A master at work

Cody Huff was one of the first Elite anglers to realize the potential of forward-facing sonar, even before he became an Elite. A decorated young angler with numerous wins on various circuits, Huff is as good as it gets at this style of fishing in particular. And we just got to watch a master at work. 

“Gaalee, he bit me twice,” exclaimed Huff after a second swing and a miss on a loaner smallmouth cruising in 35 feet of water. 

“I’m about to pin his butt with the little bitty 2-incher,” Huff said, swapping the 5-inch bait in his hand for what he jokingly referred to as a crappie jig that lay rigged on the deck. 

He set the trolling motor on high, pointed it straight into the wind and crashing waves and began chasing the little blob on his screen. Three casts later, “Got him dude. Big one too.”

Huff hauled the fish in, finishing off the fish catch with an exciting behind-the-head “hook-shot” landing. Added style points for sure. Though the last bit was accidental and improvised, the deliberate chasing down and tricking of this 3.92-pound smallmouth was as intentional and crafty as we’ve seen all week. A master at work, Huff has 18-12 now and is sniffing the lead in 2nd place.