
All Captions: Jay Kumar

Edwin fished the first two days in the upper lake – his fish were in 3 feet. Day 1, rock produced best. Day 2, it was volleyball-sized rock and logs. Day 3, he fished a different area and focused on wood. He had four key baits: a 1/2-ounce War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white), a Megabass Flap Slap crankbait (sexy French pearl), a 5/16-ounce Andy’s Custom Bass Lures E-series Finesse Jig (brown/orange/natural craw) with a Zoom Critter Craw (green pumpkin) and he flipped a Zoom Zoom Z Hog (black sapphire).

Jason fished a 1-ounce Booyah Blade spinnerbait with a single No. 6 Colorado blade (chartreuse/white and chartreuse/white/blue) and the new Yum Pulse swimbait (white) for a trailer. He wanted to fish a big bait slowly and move a lot of water to expand the strike zone. He mostly fished mid- and lower-lake banks, but on the final day fished flats and staging areas.

Aaron was dialed in on a good crankbait bite, junk-fishing mid-lake and the lower lake with a Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap. He used several colors: white, firetiger crystal and brown craw. He felt the key was moving fast and not getting stuck in certain areas.

Bill felt that the bass weren’t active enough for cranking. Instead he fished slow-moving baits in the last deep water in the backs of creeks around the biggest rock he could find in 4 to 6 feet. His main baits were a 4-inch Tightlines UV Bill Lowen Flipp’n Tube (black/blue) with a 1/4- or 5/16-ounce Reins tungsten weight, and a 1/2-ounce Lure Parts Online Flipping Jig (black/blue) with a matching 4-inch Tightlines UV Bubba Craw.

Randy never got zeroed in on a pattern or a spot, so he felt like being open to the current conditions was how he did well. Most of his fishing was done around wood in 3 feet on the upper end of the lake. His two main baits were a Livingston Cherry Picker jerkbait (Table Rock shad) and a 1/2-ounce Hawg Caller spinnerbait (chartreuse shad).

Todd felt that he was successful because he was working his bait out a little deeper than most. He fished rock, wood and docks in 4 to 10 feet in the upper lake. His main bait was the same one he used in the 2013 Grand Classic: a 1/4-ounce Strike King Bitsy Bug jig (brown with a little orange) with a Strike King Baby Rodent (green pumpkin). He also cranked a Strike King Lucky Shad (orange bream).

Dean kept it simple, stayed faithful to it and it paid off as his weight increased every day. He stayed mid-lake in 2 to 10 feet, and fished a small crankbait (red/orange belly) around shoreline rocks and boat rails.

Alton fished very shallow (0 to 3 feet) in the upper lake. Key for him was getting his baits into spots he felt others wouldn’t fish, like far under and behind docks though he also fished rock and wood. He thoroughly dissected each area with a 3/8-ounce Booyah Bank Roll Jig (green pumpkin/purple with a little orange) and a 2 3/4-inch Yum Craw Papi (green pumpkin, claw tips dyed orange). He caught fish on a Yum Dinger.

Keith fished rock transitions – gravel to “lumpy” – in the backs of mid-lake creeks. He cranked a Strike King KVD HC Flat Side 1.5 (Tennessee shad), and darkened the back of the bait with black marker. Unlike most, he fished pretty fast because he said he felt the fish that were eating were aggressive.

While many competitors kept their crankbaits on the bottom, Greg fished for mid-lake bass suspended off ledges in 2 to 6 feet. He cranked a Strike King Lucky Shad and a Strike King KVD HC Square Bill in shad and chili craw colors.

Bobby fished for mid-lake fish suspended over a laydown that tapered off in 10 feet. His fish were in 7 feet, and his boat was in 40 feet. His best baits were a Yo-Zuri 3DB Mid Crank (crayfish), a Yo-Zuri Hardcore Shad (red craw), and 1/4- and 3/8-ounce Humdinger spinnerbaits (chartreuse/white rubber skirts, double Colorados).

Brandon weighed four fish every day and still finished 12th. He caught his quality fish fishing mid-lake shoreline in 1 to 4 feet with a 1/2-ounce Terminator spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) that had one orange-painted blade and one No. 5 Colorado.

Brent’s fish were in 3 feet around chunk rock with laydowns in the mid and upper parts of the lake. He fished a Lucky Craft LC 1.5 (pearl threadfin shad) and a 3/4-ounce Boss spinnerbait (white with Colorado and Indiana blades).

Micah fished rock transitions in less than 5 feet in the backs of mid-lake creeks. His key baits were a 3/8-ounce Mann’s Classic spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) with a white Mann’s Augertail trailer. He also caught a few on a vibrating jig (same weight and color) and a Buckeye Lures Mop Jig.

James cranked mid-lake banks in 1 to 3 feet. He used Luck E Strike G5 crankbaits in red and firetiger, and a jig.

Casey’s two main baits were a flat-sided crankbait (sexy shad) and a 3/8-ounce Knights Custom Lures Dockbuster Jig (Ashley craw) with a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. (green pumpkin). He fished upper-lake banks in 5 feet or less.

Boyd looked for big, flatter rocks that had edges with larger drops. His fish were in 2 to 4 feet in the upper lake. He crawled the Boyd Duckett BD 2.5 squarebill (red craw) “just fast enough to keep it moving.”

David fished the dirtiest upriver water he could find because it was warmer. His fish were in 6 feet, primarily on wood. He did crank, but his best bait was a 1/2-ounce jig (black/blue) with a Z-Man BatwingZ (green pumpkin).

Skeet cranked lower-lake chunk rock in 2 to 5 feet with a Lucky Craft SKT MR (spring craw). He and many other competitors noted that it was key to bounce the bait off the rocks.

John had 12 rods on his deck and used them all, junk-fishing around mid- and lower-end rock and wood. Two of his better baits were a Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer (super bug) and a SPRO Fat John (chartreuse/black back).

Mid-lake volleyball-sized rock in 3 feet was key for Matt. He fished it with a 3/8-ounce Santone M Series Jig (black/blue) with a Reaction Innovations Twerk trailer (tramp stamp), a 1/2-ounce Santone M Series spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) and a Lazer Lures LZ-1 crankbait (bad mo’stanky).

Greg’s best bite was on Day 1 when he was fishing big rock (2 to 6 feet) in the back of lower-lake pockets. He stuck with his pattern because he also did well with it in practice, but it didn’t produce as well on Days 2 and 3. His bait was a Strike King Lucky Shad custom-painted by Shock’s Custom Baits.

Marty fished logs in the upper lake. His fish were in 4 feet, and he fooled them with a 1/2-ounce Buckeye Lures Flat Top Finesse Jig (green pumpkin/purple) with a Zoom Creepy Crawler trailer (green pumpkin), two Luck-E-Strike cranks – a Rick Clunn RC2 Flat (white and red crawdad) and G5 (burnt orange craw) – and a homemade flatside.

Chris had a key stretch of mid-lake boulder rock that was productive every day. His fish were in 8 feet. His two best baits were a Luck-E-Strike Luck-E-Swim (sexy shad) on a 3/8-ounce head, and a Luck-E-Strike Rick Clunn RC2 Flat Crankbait (blue racer).

Ott stayed fairly close to the boat ramp in Grove, fishing mostly laydowns, brush and docks. He used a variety of baits, but his best baits were a Rapala DT-6 (pearl gray shiner and red crawdad), a Terminator T1 spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) and a flat-sided crank.

Thomas flipped mid-lake wood in 4 feet with a 7-inch Berkley Powerbait Power Worm (blue fleck). Key was dragging it over the branches.

Brandon fished mid-lake, focusing on steep banks with bigger rock. His best bait was a 1/2- and 3/8-ounce green-pumpkin jig with a 5-inch Yamamoto Rouble Tail Grub (black).

Brandon fished the Elk River, and on his best day fished a big bluff leading into a spawning pocket. Both days he used a Rapala Shad Rap (shad) and a custom-painted Rapala DT-6.

Mid-lake banks with broken rocks in 2 to 5 feet were key for Jordan. He fished a small crankbait (orange craw) and a 3/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade Finesse Jig (PB&J) with a Strike King Twin Tail Menace Grub (green pumpkin).

James staked his Classic on the lower lake, fishing rocky channel swings in 4 feet. He fished homemade spinnerbaits (1/2- and 3/8-ounce), chartreuse/white with double Colorados, and a Jackall Squad Minnow (HL clown).

Charles cranked bluff walls in the upper lake with a Jackall MC60 MR (craw fish). His fish were in 6 to 8 feet.

Bernie cranked a No. 7 Rapala Shad Rap (silver) on chunk rock and mixed snaggy wood in 6 feet or less mid-lake.

Billy fished a Lucky Craft LC squarebill (TO craw) on gravel areas in 4 to 3 feet in the lower lake.

Mid-lake chunk rock, boulders and wood in 3 to 6 feet were key for Chris. He fished 1/2- and 3/8-ounce jigs in black/blue (matching Zoom Chunk) and green pumpkin (matching Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw).

A homemade 1/2-ounce vibrating jig (white) and Berkley Pitbull 5.5 crankbait (special red craw) were Josh’s two key baits. He fished the lower lake, transitional rock in less than 5 feet.

Cliff targeted mid-lake rock – volleyball-sized and bigger – in 2 to 5 feet with his Clifford Pirch Outdoors Casting Jig (brown/purple) and Uncle Josh Meat pork trailer (purple). Key was moving it faster on Day 2.

Mark fished rocky secondary and main lake points in 7 to 8 feet. He used an out-of-production Strike King Custom Shop flat-sided crankbait (Tennessee shad).

Gene went after mid-lake boulders in 2 1/2 feet with two baits: a Strike King KVD HC Flat Side 1.5 (chili craw) and 1/2-ounce Premier League Lures (white with gold willows).

Brett looked for rock and secondary points in clearer water in 2 to 8 feet mid-lake. He fished crankbaits and a Japan-only 3/4-ounce Evergreen Jack Hammer bladed jig (white) with a white Yamamoto prototype swimbait trailer.

Ike had a decent Day 2, fishing upper-lake clearer-water areas with a No. 5 Rapala Shad Rap (spring craw). He keyed on rock transitions: bigger rock to smaller rock.

Chris was one of the few anglers who intentionally fished clearer, deep (10 to 14 feet) water in the upper lake. Day 2 he slowed down and fished wood with a 3/8-ounce ball-head jig (brown/purple) and green pumpkin/blue flake trailer. He used a Megabass Ito Shiner (Ozark shad, bottom painted orange) as search bait.

John cranked wood in 3 to 6 feet in Honey Creek. His two main baits were a Storm Wiggle Wart (green phantom craw) and a Brian’s Bee Flat B (PBC).

Jacob’s most productive day was the second day, when he “just went fishing.” He was in the Elk River area, fishing a V&M Trickster trick worm “around anything.” His fish were in 3 to 6 feet.

Brandon junk-fished a variety of mid-lake structure, as well as bare banks, with a 1/2-ounce Indiana-bladed War Eagle spinnerbait (cole slaw).

Greg fished lower-lake big chunk rock in 2 to 6 feet. He fished a 3/8-ounce Mega Chomp spinnerbait (chrome white), a 1/2-ounce Bass-ette Baits Jig (PB&J) with a Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw, and a KVD HC Shallow Squarebill (chartreuse/black back).

Fabian fished Wolf Creek and keyed on laydowns on pea gravel in 4 feet or less. His main baits were a Rat-L-Trap Knock-N Trap (sexy shad) and a 7/16-ounce Big Mouth Lures Jig (smoke) with Strike King Rage Craw (green pumpkin sapphire).

Russ Lane’s best bait was a SPRO Fat Papa 55 (honey craw), which he cranked over mid-lake rock in 4 to 6 feet.

Justin looked for mid-lake chunk rock in 2 to 4 feet. His baits were a Berkley Wild Thang 8.5 crankbait (special red craw) and a 1/2-ounce white bladed jig with a white trailer.

KVD went after mid-lake rock transitions in 4 to 8 feet with a Strike King KVD HC Flat Side 1.5 in natural shad, chili craw and chartreuse/black back. Shad worked best.

Chad found his fish in 4 feet along mid-lake chunk rock or pea gravel. He cranked a Rapala Shad Rap, Storm Wiggle Wart and Damiki DC-100 (red craw).

Albert looked for mid-lake rock ledges, bluff walls and docks in 8 to 15 feet with clearer water. His main bait was a 3/4-ounce Stanley Wedge spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with gold and silver blades.

Chad got on ’em the second day, fishing big rocks or heavy wood in 2-6 feet in the upper lake. His two baits were a Gambler Flippin Tube (black neon) behind a 5/16-ounce Reins tungsten weight, and an older Storm Wiggle Wart (lime green/orange belly).

Whitney fished the mid- and lower lake, docks and the steeper sides of rocky secondary points in 6 to 10 feet. His best bait was a SPRO Little John MD (spring craw).

Levi was one of a couple anglers who found fish on “boat rails,” a rail system used for launching boats. He fished an old Wiggle Wart (phantom green craw) he dipped in red dye for better visibility.

Trevor didn’t weigh a fish, but his best bait in practice was a Storm Wiggle Wart (red craw).