Day on the lake: John Crews

Posted on
Every bass pro needs sponsors. How much involvement each pro actually has with his sponsors varies widely. Virginia native John Crews has a talent for designing lures — he’s worked closely with hard-bait manufacturer Spro for years and designed its wildly successful Little John crankbait series. However, some of Crews’ other sponsors proved less receptive to his creativity. “Prior to partnering with Spro, I’d worked with several soft bait manufacturers that I felt were overlooking the serious bass angler with their product offerings,” Crews says. “Tournament anglers are a different breed. They want something the fish haven’t seen before, not the same old worms and lizards.” Both frustrated by his thwarted attempts at suggesting new soft bait designs and encouraged by his success with Spro, Crews took the plunge and started his own soft bait company, Missile Baits, in 2012. “It was pretty crazy early on,” he recalls. “Suddenly, besides my hectic tournament schedule, I had a company to run.” But the risk paid off; today, Missile Baits are big sellers in practically every tackle outlet, as well as online (missilebaits.com). “We offer a complete line of soft baits and jigs, all geared exclusively toward tournament anglers and all made in the USA,” Crews says. “We’re constantly developing new baits aimed at giving serious anglers a competitive edge. The business keeps growing; we’re now up to eight employees. It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding being your own sponsor.” As both a pro angler and a lure manufacturer, Crews is uniquely qualified to understand the difference a well-designed bait can make, especially on a gloomy fall day when the bass have lockjaw. Stay tuned and he’ll prove it. <p> <b>6:29 a.m.</b> It’s dark, 50 degrees and misting rain when we arrive at Lake N. Crews dons a rainsuit and pulls several Cashion rods from his boat’s storage locker. “The forecast calls for light, intermittent showers and temperatures staying in the 50s,” Crews says. “I’ll take that over a cold front anytime.” <p> <b>7 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>7 a.m.</b> We launch the Bass Cat. Lake N is stained and 65 degrees. What pattern does Crews anticipate will work today? “Conditions look perfect for topwater, so I’ll start out chunking a surface plug. I’m already seeing plenty of docks and shoreline wood cover here; both are ideal crankbait and jig targets. As is common with many reservoirs in fall, this lake has recently been lowered several feet. Most guys think pulling the plug on a lake always forces bass to move deeper, but I’ve caught big fish in a foot of water during a fall drawdown, so I’m going to check out a lot of shallow stuff.” <br> <b>7:10 a.m.</b> Crews has idled around a main-lake point to a seawall bank with several docks. Here he makes his first casts with a bone River2Sea Whopper Plopper 110 surface bait. “If the bass in this lake haven’t been overexposed to this noisy plug, they should hit it.” <br> <b>7:12 a.m.</b> A bass smacks the Plopper and Crews swings aboard his first keeper of the day, a 1-pound, 2-ounce largemouth. “He smoked it! That’s a great sign!” <br> <b>7:13 a.m.</b> Crews casts the Plopper to a shallow sand bank, begins a slow retrieve, and a big fish boils beneath it but doesn’t hook up. “Whoa! That was a monster!” <br> <b>7:20 a.m.</b> Crews pitches a 1/2-ounce Missile Baits Flip Out jig in the superbug color pattern with a Kentucky craw Missile D Bomb trailer to a dock. <br> <b>7:24 a.m.</b> Crews’ cellphone rings and a message from h<br>is attorney goes to voicemail. “I say fish now, deal with trademark registration details later!” <b>7: 30 a.m.</b> Crews hits a brightly lit dock with the Plopper and the jig. “Lighted docks attract bugs, which in turn attract bluegill and bass.”
Every bass pro needs sponsors. How much involvement each pro actually has with his sponsors varies widely. Virginia native John Crews has a talent for designing lures — he’s worked closely with hard-bait manufacturer Spro for years and designed its wildly successful Little John crankbait series. However, some of Crews’ other sponsors proved less receptive to his creativity. “Prior to partnering with Spro, I’d worked with several soft bait manufacturers that I felt were overlooking the serious bass angler with their product offerings,” Crews says. “Tournament anglers are a different breed. They want something the fish haven’t seen before, not the same old worms and lizards.” Both frustrated by his thwarted attempts at suggesting new soft bait designs and encouraged by his success with Spro, Crews took the plunge and started his own soft bait company, Missile Baits, in 2012. “It was pretty crazy early on,” he recalls. “Suddenly, besides my hectic tournament schedule, I had a company to run.” But the risk paid off; today, Missile Baits are big sellers in practically every tackle outlet, as well as online (missilebaits.com). “We offer a complete line of soft baits and jigs, all geared exclusively toward tournament anglers and all made in the USA,” Crews says. “We’re constantly developing new baits aimed at giving serious anglers a competitive edge. The business keeps growing; we’re now up to eight employees. It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding being your own sponsor.” As both a pro angler and a lure manufacturer, Crews is uniquely qualified to understand the difference a well-designed bait can make, especially on a gloomy fall day when the bass have lockjaw. Stay tuned and he’ll prove it.

6:29 a.m. It’s dark, 50 degrees and misting rain when we arrive at Lake N. Crews dons a rainsuit and pulls several Cashion rods from his boat’s storage locker. “The forecast calls for light, intermittent showers and temperatures staying in the 50s,” Crews says. “I’ll take that over a cold front anytime.”

7 HOURS LEFT7 a.m. We launch the Bass Cat. Lake N is stained and 65 degrees. What pattern does Crews anticipate will work today? “Conditions look perfect for topwater, so I’ll start out chunking a surface plug. I’m already seeing plenty of docks and shoreline wood cover here; both are ideal crankbait and jig targets. As is common with many reservoirs in fall, this lake has recently been lowered several feet. Most guys think pulling the plug on a lake always forces bass to move deeper, but I’ve caught big fish in a foot of water during a fall drawdown, so I’m going to check out a lot of shallow stuff.” 7:10 a.m. Crews has idled around a main-lake point to a seawall bank with several docks. Here he makes his first casts with a bone River2Sea Whopper Plopper 110 surface bait. “If the bass in this lake haven’t been overexposed to this noisy plug, they should hit it.” 7:12 a.m. A bass smacks the Plopper and Crews swings aboard his first keeper of the day, a 1-pound, 2-ounce largemouth. “He smoked it! That’s a great sign!” 7:13 a.m. Crews casts the Plopper to a shallow sand bank, begins a slow retrieve, and a big fish boils beneath it but doesn’t hook up. “Whoa! That was a monster!” 7:20 a.m. Crews pitches a 1/2-ounce Missile Baits Flip Out jig in the superbug color pattern with a Kentucky craw Missile D Bomb trailer to a dock. 7:24 a.m. Crews’ cellphone rings and a message from his attorney goes to voicemail. “I say fish now, deal with trademark registration details later!”
7: 30 a.m. Crews hits a brightly lit dock with the Plopper and the jig. “Lighted docks attract bugs, which in turn attract bluegill and bass.”

<b>7:38 a.m.</b> Crews idles to another series of docks and continues rotating between the Plopper and jig. It’s starting to rain. <br> <b>7:40 a.m.</b> Crews idles into a nearby cove and goes into search mode with his electronics. He graphs up a brushy offshore hump and a rocky primary point. “I’ll fish both of these spots later.” <br> <b>7:55 a.m.</b> Crews runs straight across the lake to a pocket loaded with laydown trees. He retrieves the Plopper around the timber. <p> <b>6 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>8 a.m.</b> “This is some gnarly looking wood!” Crews says as he flips the jig to a laydown. <br> <b>8:11 a.m.</b> Crews roots a Spro Fat John squarebill crankbait in the nasty shad pattern down a sunken log. <br> <b>8:14 a.m.</b> He downsizes crankbaits to a chartreuse and black Baby Fat John. “This color shows up better in this tannic water. In fall, bass will often suspend around wood cover rather than sit on the bottom close to it.” <br> <b>8:18 a.m.</b> Crews tries a white Jackall buzzbait with a matching Missile Shock Wave trailer around the laydowns. <br> <b>8:21 a.m.</b> Crews runs the Plopper around some stumps in the back end of the pocket. No takers here. <br> <b>8:23 a.m.</b> Crews prepares a Carolina rig with a Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer creature in the shrapnel color on the business end. “I designed this creature for both flipping and dragging. It works great around wood and brush.” He dips the lure’s tail in orange dye and sprays it liberally with a noxious-smelling attractant in an unmarked bottle. What is that stinky stuff? “It’s my secret blend. It smells rotten, but bass love it!” <br> <b>8:27 a.m.</b> Crews runs back to the offshore hump he located earlier and begins cranking it with a mello yello color Spro Little John DD diving crankbait. The structure is 8 feet on top, 18 on the sides, and loaded with brush. His plug promptly hangs up in a 14-foot brushpile. “I bet there’s a thousand dollars’ worth of crankbaits stuck in that brush.” He tightens down with his reel and his line breaks. “Make that $1,012 worth.” <br> <b>8:29 a.m.</b> Crews ties on a similar plug in the homemade shad pattern and continues cranking the hump. “Little Johns are flat-sided crankbaits. They don’t have the rolling action of a round-sided plug, which gives them a different look and vibration.” <br>
7:38 a.m. Crews idles to another series of docks and continues rotating between the Plopper and jig. It’s starting to rain. 7:40 a.m. Crews idles into a nearby cove and goes into search mode with his electronics. He graphs up a brushy offshore hump and a rocky primary point. “I’ll fish both of these spots later.” 7:55 a.m. Crews runs straight across the lake to a pocket loaded with laydown trees. He retrieves the Plopper around the timber.

6 HOURS LEFT8 a.m. “This is some gnarly looking wood!” Crews says as he flips the jig to a laydown. 8:11 a.m. Crews roots a Spro Fat John squarebill crankbait in the nasty shad pattern down a sunken log. 8:14 a.m. He downsizes crankbaits to a chartreuse and black Baby Fat John. “This color shows up better in this tannic water. In fall, bass will often suspend around wood cover rather than sit on the bottom close to it.” 8:18 a.m. Crews tries a white Jackall buzzbait with a matching Missile Shock Wave trailer around the laydowns. 8:21 a.m. Crews runs the Plopper around some stumps in the back end of the pocket. No takers here. 8:23 a.m. Crews prepares a Carolina rig with a Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer creature in the shrapnel color on the business end. “I designed this creature for both flipping and dragging. It works great around wood and brush.” He dips the lure’s tail in orange dye and sprays it liberally with a noxious-smelling attractant in an unmarked bottle. What is that stinky stuff? “It’s my secret blend. It smells rotten, but bass love it!” 8:27 a.m. Crews runs back to the offshore hump he located earlier and begins cranking it with a mello yello color Spro Little John DD diving crankbait. The structure is 8 feet on top, 18 on the sides, and loaded with brush. His plug promptly hangs up in a 14-foot brushpile. “I bet there’s a thousand dollars’ worth of crankbaits stuck in that brush.” He tightens down with his reel and his line breaks. “Make that $1,012 worth.” 8:29 a.m. Crews ties on a similar plug in the homemade shad pattern and continues cranking the hump. “Little Johns are flat-sided crankbaits. They don’t have the rolling action of a round-sided plug, which gives them a different look and vibration.”

<b>8:32 a.m.</b> He hangs the shad crankbait in the same brushpile but manages to dislodge it. Amazingly, it comes back with the mello yello plug hooked to it. “Ha! Who needs a lure retriever? Not me!” <br> <b>8:34 a.m.</b> Crews switches to the Carolina-rigged creature and immediately gets a tap on the hump, but the fish drops it.
8:32 a.m. He hangs the shad crankbait in the same brushpile but manages to dislodge it. Amazingly, it comes back with the mello yello plug hooked to it. “Ha! Who needs a lure retriever? Not me!” 8:34 a.m. Crews switches to the Carolina-rigged creature and immediately gets a tap on the hump, but the fish drops it.
<b>8:35 a.m.</b> On his next cast, Crews detects another tap, sets the hook, and a good fish races off the hump into open water.
8:35 a.m. On his next cast, Crews detects another tap, sets the hook, and a good fish races off the hump into open water.
<b>8:35 a.m.</b> He works it carefully to the boat and swings aboard his second keeper of the day, a solid 2-13 largemouth. “This fish was right on top of the hump.”
8:35 a.m. He works it carefully to the boat and swings aboard his second keeper of the day, a solid 2-13 largemouth. “This fish was right on top of the hump.”
<b>8:37 a.m.</b> Crews makes another cast to the hump with the C-rig and bags keeper No. 3, 1 pound, 8 ounces. <br>
8:37 a.m. Crews makes another cast to the hump with the C-rig and bags keeper No. 3, 1 pound, 8 ounces.
<b>8:52 a.m.</b> Crews whacks his fourth keeper, 2-6, off the hump. “This one choked it! I’m dragging the bait super slow across that hump. This rain system is going to drop the water temperature and once that happens, the bite may get a lot tougher.” <br> <p> <b>5 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>9 a.m.</b> Crews moves to the rocky point he located earlier and cranks it with the yellow Little DD. <br> <b>9:06 a.m.</b> Crews is using the “kneel and reel” tactic to get his crankbait around 18 feet deep. “I’m feeling a hard bottom, scattered brush and stumps.” <br> <b>9:14 a.m.</b> He drags the point with the Carolina rig. <br> <b>9:20 a.m.</b> It’s pouring rain as Crews alternates between the DD crank and the C-rig on the point. <br>
8:52 a.m. Crews whacks his fourth keeper, 2-6, off the hump. “This one choked it! I’m dragging the bait super slow across that hump. This rain system is going to drop the water temperature and once that happens, the bite may get a lot tougher.”
5 HOURS LEFT9 a.m. Crews moves to the rocky point he located earlier and cranks it with the yellow Little DD. 9:06 a.m. Crews is using the “kneel and reel” tactic to get his crankbait around 18 feet deep. “I’m feeling a hard bottom, scattered brush and stumps.” 9:14 a.m. He drags the point with the Carolina rig. 9:20 a.m. It’s pouring rain as Crews alternates between the DD crank and the C-rig on the point.
<b>9:41 a.m.</b> Crews’ thorough combing of the point has failed to produce a bass. He runs to Lake N’s dam and casts the Whopper Plopper to riprap. <br> <b>9:46 a.m.</b> He retrieves a white 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait with a matching Missile shad trailer parallel to the dam. <br> <b>9:57 a.m.</b> Crews hits a pocket near the dam with the Plopper. <p> <b>4 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>10:02 a.m.</b> Crews cranks the Fat John around a rocky bank. It hangs in some old fishing line; he retrieves the plug to find a waterlogged creature bait tangled in the hooks. “It’s not one of mine.”<br> <b>10:11 a.m.</b> He tries the buzzbait in a shoreline pocket. <br> <b>10:15 a.m.</b> Crews flips laydowns with the jig. “I was going to run uplake, but I think I’ll stay put until this monsoon slacks off!” <br> <b>10:18 a.m.</b> Crews rigs a green pumpkin Missile Ned Bomb finesse worm on a 1/16-ounce jighead. “I fish this little bait with a drag/shake/drag retrieve. It’s a lifesaver when you’re needing a bite bad, like I am right now.” <br> <b>10:22 a.m.</b> Crews moves back to the rocky bank he fished minutes ago and hits it with the Ned Bomb. We’re in 14 feet of water; he’s casting to 2 feet. What’s his take on the day so far? “It feels like the rain front has negatively impacted the bite. There’s also no obvious pattern so far — I’ve caught fish on the shoreline and on offshore structure. I’m going to keep poking around a variety of areas with the lures I’ve been using because they’re all big fish producers.” <br> <b>10:27 a.m.</b> He gets a tap on the Ned Bomb. “Hard to believe they can tap this little bait and not get hooked.” <br> <b>10:45 a.m.</b> After what seems like an eternity of dragging and shaking, Crews catches his fifth keeper, 2 pounds even, on the Ned Bomb. The rain has momentarily quit. “OK, we’re running uplake.” <br> <b>10:54 a.m.</b> Crews rockets to a long point in the upper end of Lake N and cranks the mello yello diver. <br> <p> <b>3 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>11 a.m.</b> Crews catches his sixth keeper, 1 pound, 1 ounce, off the side of the point on the Baby D Stroyer. It’s no help to his weight total. <br> <b>11:13 a.m.</b> The upper end of the lake is fogging up as Crews drags a channel bank with the C-rig. <br> <b>11:19 a.m.</b> It’s raining again as Crews flips the jig to a submerged tree. <br> <b>11:25 a.m.</b> Crews idles back to the end of the long point and drags the Ned Bomb. <br> <b>11:33 a.m.</b> Crews rigs a Missile Fuse 4.4 craw worm in the pinkalicious pattern on a drop-shot rig. He drags it around an offshore rockpile and catches his seventh keeper, 1 pound even. No help there. <br> <b>11:42 a.m.</b> He tries the ChatterBait around a series of shallow docks. <br> <b>11:45 a.m.</b> A good fish smacks the ChatterBait but doesn’t hook up. <br> <b>11:53 a.m.</b> Crews blasts downlake to a short point that drops off quickly into a deep channel and cranks it with the mello yello diver. <p> <b>2 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>12:01 p.m.</b> Crews changes D Stroyer colors to junebug and drags the fresh offering around the point. A 2-pounder follows the bait to the boat. <br> <b>12:20 p.m.</b> More dragging and cranking fail to produce a fish here, so Crews runs to a brushy ledge he previously sighted on his electronics. “It runs way off the bank 3 feet deep then drops sharply to 14 feet.” He casts the Plopper parallel to the drop and a good fish plasters it! Crews reels the bass across the surface, but it shakes free. “Crap, that was way bigger than anything I’ve caught so far!” Upon inspection, he finds the plug’s front treble hook has dulled; he replaces it with a treble from one of his crankbaits. <br> <b>12:26 p.m.</b> Crews tries a shad pattern Reaction Innovations Vixen topwater stickbait on the ledge. <br> <b>12:29 p.m.</b> He reverts to the C-rig on the ledge, hangs up in a brushpile and breaks it off. “No more Carolina rigging for me today; I don’t have any more C-rig components in my boat.” <br> <b>12:36 p.m.</b> The ChatterBait fails to produce a fish on the brushy ledge. <br> <b>12:40 p.m.</b> Crews rigs a junebug Missile Baits 48 worm on a 5/16-ounce swivel jighead. “This worm has a bulbous head and tail with a skinny midsection, which gives it a shimmying action when it falls.” He moves to a nearby point and drags the worm around submerged brush. <b>12:47 p.m.</b> Crews moves to a channel bank leading into a stump-filled cove and tries the Plopper around shoreline wood. <br> <b>12:49 p.m.</b> He flips a submerged tree with the jig. As he picks the lure up to make another flip, a 3-pounder flashes on it. “Man, they sure are spooky!” <br> <b>12:55 p.m.</b> Crews moves back to the cove’s entrance and tries the craw worm. Nada. <p> <b>1 HOUR LEFT</b><br> <b>1:13 p.m.</b> Crews speeds back to the hump where he caught three keepers and drags it with the craw worm. Even though it’s still raining, the sun is coming out. “Go figure!” <br> <b>1:30 p.m.</b> With a half-hour remaining, Crews moves to a nearby cove and tries the Plopper and drop-shot rig. <br> <b>1:36 p.m.</b> Crews catches keeper No. 8, 1 pound, 1 ounce, on the Whopper Plopper; it’s no help, however. “That fish was in 8 inches of water.” <br> <b>1:41 p.m.</b> Crews makes a blistering run back to the ledge where he lost the big fish on top and tries the Plopper without success. <br>
9:41 a.m. Crews’ thorough combing of the point has failed to produce a bass. He runs to Lake N’s dam and casts the Whopper Plopper to riprap. 9:46 a.m. He retrieves a white 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait with a matching Missile shad trailer parallel to the dam. 9:57 a.m. Crews hits a pocket near the dam with the Plopper.

4 HOURS LEFT10:02 a.m. Crews cranks the Fat John around a rocky bank. It hangs in some old fishing line; he retrieves the plug to find a waterlogged creature bait tangled in the hooks. “It’s not one of mine.”10:11 a.m. He tries the buzzbait in a shoreline pocket. 10:15 a.m. Crews flips laydowns with the jig. “I was going to run uplake, but I think I’ll stay put until this monsoon slacks off!” 10:18 a.m. Crews rigs a green pumpkin Missile Ned Bomb finesse worm on a 1/16-ounce jighead. “I fish this little bait with a drag/shake/drag retrieve. It’s a lifesaver when you’re needing a bite bad, like I am right now.” 10:22 a.m. Crews moves back to the rocky bank he fished minutes ago and hits it with the Ned Bomb. We’re in 14 feet of water; he’s casting to 2 feet. What’s his take on the day so far? “It feels like the rain front has negatively impacted the bite. There’s also no obvious pattern so far — I’ve caught fish on the shoreline and on offshore structure. I’m going to keep poking around a variety of areas with the lures I’ve been using because they’re all big fish producers.” 10:27 a.m. He gets a tap on the Ned Bomb. “Hard to believe they can tap this little bait and not get hooked.” 10:45 a.m. After what seems like an eternity of dragging and shaking, Crews catches his fifth keeper, 2 pounds even, on the Ned Bomb. The rain has momentarily quit. “OK, we’re running uplake.” 10:54 a.m. Crews rockets to a long point in the upper end of Lake N and cranks the mello yello diver.
3 HOURS LEFT11 a.m. Crews catches his sixth keeper, 1 pound, 1 ounce, off the side of the point on the Baby D Stroyer. It’s no help to his weight total. 11:13 a.m. The upper end of the lake is fogging up as Crews drags a channel bank with the C-rig. 11:19 a.m. It’s raining again as Crews flips the jig to a submerged tree. 11:25 a.m. Crews idles back to the end of the long point and drags the Ned Bomb. 11:33 a.m. Crews rigs a Missile Fuse 4.4 craw worm in the pinkalicious pattern on a drop-shot rig. He drags it around an offshore rockpile and catches his seventh keeper, 1 pound even. No help there. 11:42 a.m. He tries the ChatterBait around a series of shallow docks. 11:45 a.m. A good fish smacks the ChatterBait but doesn’t hook up. 11:53 a.m. Crews blasts downlake to a short point that drops off quickly into a deep channel and cranks it with the mello yello diver.

2 HOURS LEFT12:01 p.m. Crews changes D Stroyer colors to junebug and drags the fresh offering around the point. A 2-pounder follows the bait to the boat. 12:20 p.m. More dragging and cranking fail to produce a fish here, so Crews runs to a brushy ledge he previously sighted on his electronics. “It runs way off the bank 3 feet deep then drops sharply to 14 feet.” He casts the Plopper parallel to the drop and a good fish plasters it! Crews reels the bass across the surface, but it shakes free. “Crap, that was way bigger than anything I’ve caught so far!” Upon inspection, he finds the plug’s front treble hook has dulled; he replaces it with a treble from one of his crankbaits. 12:26 p.m. Crews tries a shad pattern Reaction Innovations Vixen topwater stickbait on the ledge. 12:29 p.m. He reverts to the C-rig on the ledge, hangs up in a brushpile and breaks it off. “No more Carolina rigging for me today; I don’t have any more C-rig components in my boat.” 12:36 p.m. The ChatterBait fails to produce a fish on the brushy ledge. 12:40 p.m. Crews rigs a junebug Missile Baits 48 worm on a 5/16-ounce swivel jighead. “This worm has a bulbous head and tail with a skinny midsection, which gives it a shimmying action when it falls.” He moves to a nearby point and drags the worm around submerged brush.
12:47 p.m. Crews moves to a channel bank leading into a stump-filled cove and tries the Plopper around shoreline wood. 12:49 p.m. He flips a submerged tree with the jig. As he picks the lure up to make another flip, a 3-pounder flashes on it. “Man, they sure are spooky!” 12:55 p.m. Crews moves back to the cove’s entrance and tries the craw worm. Nada.

1 HOUR LEFT1:13 p.m. Crews speeds back to the hump where he caught three keepers and drags it with the craw worm. Even though it’s still raining, the sun is coming out. “Go figure!” 1:30 p.m. With a half-hour remaining, Crews moves to a nearby cove and tries the Plopper and drop-shot rig. 1:36 p.m. Crews catches keeper No. 8, 1 pound, 1 ounce, on the Whopper Plopper; it’s no help, however. “That fish was in 8 inches of water.” 1:41 p.m. Crews makes a blistering run back to the ledge where he lost the big fish on top and tries the Plopper without success.

<b>1:45 p.m.</b> Crews tries the 48 worm on the ledge and catches his ninth keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce; it culls his first keeper of the day. <br> <b>1:52 p.m.</b> Crews spends his remaining minutes without a nibble on a long point he fished earlier. <br> <b>2 p.m.</b> Back to the boat ramp. Crews has managed to scratch out nine keeper bass on Lake N; his five biggest weigh 10 pounds, 12 ounces. <p> <b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br> “The morning bite was fairly active, but it got tougher as the rain front moved through,” Crews told Bassmaster. “I had to scramble around and fish a lot of different areas; my best spot was that offshore hump. Soft plastics fished extra slow were the main ticket today, although I did lose a good fish on a topwater. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d skip all those docks — I didn’t have a single bite on a dock all day.” <p> <b>WHERE AND WHEN JOHN CREWS CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS</b><br> 2 pounds, 13 ounces; shrapnel (color) Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer creature on a Carolina rig; offshore hump; 8:35 a.m.<br> 1 pound, 8 ounces; same lure and place as No. 1; 8:37 a.m. <br> 2 pounds, 6 ounces; same lure and place as No. 1; 8:52 a.m. <br> 2 pounds; green pumpkin Missile Baits Ned Bomb finesse worm on 1/16-ounce jighead; rock bank; 10:45 a.m. <br> 2 pounds, 1 ounce; junebug Missile Baits 48 worm on 5/16-ounce swivel jighead; brushy ledge; 1:45 p.m. <br> TOTAL: 10 POUNDS, 12 OUNCES
1:45 p.m. Crews tries the 48 worm on the ledge and catches his ninth keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce; it culls his first keeper of the day. 1:52 p.m. Crews spends his remaining minutes without a nibble on a long point he fished earlier. 2 p.m. Back to the boat ramp. Crews has managed to scratch out nine keeper bass on Lake N; his five biggest weigh 10 pounds, 12 ounces.

THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE
“The morning bite was fairly active, but it got tougher as the rain front moved through,” Crews told Bassmaster. “I had to scramble around and fish a lot of different areas; my best spot was that offshore hump. Soft plastics fished extra slow were the main ticket today, although I did lose a good fish on a topwater. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d skip all those docks — I didn’t have a single bite on a dock all day.”

WHERE AND WHEN JOHN CREWS CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS
2 pounds, 13 ounces; shrapnel (color) Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer creature on a Carolina rig; offshore hump; 8:35 a.m.
1 pound, 8 ounces; same lure and place as
No. 1; 8:37 a.m.
2 pounds, 6 ounces; same lure and place as
No. 1; 8:52 a.m.
2 pounds; green pumpkin Missile Baits Ned Bomb finesse worm on 1/16-ounce jighead; rock bank; 10:45 a.m.
2 pounds, 1 ounce; junebug Missile Baits 48 worm on 5/16-ounce swivel jighead; brushy ledge; 1:45 p.m.
TOTAL: 10 POUNDS, 12 OUNCES