’s got, man I just totally expect this thing to be a big hit there at Grand Lake this year.”

 Similar to the original Shadow Rap, released at last year’s Classic, the Shadow Rap Shad is taller in profile than its predecessor, but not as long. And, rather than slowly sinking on the pause — as an original Shadow Rap does — a Shadow Rap Shad slowly rises when stopped, slightly wobbling and perfectly mimicking an injured shad.

 “That’s something no other bait out there does,” Iaconelli says. “It mimics the forage so perfectly that it is going to put tons of fish in the boat for you.”

 A game-changing, all-season jerkbait, the Shadow Rap Shad triggers fish in three ways — on the kick, on the wobbling slow rise, and with a snap back to life. Featuring a shad-style body with textured scales, it comes in models that target two different depth ranges — 3-to-4 feet and 5-to-6 feet. The latter is called the Shadow Rap Shad Deep. Both measure 3-1/2 inches, weigh 3/8 of an ounce, and come armed with two sticky-sharp No. 6 VMC black-nickel, thin-wire, round-bend hooks.
“It’s a little bit wider than the original Shadow Rap, a little bit shorter, a little bit fatter and has a two-hook design rather than a three-hook design,” Palaniuk explains. Both models of the new Shadow Rap Shad are available in all 14 original Shadow Rap color patterns, as well as 10 new patterns:

Crush – Dark brown back, light brown “frosted” sides
Elite Blue – Dark blue-gray back, light gray-white “frosted” sides, light orange belly
Haymaker – Olive green back, light olive-white “frosted” sides, light orange gill plates
Olive Drab – Dark olive back and head, light green-white “frosted” sides, light yellow gill plates
Purple Haze – Dark purple back and head, light purple-white “frosted” sides, pink gill plates
Gone – Dark purple back, light yellow sides, darker yellow/orange head
Halloween – Black back, pewter sides, full orange belly
Imposter – Light orange back and head, light yellow sides, white belly
Molten Copper – Black back, dark copper sides and head, light copper belly
Tropic Ice – Black back, metallic blue sides, metallic green head, light yellow gill plates

The Rapala Shadow Rap Shad, and Shadow Rap Deep are now available at Monster Fishing Tackle.