Elite

Top lures at Lake St. Clair 2023

Posted on
Photography by
Andy Crawford
Captions by
Craig Lamb
This aerial view represents a snapshot of the 40 or more tournament boats on the expansive Anchor Bay area during the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair. For four days, the area consistently produced forward-facing sonar induced limits of smallmouth. Why would anyone leave when the tournament could be won there? Photo: Craig Lamb
One angler chose to shun the crowd and find an area all to himself. That tactic paid off for Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year leader Joey Cifuentes III, whose four-day limits weighing 22-10, 24-0, 21-1 and 23-13 totaled 91 pounds, 8 ounces for the win. As he attempted to land what would be a 5-pound smallmouth, the winning fish slipped from his hands and jumped into his boat. 
The rookie hoisted his second Blue Trophy of the season, with Cifuentes targeting an area of smallmouth that had transitioned into their summertime patterns. A simple drop-shot rig did the trick. See his setup and the other finesse rigs used by the top finishers, and get your summertime smallmouth game on now. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Frank Talley (10th; 82-15)
Talley kept it simple using a drop-shot rig.
The choice was a Strike King Baby Z-Too, rigged on a 1/0 Owner Cover Shot Hook, with a 1/2-ounce Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten Drop Shot Weight. 
Greg Hackney (9th; 85-15)
Hackney caught all the smallmouth he weighed on this drop-shot rig. 
He made it with a Strike King Z-Too, rigged on a No. 2 Gamakatsu Aaron Martens G-Force Drop Shot Hook with a 3/8-ounce weight. 
Brandon Lester (8th; 85-15)
Lester rotated through a varied lineup of finesse plastics for his smallmouth. 
He chose this Z-Man Finesse TRD, rigged on a No. 2 Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko Hook, with a 3/8-ounce Mustad TitanX Skinny Drop Shot Weight. 
Alternatively, Lester used this LIVETARGET Ghost Tail Minnow, rigged on a No. 4 Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko Hook, with a 3/8-ounce Mustad TitanX Skinny Drop Shot Weight. 
Kyoya Fujita (7th; 86-2)
Fujita relied on one key Japanese bait for his smallmouth. That choice was this Jackall Yammy High Specific Gravity Straight Worm 4.5.
He rigged it on a No. 4 Daiwa Steez Worm Hook, with a 1/4-ounce weight. 
Jacob Foutz (6th; 86-4)
Foutz kept it simple with a drop shot. 
He made it with a Strike King Z-Too and a 1/0 Owner Cover Shot Hook, with a 3/8-ounce weight. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Bryan Schmitt (5th; 86-10)
Schmitt alternated between a spy bait, Neko rig and drop-shot rig. 
He made the Neko rig with a Missile Baits Mini Magic Worm rigged on a No. 1 Hayabusa Fishing WRM962 Special Wacky Hook, with a 3/32-ounce Reins Tungsten TG Nail Sinker. Schmitt added a Floatzilla Tail that causes the lure to float and flutter for added strike appeal. 
Schmitt made the drop shot using the same hook with a Missile Baits Mini Magic Worm, with a 1/4-ounce Reins Tungsten Drop Shot Sinker. 
For covering a vertical strike zone, he used this Spro Spin John 80. 
Cooper Gallant (4th; 87-11)
Gallant used a trio of baits designed for finessing his targeted smallmouth. 
A top choice was a 1/4-ounce Outkast Tackle Perfect Ned Head, with an X-Zone Ned Zone. 
Gallant also relied on this X Zone Hot Shot Minnow, rigged on a No. 2 BKK Drop Shot Hook, with a 3/8-ounce weight. 
He also used this fluke bait with a 1/0 straight shank drop-shot hook, with a 3/8-ounce weight. 
Takumi Ito (3rd; 89-11)
Ito alternated between a drop shot and wacky-rigged Neko rig. 
He made the drop shot with this 2-inch Ecogear Aqua Bug Ants, rigged on a No. 3 Ryugi Talisman Hook, with a 1/4-ounce Ryugi TG Delta Weight. 
Key to the Neko rig was using an undisclosed “Bite Powder” for added strike appeal. 
Ito made the rig with this unnamed prototype worm, rigged on a No. 1 Ryugi Talisman Hook, with a 1/8-ounce weight inserted into one end of the plastic. 
Luke Palmer (2nd; 90-6)
Palmer alternated between a jig and drop shot for different presentations to the smallmouth. 
He made the drop shot with a Yum Warning Shot on a No. 1 hook, with a 5/16-ounce Rougarou tungsten weight. 
Palmer also used a 2.75-inch Great Lakes Finesse Drop Minnow, rigged on a 1/8-ounce jighead. 
Joey Cifuentes III (1st; 91-8)
Cifuentes’ primary strike zone was an expansive area 18 feet deep with cabbage offering concealment for smallmouth feeding on perch. He relied on his forward-facing sonar and one bait to line up with smallmouth. That choice was this Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm 3.6.
Cifuentes rigged it on a No.2 Berkley Fusion19 Drop Shot Hook, with a 1/4-ounce tungsten weight.

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