Day on the lake: Bill Lowen

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If you don’t know the fable of the tortoise and the hare, I’ll make a long story short: There’s this wise-guy rabbit who constantly pokes fun at this turtle for moving so slowly. The turtle, fed up with the nonstop needling, challenges the rabbit to a race. The bunny rockets off the starting line, leaving the turtle in his wake. The cocky rabbit figures, “I’m so far ahead, I’ve got time for a nap before I finish the race.” But the rabbit oversleeps and awakens to find the turtle has already crossed the finish line. The moral of the story: Slow and steady wins the race. <p> Bill Lowen has gone by the nickname “Turtle” since he was a kid. “It started out as a reverse nickname, like you might call a tall guy ‘Shorty,’” he recalled. “I was always the first to show up for a game or whatever, so my buddies started calling me Turtle.” The nickname has stuck with Lowen to this day, but for different reasons. “My wife says it’s because I stick my neck out [to help friends]. Guys on the B.A.S.S. tour call me Turtle because when they’re making a zillion casts an hour, I’m usually fishing r-e-a-l slow.” As “Turtle” Lowen proved during his cold, drizzly December outing on Lake M, slow and steady does indeed win the race for big winter bass. <p> <b>6:37 a.m.</b> Lowen and I arrive at Lake M’s deserted launch area. It’s 39 degrees and misting rain. We don foul-weather gear and Lowen pulls an arsenal of Castaway rods paired with Lew’s reels from his boat’s storage locker. What mode does he expect bass will be in today? “I expect they’ll be on a classic winter pattern, near points and pockets with a deep-water access. The water will be cold and the bass may be lethargic, but winter is a great time to catch a lunker bass, so I’ll stick with presentations that I’m confident will catch big fish.” Lowen suddenly realizes he’s left both his sunglasses and his belt in his motel room. “It’s so gloomy today, I may not miss the sunglasses; I’m more worried about keeping my pants up.” <p> <b>7 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>7 a.m.</b> We launch Lowen’s boat. He checks the water temp: 47 degrees. “This lake has some tannic color, but it’s clear enough for jerkbaits. Bass often suspend in winter, and they’ll hit a jerkbait when it’s suspending dead still in the water column. I’ll also throw a flat-sided crankbait; these have a much tighter wobble than fat-bodied crankbaits. And I’ve got jigs and tubes tied on for probing brushpiles.”<br> <b>7:06 a.m.</b> Lowen begins his day by idling around Lake M’s lower end, looking for channel swings, submerged rockpiles and isolated cover on main-lake points with his electronics. <br> <b>7:18 a.m.</b> Lowen runs uplake and stops abruptly when his lower unit hits a shallow stump. “Wow, this point runs halfway across the lake! I like to fish stumps, but that’s a rough way to locate them.” <br> <b>7:31 a.m.</b> His outboard apparently unscathed, Lowen continues idling and looking. “Normally bass will move to the last section of deep channel uplake in winter, but I’m not seeing any significant depth change up here at all. It’s just flat, shallow sand banks.”<br> <b>7:42 a.m.</b> Lowen has stopped in front of a shallow cove. He makes his first casts of the day with a chartreuse/brown back PH Custom Lures Skinny P flat-sided balsa crankbait. “This bait runs about 6 feet deep. Flat-sided crankbaits don’t deflect the same way squarebills do; you have to ‘feel’ them across the bottom with a very slow retrieve. Most guys fish them way too fast.” The lure is running off-kilter; Lowen adjusts it by gently tuning the line tie. “If it’s running to the right, bend the line tie very slightly to the right, and vice versa. Just the slightest tweak will usually fix it.”<br> <b>7:51 a.m.</b> Lowen cranks a series of shallow secondary points.<br> <b>7:58 a.m.</b> Lowen idles to a longer point and resumes cranking. “This lake has been drawn down to winter pool. There’s a ton of brush and stumps left high and dry.” <p> <b>6 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>8:04 a.m.</b> Lowen moves to a main-lake point to try a Smithwick Rogue jerkbait, custom painted blue with a chartreuse and orange belly. A bass bumps the lure but doesn’t hook up.<br> <b>8:06 a.m.</b> Lowen is trying alternate retrieves with the jerkbait. “Figuring out what it takes to get a sluggish, suspending bass to strike takes some experimentation. Sometimes they want hard jerks and short pauses; other times they want lighter jerks and longer pauses.”<br> <b>8:13 a.m.</b> Lowen switches to an Ima Flit 120 jerkbait in the same custom color. “The Flit gets down a little deeper than the Rogue.”<br> <b>8:19 a.m.</b> Lowen catches his first bass of the day, a nonkeeper, on the Flit. “He hit halfway back to the boat.”<br> <b>8:25 a.m.</b> Lowen moves around the point into a cove but quickly runs out of fishable depth. “There’s no water at all back here since the drawdown.”<br> <b>8:28 a.m.</b> Lowen hangs the jerkbait in a submerged limb, retrieves it and reties. “I’m only using ­10-pound line, and since jerkbaits are lunker lures, even the slightest nick could cost me a big fish. In a tournament, the few seconds it takes to retie could make a big difference in your paycheck.”
If you don’t know the fable of the tortoise and the hare, I’ll make a long story short: There’s this wise-guy rabbit who constantly pokes fun at this turtle for moving so slowly. The turtle, fed up with the nonstop needling, challenges the rabbit to a race. The bunny rockets off the starting line, leaving the turtle in his wake. The cocky rabbit figures, “I’m so far ahead, I’ve got time for a nap before I finish the race.” But the rabbit oversleeps and awakens to find the turtle has already crossed the finish line. The moral of the story: Slow and steady wins the race.

Bill Lowen has gone by the nickname “Turtle” since he was a kid. “It started out as a reverse nickname, like you might call a tall guy ‘Shorty,’” he recalled. “I was always the first to show up for a game or whatever, so my buddies started calling me Turtle.” The nickname has stuck with Lowen to this day, but for different reasons. “My wife says it’s because I stick my neck out [to help friends]. Guys on the B.A.S.S. tour call me Turtle because when they’re making a zillion casts an hour, I’m usually fishing r-e-a-l slow.” As “Turtle” Lowen proved during his cold, drizzly December outing on Lake M, slow and steady does indeed win the race for big winter bass.

6:37 a.m. Lowen and I arrive at Lake M’s deserted launch area. It’s 39 degrees and misting rain. We don foul-weather gear and Lowen pulls an arsenal of Castaway rods paired with Lew’s reels from his boat’s storage locker. What mode does he expect bass will be in today? “I expect they’ll be on a classic winter pattern, near points and pockets with a deep-water access. The water will be cold and the bass may be lethargic, but winter is a great time to catch a lunker bass, so I’ll stick with presentations that I’m confident will catch big fish.” Lowen suddenly realizes he’s left both his sunglasses and his belt in his motel room. “It’s so gloomy today, I may not miss the sunglasses; I’m more worried about keeping my pants up.”

7 HOURS LEFT7 a.m. We launch Lowen’s boat. He checks the water temp: 47 degrees. “This lake has some tannic color, but it’s clear enough for jerkbaits. Bass often suspend in winter, and they’ll hit a jerkbait when it’s suspending dead still in the water column. I’ll also throw a flat-sided crankbait; these have a much tighter wobble than fat-bodied crankbaits. And I’ve got jigs and tubes tied on for probing brushpiles.”7:06 a.m. Lowen begins his day by idling around Lake M’s lower end, looking for channel swings, submerged rockpiles and isolated cover on main-lake points with his electronics. 7:18 a.m. Lowen runs uplake and stops abruptly when his lower unit hits a shallow stump. “Wow, this point runs halfway across the lake! I like to fish stumps, but that’s a rough way to locate them.” 7:31 a.m. His outboard apparently unscathed, Lowen continues idling and looking. “Normally bass will move to the last section of deep channel uplake in winter, but I’m not seeing any significant depth change up here at all. It’s just flat, shallow sand banks.”7:42 a.m. Lowen has stopped in front of a shallow cove. He makes his first casts of the day with a chartreuse/brown back PH Custom Lures Skinny P flat-sided balsa crankbait. “This bait runs about 6 feet deep. Flat-sided crankbaits don’t deflect the same way squarebills do; you have to ‘feel’ them across the bottom with a very slow retrieve. Most guys fish them way too fast.” The lure is running off-kilter; Lowen adjusts it by gently tuning the line tie. “If it’s running to the right, bend the line tie very slightly to the right, and vice versa. Just the slightest tweak will usually fix it.”7:51 a.m. Lowen cranks a series of shallow secondary points.7:58 a.m. Lowen idles to a longer point and resumes cranking. “This lake has been drawn down to winter pool. There’s a ton of brush and stumps left high and dry.”

6 HOURS LEFT8:04 a.m. Lowen moves to a main-lake point to try a Smithwick Rogue jerkbait, custom painted blue with a chartreuse and orange belly. A bass bumps the lure but doesn’t hook up.8:06 a.m. Lowen is trying alternate retrieves with the jerkbait. “Figuring out what it takes to get a sluggish, suspending bass to strike takes some experimentation.
Sometimes they want hard jerks and short pauses; other times they want lighter jerks and longer pauses.”8:13 a.m. Lowen switches to an Ima Flit 120 jerkbait in the same custom color. “The Flit gets down a little deeper than the Rogue.”8:19 a.m. Lowen catches his first bass of the day, a nonkeeper, on the Flit. “He hit halfway back to the boat.”8:25 a.m. Lowen moves around the point into a cove but quickly runs out of fishable depth. “There’s no water at all back here since the drawdown.”8:28 a.m. Lowen hangs the jerkbait in a submerged limb, retrieves it and reties. “I’m only using ­10-pound line, and since jerkbaits are lunker lures, even the slightest nick could cost me a big fish. In a tournament, the few seconds it takes to retie could make a big difference in your paycheck.”

<b>8:34 a.m.</b> Lowen isn’t pleased with the Flit’s action. He checks his tackle stash for a replacement, but a dozen jerkbaits are tangled together. “I’ve got way too many jerkbaits. Maybe I’ll just throw the whole wad at once!”<br> <b>8:46 a.m.</b> Lowen finally frees a replacement Flit and jerks it in front of a shoreline seawall. <br> <b>8:54 a.m.</b> Back to the Rogue. “This bait has slightly less flash and roll than the Flit. Again, I’m experimenting at this point.”
8:34 a.m. Lowen isn’t pleased with the Flit’s action. He checks his tackle stash for a replacement, but a dozen jerkbaits are tangled together. “I’ve got way too many jerkbaits. Maybe I’ll just throw the whole wad at once!”8:46 a.m. Lowen finally frees a replacement Flit and jerks it in front of a shoreline seawall. 8:54 a.m. Back to the Rogue. “This bait has slightly less flash and roll than the Flit. Again, I’m experimenting at this point.”
<b>5 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>9:01 a.m.</b> The Rogue is rising on a long pause, so Lowen sticks a Storm SuspenStrip (weighted adhesive tape) to its throat to keep it suspending in the water column. “With jerkbaits, you can’t just cast ’em out and wind ’em in. Some guys don’t have the patience for them, but they’re deadly in cold, clear water.”<br> <b>9:11 a.m.</b> Lowen moves farther off the bank with the jerkbait. “Suspending bass often aren’t relating to anything, so you need to cover a wide swath with your casts.”<br> <b>9:14 a.m.</b> Lowen idles downlake to a steep channel bank lined with docks, where he tries the Rogue. “Your tendency on a new lake is to cover water quickly, but that dog won’t hunt when fishing jerkbaits. I’ve been pausing about 10 seconds between jerks, which seems like an eternity, but it’s probably not long enough since I’ve only caught one short fish. I need to adjust to 15- or ­20-second pauses to see if that works. The colder the water, the longer the pause.”<br> <b>9:17 a.m.</b> Lowen moves to another main-lake point and jerks the Rogue. <br> <b>9:27 a.m.</b> Lowen tries a chrome sexy shad Strike King Redeye Shad lipless crankbait on the point, using a yo-yo retrieve. “Cast, let it sink, raise the rod so the bait vibrates off the bottom, lower the rod while reeling up slack, repeat. They’ll usually hit it on the fall.” But not today!<br> <b>9:31 a.m.</b> He switches Redeye Shad colors to custom-painted orange craw.
5 HOURS LEFT9:01 a.m. The Rogue is rising on a long pause, so Lowen sticks a Storm SuspenStrip (weighted adhesive tape) to its throat to keep it suspending in the water column. “With jerkbaits, you can’t just cast ’em out and wind ’em in. Some guys don’t have the patience for them, but they’re deadly in cold, clear water.”9:11 a.m. Lowen moves farther off the bank with the jerkbait. “Suspending bass often aren’t relating to anything, so you need to cover a wide swath with your casts.”9:14 a.m. Lowen idles downlake to a steep channel bank lined with docks, where he tries the Rogue. “Your tendency on a new lake is to cover water quickly, but that dog won’t hunt when fishing jerkbaits. I’ve been pausing about 10 seconds between jerks, which seems like an eternity, but it’s probably not long enough since I’ve only caught one short fish. I need to adjust to 15- or ­20-second pauses to see if that works. The colder the water, the longer the pause.”9:17 a.m. Lowen moves to another main-lake point and jerks the Rogue. 9:27 a.m. Lowen tries a chrome sexy shad Strike King Redeye Shad lipless crankbait on the point, using a yo-yo retrieve. “Cast, let it sink, raise the rod so the bait vibrates off the bottom, lower the rod while reeling up slack, repeat. They’ll usually hit it on the fall.” But not today!9:31 a.m. He switches Redeye Shad colors to custom-painted orange craw.
<b>9:36 a.m.</b> Lowen moves to a sloping mud bank and cranks a green/orange Skinny P. A light but frigid east wind sweeps across Lake M. “That’s not good. Any wind direction is better than east.”<br> <b>9:38 a.m.</b> He retrieves the Skinny P across an old boat ramp and gets a strike, but the fish comes unbuttoned. “First good strike I’ve had today.”<br> <b>9:40 a.m.</b> Lowen tries the Flit on a sand point.<br> <b>9:46 a.m.</b> Lowen idles downlake to a channel bank and jerks the Flit.<br> <b>9:49 a.m.</b> Lowen switches jerkbaits to a Megabass Vision 110 custom painted in Table Rock shad colors. “This jerkbait has a different darting action than the others I’ve tried.” He casts it to a deep point at the entrance to a cove.
9:36 a.m. Lowen moves to a sloping mud bank and cranks a green/orange Skinny P. A light but frigid east wind sweeps across Lake M. “That’s not good. Any wind direction is better than east.”9:38 a.m. He retrieves the Skinny P across an old boat ramp and gets a strike, but the fish comes unbuttoned. “First good strike I’ve had today.”9:40 a.m. Lowen tries the Flit on a sand point.9:46 a.m. Lowen idles downlake to a channel bank and jerks the Flit.9:49 a.m. Lowen switches jerkbaits to a Megabass Vision 110 custom painted in Table Rock shad colors. “This jerkbait has a different darting action than the others I’ve tried.” He casts it to a deep point at the entrance to a cove.
<b>9:52 a.m.</b> Lowen gets a hard strike off the point on the Vision 110. The fish surges for open water, then rolls on top — it’s a giant! Carefully, patiently, Lowen lets the fish play itself out, keeping a long length of line between his boat and the lunker. “This fish is really strong, and I can’t risk putting too much pressure on it ’cause I don’t know how well it’s hooked.”
9:52 a.m. Lowen gets a hard strike off the point on the Vision 110. The fish surges for open water, then rolls on top — it’s a giant! Carefully, patiently, Lowen lets the fish play itself out, keeping a long length of line between his boat and the lunker. “This fish is really strong, and I can’t risk putting too much pressure on it ’cause I don’t know how well it’s hooked.”
<b>9:58 a.m.</b> After what seems like an eternity, Lowen works the tiring lunker to boatside and hoists aboard his first keeper of the day, a spectacular ­7-pound, 1-ounce largemouth!
9:58 a.m. After what seems like an eternity, Lowen works the tiring lunker to boatside and hoists aboard his first keeper of the day, a spectacular ­7-pound, 1-ounce largemouth!
<b>9:58 a.m.</b> “That’s the biggest bass I’ve caught all year! Look, there’s only one hook point buried. You can’t horse in a big bass on a jerkbait; they’ll swat at the lure and may not be solidly hooked. It took me six minutes to play this one out. Jerkbait bass usually hit in open water, so why not let ’em pull and enjoy the fight?
9:58 a.m. “That’s the biggest bass I’ve caught all year! Look, there’s only one hook point buried. You can’t horse in a big bass on a jerkbait; they’ll swat at the lure and may not be solidly hooked. It took me six minutes to play this one out. Jerkbait bass usually hit in open water, so why not let ’em pull and enjoy the fight?”

4 HOURS LEFT10 a.m. Lowen is regrouping after boating the lunker bass. I ask him about his jerkbait rod. “It’s actually a spinnerbait rod — ­6-10 with a soft tip, but with some backbone to handle a big fish. I don’t like a super-‘noodly’ rod for jerkbaits.”10:05 a.m. Back in the game, Lowen again casts the Vision 110 to the point. “That fish hit after a ­15-second pause. It’s not easy letting it sit that long when you’re jacked up like I am!” A fish bumps the jerkbait but doesn’t hook up. 10:14 a.m. Another bump on the jerkbait. Lowen switches to an Ima Flit in the same color.10:30 a.m. The point has thus far failed to yield another fish. What’s Lowen’s take on the day so far? “It’s been real slow, but the jerkbait finally paid off with a really big fish. You just can’t fish fast in these cold winter conditions! I’m going to run some more points and keep keying on deep-water accesses.”10:36 a.m. Lowen shifts gears and pitches a Texas-rigged green pumpkin Strike King tube to a submerged brushpile. 10:48 a.m. He cranks the Skinny P slowly across a sunken log.10:57 a.m. Lowen cranks a series of docks with the Skinny P.

3 HOURS LEFT11 a.m. Lowen switches to his signature PH Custom Lures Dollar Bill flat-side in the chartreuse mudbug pattern. “This crankbait has a slightly wider wobble than the Skinny P.” He bags a short fish off a dock on his first cast.11:02 a.m. “Turtle” bags another shorty on the Dollar Bill. “Those two would be keepers in Major League Fishing!”11:11 a.m. Lowen has moved into a pocket near the dam and hauls water with the Dollar Bill.

<b>11:18 a.m.</b> Lowen casts the Dollar Bill parallel to the dam and bags his second keeper, 1 pound, 12 ounces. “I was easing the lure over the riprap when it hit. You’ve got to ‘feel’ a flat-sided crankbait across the bottom. I’m using a 5:1 reel to help keep my retrieve super slow.” <br> <b>11:30 a.m.</b> “Turtle” has run a mile uplake to jerk a seawall with the Vision 110. <br> <b>11:39 a.m.</b> Lowen flips a boathouse with a 5/­16-ounce green pumpkin Lure Parts Online finesse jig with a Strike King chunk trailer. <br>
11:18 a.m. Lowen casts the Dollar Bill parallel to the dam and bags his second keeper, 1 pound, 12 ounces. “I was easing the lure over the riprap when it hit. You’ve got to ‘feel’ a flat-sided crankbait across the bottom. I’m using a 5:1 reel to help keep my retrieve super slow.” 11:30 a.m. “Turtle” has run a mile uplake to jerk a seawall with the Vision 110. 11:39 a.m. Lowen flips a boathouse with a 5/­16-ounce green pumpkin Lure Parts Online finesse jig with a Strike King chunk trailer.
<b>11:45 a.m.</b> Lowen moves 25 yards uplake and flips a half-ounce black and blue Lure Parts Online jig/Strike King trailer combo to scattered laydowns.<br> <b>11:54 a.m.</b> He runs a mile uplake to jerkbait a channel bank. <p> <b>2 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>12:01 p.m.</b> Still jerkbaiting the steep bank. <br> <b>12:13 p.m.</b> Lowen makes a short hop uplake to a sand point and tries the Vision 110. No takers here. “The points uplake are much shallower than the ones near the dam.”<br> <b>12:29 p.m.</b> Lowen runs back to the point where he hit the stump earlier and tries the 110.<br> <b>12:35 p.m.</b> The water here is murkier than downlake, so Lowen reverts to the Dollar Bill on the point.<br>
11:45 a.m. Lowen moves 25 yards uplake and flips a half-ounce black and blue Lure Parts Online jig/Strike King trailer combo to scattered laydowns.11:54 a.m. He runs a mile uplake to jerkbait a channel bank.

2 HOURS LEFT12:01 p.m. Still jerkbaiting the steep bank. 12:13 p.m. Lowen makes a short hop uplake to a sand point and tries the Vision 110. No takers here. “The points uplake are much shallower than the ones near the dam.”12:29 p.m. Lowen runs back to the point where he hit the stump earlier and tries the 110.12:35 p.m. The water here is murkier than downlake, so Lowen reverts to the Dollar Bill on the point.

<b>12:46 p.m.</b> Lowen has cranked his way to a rocky channel bank. A ­3-pounder chases his Dollar Bill to the boat.<br> <b>12:53 p.m.</b> He catches two nonkeepers on the Dollar Bill.<br> <b>12:57 p.m.</b> Lowen catches his third keeper, 1 pound, 3 ounces, off rocks on the Dollar Bill. “Another MLF keeper! I’m retrieving this lure as slow as possible.” <p> <b>1 HOUR LEFT</b><br> <b>1:03 p.m.</b> Lowen cranks a nearby seawall.<br> <b>1:07 p.m.</b> The east wind has picked up and it’s brutally cold as Lowen cranks a shorty off the seawall.
12:46 p.m. Lowen has cranked his way to a rocky channel bank. A ­3-pounder chases his Dollar Bill to the boat.12:53 p.m. He catches two nonkeepers on the Dollar Bill.12:57 p.m. Lowen catches his third keeper, 1 pound, 3 ounces, off rocks on the Dollar Bill. “Another MLF keeper! I’m retrieving this lure as slow as possible.”

1 HOUR LEFT1:03 p.m. Lowen cranks a nearby seawall.1:07 p.m. The east wind has picked up and it’s brutally cold as Lowen cranks a shorty off the seawall.

<b>1:16 p.m.</b> He moves to a nearby rocky point and catches his fourth keeper, ­1-1, on the Dollar Bill.<br> <b>1:23 p.m.</b> Lowen cranks his fifth keeper, ­3-12, off the point. “It’s shallow here but real close to deep water.”<br> <b>1:46 p.m.</b> Experiencing no more love uplake, Lowen races back to the deep point where he caught his ­7-1 and tries the Megabass jerkbait.<br> <b>1:56 p.m.</b> He catches a nonkeeper on the jerkbait.<br> <b>2 p.m.</b> Lowen’s time is up. Considering the foul winter weather, Lowen has had a great day on Lake M, boating a ­7-1 lunker and four other keepers for a total of 14 pounds, 13 ounces.
1:16 p.m. He moves to a nearby rocky point and catches his fourth keeper, ­1-1, on the Dollar Bill.1:23 p.m. Lowen cranks his fifth keeper, ­3-12, off the point. “It’s shallow here but real close to deep water.”1:46 p.m. Experiencing no more love uplake, Lowen races back to the deep point where he caught his ­7-1 and tries the Megabass jerkbait.1:56 p.m. He catches a nonkeeper on the jerkbait.2 p.m. Lowen’s time is up. Considering the foul winter weather, Lowen has had a great day on Lake M, boating a ­7-1 lunker and four other keepers for a total of 14 pounds, 13 ounces.
<b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br> “The fish were really lethargic today, but by employing a slow, patient approach, I was able to score a limit that included my biggest bass of 2018,” Lowen told Bassmaster. “Points and rocks either in or near deep water produced all of my keepers. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d stay with the jerkbait and flat crankbait and spend more time cranking than I did today.” <p> <b>WHERE AND WHEN BILL LOWEN CAUGHT HIS KEEPER BASS</b><br> 7 pounds, 1 ounce; Table Rock shad pattern Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait; deep point; 9:58 a.m.<br> 1 pound, 12 ounces; chartreuse mudbug pattern PH Custom Lures Dollar Bill flat-sided crankbait; dam riprap; 11:18 a.m.<br> 1 pound, 3 ounces; same lure as No. 2; rocks on channel bank; 12:57 p.m.<br> 1 pound, 1 ounce; same lure as No. 2; shallow point; 1:16 p.m.<br> 3 pounds, 12 ounces; same lure as No. 2; same place as No. 4; 1:23 p.m.<br> TOTAL: 14 POUNDS, 13 OUNCES
THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE
“The fish were really lethargic today, but by employing a slow, patient approach, I was able to score a limit that included my biggest bass of 2018,” Lowen told Bassmaster. “Points and rocks either in or near deep water produced all of my keepers. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d stay with the jerkbait and flat crankbait and spend more time cranking than I did today.”

WHERE AND WHEN BILL LOWEN CAUGHT HIS KEEPER BASS
7 pounds, 1 ounce; Table Rock shad pattern Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait; deep point; 9:58 a.m.
1 pound, 12 ounces; chartreuse mudbug pattern PH Custom Lures Dollar Bill flat-sided crankbait; dam riprap; 11:18 a.m.
1 pound, 3 ounces; same lure as No. 2; rocks on channel bank; 12:57 p.m.
1 pound, 1 ounce; same lure as No. 2; shallow point; 1:16 p.m.
3 pounds, 12 ounces; same lure as No. 2; same place as No. 4; 1:23 p.m.
TOTAL: 14 POUNDS, 13 OUNCES