Since I’m not fishing the Bassmaster Classic this year, I can give you my honest perspective about which baits will win it all at Lake Ray Roberts. The Classic contenders can’t be as forthcoming, because they don’t want to tip off their competitors.
The weather will determine what stage the bass are in. If there’s cold weather prior to and during the tournament, the bass could be in an early prespawn phase. If there’s a full week of 70- and 80-degree weather, some of the fish could start moving up to spawn.
However it goes down, the winner will have to lug at least two heavy limits to the scales over the three competition days. Ray Roberts gives up huge bass in March. I’m convinced the winner will do most of his damage with one of six lures.
1) Jig
I’m giving the old-school skirted jig my highest priority because it has won more tournaments in Texas at this time of year than any other bait. It could be a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce flipping jig or a 3/4-ounce ball head.
If I were fishing the Classic, I’d have one rod rigged with a black and blue Missile Baits Ike’s Flip Out Flipping Jig and another with a green pumpkin Missile Baits Ike’s Head Banger Football Jig.
I’d dress the jigs with large trailers to tempt heavyweight bass that love to munch on big craws and bluegill. Berkley’s 4-inch Chigger Craw and Creature Hawg would do the trick.
2) Spinnerbait
This is another old-school bait that has a great track record in Texas. I’m giving it the nod over the ChatterBait because it’s much less prone to snagging when retrieved through wood cover.
I also believe the large profile of a spinnerbait sporting a No. 5 or 6 willow leaf blade appeals to bigger bass. I’d go with 1/2- and 3/4-ounce, single blade spinnerbaits like the Molix Lover Short Arm. That bait mimics a big shad and puts out a lot of thump.
3) Crankbait
Historically, a crankbait is a prespawn killer in this region of Texas. When bass stage before the spawn, they group up on hard spots like rocks, gravel, shellbeds and stumps. There might be six to 20 bass on one little spot.
You want a crankbait that digs deep enough to tag the bottom. I’d have rods rigged with the Berkley Dime crankbait in sizes 6, 10 and 15 so I can hit bottom wherever the bass are staging.
In clear water, I’d go with a shad color. If the water has some color, chartreuse with a blue back would be the way to go.
4) Jerkbait
Even in March, Texas isn’t immune to cold weather. If Classic week is cold with nights in the 30s and 40s, the bass could dip back into an early prespawn mode and suspend.
That would make the bass susceptible to forward-facing sonar and suspending jerkbaits. This combination lets you put your bait right in the bass’ face.
In this situation, I’d have three shad-color Berkley Stunna jerkbaits tied on — the 100, the 100+1 and the 112+2. They would allow me to target any bass I see on ActiveTarget from 3 to 15 feet deep.
5) Jighead minnow
Combining a jighead minnow with forward-facing sonar has become such a dominant force that it could win any tournament. Justin Hamner won last year’s Classic with this one-two punch.
If cold weather backs the bass into an early prespawn phase, some of them will suspend and swim around by themselves. You can’t beat a jighead minnow for precisely targeting those cruising fish.
I would rig a 1/8- or 3/16-ounce Berkley Fusion jig with a 5-inch white or pearl Berkley Powerbait Drip Minnow. It’s going to take big bass to win the Ray Roberts Classic. Those 3- and 4-inch minnows won’t cut it.
6) Big swimbaits
I’ve saved this one for last because it could be a grand slam home run or a heartbreaker. But if you’re fishing to win, which is the only option at the Classic, Lake Ray Roberts is the place to break out the big swimbaits.
Trophy bass in Texas are after a sizeable meal in March, such as the abundant gizzard shad and sand bass that swim in Ray Roberts. A swimbait could 100% blow the tournament away, and I would love to see that.
I would sling Berkley’s 8-inch CullShad and 9-inch Nessie Glide Bait. Both are soft swimbaits, but they have different actions. The paddletail CullShad runs in a straight line. I’d use it when casting to targets like docks and brush.
The Nessie would be a better option for covering water, such as a large spawning flat where bass would be scattered. It swims with a wide S motion that mimics a lost or injured baitfish.
One of these six baits will account for most of the bass that win this year’s Classic. You can bet on it.
