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Top lures at Sabine River 2025

Old school baits played starring roles on the Sabine River and surrounding areas. Check out the lineup.

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Photography by
Dalton Tumblin
Photography by
Chase Sansom
West Virginia
Photography by
Shane Durrance
Photography by
Logan Crumley
Captions by
Craig Lamb
A coastal bayou produced most of the top catches at the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River. Taylor Bayou, about 40 minutes from the takeoff at Orange, Texas, offered sought-after clearer water than the surrounding areas. Photo: Craig Lamb
Survival of the fittest. Ounces mattered. A 2-plus pound average was money. Only two anglers topped 8 pounds each day of the tournament. One of them was Pat Schlapper, the Wisconsin pro who grinded out the wire-to-wire win with 38 pounds, 12 ounces. Schlapper posted daily weights of 8-7, 8-9, 9-10 and 12-2 in a tournament where old school tactics ruled. 
A modernized version of a classic old school lure that ranks high on the fun list got credit for Schlapper’s $101,000 win. There was even a Hildebrandt Snagless Sally sighting, although the legacy lure missed the Top Lures gallery. See the choices and think of going old school.
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
John Crews Jr. (10th; 30-6)
Crews deployed a flipping package for heavy cover and a crankbait for covering water. 
Leading off was this Missile Baits Baby D Bomb, with a 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Flip and Punch Hook and 5/16-ounce tungsten weight. 
Crews also used this SPRO Baby Fat John. 
Justin Hamner (9th; 31-9)
Hamner fished heavy cover with a flipping package and a topwater frog. 
Leading off was this NetBait HexTek Eko Craw, rigged on a 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Flip and Punch Hook. He alternated between 3/8-, 1/2- and 3/4-ounce weights depending on cover density. 
For covering dense cover, he used this Snag Proof Pad Rambler.
Hamner also used this NetBait BF Toad Jr., rigged weightless on a 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Flip and Punch Hook.
David Mullins (8th; 31-9)
Mullins covered his strike zone with a flipping package for heavy cover, backed up with a spinnerbait, buzzbait and drop shot. 
For flipping and punching, he used a Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog on a 4/0 straight shank hook. He alternated between 3/4- and 5/16-ounce weights for punching and flipping, respectively.
A 3/8-ounce Nichols Reflux Buzzbait produced reaction strikes. 
Mullins made the drop shot with a Yamamoto Sensei Straith Tail Worm on a 3/0 hook with a 1/4-ounce weight. 
Stetson Blaylock (7th; 31-9) 
Blaylock combined a creature bait and spinnerbait into his game plan. 
A top choice was this Yum Spine Craw.
A 1/2-ounce Booyah Covert Finesse Double Willow Spinnerbait with the new Great Lakes Finesse Dropkick Shad for a trailer produced reaction bites. 
Cooper Gallant (6th; 34-3) 
Gallant used a flipping approach in heavy cover to catch his fish. 
A top bait was this 3/8-ounce Outkast Tackle Cage Feider Tungsten Flipping Jig, with an X Zone Lures Adrenaline Craw. He trimmed the fine-stranded skirt and craw to create a compact package for added strike appeal. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Kyle Welcher (5th; 35-3)
Welcher battled the bass in heavy cover with two favored rigs. 
Leading off was this Welcher-designed Untamed Tackle 1/2-ounce Breacher Jig, with a CrushCity Cleanup Craw for the trailer. 
Otherwise, he rigged a CrushCity Hedgehog on a 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Flip and Punch Hook, with a 1/4-ounce VMC Tungsten Flip’N Weight.
Taku Ito (4th; 36-2)
Ito used a punching, power finesse and bladed jig pattern. 
Ito’s punch rig for heavy cover was a 4-inch Nories Front Flapper Curly, rigged on 3/0 Ryugi Tantrum Control Hook, with a 1-ounce weight. 
The power finesse rig featured a Nories Sankaku T-San Neko rig worm on a 1/0 Ryugi Infini Wide Gap Worm Hook, with a 3/16-ounce weight. 
Ito also used this 3/8-ounce Nories HulaChat with a 5-inch Deps Sakamata Shad for a trailer. 
Kyoya Fujita (3rd; 36-8) 
Fujita used a straight-tail worm and creature bait for his flipping and pitching package. 
A top choice was this Jackall Yammy 500 4.5 straight-tail worm. 
Alternatively, he used this Jackall Pine Shrimp 4.5.
Patrick Walters (2nd; 36-8)
Walters used a variety of baits depending on cover, time of day and location. 
A primary bait was this Rapala OG Rocco Squarebill. 
He also used this The Clutch Baby Boss. 
For flipping, he deployed a Zoom Z Craw Jr. on a 4/0 flipping hook with a 1/4-ounce VMC Tungsten Flip’N Weight. 
Pat Schlapper (1st; 38-12)
Schlapper targeted grass, wood and undercut points. A modernized old school buzzbait produced the winning catch on Championship Sunday. The bait’s loud clacking noise was ideal for the cloudy, breezy conditions conducive for buzzbaits. 
For the preliminary rounds a primary bait was this 3/8-ounce Do-it Molds Compact Finesse jig, with a Big Bite Baits Chunk for a trailer. 
For covering water, he used this Big Bite Fighting Frog Jr. 
Schlapper went all old school on Championship Sunday. This Brazalo Bushwhacker Pro Elite buzzbait, designed to cover the weight with a soft plastic bait, also creates a smaller profile (instead of a visible weighted head). Bait retention is another benefit of the design, along with its drop head for better hooking ratios.  

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