Elite

Aoki goes all in on Championship Sunday

Posted on
Photography by
Andy Crawford
Championship Sunday at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake started cold with a wispy fog drifting across the lake. Tag along as we follow Japan’s Daisuke Aoki.
Aoki ran all the way to bottom of the lake, focusing on a hump that accounted for much of his first three day’s weight.
And he quickly struck gold with his first keeper.
The 2-pounder wasn’t the lunker he needed to climb into the lead, but it gave him confidence bass were still staging on the hump.
He worked a swimbait steadily over the moss on top of the hump, a tactic that had produced well for him.
However, conditions had changed drastically. Obviously it was much colder, but the wind also had died. Aoki said he believed that was really tamping down the bite.
He soon realized something had changed, so he took off looking for new water.
Aoki headed to riprap along one of the highways, working his swimbait and a wacky rig along the rocky cover.
Several casts into this stop, Aoki hooked up.
The angler’s body language showed it was a bass he needed to add to his livewell.
And then the hook broke free, sending Aoki’s wacky rig flying into the air and the bass swimming away.
Aoki didn’t hesitate, jumping up to make another cast.
That resulted in another hookup.
This wasn’t a huge bass, but it added another fish to the livewell.
And then another hookup.
Another bass was flipped into the boat.
After the bite died again, Daisuke headed out with hopes that his next spot would give up enough bass to push him into the lead.

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