Day on the lake: Patrick Walters

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Patrick Walters loves it when the going gets tough. He’s in his element when his competitors are scratching their heads. “Figuring out the puzzle. Yeah, that’s the best part of bass fishing,” he says. Case in point: the November 2020 Toyota Texas Fest event on Lake Fork. In spite of Fork’s storied reputation as a lunker factory, Walters was one of only four out of 85 competitors to catch five-bass limits each day. While his competition struggled to get bites, Walters unlocked a “sneaky little pattern” consisting of standing timber, jerkbaits and his state-of-the-art electronics setup to win the event with a whopping 104 pounds, 12 ounces, beating the second-place finisher by a record-setting 29 pounds, 10 ounces. Evidently, Walters doesn’t have a panic mode. “On the last day of competition, I only had 11 pounds at 2 p.m.</b>,” he recalled. “But a last-minute flurry kicked my Day 4 bag up to 22-10.” OK, fine. So, that was Lake Fork in balmy-ish early November. Can Walters piece together the puzzle on tiny, obscure Lake T on a frigid January day? Stay tuned to find out!</p> <p><b>6:31 a.m.</b> It’s clear, calm and 32 degrees when Walters and I arrive at Lake T’s boat launch. Walters pulls several Daiwa casting and spinning outfits from storage. What pattern does he anticipate today? “This region has had a cold winter, and I expect the water will be in the low 40-degree range. The lake looks clear; I’m thinking the bass will be deep and either hugging bottom or suspending. ‘Bite windows,’ where you get a brief flurry of activity followed by a longer period of inactivity, are the norm in winter; I’ll try to take advantage of the open windows by being on high-opportunity places with the right presentation.” Besides two graphs at the console, Walters’ boat has three graphs mounted at the bow. Why so many? “Each unit has its own dedicated purpose. At the bow, there’s a Lowrance unit I use for mapping and sonar, a Humminbird 360 I use for viewing structure and cover, and a Garmin LiveScope that shows fish and how they react to my lure.” Whoa!</p> <p><b>SEVEN HOURS LEFT</b><BR><br /> <b>6:54 a.m.</b> We launch the Falcon. Walters checks the water temp: 40 degrees. “That’s dang cold! This could get interesting today.” <br /> <b>6:56 a.m.</b> Walters immediately lowers his trolling motor and makes his first casts of the day to a rock point adjacent to the ramp with a red craw Rapala DT06 crankbait. “Always fish around boat ramps! There are rocks, holes in the bottom from power loading, baitfish, crawfish — plus, most guys can’t wait to roar off across the lake after launching, so they seldom get fished.” <br /> <b>7:01 a.m.</b> Walters opts to try an Alabama rig with multiple spinner blades; it’s loaded with 3-inch Storm Largo Shad swimbaits on 1/8-ounce heads. (Note: A-rigs are illegal in B.A.S.S. tournament competition, but DOTL isn’t a tournament!) He slow rolls it around a rocky outcropping. “An A-rig is a good winter search bait; it looks like a school of tiny minnows, and even if a bass just nips it, you then know there’s fish in the area.” <br /> <b>7:07 a.m.</b> Walters casts a long-billed 13 Fishing Whipper Snapper jerkbait in the lucky charm (shad) pattern to a rock point. <br /> <b>7:12 a.m.</b> Walters has idled a quarter-mile uplake to a submerged rockpile. It’s 25 feet deep around its perimeter; he makes his first casts to the structure with the A-rig.” class=”wp-image-568515″ width=”4400″ height=”2933″/><figcaption>Patrick Walters loves it when the going gets tough. He’s in his element when his competitors are scratching their heads. “Figuring out the puzzle. Yeah, that’s the best part of bass fishing,” he says. Case in point: the November 2020 Toyota Texas Fest event on Lake Fork. In spite of Fork’s storied reputation as a lunker factory, Walters was one of only four out of 85 competitors to catch five-bass limits each day. While his competition struggled to get bites, Walters unlocked a “sneaky little pattern” consisting of standing timber, jerkbaits and his state-of-the-art electronics setup to win the event with a whopping 104 pounds, 12 ounces, beating the second-place finisher by a record-setting 29 pounds, 10 ounces. Evidently, Walters doesn’t have a panic mode. “On the last day of competition, I only had 11 pounds at 2 p.m.,” he recalled. “But a last-minute flurry kicked my Day 4 bag up to 22-10.” OK, fine. So, that was Lake Fork in balmy-ish early November. Can Walters piece together the puzzle on tiny, obscure Lake T on a frigid January day? Stay tuned to find out!</p> <p><b>6:31 a.m.</b> It’s clear, calm and 32 degrees when Walters and I arrive at Lake T’s boat launch. Walters pulls several Daiwa casting and spinning outfits from storage. What pattern does he anticipate today? “This region has had a cold winter, and I expect the water will be in the low 40-degree range. The lake looks clear; I’m thinking the bass will be deep and either hugging bottom or suspending. ‘Bite windows,’ where you get a brief flurry of activity followed by a longer period of inactivity, are the norm in winter; I’ll try to take advantage of the open windows by being on high-opportunity places with the right presentation.” Besides two graphs at the console, Walters’ boat has three graphs mounted at the bow. Why so many? “Each unit has its own dedicated purpose. At the bow, there’s a Lowrance unit I use for mapping and sonar, a Humminbird 360 I use for viewing structure and cover, and a Garmin LiveScope that shows fish and how they react to my lure.” Whoa!</p> <p><b>SEVEN HOURS LEFT</b><br /> <b>6:54 a.m.</b> We launch the Falcon. Walters checks the water temp: 40 degrees. “That’s dang cold! This could get interesting today.” <br /> <b>6:56 a.m.</b> Walters immediately lowers his trolling motor and makes his first casts of the day to a rock point adjacent to the ramp with a red craw Rapala DT06 crankbait. “Always fish around boat ramps! There are rocks, holes in the bottom from power loading, baitfish, crawfish — plus, most guys can’t wait to roar off across the lake after launching, so they seldom get fished.” <br /> <b>7:01 a.m.</b> Walters opts to try an Alabama rig with multiple spinner blades; it’s loaded with 3-inch Storm Largo Shad swimbaits on 1/8-ounce heads. (Note: A-rigs are illegal in B.A.S.S. tournament competition, but DOTL isn’t a tournament!) He slow rolls it around a rocky outcropping. “An A-rig is a good winter search bait; it looks like a school of tiny minnows, and even if a bass just nips it, you then know there’s fish in the area.” <br /> <b>7:07 a.m.</b> Walters casts a long-billed 13 Fishing Whipper Snapper jerkbait in the lucky charm (shad) pattern to a rock point. <br /> <b>7:12 a.m.</b> Walters has idled a quarter-mile uplake to a submerged rockpile. It’s 25 feet deep around its perimeter; he makes his first casts to the structure with the A-rig.</figcaption></figure> <div class=
<b>7:17 a.m.</b> He switches to the jerkbait around the rockpile and bags his first keeper bass of the day, a 1-pound, 8-ounce largemouth; the tail of a shad is protruding from its mouth. “Greedy little guy! I’m seeing several fish this size down there on the Garmin. They’re 8 feet deep.” <br /> <b>7:20 a.m.</b> Back to the A-rig. He gets a tap but no hookup. “I’ve got a couple of dummy shad on there [with no hooks], and invariably those are the ones that get bit.” <br /> <b>7:26 a.m.</b> Walters casts a single Storm Largo swimbait on a 3/8-ounce head to the rockpile. <br /> <b>7:29 a.m.</b> He tries the DT06 on the rockpile. <br /> <b>7:31 a.m.</b> Walters catches keeper No. 2, 1 pound, off the rockpile on the Whipper Snapper.<br /> ” class=”wp-image-568516″ width=”1660″ height=”1107″/><figcaption><b>7:17 a.m.</b> He switches to the jerkbait around the rockpile and bags his first keeper bass of the day, a 1-pound, 8-ounce largemouth; the tail of a shad is protruding from its mouth. “Greedy little guy! I’m seeing several fish this size down there on the Garmin. They’re 8 feet deep.” <br /> <b>7:20 a.m.</b> Back to the A-rig. He gets a tap but no hookup. “I’ve got a couple of dummy shad on there [with no hooks], and invariably those are the ones that get bit.” <br /> <b>7:26 a.m.</b> Walters casts a single Storm Largo swimbait on a 3/8-ounce head to the rockpile. <br /> <b>7:29 a.m.</b> He tries the DT06 on the rockpile. <br /> <b>7:31 a.m.</b> Walters catches keeper No. 2, 1 pound, off the rockpile on the Whipper Snapper.<br /> </figcaption></figure> <figure class=<b>7:34 a.m.</b> He catches a crappie on the jerkbait. “I was wondering if some of the fish I was seeing on the Garmin weren’t crappie. There’s a bunch of ’em down there.” <br /> <b>7:35 a.m.</b> Walters tries a blueback herring Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbait on the rockpile and catches a short bass. <br /> <b>7:37 a.m.</b> Walters catches his third keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce, off the rockpile on the Shadow Rap. <br /> <b>7:41 a.m.</b> He combs the back side of the rockpile with the A-rig. <br /> <b>7:45 a.m.</b> Walters drops the Largo Shad straight down and jigs it to a fish he’s graphed in 22 feet of water. <br /> <b>7:49 a.m.</b> Walters rigs a spinning outfit with a white Zoom Super Fluke Jr. split-tail shad on a 3/8-ounce head. He casts it to the rockpile and retrieves it with hops and shakes. “I just scoped a huge fish on the bottom; if it’s a bass, it’s an absolute monster!” </p> <p><b>SIX HOURS LEFT</b><BR><br /> <b>7:54 a.m.</b> Back to the Shadow Rap around the rockpile. He bags a 10-inch bass. <br /> <b>8:02 a.m.</b> Walters is alternating between the Shadow Rap and the Fluke around the rockpile. “I need to slow down! I’m hyped up about fishing a new lake; I’m wanting to move around and find more spots to fish, but this water is really cold.” <br /> <b>8:06 a.m.</b> Back to the Whipper Snapper on the rockpile. <br /> <b>8:11 a.m.</b> Walters vacates the rockpile and moves to a nearby seawall, where he tries the A-rig. <br /> <b>8:16 a.m.</b> Walters pinpoints a wad of fish 17 feet deep off the seawall. He jigs them with the Fluke but hauls water. <br /> <b>8:20 a.m.</b> Walters is still trying to coax a fish into biting the Fluke. “I can see ’em on the Garmin, but they’re not responding. The Catch-22 with these advanced electronics is you can get mesmerized looking at bass on the screen while time marches on. You need to know when to leave a bunch of lethargic fish and look for another spot where they’re more active.” <br /> <b>8:26 a.m.</b> Walters catches two shorties in a row on the Whipper Snapper. <br /> <b>8:34 a.m.</b> Walters has moved to the mouth of a deep cove. He combs open water with the A-rig. <br /> <b>8:41 a.m.</b> Walters speed-trolls to the dam and chunks the A-rig off the riprap. <br /> <b>8:46 a.m.</b> He tries the Whipper Snapper on the dam. <br /> ” class=”wp-image-568517″ width=”1667″ height=”1111″/><figcaption><b>7:34 a.m.</b> He catches a crappie on the jerkbait. “I was wondering if some of the fish I was seeing on the Garmin weren’t crappie. There’s a bunch of ’em down there.” <br /> <b>7:35 a.m.</b> Walters tries a blueback herring Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbait on the rockpile and catches a short bass. <br /> <b>7:37 a.m.</b> Walters catches his third keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce, off the rockpile on the Shadow Rap. <br /> <b>7:41 a.m.</b> He combs the back side of the rockpile with the A-rig. <br /> <b>7:45 a.m.</b> Walters drops the Largo Shad straight down and jigs it to a fish he’s graphed in 22 feet of water. <br /> <b>7:49 a.m.</b> Walters rigs a spinning outfit with a white Zoom Super Fluke Jr. split-tail shad on a 3/8-ounce head. He casts it to the rockpile and retrieves it with hops and shakes. “I just scoped a huge fish on the bottom; if it’s a bass, it’s an absolute monster!” </p> <p><b>SIX HOURS LEFT</b><br /> <b>7:54 a.m.</b> Back to the Shadow Rap around the rockpile. He bags a 10-inch bass. <br /> <b>8:02 a.m.</b> Walters is alternating between the Shadow Rap and the Fluke around the rockpile. “I need to slow down! I’m hyped up about fishing a new lake; I’m wanting to move around and find more spots to fish, but this water is really cold.” <br /> <b>8:06 a.m.</b> Back to the Whipper Snapper on the rockpile. <br /> <b>8:11 a.m.</b> Walters vacates the rockpile and moves to a nearby seawall, where he tries the A-rig. <br /> <b>8:16 a.m.</b> Walters pinpoints a wad of fish 17 feet deep off the seawall. He jigs them with the Fluke but hauls water. <br /> <b>8:20 a.m.</b> Walters is still trying to coax a fish into biting the Fluke. “I can see ’em on the Garmin, but they’re not responding. The Catch-22 with these advanced electronics is you can get mesmerized looking at bass on the screen while time marches on. You need to know when to leave a bunch of lethargic fish and look for another spot where they’re more active.” <br /> <b>8:26 a.m.</b> Walters catches two shorties in a row on the Whipper Snapper. <br /> <b>8:34 a.m.</b> Walters has moved to the mouth of a deep cove. He combs open water with the A-rig. <br /> <b>8:41 a.m.</b> Walters speed-trolls to the dam and chunks the A-rig off the riprap. <br /> <b>8:46 a.m.</b> He tries the Whipper Snapper on the dam. <br /> </figcaption></figure> <figure class=<b>FIVE HOURS LEFT</b><BR><br /> <b>8:56 a.m.</b> Walters catches his fourth keeper, 3 pounds, 10 ounces, on the Fluke Jr. “This fish was on the bottom, 27 feet deep. A good bet in midwinter in a clear lake is to fish the deepest hole you can find.” <br /> <b>9:05 a.m.</b> Walters tries the A-rig and Whipper Snapper on the dam. No takers on either one. <br /> <b>9:07 a.m.</b> Walters bags his fifth keeper, 1 pound, off the riprap on the mini-Fluke. “I’ve got my limit; hopefully, I can cull the ’pounders.” <br /> <b>9:15 a.m.</b> Walkers returns to the boat launch to try the A-rig and Fluke. “I saw some fish here earlier and wanted to check it again.” <br /> <b>9:28 a.m.</b> Walters moves uplake into a marina cove and tries the A-rig. <br /> <b>9:35 a.m.</b> Walters has located a shad school over a vein of rock in 20 feet of water near the marina. He casts the Largo Shad to the baitfish with nary a nibble. <br /> <b>9:42 a.m.</b> Walters gets a light tap on the A-rig. “You hear about guys catching five 8-pounders on the same cast with these rigs, but I’m not that lucky.” <br /> <b>9:49 a.m.</b> Walters pitches a black and blue 3/8-ounce Zorro Bait Co. Sloan Booza Bug jig with a green pumpkin Zoom trailer to boat slips. </p> <p><b>FOUR HOURS LEFT</b><BR><br /> <b>9:54 a.m.</b> Walters casts a 1/2-ounce Damiki Vault blade bait and a 3/4-ounce Zorro Bait Co. Sloan football jig (green pumpkin with matching Zoom trailer) to the rock vein. “That window I mentioned earlier is closing! Time to scout around the lake some more.” <br /> <b>10:07 a.m.</b> Walters has made a bone-chilling run to the extreme upper end of Lake T. The water here is stained and 42 degrees. He cranks the DT06 around a rocky bank. <br /> <b>10:15 a.m.</b> Walters catches a squealer from an 8-foot ditch on the DT06. <br /> <b>10:21 a.m.</b> Walters switches to a red craw Storm Arashi lipless crankbait around the ditch and hangs it in a submerged cast net. After considerable tugging, he dislodges the net from the bottom and cuts the crankbait loose. <br /> <b>10:25 a.m.</b> Walters tries the Booza Bug in the ditch. What’s his take on the day so far? “The water is really cold, so naturally the fish are lethargic. I’ve been fishing a lot of horizontal baits off the bottom, but I still need to slow down a bit.” <br /> <b>10:34 a.m.</b> Walters runs to a long, shallow main-lake point. He slow rolls the A-rig off the side of the structure. <br /> <b>10:39 a.m.</b> He tries the Shadow Rap around the point. <br /> <b>10:42 a.m.</b> Walters switches to a shad color 13 Fishing Loco Special jerkbait on the point. “This jerkbait doesn’t dive as deep as the Whipper Snapper.” <br /> <b>10:45 a.m.</b> He combs the point with the lipless crankbait. </p> <p><b>THREE HOURS LEFT</b><BR><br /> <b>10:55 a.m.</b> Walters continues to hammer the long point with the lipless crank. <br /> <b>11:08 a.m.</b> Walters hangs the DT06 in a stump and retrieves it. <br /> <b>11:15 a.m.</b> Walters rigs a watermelon/red Zoom Trick Worm on 1/8-ounce head and drags it across the end of the point. It comes back unmolested. “You know it’s tough when they won’t hit a finesse worm!” <br /> <b>11:24 a.m.</b> The wind has started blowing. Walters has pelted the point with his entire arsenal of lures without success. “I’m seeing some fish on my electronics, but they sure aren’t cooperating.” He swims the A-rig across the structure again. <br /> <b>11:43 a.m.</b> Walters has motored downlake to a craggy main-lake point. He retrieves the A-rig through open water 50 yards off the structure. <br /> <b>11:46 a.m.</b> He jerks the Loco Special off the point. <br /> <b>11:49 a.m.</b> Walters replaces the red craw Rapala DT06 crankbait with a deeper-running root beer crawdad color DT10 and casts it to the point.<br /> ” class=”wp-image-568518″ width=”844″ height=”770″/><figcaption><b>FIVE HOURS LEFT</b><br /> <b>8:56 a.m.</b> Walters catches his fourth keeper, 3 pounds, 10 ounces, on the Fluke Jr. “This fish was on the bottom, 27 feet deep. A good bet in midwinter in a clear lake is to fish the deepest hole you can find.” <br /> <b>9:05 a.m.</b> Walters tries the A-rig and Whipper Snapper on the dam. No takers on either one. <br /> <b>9:07 a.m.</b> Walters bags his fifth keeper, 1 pound, off the riprap on the mini-Fluke. “I’ve got my limit; hopefully, I can cull the ’pounders.” <br /> <b>9:15 a.m.</b> Walkers returns to the boat launch to try the A-rig and Fluke. “I saw some fish here earlier and wanted to check it again.” <br /> <b>9:28 a.m.</b> Walters moves uplake into a marina cove and tries the A-rig. <br /> <b>9:35 a.m.</b> Walters has located a shad school over a vein of rock in 20 feet of water near the marina. He casts the Largo Shad to the baitfish with nary a nibble. <br /> <b>9:42 a.m.</b> Walters gets a light tap on the A-rig. “You hear about guys catching five 8-pounders on the same cast with these rigs, but I’m not that lucky.” <br /> <b>9:49 a.m.</b> Walters pitches a black and blue 3/8-ounce Zorro Bait Co. Sloan Booza Bug jig with a green pumpkin Zoom trailer to boat slips. </p> <p><b>FOUR HOURS LEFT</b><br /> <b>9:54 a.m.</b> Walters casts a 1/2-ounce Damiki Vault blade bait and a 3/4-ounce Zorro Bait Co. Sloan football jig (green pumpkin with matching Zoom trailer) to the rock vein. “That window I mentioned earlier is closing! Time to scout around the lake some more.” <br /> <b>10:07 a.m.</b> Walters has made a bone-chilling run to the extreme upper end of Lake T. The water here is stained and 42 degrees. He cranks the DT06 around a rocky bank. <br /> <b>10:15 a.m.</b> Walters catches a squealer from an 8-foot ditch on the DT06. <br /> <b>10:21 a.m.</b> Walters switches to a red craw Storm Arashi lipless crankbait around the ditch and hangs it in a submerged cast net. After considerable tugging, he dislodges the net from the bottom and cuts the crankbait loose. <br /> <b>10:25 a.m.</b> Walters tries the Booza Bug in the ditch. What’s his take on the day so far? “The water is really cold, so naturally the fish are lethargic. I’ve been fishing a lot of horizontal baits off the bottom, but I still need to slow down a bit.” <br /> <b>10:34 a.m.</b> Walters runs to a long, shallow main-lake point. He slow rolls the A-rig off the side of the structure. <br /> <b>10:39 a.m.</b> He tries the Shadow Rap around the point. <br /> <b>10:42 a.m.</b> Walters switches to a shad color 13 Fishing Loco Special jerkbait on the point. “This jerkbait doesn’t dive as deep as the Whipper Snapper.” <br /> <b>10:45 a.m.</b> He combs the point with the lipless crankbait. </p> <p><b>THREE HOURS LEFT</b><br /> <b>10:55 a.m.</b> Walters continues to hammer the long point with the lipless crank. <br /> <b>11:08 a.m.</b> Walters hangs the DT06 in a stump and retrieves it. <br /> <b>11:15 a.m.</b> Walters rigs a watermelon/red Zoom Trick Worm on 1/8-ounce head and drags it across the end of the point. It comes back unmolested. “You know it’s tough when they won’t hit a finesse worm!” <br /> <b>11:24 a.m.</b> The wind has started blowing. Walters has pelted the point with his entire arsenal of lures without success. “I’m seeing some fish on my electronics, but they sure aren’t cooperating.” He swims the A-rig across the structure again. <br /> <b>11:43 a.m.</b> Walters has motored downlake to a craggy main-lake point. He retrieves the A-rig through open water 50 yards off the structure. <br /> <b>11:46 a.m.</b> He jerks the Loco Special off the point. <br /> <b>11:49 a.m.</b> Walters replaces the red craw Rapala DT06 crankbait with a deeper-running root beer crawdad color DT10 and casts it to the point.<br /> </figcaption></figure> <div class=
<b>TWO HOURS LEFT</b><BR><br /> <b>11:56 a.m.</b> The wind is hitting the point as Walters cranks the DT10. He drifts past the structure, casts the plug to a nearby undercut bank and gets a hard strike. The fish surges for deeper water as Walters sprints to the Falcon’s rear deck. “This is a giant!” he says as he works the bass close enough to grab it. His sixth keeper of the day weighs 7 pounds, 2 ounces. “This fish hit right where the point transitions into a steep clay bank. I fished fairly obvious deep winter stuff all morning and caught several keepers; there’s a lot of fish on those places, but they’ve gotten progressively slower to bite. I’m going to spend my remaining time focusing on places with fewer fish on them that are bigger and more aggressive.” <br /> <b>12:05 p.m.</b> Walters cranks the DT10 down the clay bank. He’s pumped after catching the 7-pounder. “I was scared that fish was going to pull off. She only had one hook in the side of her face.” <br /> <b>12:14 p.m.</b> Walters catches keeper No. 7, 1-14, off the clay bank on the Loco Special. <br /> <b>12:19 p.m.</b> Walters bags his eighth keeper, 1-4, off the clay bank on the DT10. “Seems like the bite window is cracking open again!” <br /> <b>12:25 p.m.</b> Walters moves to the next channel bank uplake and tries the A-rig, DT10 and both jerkbaits on a fast-dropping contour. “There’s a breakline off this bank dropping quickly to 12 feet with some brush on it. I’m seeing a few good fish scattered along the drop.” <br /> <b>12:27 p.m.</b> Walters hangs a big fish on the Loco Special. Again, he sprints to the stern, where he patiently works the fish to the boat. His ninth keeper weighs 5 pounds, 6 ounces. “Wow, this one really helps! She crushed that jerkbait!” <br /> <b>12:36 p.m.</b> Walters moves to another main-lake point and throws his same smorgasbord of lures. No takers here. <br /> <b>12:45 p.m.</b> He hops to the next point downlake and tries the Loco Special. <br /> <b>12:51 p.m.</b> Walters makes a high-speed run downlake to a channel bank with a seawall and several docks. He tries the A-rig around the wall. </p> <p><b>ONE HOUR LEFT</b><BR><br /> <b>12:54 p.m.</b> Walkers boats his 10th keeper, 1-9, off the seawall on the Loco Special. <br /> <b>1:01 p.m.</b> He dredges the DT10 parallel to the seawall. <br /> <b>1:08 p.m.</b> Having spotted a wad of bass off the wall on the Garmin, Walters jigs the fish with the Fluke. No takers. <br /> <b>1:23 p.m.</b> Walters roars back to the rockpile he fished early in the day and hits it with the A-rig, DT06 and Loco Special. “There’s still fish down there, but they look awfully small.” <br /> <b>1:34 p.m.</b> Walters catches his 11th keeper, 1-9, off the rockpile on the Fluke. “Yep, they’re small, all right.” <br /> <b>1:37 p.m.</b> Walters exits the rockpile, races to a residential cove and jerks the Loco Special around a steep point. <br /> <b>1:38 p.m.</b> Walters spots a good fish following his jerkbait on the Garmin, pauses the lure … and the bass swims off. <br /> <b>1:46 p.m.</b> Walters retrieves the A-rig around a boathouse. Nothing there. <br /> <b>1:54 p.m.</b> Walters’ time is up. Considering the frigid water conditions, he’s had a great day on Lake T with 11 keeper largemouth; his five biggest weigh an impressive 20 pounds, 1 ounce.<br /> ” class=”wp-image-568519″ width=”877″ height=”792″/><figcaption><b>TWO HOURS LEFT</b><br /> <b>11:56 a.m.</b> The wind is hitting the point as Walters cranks the DT10. He drifts past the structure, casts the plug to a nearby undercut bank and gets a hard strike. The fish surges for deeper water as Walters sprints to the Falcon’s rear deck. “This is a giant!” he says as he works the bass close enough to grab it. His sixth keeper of the day weighs 7 pounds, 2 ounces. “This fish hit right where the point transitions into a steep clay bank. I fished fairly obvious deep winter stuff all morning and caught several keepers; there’s a lot of fish on those places, but they’ve gotten progressively slower to bite. I’m going to spend my remaining time focusing on places with fewer fish on them that are bigger and more aggressive.” <br /> <b>12:05 p.m.</b> Walters cranks the DT10 down the clay bank. He’s pumped after catching the 7-pounder. “I was scared that fish was going to pull off. She only had one hook in the side of her face.” <br /> <b>12:14 p.m.</b> Walters catches keeper No. 7, 1-14, off the clay bank on the Loco Special. <br /> <b>12:19 p.m.</b> Walters bags his eighth keeper, 1-4, off the clay bank on the DT10. “Seems like the bite window is cracking open again!” <br /> <b>12:25 p.m.</b> Walters moves to the next channel bank uplake and tries the A-rig, DT10 and both jerkbaits on a fast-dropping contour. “There’s a breakline off this bank dropping quickly to 12 feet with some brush on it. I’m seeing a few good fish scattered along the drop.” <br /> <b>12:27 p.m.</b> Walters hangs a big fish on the Loco Special. Again, he sprints to the stern, where he patiently works the fish to the boat. His ninth keeper weighs 5 pounds, 6 ounces. “Wow, this one really helps! She crushed that jerkbait!” <br /> <b>12:36 p.m.</b> Walters moves to another main-lake point and throws his same smorgasbord of lures. No takers here. <br /> <b>12:45 p.m.</b> He hops to the next point downlake and tries the Loco Special. <br /> <b>12:51 p.m.</b> Walters makes a high-speed run downlake to a channel bank with a seawall and several docks. He tries the A-rig around the wall. </p> <p><b>ONE HOUR LEFT</b><br /> <b>12:54 p.m.</b> Walkers boats his 10th keeper, 1-9, off the seawall on the Loco Special. <br /> <b>1:01 p.m.</b> He dredges the DT10 parallel to the seawall. <br /> <b>1:08 p.m.</b> Having spotted a wad of bass off the wall on the Garmin, Walters jigs the fish with the Fluke. No takers. <br /> <b>1:23 p.m.</b> Walters roars back to the rockpile he fished early in the day and hits it with the A-rig, DT06 and Loco Special. “There’s still fish down there, but they look awfully small.” <br /> <b>1:34 p.m.</b> Walters catches his 11th keeper, 1-9, off the rockpile on the Fluke. “Yep, they’re small, all right.” <br /> <b>1:37 p.m.</b> Walters exits the rockpile, races to a residential cove and jerks the Loco Special around a steep point. <br /> <b>1:38 p.m.</b> Walters spots a good fish following his jerkbait on the Garmin, pauses the lure … and the bass swims off. <br /> <b>1:46 p.m.</b> Walters retrieves the A-rig around a boathouse. Nothing there. <br /> <b>1:54 p.m.</b> Walters’ time is up. Considering the frigid water conditions, he’s had a great day on Lake T with 11 keeper largemouth; his five biggest weigh an impressive 20 pounds, 1 ounce.<br /> </figcaption></figure> <figure class=<b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br /> “Early in the day, the fish were superlethargic, and I feel like I was fishing too fast,” Walters told Bassmaster. “My two biggest fish came off structural transitions and sharp shoreline breaks instead of deep offshore structure. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d spend way more time throwing reaction baits instead of dragging-type baits, and I’d try harder to fish slower.” </p> <p><b>WHERE AND WHEN PATRICK WALTERS CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS</b><br /> 1. 2 pounds, 1 ounce; blueback herring Rapala Shadow Rap 
jerkbait; offshore rockpile; 7:37 a.m.<br /> 2. pounds, 10 ounces; white Zoom Super Fluke Jr. split-tail shad on 1/8-ounce jighead; deep hole near dam; 8:56 a.m. <br /> 3. 7 pounds, 2 ounces; root beer crawdad color Rapala DT10 crankbait; point/channel bank transition; 11:56 a.m. <br /> 4. 1 pound, 14 ounces; shad pattern 13 Fishing Loco Special jerkbait; same place as No. 3; 12:14 p.m. <br /> 5. pounds, 6 ounces; same lure as No. 4; dropoff on main-lake bank; 12:27 p.m. <br /> TOTAL: 20 POUNDS, 1 OUNCE<br /> ” class=”wp-image-568520″ width=”929″ height=”893″/><figcaption><b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br /> “Early in the day, the fish were superlethargic, and I feel like I was fishing too fast,” Walters told Bassmaster. “My two biggest fish came off structural transitions and sharp shoreline breaks instead of deep offshore structure. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d spend way more time throwing reaction baits instead of dragging-type baits, and I’d try harder to fish slower.” </p> <p><b>WHERE AND WHEN PATRICK WALTERS CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS</b><br /> 1. 2 pounds, 1 ounce; blueback herring Rapala Shadow Rap 
jerkbait; offshore rockpile; 7:37 a.m.<br /> 2. pounds, 10 ounces; white Zoom Super Fluke Jr. split-tail shad on 1/8-ounce jighead; deep hole near dam; 8:56 a.m. <br /> 3. 7 pounds, 2 ounces; root beer crawdad color Rapala DT10 crankbait; point/channel bank transition; 11:56 a.m. <br /> 4. 1 pound, 14 ounces; shad pattern 13 Fishing Loco Special jerkbait; same place as No. 3; 12:14 p.m. <br /> 5. pounds, 6 ounces; same lure as No. 4; dropoff on main-lake bank; 12:27 p.m. <br /> TOTAL: 20 POUNDS, 1 OUNCE<br /> </figcaption></figure> </div><!-- .entry-content --> <footer class=