Day on the lake: Jamie Hartman

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Jamie Hartman, like many professional anglers, has a love/hate relationship with bed fishing. “There’s nothing more exciting than spotting a big bass up shallow on its spawning bed,” he’ll tell you. “But spawning bass can drive you absolutely crazy, too — they’re driven by their need to procreate rather than hunger, so their hormones are raging and their behavior can be wildly unpredictable. Some spawners will smash your lure the instant it enters their nest; others seem totally oblivious to your presentations. That rock song ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ by The Clash pretty much sums up what’s constantly on your mind when you’re on a bed-fishing pattern in a tournament. When you’re 8 feet away from a fish that could bump up your weight total and net you a sizable paycheck, you naturally want to try every trick in the book to make it bite, but all the while that clock is going tick, tock, tick, tock…” If bed fishing drives you crazy, too, hopefully what follows can bring some sense of order to the mysteries of the spawning season. <p> 7 HOURS LEFT<br> <b>6:38 a.m.</b> It’s 55 degrees and clear when we arrive at Lake L. Hartman pulls several Cashion rods equipped with Lew’s and Shimano reels from storage. What pattern does he anticipate will be operative today? “Bass don’t all spawn at once, so some fish could be spawning while others are in the immediate postspawn phase. Either way, they should be shallow. My preference, and frankly my greatest strength, as a tournament angler is offshore fishing, but I’ll deal with whatever conditions I find.”<br> <b>6:55 a.m.</b> We launch the Nitro. Lake L is dead calm. Hartman checks the water temp: 70 degrees. “That’s leaning more toward postspawn, but the lake looks pretty clear, so if there are any bedding fish, we should be able to see ‘em. Having no cloud cover, I want to hit some shady spots first.” <br> <b>7 a.m.</b> Hartman idles into a nearby cove and makes his first casts of the day with a bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook topwater stickbait. “Postspawn bass are usually sluggish, but they’ll hit a slow-moving surface bait like this Spook.” He scans the bottom for light-colored patches indicating spawning beds but doesn’t spot any. <br> <b>7:06 a.m.</b> Some baitfish are flipping on the surface. Hartman points to a light patch beneath an overhanging bush. “That looks like a bed, but there are no fish on it.” <br> <b>7:11 a.m.</b> Hartman moves a ­quarter-mile uplake and dog-walks the Spook around the mouth of a short tributary arm. <br> <b>7:14 a.m.</b> He switches to a half-ounce white Recon bladed jig with a matching Tattle Tail trailer, both by Riot Baits. <br> <b>7:15 a.m.</b> Hartman rigs a green pumpkin Riot Baits Fuzzy Beaver creature on a 4/0 straight-shank hook with a 3/8-ounce tungsten sinker, unpegged. “I don’t peg my sinkers during spawning season. I don’t want the fish to feel any weight when it picks up the lure to carry it off the nest.” He flips the creature into a laydown tree. <br> <b>7:17 a.m.</b> Back to the bladed jig. He spots a keeper fish on a bed and marks its waypoint on his GPS. “I’ll check back here later to see if his big girlfriend has moved onto the nest.” <b>7:19 a.m.</b> Hartman moves to the back of the cove and chunks a Strike King KVD 1.5 squarebill crankbait (copper perch) to shoreline cover. <br> <b>7:24 a.m.</b> He flips the creature to a submerged tree. <br> <b>7:37 a.m.</b> Moving to the opposite shore of the cove, Hartman flips the creature to a series of laydowns. “This cover looks good from a distance, but a lot of it is really shallow.” <br> <b>7:51 a.m.</b> Hartman races to the lower end of the lake and flips scattered wood with a generic green pumpkin brush hog creature. <p> 6 HOURS LEFT<br> <b>7:55 a.m.</b> Nearing the dam, Hartman cranks riprap with the squarebill. “These rocks are mainly piled up along shore and don’t run out into the lake very far.” <br> <b>8:01 a.m.</b> He pitches the brush hog to the dam, gets a tap, swings and misses. “Just nipped the tail.” <br> <b>8:06 a.m.</b> Hartman cranks the 1.5 parallel to the dam. “It drops off to 12 feet fast here, and this lure runs too shallow to hit bottom. A squarebill is pretty much useless if it isn’t deflecting off something.” <br>
Jamie Hartman, like many professional anglers, has a love/hate relationship with bed fishing. “There’s nothing more exciting than spotting a big bass up shallow on its spawning bed,” he’ll tell you. “But spawning bass can drive you absolutely crazy, too — they’re driven by their need to procreate rather than hunger, so their hormones are raging and their behavior can be wildly unpredictable. Some spawners will smash your lure the instant it enters their nest; others seem totally oblivious to your presentations. That rock song ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ by The Clash pretty much sums up what’s constantly on your mind when you’re on a bed-fishing pattern in a tournament. When you’re 8 feet away from a fish that could bump up your weight total and net you a sizable paycheck, you naturally want to try every trick in the book to make it bite, but all the while that clock is going tick, tock, tick, tock…” If bed fishing drives you crazy, too, hopefully what follows can bring some sense of order to the mysteries of the spawning season.

7 HOURS LEFT6:38 a.m. It’s 55 degrees and clear when we arrive at Lake L. Hartman pulls several Cashion rods equipped with Lew’s and Shimano reels from storage. What pattern does he anticipate will be operative today? “Bass don’t all spawn at once, so some fish could be spawning while others are in the immediate postspawn phase. Either way, they should be shallow. My preference, and frankly my greatest strength, as a tournament angler is offshore fishing, but I’ll deal with whatever conditions I find.”6:55 a.m. We launch the Nitro. Lake L is dead calm. Hartman checks the water temp: 70 degrees. “That’s leaning more toward postspawn, but the lake looks pretty clear, so if there are any bedding fish, we should be able to see ‘em. Having no cloud cover, I want to hit some shady spots first.” 7 a.m. Hartman idles into a nearby cove and makes his first casts of the day with a bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook topwater stickbait. “Postspawn bass are usually sluggish, but they’ll hit a slow-moving surface bait like this Spook.” He scans the bottom for light-colored patches indicating spawning beds but doesn’t spot any. 7:06 a.m. Some baitfish are flipping on the surface. Hartman points to a light patch beneath an overhanging bush. “That looks like a bed, but there are no fish on it.” 7:11 a.m. Hartman moves a ­quarter-mile uplake and dog-walks the Spook around the mouth of a short tributary arm. 7:14 a.m. He switches to a half-ounce white Recon bladed jig with a matching Tattle Tail trailer, both by Riot Baits. 7:15 a.m. Hartman rigs a green pumpkin Riot Baits Fuzzy Beaver creature on a 4/0 straight-shank hook with a 3/8-ounce tungsten sinker, unpegged. “I don’t peg my sinkers during spawning season. I don’t want the fish to feel any weight when it picks up the lure to carry it off the nest.” He flips the creature into a laydown tree. 7:17 a.m. Back to the bladed jig. He spots a keeper fish on a bed and marks its waypoint on his GPS. “I’ll check back here later to see if his big girlfriend has moved onto the nest.”
7:19 a.m. Hartman moves to the back of the cove and chunks a Strike King KVD 1.5 squarebill crankbait (copper perch) to shoreline cover. 7:24 a.m. He flips the creature to a submerged tree. 7:37 a.m. Moving to the opposite shore of the cove, Hartman flips the creature to a series of laydowns. “This cover looks good from a distance, but a lot of it is really shallow.” 7:51 a.m. Hartman races to the lower end of the lake and flips scattered wood with a generic green pumpkin brush hog creature.

6 HOURS LEFT7:55 a.m. Nearing the dam, Hartman cranks riprap with the squarebill. “These rocks are mainly piled up along shore and don’t run out into the lake very far.” 8:01 a.m. He pitches the brush hog to the dam, gets a tap, swings and misses. “Just nipped the tail.” 8:06 a.m. Hartman cranks the 1.5 parallel to the dam. “It drops off to 12 feet fast here, and this lure runs too shallow to hit bottom. A squarebill is pretty much useless if it isn’t deflecting off something.”

<b>8:08 a.m.</b> He switches to the brush hog and catches a 10-inch bass. “That fish was right on the dropoff.”
8:08 a.m. He switches to the brush hog and catches a 10-inch bass. “That fish was right on the dropoff.”
<b>8:13 a.m.</b> The creature fails to entice another fish on the dam, so Hartman switches to a pearl white Zoom Super Fluke rigged weightless with a 4/0 offset worm hook. He casts it to the bank and bags his first keeper largemouth of the day, 1 pound, 3 ounces. “I like the Fluke in calm, clear conditions. If it were windy, I’d go with a jerkbait.” <br> <b>8:17 a.m.</b> Pressing deeper into the cove, Hartman spots a 2-pound bass on a bed and drops his Power-Poles. “In sight fishing, stealth is everything. Power-Poles keep your boat locked down a safe distance from the fish. Without them, you have to constantly adjust your boat position with the trolling motor, which can kick up silt and spook the bass.” He flips the brush hog onto the nest, but the fish doesn’t react. “I’ll make multiple presentations to different parts of the nest and watch how the fish reacts. There’s usually one little ‘sweet spot’ where an intruding lure gets the fish riled up.” <br> <b>8:22 a.m.</b> Hartman leaves the bedding fish, vowing to check back later. He continues around the cove with the Fluke. <br> <b>8:28 a.m.</b> As Hartman approaches a steep bank, he sees a 4-pound bass swim over the top of a submerged log. “That fish has probably got a bed nearby.” He flips the brush hog around the blowdown. “I’m not seeing a bed yet. I’ll hit this spot again when the sun gets higher.”
8:13 a.m. The creature fails to entice another fish on the dam, so Hartman switches to a pearl white Zoom Super Fluke rigged weightless with a 4/0 offset worm hook. He casts it to the bank and bags his first keeper largemouth of the day, 1 pound, 3 ounces. “I like the Fluke in calm, clear conditions. If it were windy, I’d go with a jerkbait.” 8:17 a.m. Pressing deeper into the cove, Hartman spots a 2-pound bass on a bed and drops his Power-Poles. “In sight fishing, stealth is everything. Power-Poles keep your boat locked down a safe distance from the fish. Without them, you have to constantly adjust your boat position with the trolling motor, which can kick up silt and spook the bass.” He flips the brush hog onto the nest, but the fish doesn’t react. “I’ll make multiple presentations to different parts of the nest and watch how the fish reacts. There’s usually one little ‘sweet spot’ where an intruding lure gets the fish riled up.” 8:22 a.m. Hartman leaves the bedding fish, vowing to check back later. He continues around the cove with the Fluke. 8:28 a.m. As Hartman approaches a steep bank, he sees a 4-pound bass swim over the top of a submerged log. “That fish has probably got a bed nearby.” He flips the brush hog around the blowdown. “I’m not seeing a bed yet. I’ll hit this spot again when the sun gets higher.”
<b>8:35 a.m.</b> Hartman moves to the mouth of the cove, casts the brush hog to a shallow point and hangs a good fish. He works it to the boat and swings aboard a fine 3-5 largemouth. “This fish was either on a bed or just finished spawning. Its tail is rubbed raw.”
8:35 a.m. Hartman moves to the mouth of the cove, casts the brush hog to a shallow point and hangs a good fish. He works it to the boat and swings aboard a fine 3-5 largemouth. “This fish was either on a bed or just finished spawning. Its tail is rubbed raw.”
<b>8:38 a.m.</b> Hartman pauses to rig some Riot bed fishing lures. He starts with a green pumpkin Little Fuzzy Beaver on a 3/0 EWG hook. “This is a compact version of the Fuzzy Beaver that’s awesome for sight fishing. If a spawner picks it up, you can usually stick him.” He bends the hook point up slightly “so I can get a better hook set when the fish sucks in the bait.” He next rigs a 3/8-ounce PB&J Minima jig with a green pumpkin Tantrum trailer. “OK, I’m ready!” <br> <b>8:49 a.m.</b> Back in action, Hartman moves into another cove and flips the jig around laydowns.
8:38 a.m. Hartman pauses to rig some Riot bed fishing lures. He starts with a green pumpkin Little Fuzzy Beaver on a 3/0 EWG hook. “This is a compact version of the Fuzzy Beaver that’s awesome for sight fishing. If a spawner picks it up, you can usually stick him.” He bends the hook point up slightly “so I can get a better hook set when the fish sucks in the bait.” He next rigs a 3/8-ounce PB&J Minima jig with a green pumpkin Tantrum trailer. “OK, I’m ready!” 8:49 a.m. Back in action, Hartman moves into another cove and flips the jig around laydowns.
5 HOURS LEFT<br> <b>8:55 a.m.</b> Hartman is moving quickly down the bank, looking for beds. He casts the jig in front of the boat, hops it and bags his third keeper, 1 pound, 8 ounces. <br> <b>9:08 a.m.</b> Hartman spots a good fish on a bed and pitches the Little Fuzzy onto its nest. The bass ignores it, so he tries to tempt it with a green pumpkin Riot finesse worm on a shaky head. No takers here, either.
5 HOURS LEFT8:55 a.m. Hartman is moving quickly down the bank, looking for beds. He casts the jig in front of the boat, hops it and bags his third keeper, 1 pound, 8 ounces. 9:08 a.m. Hartman spots a good fish on a bed and pitches the Little Fuzzy onto its nest. The bass ignores it, so he tries to tempt it with a green pumpkin Riot finesse worm on a shaky head. No takers here, either.
<b>9:12 a.m.</b> “I’ve got something they can’t refuse!” Hartman says. He pulls out a spinning outfit rigged for drop shotting and sticks a generic pink, purple and pearl finesse worm on the tiny hook. After repeated presentations to the nest, the fish finally grabs the worm. Hartman plays it carefully and grabs keeper No. 4, 3 pounds, 6 ounces. “A drop-shot rig works great for bed fishing as long as you position the sinker close to the hook.” <br> <b>9:15 a.m.</b> Hartman is now using a green pumpkin Riot wacky worm as a search bait in the cove. He spots a 4-pounder swimming lazily past the boat. “That girl isn’t ready for bed quite yet.” <br> <b>9:24 a.m.</b> He spots a 5-pound bedding fish beneath a blanket of surface pollen and chunks the Little Fuzzy onto her nest. “That’s the best fish we’ve seen so far today.” <br> <b>9:36 a.m.</b> The lunker fails to respond to the creature, so Hartman tries the drop-shot worm on its nest. It approaches the lure, then swims off the bed. <br> <b>9:42 a.m.</b> Hartman tries the brush hog and jig on the bed without success. “This is a real tough one. I’ll give her a few more minutes, though.” <p> 4 HOURS LEFT<br> <b>9:55 a.m.</b> Hartman reluctantly leaves the 5-pounder and runs back downlake to check on a bedding fish he saw earlier. There are now three keeper bass on the nest! But they show zero interest in the Little Fuzzy Beaver. <br> <b>10:07 a.m.</b> He Texas rigs a generic white creature and flips it onto the bed. Nothing. <b>10:14 a.m.</b> Hartman tries the wacky worm on the nest. “Those fish are all just swimming around, totally ignoring everything I show them. That’ll drive you crazy!” <br> <b>10:21 a.m.</b> Hartman flips the drop-shot worm into the nest. A 3-pounder inhales it but instantly spits it out, “like a peach pit.”
9:12 a.m. “I’ve got something they can’t refuse!” Hartman says. He pulls out a spinning outfit rigged for drop shotting and sticks a generic pink, purple and pearl finesse worm on the tiny hook. After repeated presentations to the nest, the fish finally grabs the worm. Hartman plays it carefully and grabs keeper No. 4, 3 pounds, 6 ounces. “A drop-shot rig works great for bed fishing as long as you position the sinker close to the hook.” 9:15 a.m. Hartman is now using a green pumpkin Riot wacky worm as a search bait in the cove. He spots a 4-pounder swimming lazily past the boat. “That girl isn’t ready for bed quite yet.” 9:24 a.m. He spots a 5-pound bedding fish beneath a blanket of surface pollen and chunks the Little Fuzzy onto her nest. “That’s the best fish we’ve seen so far today.” 9:36 a.m. The lunker fails to respond to the creature, so Hartman tries the drop-shot worm on its nest. It approaches the lure, then swims off the bed. 9:42 a.m. Hartman tries the brush hog and jig on the bed without success. “This is a real tough one. I’ll give her a few more minutes, though.”

4 HOURS LEFT9:55 a.m. Hartman reluctantly leaves the 5-pounder and runs back downlake to check on a bedding fish he saw earlier. There are now three keeper bass on the nest! But they show zero interest in the Little Fuzzy Beaver. 10:07 a.m. He Texas rigs a generic white creature and flips it onto the bed. Nothing.
10:14 a.m. Hartman tries the wacky worm on the nest. “Those fish are all just swimming around, totally ignoring everything I show them. That’ll drive you crazy!” 10:21 a.m. Hartman flips the drop-shot worm into the nest. A 3-pounder inhales it but instantly spits it out, “like a peach pit.”

<b>10:27 a.m.</b> Hartman determines the bed’s sweet spot is a dime-size area beneath an overhanging limb. “If I can hit that spot, I can catch one of those fish.” Proving his point, he pitches the drop-shot worm against the bank and pulls it onto the sweet spot, and a fish instantly grabs it. <br>
10:27 a.m. Hartman determines the bed’s sweet spot is a dime-size area beneath an overhanging limb. “If I can hit that spot, I can catch one of those fish.” Proving his point, he pitches the drop-shot worm against the bank and pulls it onto the sweet spot, and a fish instantly grabs it.
<b>10:27 a.m.</b> Keeper No. 5 weighs 2 pounds, 9 ounces. What’s his take on the day so far? “There are a decent number of bass on bed, so I’m going to stay on this pattern and try to increase my weight. Many of these fish are acting funky, like they’re not really locked onto the nest yet, but that could change in a matter of minutes.” <br> <b>10:35 a.m.</b> Hartman continues pitching a smorgasbord of lures to the nest, hoping to catch the two larger fish cruising around it. “The fish I just caught was the male, and these other two bigger ones are females. I don’t think they’ve laid their eggs yet. <p> 3 HOURS LEFT<br> <b>11:06 a.m.</b> Hartman has left the bedding fish and run uplake into a big C-shaped cove rimmed with scattered stumps and laydowns. The water here is murkier. He rotates among his arsenal of bed lures as he covers the shoreline. No spawning beds are evident, however. <br> <b>11:18 a.m.</b> He moves to a cove with a series of shallow docks, which he probes with the wacky worm, brush hog and jig. A huge fish swims past one of the docks; it’s a carp, not a bass. <br> <b>11:33 a.m.</b> Hartman runs to a shallow tributary arm peppered with submerged stumps, which he probes with the jig, Little Fuzzy and wacky worm. The water is clearer here, but no beds can be seen. <br> <b>11:42 a.m.</b> He catches a short fish off a stump on the brush hog. <br> <b>11:50 a.m.</b> Another flip to a stump. A bass chomps the brush hog; Hartman swings, but the fish shakes loose. <p> 2 HOURS LEFT<br> <b>11:55 a.m.</b> Fishing his way out of the cove, Hartman spots a couple of empty beds. “There are a lot more active spawners downlake. I’m going to run back there.” <br> <b>12:12 p.m.</b> Hartman has rocketed back to the cove where he caught his 2-9. He’s located another bed with a keeper on it and is pounding it with the brush hog and wacky worm. <br> <b>12:16 p.m.</b> The fish is unresponsive, so Hartman moves to the spot where he saw the big fish swim over a sunken log. But it’s nowhere to be seen. <br> <b>12:23 p.m.</b> Hartman exits the cove and spots a bedding bass close to a submerged stump. The bass bumps his drop-shot worm halfheartedly, then swims off. <br> <b>12:25 p.m.</b> He moves into another cove he fished earlier and spots a 4 1/2-pounder on a bed. Countless presentations with most of his lure arsenal fail to provoke a bite. “If you’re looking for fast action, bed fishing usually isn’t the best approach.” <br> <b>12:44 p.m.</b> Hartman has abandoned the contrary spawner and has moved to the cove’s mouth, where he drags the brush hog. <br> <b>12:48 p.m.</b> Hartman bags his sixth keeper, 1-2, on the brush hog. It’s no help to his weight total. <p> 1 HOUR LEFT<br> <b>12:55 p.m.</b> Hartman rockets back to the bed with multiple bass on it. He starts with the drop-shot worm. “They still aren’t sitting on the bed; they’re just cruising around it.” <b>1:07 p.m.</b> He pitches the Little Fuzzy to the nest. A 4-pounder turns toward it, then bolts away. “They sure are funky acting!” <br> <b>1:18 p.m.</b> Hartman gives up on these spawners. “This shows how critical timing is to bed fishing. These females are intent on dropping their eggs, and until they do, they’re going to be superhard to catch. Right now, it’s like watching bass on television — they’re right in front of you, yet they won’t respond to you.” <br> <b>1:24 p.m.</b> Hartman rockets uplake to flip the wacky worm around some docks. <br> <b>1:28 p.m.</b> He bags a 1-pound keeper off a dock on the shaky head worm. No help here. <br> <b>1:30 p.m.</b> Hartman hits a big laydown with the jig. “They haven’t related much to this wood today.”
10:27 a.m. Keeper No. 5 weighs 2 pounds, 9 ounces. What’s his take on the day so far? “There are a decent number of bass on bed, so I’m going to stay on this pattern and try to increase my weight. Many of these fish are acting funky, like they’re not really locked onto the nest yet, but that could change in a matter of minutes.” 10:35 a.m. Hartman continues pitching a smorgasbord of lures to the nest, hoping to catch the two larger fish cruising around it. “The fish I just caught was the male, and these other two bigger ones are females. I don’t think they’ve laid their eggs yet.

3 HOURS LEFT11:06 a.m. Hartman has left the bedding fish and run uplake into a big C-shaped cove rimmed with scattered stumps and laydowns. The water here is murkier. He rotates among his arsenal of bed lures as he covers the shoreline. No spawning beds are evident, however. 11:18 a.m. He moves to a cove with a series of shallow docks, which he probes with the wacky worm, brush hog and jig. A huge fish swims past one of the docks; it’s a carp, not a bass. 11:33 a.m. Hartman runs to a shallow tributary arm peppered with submerged stumps, which he probes with the jig, Little Fuzzy and wacky worm. The water is clearer here, but no beds can be seen. 11:42 a.m. He catches a short fish off a stump on the brush hog. 11:50 a.m. Another flip to a stump. A bass chomps the brush hog; Hartman swings, but the fish shakes loose.

2 HOURS LEFT11:55 a.m. Fishing his way out of the cove, Hartman spots a couple of empty beds. “There are a lot more active spawners downlake. I’m going to run back there.” 12:12 p.m. Hartman has rocketed back to the cove where he caught his 2-9. He’s located another bed with a keeper on it and is pounding it with the brush hog and wacky worm. 12:16 p.m. The fish is unresponsive, so Hartman moves to the spot where he saw the big fish swim over a sunken log. But it’s nowhere to be seen. 12:23 p.m. Hartman exits the cove and spots a bedding bass close to a submerged stump. The bass bumps his drop-shot worm halfheartedly, then swims off. 12:25 p.m. He moves into another cove he fished earlier and spots a 4 1/2-pounder on a bed. Countless presentations with most of his lure arsenal fail to provoke a bite. “If you’re looking for fast action, bed fishing usually isn’t the best approach.” 12:44 p.m. Hartman has abandoned the contrary spawner and has moved to the cove’s mouth, where he drags the brush hog. 12:48 p.m. Hartman bags his sixth keeper, 1-2, on the brush hog. It’s no help to his weight total.

1 HOUR LEFT12:55 p.m. Hartman rockets back to the bed with multiple bass on it. He starts with the drop-shot worm. “They still aren’t sitting on the bed; they’re just cruising around it.”
1:07 p.m. He pitches the Little Fuzzy to the nest. A 4-pounder turns toward it, then bolts away. “They sure are funky acting!” 1:18 p.m. Hartman gives up on these spawners. “This shows how critical timing is to bed fishing. These females are intent on dropping their eggs, and until they do, they’re going to be superhard to catch. Right now, it’s like watching bass on television — they’re right in front of you, yet they won’t respond to you.” 1:24 p.m. Hartman rockets uplake to flip the wacky worm around some docks. 1:28 p.m. He bags a 1-pound keeper off a dock on the shaky head worm. No help here. 1:30 p.m. Hartman hits a big laydown with the jig. “They haven’t related much to this wood today.”

<b>1:36 p.m.</b> Hartman hops the jig across a mud point and bags his eighth keeper, 2 pounds, 4 ounces; it culls the 1-3 he caught earlier. <br> <b>1:42 p.m.</b> He casts the jig to a steep channel bank but hauls water. <br> <b>1:55 p.m.</b> Hartman’s time is up. He ends his day on Lake L with eight keeper bass; the five biggest weigh 13 pounds even.
1:36 p.m. Hartman hops the jig across a mud point and bags his eighth keeper, 2 pounds, 4 ounces; it culls the 1-3 he caught earlier. 1:42 p.m. He casts the jig to a steep channel bank but hauls water. 1:55 p.m. Hartman’s time is up. He ends his day on Lake L with eight keeper bass; the five biggest weigh 13 pounds even.
<b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br> “I spent most of the day cruising the banks and caught a few decent fish on beds, but my timing wasn’t ideal; most of the spawners are in that spooky stage where they aren’t totally locked onto the nest,” Hartman told Bassmaster. “If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d try for some postspawn fish early on structures adjacent to spawning coves, then wait till the sun got higher to go back to bed fishing.” <p> <b>WHEN AND WHERE HARTMAN CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS</b><br> 3 pounds, 5 ounces; green pumpkin generic brush hog creature (Texas rigged); entrance to spawning cove; 8:35 a.m. <br> 1 pound, 8 ounces; 3/8-ounce PB&J Riot Baits jig with green pumpkin Riot Baits Tantrum trailer; spawning cove; 8:55 a.m. <br> 3 pounds, 6 ounces; generic pink/purple/pearl finesse worm on drop-shot rig; spawning bed; 9:12 a.m.</b> 2 pounds, 9 ounces; same lure as No. 3; spawning bed; 10:27 a.m. <br> 2 pounds, 4 ounces; same lure as No. 2; mud point; 1:36 p.m. <br> TOTAL: 13 POUNDS
THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE
“I spent most of the day cruising the banks and caught a few decent fish on beds, but my timing wasn’t ideal; most of the spawners are in that spooky stage where they aren’t totally locked onto the nest,” Hartman told Bassmaster. “If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d try for some
postspawn fish early on structures adjacent to spawning coves, then wait till the sun got higher to go back to bed fishing.”

WHEN AND WHERE HARTMAN CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS
3 pounds, 5 ounces; green pumpkin generic brush hog creature (Texas rigged); entrance to spawning cove; 8:35 a.m.
1 pound, 8 ounces; 3/8-ounce PB&J Riot Baits jig with green pumpkin Riot Baits Tantrum trailer; spawning cove; 8:55 a.m.
3 pounds, 6 ounces; generic pink/purple/pearl finesse worm on drop-shot rig; spawning bed; 9:12 a.m.
2 pounds, 9 ounces; same lure as No. 3; spawning bed; 10:27 a.m.
2 pounds, 4 ounces; same lure as No. 2; mud point; 1:36 p.m.
TOTAL: 13 POUNDS