LAGRANGE, Ga. — Here are the lures and techniques that took the top five spots on Georgia’s West Point Lake.
1. Steve Kennedy
Kennedy used a one-two punch to claim most of his fish: an undisclosed swimbait followed up with a Kinami Flash. He also skipped the Flash under cypress trees.
Here’s his setup for the Flash stickbait:
Rod: Kistler Dock Skipping Special
Reel: Shimano Curado (“old style”)
Line: 10-pound test monofilament
Bait: Kinami Flash, Watermelon seed
Kennedy upped his tackle to lob a big swimbait, the name of which he absolutely refused to divulge. He wouldn’t even specify if it was hard or soft.
Rod: 7-6 heavy action Kistler rod (1-piece)
Reel: Shimano Curado
Line: 20-pound-test fluorocarbon
Bait: An “undisclosed swimbait.”
Kennedy also caught a few smaller fish on a Basstrix hollow-bodied swimbait.
Rod: 7-6 medium-heavy Kistler
Reel: ShimanoCurado
Line: 15-pound-test fluorocarbon
Bait: 6-inch Basstrix, Blueback Herring color
2. Edwin Evers
Evers caught most all of his fish on a Yum F2 Wooly Bug which he flipped or pitched to visible cover, mostly bushes and laydown logs.
Rod: 7-0 medium-heavy Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier
Reel: High-speed Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier
Line: 65-pound-test braid with a 25-pound-test Bass Pro Shops 100% Fluorocarbon leader
Bait: Yum F2 Wooly Bug, Big O Craw color
Terminal Tackle: 5/16-ounce tungsten, 4/0 straight shank hook
3. Ish Monroe
Monroe credits a crankbait with most of his catch. He tossed it to rocks, stumps and along bare banks.
Rod: 7-0 Daiwa Flex Lite
Reel: Daiwa Steez
Line: 12-pound Maxima fluorocarbon and monofilament
Bait: Daiwa TD Crank in Bumblebee color.
A topwater frog also filled his livewells.
Rod: Daiwa Steez XVD
Reel: Zillion Type R, 7.3:1
Line: 70-pound Daiwa Samurai braid
Bait: Ish’s Phat Frog
He pulled his biggest bass of Day Four off of a bed.
Rod: 8-0 Daiwa Steez
Reel: Daiwa Steez 7:1
Line: 20-pound-test Maxima fluorocarbon
Bait: Big Bite Baits Warmouth and Zoom Brush Hog
4. Jared Lintner
Lintner too used the shad spawn to his advantage. He used a topwater chugger in the morning around visible cover.
Rod: 734 Powell Max casting rod
Reel: Abu Garcia Revo Premier
Line: 17-pound-test Berkley Big Game
Bait: Jackall SK Popper, War Shad color
After the sun came up, Lintner reached in his old school bag and pulled out a floating, methiolate-colored Trick Worm. He tossed it to laydowns that were at least 10 feet off of the bank.
Rod: 734 Powell Max casting rod
Reel: Abu Garcia Revo Premier
Line: 15-pound-test Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon
Bait: Zoom Trick worm, methiolate
5. Nate Wellman
Wellman relied on several baits to take his best Elite Series finish to date. Early each day, Wellman took advantage of the shad spawn by throwing an XCalibur Zell Pop in shad pattern.
Rod: 7-0, medium-heavy iRod
Reel: Shimano
Line: 15-pound-test McCoy monofilament
Bait: XCalibur Zell Pop, shad pattern
If there was a breeze, he switched to a spinnerbait.
Rod 7-0, medium-heavy iRod
Reel: Shimano
Line: 15-pound-test McCoy monofilament
Bait: Bass Assault 3/8-ounce spinnerbait in shad pattern
If his day got tough, Wellman used a jig.
Rod: Fred’s Magic Stick, by iRod
Reel: Shimano
Line: 17-pound-test McCoy fluorocarbon
Bait: 1/2-ounce, Bass Assault Pro Flip Jig, Green Pumpkin/Blue Flash
