Gerald Swindle’s plan to target shad-spawn feeding bass with a Bassman TW Series Spinnerbait was cut off, literally, but it was a good thing. The changeup paid off with a limit weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces, that put him in 4th place on the leaderboard.
“I kept getting cut off from my spots by anglers in another tournament,” he told me yesterday. “After about 10 minutes of that I changed my lure and game plan.”
The lure was, and is, a 1/4-ounce homemade buzzbait. Swindle grinds down the blade for increased noise. More on that when we publish the Top Lures gallery on Tuesday. I’ll get those details from him in the morning.
Swindle’s buzzbait is searching for the bass in grassbeds, where he casts the bait. He is fishing the lower (and shallower) end of the lake, hoping the water rises over some prime habitat that he wants to explore.
“I’m making mental notes of areas that should be underwater when the water comes up,” he said.
Swindle plans to switch to a shaky head later on.