Day on the lake: Gary Clouse

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No other Elite Series sophomore can boast as much high-level tournament fishing and outdoor industry experience as Gary Clouse. The southern Missouri native was mentored in competitive bass fishing by Charlie Campbell, a legendary pro during the formative years of B.A.S.S. Clouse fished his first B.A.S.S. Invitational at Lake of the Ozarks in 1981 and eventually competed in 80 B.A.S.S. events, collecting paychecks in 28 of them. His pro fishing career was sidetracked in the ’80s when he went to work for Stratos Boats in Nashville. When Stratos was sold, Clouse joined another Tennessee boat manufacturer, Triton, then eventually took over the helm at Stratos before forming his own company, Phoenix Boats, in 2007. Throughout his gigs in the bass boat manufacturing industry, Clouse somehow found time to compete in B.A.S.S. Central Open tournaments as well as in FLW and Major League Fishing events. Through it all, he’s had the dream of one day competing in the Bassmaster Classic. “It’s thrilling to finally compete full time on the Elite circuit,” he says. “I’m blessed to have a great crew keeping the boat company on course while I’m at the tournaments.” Clouse is especially impressed by his younger Elite Series competition. “Most of these kids came up through the college circuit and their skill level is amazing,” he acknowledges. “They already know stuff it took me 25 years to figure out. But I’ve been at this game long enough not to get easily rattled. I’m focused on qualifying for the Classic, one bass at a time.” Stay tuned as Clouse uses this same patient approach to his advantage on Lake K on a sunny July day. <p> <b>6:13 a.m.</b> It’s foggy and an unseasonably cool 56 degrees when we arrive at Lake K. Clouse pulls a stack of St. Croix rods from boat storage. What pattern does he expect will be operative today? “This has been a hot summer, so offshore structure like points, humps and ledges should hold fish. But I’ll also hit shoreline grass and laydowns if I come across any.”
No other Elite Series sophomore can boast as much high-level tournament fishing and outdoor industry experience as Gary Clouse. The southern Missouri native was mentored in competitive bass fishing by Charlie Campbell, a legendary pro during the formative years of B.A.S.S. Clouse fished his first B.A.S.S. Invitational at Lake of the Ozarks in 1981 and eventually competed in 80 B.A.S.S. events, collecting paychecks in 28 of them. His pro fishing career was sidetracked in the ’80s when he went to work for Stratos Boats in Nashville. When Stratos was sold, Clouse joined another Tennessee boat manufacturer, Triton, then eventually took over the helm at Stratos before forming his own company, Phoenix Boats, in 2007. Throughout his gigs in the bass boat manufacturing industry, Clouse somehow found time to compete in B.A.S.S. Central Open tournaments as well as in FLW and Major League Fishing events. Through it all, he’s had the dream of one day competing in the Bassmaster Classic. “It’s thrilling to finally compete full time on the Elite circuit,” he says. “I’m blessed to have a great crew keeping the boat company on course while I’m at the tournaments.” Clouse is especially impressed by his younger Elite Series competition. “Most of these kids came up through the college circuit and their skill level is amazing,” he acknowledges. “They already know stuff it took me 25 years to figure out. But I’ve been at this game long enough not to get easily rattled. I’m focused on qualifying for the Classic, one bass at a time.” Stay tuned as Clouse uses this same patient approach to his advantage on Lake K on a sunny July day.

6:13 a.m. It’s foggy and an unseasonably cool 56 degrees when we arrive at Lake K. Clouse pulls a stack of St. Croix rods from boat storage. What pattern does he expect will be operative today? “This has been a hot summer, so offshore structure like points, humps and ledges should hold fish. But I’ll also hit shoreline grass and laydowns if I come across any.”

<b>7 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>6:30 a.m.</b> We launch the Phoenix. Clouse checks the lake temp: 82 degrees. “The water has some color, but it’s not muddy. It looks decent for both cranking and bottom-bumping baits.”<br> <b>6:38 a.m.</b> Clouse runs to Lake K’s dam and makes his first casts of the day to riprap with a black River2Sea Whopper Plopper topwater plug. <br> <b>6:42 a.m.</b> Clouse switches to a black/red flake Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm, Texas-rigged with a 3/­16-ounce sinker. “This is one of my go-to lures; I retrieve it like a swimbait.” He swims the worm parallel to the rocks. <br> <b>6:48 a.m.</b> Clouse Texas rigs a green pumpkin/blue Strike King Rage Craw creature with a quarter-ounce sinker. He pitches it to an overflow near the dam and bags his first keeper largemouth of the day, 1 pound, 3 ounces. “That overflow is in 20 feet of water. My electronics show several fish suspending around it.” <br> <b>6:50 a.m.</b> He rigs a green pumpkin/blue flake Zoom Trick Worm on a 3/­16-ounce shaky head and pitches it to the overflow. <br> <b>6:54 a.m.</b> Clouse rigs another green pumpkin/blue Rage Craw on an 11/­16-ounce swing-head jig and flips it to the overflow. <br> <b>7:02 a.m.</b> Clouse moves to a steep shoreline with scattered laydowns and tries the Speed Worm. <br> <b>7:15 a.m.</b> Clouse motors a half-mile uplake to a long point, where he drags the swing-head Rage Craw. <br> <b>7:22 a.m.</b> A bass taps the craw but drops it. <br> <b>7:26 a.m.</b> Clouse roots a chartreuse and blue Strike King 6XD crankbait across the point. <p> <b>6 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>7:30 a.m.</b> Clouse catches a small yellow bass on the 6XD. <br> <b>7:36 a.m.</b> He hops a green pumpkin/blue Rage Craw rigged weedless on a 1/2-ounce screw-lock jighead across the point. <br> <b>7:41 a.m.</b> Clouse moves to some nearby docks and probes them with the Texas-rigged craw. <br> <b>7:49 a.m.</b> Clouse idles around offshore and locates a brushy hump that rises from 20 to 8 feet. “This looks promising, but right now I’m not seeing many fish on it.” <br> <b>7:56 a.m.</b> He rigs a redbug Zoom Magnum Trick Worm on the swing-head jig and drags it across the hump. A good fish grabs it but shakes free. <br> <b>8:01 a.m.</b> Clouse pulls the Rage Craw off the Texas rig and replaces it with another redbug Magnum Trick Worm. “I always go through this process of ‘dialing in’ my soft plastics in tournaments. It requires patience, but you need to keep trying different combinations of lures and rigging methods until you determine what they want.” <br> <b>8:10 a.m.</b> Clouse makes several more sinker and head adjustments on his various rods. “I rigged one rod with a lighter [1/4-ounce] swing head to get through brush easier, and another rod with a 3/4-ounce screw-lock head to stay pinned to the bottom better.“ <br> <b>8:14 a.m.</b> Clouse bags his second keeper, 2 pounds, 14 ounces, off the hump on the Magnum Trick Worm rigged on a 3/4-ounce swing-head jig. <br> <b>8:25 a.m.</b> Clouse tries a chartreuse/blue Strike King 3XD crankbait on the hump. “This plug dives to 10 feet.” <p> <b>5 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>8:30 a.m.</b> Still cranking the hump. Clouse’s electronics show bass scattered loosely around the structure. “Hopefully they’ll bunch up tighter as the sun gets higher.” <br> <b>8:38 a.m.</b> Clouse bags a tiny bass on the 3XD. <br> <b>8:44 a.m.</b> Clouse backs off the hump and tries a deeper-running 5XD, same color as the 3XD. <br> <b>8:52 a.m.</b> Back to the Magnum Trick Worm on the screw-lock head. A bass pecks the worm; Clouse swings and misses. “They’re not very aggressive!” <br> <b>8:59 a.m.</b> Clouse abandons the hump and drags the Magnum Trick Worm across a nearby point. <br> <b>9:05 a.m.</b> Clouse cranks the point with the 5XD. The plug is running off to the right, so he scrapes a small amount of plastic from the left side of its lip with scissors. He tests the lure; it’s running true now. “Pretty slick, huh?” <br> <b>9:09 a.m.</b> Clouse flips a black and blue Texas-rigged Rage Craw to a series of docks. <br> <b>9:13 a.m.</b> He tries a black and yellow Spro frog and the Rage Craw around a boathouse. <br> <b>9:23 a.m.</b> Clouse blasts uplake to a long, slow-tapering point and cranks it with the 5XD. <p> <b>4 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>9:30 a.m.</b> He switches to the Magnum Trick Worm on the point and catches keeper No. 3, 1 pound even. “That fish was on a little patch of rock on top of the point. There’s usually some little sweet spot on offshore structure that fish will gravitate to.” <br> <b>9:33 a.m.</b> Clouse bumps the 5XD across the rock patch. <br> <b>9:39 a.m.</b> Clouse rigs a junebug Zoom Trick Worm on a Carolina rig and drags it across the point. <br> <b>9:45 a.m.</b> Clouse bags his fourth keeper, 1 pound, 2 ounces, on the Carolina-rigged worm. <br> <b>9:56 a.m.</b> Clouse has patiently dragged the end of the point with the Carolina rig without success.
7 HOURS LEFT6:30 a.m. We launch the Phoenix. Clouse checks the lake temp: 82 degrees. “The water has some color, but it’s not muddy. It looks decent for both cranking and bottom-bumping baits.”6:38 a.m. Clouse runs to Lake K’s dam and makes his first casts of the day to riprap with a black River2Sea Whopper Plopper topwater plug. 6:42 a.m. Clouse switches to a black/red flake Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm, Texas-rigged with a 3/­16-ounce sinker. “This is one of my go-to lures; I retrieve it like a swimbait.” He swims the worm parallel to the rocks. 6:48 a.m. Clouse Texas rigs a green pumpkin/blue Strike King Rage Craw creature with a quarter-ounce sinker. He pitches it to an overflow near the dam and bags his first keeper largemouth of the day, 1 pound, 3 ounces. “That overflow is in 20 feet of water. My electronics show several fish suspending around it.” 6:50 a.m. He rigs a green pumpkin/blue flake Zoom Trick Worm on a 3/­16-ounce shaky head and pitches it to the overflow. 6:54 a.m. Clouse rigs another green pumpkin/blue Rage Craw on an 11/­16-ounce swing-head jig and flips it to the overflow. 7:02 a.m. Clouse moves to a steep shoreline with scattered laydowns and tries the Speed Worm. 7:15 a.m. Clouse motors a half-mile uplake to a long point, where he drags the swing-head Rage Craw. 7:22 a.m. A bass taps the craw but drops it. 7:26 a.m. Clouse roots a chartreuse and blue Strike King 6XD crankbait across the point.

6 HOURS LEFT7:30 a.m. Clouse catches a small yellow bass on the 6XD. 7:36 a.m. He hops a green pumpkin/blue Rage Craw rigged weedless on a 1/2-ounce screw-lock jighead across the point. 7:41 a.m. Clouse moves to some nearby docks and probes them with the Texas-rigged craw. 7:49 a.m. Clouse idles around offshore and locates a brushy hump that rises from 20 to 8 feet. “This looks promising, but right now I’m not seeing many fish on it.” 7:56 a.m. He rigs a redbug Zoom Magnum Trick Worm on the swing-head jig and drags it across the hump. A good fish grabs it but shakes free. 8:01 a.m. Clouse pulls the Rage Craw off the Texas rig and replaces it with another redbug Magnum Trick Worm. “I always go through this process of ‘dialing in’ my soft plastics in tournaments. It requires patience, but you need to keep trying different combinations of lures and rigging methods until you determine what they want.” 8:10 a.m. Clouse makes several more sinker and head adjustments on his various rods. “I rigged one rod with a lighter [1/4-ounce] swing head to get through brush easier, and another rod with a 3/4-ounce screw-lock head to stay pinned to the bottom better.“ 8:14 a.m. Clouse bags his second keeper, 2 pounds, 14 ounces, off the hump on the Magnum Trick Worm rigged on a 3/4-ounce swing-head jig. 8:25 a.m. Clouse tries a chartreuse/blue Strike King 3XD crankbait on the hump. “This plug dives to 10 feet.”

5 HOURS LEFT8:30 a.m. Still cranking the hump. Clouse’s electronics show bass scattered loosely around the structure. “Hopefully they’ll bunch up tighter as the sun gets higher.” 8:38 a.m. Clouse bags a tiny bass on the 3XD. 8:44 a.m. Clouse backs off the hump and tries a deeper-running 5XD, same color as the 3XD. 8:52 a.m. Back to the Magnum Trick Worm on the screw-lock head. A bass pecks the worm; Clouse swings and misses. “They’re not very aggressive!” 8:59 a.m. Clouse abandons the hump and drags the Magnum Trick Worm across a nearby point. 9:05 a.m. Clouse cranks the point with the 5XD. The plug is running off to the right, so he scrapes a small amount of plastic from the left side of its lip with scissors. He tests the lure; it’s running true now. “Pretty slick, huh?” 9:09 a.m. Clouse flips a black and blue Texas-rigged Rage Craw to a series of docks. 9:13 a.m. He tries a black and yellow Spro frog and the Rage Craw around a boathouse. 9:23 a.m. Clouse blasts uplake to a long, slow-tapering point and cranks it with the 5XD.

4 HOURS LEFT9:30 a.m. He switches to the Magnum Trick Worm on the point and catches keeper No. 3, 1 pound even. “That fish was on a little patch of rock on top of the point. There’s usually some little sweet spot on offshore structure that fish will gravitate to.” 9:33 a.m. Clouse bumps the 5XD across the rock patch. 9:39 a.m. Clouse rigs a junebug Zoom Trick Worm on a Carolina rig and drags it across the point. 9:45 a.m. Clouse bags his fourth keeper, 1 pound, 2 ounces, on the Carolina-rigged worm. 9:56 a.m. Clouse has patiently dragged the end of the point with the Carolina rig without success.

<b>10:14 a.m.</b> He’s moved to a nearby channel bank, where he’s trying the Texas-rigged Rage Craw. <br> <b>10:16 a.m.</b> Clouse swims the Speed Worm across a submerged tree. What’s his take on the day so far? “It’s been a pretty tough morning — I’m having to work hard for every bite. I’m not seeing any baitfish up shallow on my electronics, and what few bass I’ve seen have been scattered. I still feel my best shot will be offshore, so I’ll keep poking around with my electronics and hopefully the fish will start bunching up as the day progresses.” <br> <b>10:18 a.m.</b> Clouse retrieves the surface frog across the shoreline tree. “So much for fishing offshore!” <br> <b>10:22 a.m.</b> Clouse moves downlake to drag the Carolina rig across a submerged rockpile. No luck here. <p> <b>3 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>10:30 a.m.</b> Clouse races to a clay point and cranks the 5XD. <br> <b>10:37 a.m.</b> He swims a scuppernong Speed Worm around the point. “I’ve been reading Bassmaster long enough to remember that scuppernong was Harry ’n’ Charlie’s favorite worm color!” <br> <b>10:44 a.m.</b> A bass smacks the Speed Worm and strips it off the hook. “Whoa! Best strike of the day so far!” <br> <b>10:56 a.m.</b> Clouse has located several brushpiles around the point, which he’s probing with the shaky head and 5XD. <br> <b>11:12 a.m.</b> Clouse runs back to the brushy hump he fished earlier and cranks the 5XD.
10:14 a.m. He’s moved to a nearby channel bank, where he’s trying the Texas-rigged Rage Craw. 10:16 a.m. Clouse swims the Speed Worm across a submerged tree. What’s his take on the day so far? “It’s been a pretty tough morning — I’m having to work hard for every bite. I’m not seeing any baitfish up shallow on my electronics, and what few bass I’ve seen have been scattered. I still feel my best shot will be offshore, so I’ll keep poking around with my electronics and hopefully the fish will start bunching up as the day progresses.” 10:18 a.m. Clouse retrieves the surface frog across the shoreline tree. “So much for fishing offshore!” 10:22 a.m. Clouse moves downlake to drag the Carolina rig across a submerged rockpile. No luck here.

3 HOURS LEFT10:30 a.m. Clouse races to a clay point and cranks the 5XD. 10:37 a.m. He swims a scuppernong Speed Worm around the point. “I’ve been reading Bassmaster long enough to remember that scuppernong was Harry ’n’ Charlie’s favorite worm color!” 10:44 a.m. A bass smacks the Speed Worm and strips it off the hook. “Whoa! Best strike of the day so far!” 10:56 a.m. Clouse has located several brushpiles around the point, which he’s probing with the shaky head and 5XD. 11:12 a.m. Clouse runs back to the brushy hump he fished earlier and cranks the 5XD.

<b>11:21 a.m.</b> The scuppernong Speed Worm racks up Clouse’s fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 8 ounces, from an isolated brushpile on the hump. “Got my limit; now hopefully I can start culling!” <p> <b>2 HOURS LEFT</B><BR> <b>11:33 a.m.</b> Clouse catches keeper No. 6, 3 pounds, 2 ounces — same bait, same brushpile. <br> <b>11:46 a.m.</b> Clouse Texas rigs a foot-long redbug Mister Twister Mag 12 Buzz Worm and eases it through the brushpile.
11:21 a.m. The scuppernong Speed Worm racks up Clouse’s fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 8 ounces, from an isolated brushpile on the hump. “Got my limit; now hopefully I can start culling!”

2 HOURS LEFT11:33 a.m. Clouse catches keeper No. 6, 3 pounds, 2 ounces — same bait, same brushpile. 11:46 a.m. Clouse Texas rigs a foot-long redbug Mister Twister Mag 12 Buzz Worm and eases it through the brushpile.

<b>11:53 a.m.</b> Clouse cranks the 3XD around the brushpile. A good fish tags it; he carefully works it to the boat and swings aboard his seventh keeper, 3 pounds, 9 ounces.
11:53 a.m. Clouse cranks the 3XD around the brushpile. A good fish tags it; he carefully works it to the boat and swings aboard his seventh keeper, 3 pounds, 9 ounces.
<b>11:53 a.m.</b> “See what I mean about bass clustering around a sweet spot? They’re sticking tighter to that big isolated clump of brush on this hump now that the sun’s directly overhead.” <br> <b>11:59 a.m.</b> Clouse switches Rage Bug colors to Okeechobee craw and hops the critter across the hump. <br> <b>12:09 p.m.</b> The craw hangs up in his favorite brushpile. He tightens his reel handle and the lure pops free; it comes back with a limb attached. “Rats, I didn’t want to disturb that brush.” <br> <b>12:12 p.m.</b> He tries the Carolina rig and the 3XD on the deep end of a hump. “I need to let that brushpile rest a few minutes.” <br> <b>12:20 p.m.</b> Clouse catches his eighth keeper, 1 pound, 9 ounces, on the scuppernong Speed Worm. <p> <b>1 HOUR LEFT</b><br> <b>12:32 p.m.</b> Clouse has rocketed back to the dam and is swimming the Speed Worm around the overflow. <br> <b>12:40 p.m.</b> He moves into a snaggy cove and flips laydowns with the Rage Craw. <br> <b>12:45 p.m.</b> He tries the faux croaker around the laydowns. “They’re sure not showing any love for my frog!” <br> <b>12:53 p.m.</b> Clouse races back to the brushy hump and cranks the 6XD. <br> <b>12:58 p.m.</b> He switches to a Strike King Series 5 crankbait. “This plug doesn’t have the shovel-shaped lip like the 5XD does.”
11:53 a.m. “See what I mean about bass clustering around a sweet spot? They’re sticking tighter to that big isolated clump of brush on this hump now that the sun’s directly overhead.” 11:59 a.m. Clouse switches Rage Bug colors to Okeechobee craw and hops the critter across the hump. 12:09 p.m. The craw hangs up in his favorite brushpile. He tightens his reel handle and the lure pops free; it comes back with a limb attached. “Rats, I didn’t want to disturb that brush.” 12:12 p.m. He tries the Carolina rig and the 3XD on the deep end of a hump. “I need to let that brushpile rest a few minutes.” 12:20 p.m. Clouse catches his eighth keeper, 1 pound, 9 ounces, on the scuppernong Speed Worm.

1 HOUR LEFT12:32 p.m. Clouse has rocketed back to the dam and is swimming the Speed Worm around the overflow. 12:40 p.m. He moves into a snaggy cove and flips laydowns with the Rage Craw. 12:45 p.m. He tries the faux croaker around the laydowns. “They’re sure not showing any love for my frog!” 12:53 p.m. Clouse races back to the brushy hump and cranks the 6XD. 12:58 p.m. He switches to a Strike King Series 5 crankbait. “This plug doesn’t have the shovel-shaped lip like the 5XD does.”

<b>1:13 p.m.</b> Clouse casts the scuppernong Speed Worm to the hump and catches keeper No. 9, 2-12. “That fish was way off that brushpile.” We both hear some weird sort of aircraft approaching directly overhead; it’s a blimp! “You don’t see one of those every day!” <br> <b>1:22 p.m.</b> Clouse spends his remaining minutes cranking the 3XD and Series 5 around the hump. <br> <b>1:30 p.m.</b> Time’s up! Clouse has had a good day on Lake K, boating nine keeper bass; his five biggest weigh 14 pounds, 13 ounces.
1:13 p.m. Clouse casts the scuppernong Speed Worm to the hump and catches keeper No. 9, 2-12. “That fish was way off that brushpile.” We both hear some weird sort of aircraft approaching directly overhead; it’s a blimp! “You don’t see one of those every day!” 1:22 p.m. Clouse spends his remaining minutes cranking the 3XD and Series 5 around the hump. 1:30 p.m. Time’s up! Clouse has had a good day on Lake K, boating nine keeper bass; his five biggest weigh 14 pounds, 13 ounces.
<b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br> “Finding the right piece of offshore structure was the key to catching bass today,” Clouse told <em>Bassmaster.</em> “Most of my keepers, including my five biggest fish, came off the same brushy hump, and this spot got better as the sun got higher. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d look for more offshore structure with scattered brush and deep water close by; that seemed to be the combination they were wanting.” <p> <b>WHERE AND WHEN GARY CLOUSE CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS</b><br> <b>1.</b> 2 pounds, 14 ounces; green pumpkin/junebug Zoom Magnum Trick Worm; offshore hump; 8:14 a.m. <br> <b>2.</b> 2 pounds, 8 ounces; scuppernong Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm; brushpile on same hump as No. 1; 11:21 a.m. <br> <b>3.</b> 3 pounds, 2 ounces; same lure and place as No. 2; 11:33 a.m. <br> <b>4.</b> 3 pounds, 9 ounces; chartreuse/blue Strike King 3XD crankbait; same place as No. 2; 11:53 a.m.<br> <b>5.</b> 2 pounds, 12 ounces; same lure as No. 2; same place as No. 1; 1:13 p.m. <br> TOTAL 14 POUNDS, 13 OUNCES
THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE
“Finding the right piece of offshore structure was the key to catching bass today,” Clouse told Bassmaster. “Most of my keepers, including my five biggest fish, came off the same brushy hump, and this spot got better as the sun got higher. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d look for more offshore structure with scattered brush and deep water close by; that seemed to be the combination they were wanting.”

WHERE AND WHEN GARY CLOUSE CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS1. 2 pounds, 14 ounces; green pumpkin/junebug Zoom Magnum Trick Worm; offshore hump; 8:14 a.m. 2. 2 pounds, 8 ounces; scuppernong Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm; brushpile on same hump as No. 1; 11:21 a.m. 3. 3 pounds, 2 ounces; same lure and place as No. 2; 11:33 a.m. 4. 3 pounds, 9 ounces; chartreuse/blue Strike King 3XD crankbait; same place as No. 2; 11:53 a.m.5. 2 pounds, 12 ounces; same lure as No. 2; same place as No. 1; 1:13 p.m.
TOTAL 14 POUNDS, 13 OUNCES