Day on the lake: Jake Whitaker

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Jake Whitaker may be a dreamer, but he’s also a man with a plan. “I’ve dreamed of fishing professionally ever since I was a kid,” he says. “I fished club tournaments with my dad through high school, then attended the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and competed on the college bass circuit. My tournament partner and I won the College Series National Championship in 2014, then after I graduated with a degree in civil engineering, I decided to take a stab at fishing the B.A.S.S. Opens before trying to find a ‘real’ job. I did well enough in the Opens to qualify for the Elites in 2018, and now here I am, doing a ‘Day on the Lake’ article!” Ah, the enthusiasm of youth! You go, Whitaker!<p> <b>6:26 a.m.</b> It’s pitch dark, windy and an unseasonably warm 68 degrees as Whitaker and I arrive at Lake R’s deserted launch ramp. “They’ve had a really cold winter in this region, but it’s been rainy and mild the past couple of days, so I’m hoping the bass will start waking up,” Whitaker says as he pulls an arsenal of ALX rods paired with Lew’s reels from his boat’s storage locker. It may be February, but he’s wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “It’s supposed to get up to 78 today, but I expect the water will be cold. If it’s not too muddy, a jerkbait should work. I don’t mind muddy water in winter if it’s warm runoff, but cold, muddy water is tough to fish.” <p> <b>7 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>6:40 a.m.</b> We launch the Triton. Whitaker checks the lake temp: 46 degrees. “Don’t let one 70-degree day in winter fool you; that water is cold! But it’s not muddy here, so I’ll start in this area, then gradually work my way uplake. I’ll target some windy spots first; wave action oxygenates the water and gets the bait moving.” <br> <b>6:45 a.m.</b> Whitaker makes a quick run to an offshore rockpile cordoned off by warning buoys. “Rock is usually good in winter; bass will scour rocky areas for crawfish.” He makes his first casts of the day to the shallow structure with a chartreuse shad 6th Sense 106DD jerkbait, retrieving it with aggressive jerks interspersed with brief pauses. <br> <b>6:51 a.m.</b> Whitaker switches to a craw colored 5/8-ounce TrueSouth Rockstar jig with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw trailer and crawls the lure across the rocks. “This spot looks great! It’s shallow on top, but it drops off into deep water all around it.” <br> <b>7:01 a.m.</b> The wind is blowing 20 mph. Whitaker switches to a 6th Sense Quake 70 lipless crankbait in the Texas (red) craw pattern on the rockpile.
Jake Whitaker may be a dreamer, but he’s also a man with a plan. “I’ve dreamed of fishing professionally ever since I was a kid,” he says. “I fished club tournaments with my dad through high school, then attended the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and competed on the college bass circuit. My tournament partner and I won the College Series National Championship in 2014, then after I graduated with a degree in civil engineering, I decided to take a stab at fishing the B.A.S.S. Opens before trying to find a ‘real’ job. I did well enough in the Opens to qualify for the Elites in 2018, and now here I am, doing a ‘Day on the Lake’ article!” Ah, the enthusiasm of youth! You go, Whitaker!
6:26 a.m. It’s pitch dark, windy and an unseasonably warm 68 degrees as Whitaker and I arrive at Lake R’s deserted launch ramp. “They’ve had a really cold winter in this region, but it’s been rainy and mild the past couple of days, so I’m hoping the bass will start waking up,” Whitaker says as he pulls an arsenal of ALX rods paired with Lew’s reels from his boat’s storage locker. It may be February, but he’s wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “It’s supposed to get up to 78 today, but I expect the water will be cold. If it’s not too muddy, a jerkbait should work. I don’t mind muddy water in winter if it’s warm runoff, but cold, muddy water is tough to fish.”

7 HOURS LEFT6:40 a.m. We launch the Triton. Whitaker checks the lake temp: 46 degrees. “Don’t let one 70-degree day in winter fool you; that water is cold! But it’s not muddy here, so I’ll start in this area, then gradually work my way uplake. I’ll target some windy spots first; wave action oxygenates the water and gets the bait moving.” 6:45 a.m. Whitaker makes a quick run to an offshore rockpile cordoned off by warning buoys. “Rock is usually good in winter; bass will scour rocky areas for crawfish.” He makes his first casts of the day to the shallow structure with a chartreuse shad 6th Sense 106DD jerkbait, retrieving it with aggressive jerks interspersed with brief pauses. 6:51 a.m. Whitaker switches to a craw colored 5/8-ounce TrueSouth Rockstar jig with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw trailer and crawls the lure across the rocks. “This spot looks great! It’s shallow on top, but it drops off into deep water all around it.” 7:01 a.m. The wind is blowing 20 mph. Whitaker switches to a 6th Sense Quake 70 lipless crankbait in the Texas (red) craw pattern on the rockpile.

<b>7:07 a.m.</b> Whitaker abandons the rockpile for a nearby cove and casts the lipless crankbait to a seawall. “The water is 3 degrees warmer in this cove, probably because it’s sheltered from the wind.” <br> <b>7:09 a.m.</b> He hits a residential boat ramp with the Quake 70. <br> <b>7:11 a.m.</b> The lipless crank ticks a submerged brushpile during the retrieve. Whitaker reels in quickly and casts the jig to the cover. <br> <b>7:15 a.m.</b> Whitaker moves deeper into the cove while casting a 1/2-ounce chartreuse and white TrueSouth Bullet spinnerbait around boat docks. The lure has gold blades — one willow, one Colorado. “It’s cloudy now, but it’s supposed to clear up as this front moves through. Personally, I like sunny conditions way better than cloud cover in winter. The sun warms up shallow water and positions bass tighter to cover.” <b>7:21 a.m.</b> He casts the jig to a dock, hangs it on a piling and retrieves it. <br> <b>7:29 a.m.</b> So far, the docks in the cove have proved unproductive. Whitaker casts the jerkbait toward a steep bank. His line loops around an overhanging limb; Whitaker pops it free with a light twitch of his rod tip. “Pretty impressive for a rookie, huh?” he jokes. <br> <b>7:36 a.m.</b> The cove becomes progressively shallower, so Whitaker speed trolls to the opposite shoreline and hits more docks with the spinnerbait, lipless crankbait and jig.
7:07 a.m. Whitaker abandons the rockpile for a nearby cove and casts the lipless crankbait to a seawall. “The water is 3 degrees warmer in this cove, probably because it’s sheltered from the wind.” 7:09 a.m. He hits a residential boat ramp with the Quake 70. 7:11 a.m. The lipless crank ticks a submerged brushpile during the retrieve. Whitaker reels in quickly and casts the jig to the cover. 7:15 a.m. Whitaker moves deeper into the cove while casting a 1/2-ounce chartreuse and white TrueSouth Bullet spinnerbait around boat docks. The lure has gold blades — one willow, one Colorado. “It’s cloudy now, but it’s supposed to clear up as this front moves through. Personally, I like sunny conditions way better than cloud cover in winter. The sun warms up shallow water and positions bass tighter to cover.”
7:21 a.m. He casts the jig to a dock, hangs it on a piling and retrieves it. 7:29 a.m. So far, the docks in the cove have proved unproductive. Whitaker casts the jerkbait toward a steep bank. His line loops around an overhanging limb; Whitaker pops it free with a light twitch of his rod tip. “Pretty impressive for a rookie, huh?” he jokes. 7:36 a.m. The cove becomes progressively shallower, so Whitaker speed trolls to the opposite shoreline and hits more docks with the spinnerbait, lipless crankbait and jig.
<b>6 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>7:40 a.m.</b> Still looking for his first bite, Whitaker moves rapidly down the bank with the lipless crank. <b>7:51 a.m.</b> Whitaker hangs up his jig in a submerged brushpile. He breaks off, ties on an identical lure and adds another Speed Craw after painting the tips of its claws with an orange marker “for added attraction.” <b>7:53 a.m.</b> He hangs up in the brushpile again and shakes the jig free. “If there were any bass there, I’ve spooked them by now.” <br> <b>7:58 a.m.</b> Whitaker moves to the creek entrance and tries the jerkbait on a windblown bank. <br> <b>8:03 a.m.</b> Whitaker ties on a craw colored 6th Sense Curve 55 round-bill crankbait and hits a main-lake retaining wall. “This is a compact medium diver with an erratic ‘hunting’ action. There’s a mudline starting to form around these windy banks; bass will move right into that churned-up water to grab crawfish.” <br> <b>8:10 a.m.</b> Whitaker is wind-drifting his way uplake, rotating between the Curve 55 and the spinnerbait. <br> <b>8:20 a.m.</b> Whitaker cranks the Merc and idles around the mouth of a big cove, eyeballing his electronics for structure, baitfish and bass. “I haven’t seen any sign of life so far. Are you sure there are bass in this lake?” <br> <b>8:26 a.m.</b> Whitaker moves to a steep channel bank. A fish bumps his jerkbait but doesn’t hook up. “Aha! A sign of life!” <br> <b>8:30 a.m.</b> He casts the lipless crank to a flat point. The wind is gusting 30 mph and waves are crashing against the shoreline. “I’m glad we’re not on Lake Erie! It’s rough enough on this little lake.” <p> <b>5 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>8:40 a.m.</b> Whitaker idles farther uplake to another steep bank, where he tries the jerkbait. “I’d have more faith in a jerkbait presentation if it were sunny, but I’ll stick with it a while longer.” <br> <b>8:47 a.m.</b> He cranks the Curve 55 without success. “Come on fish, wake up! I realize that shouting angrily at them doesn’t do any good, but it makes me feel better.” <br> <b>9 a.m.</b> Whitaker makes a high-speed run to the extreme upper end of Lake R, where the water is muddy and 55 degrees. “Wow, that’s a huge temperature difference from downlake! Runoff from recent storms has really warmed up this area.” A nearby chunk-rock bank looks like a prime target, but several bank fishermen are stationed on it. “I really want to fish that bank, but I need to stay out of their way, so I’ll poke around some other spots up here until they leave.” <br> <b>9:06 a.m.</b> Whitaker moves into a shallow pocket and tries a black-and-blue Rockstar jig with a matching trailer around shoreline wood cover. <br> <b>9:08 a.m.</b> He casts the spinnerbait to a stickup and bags his first bass of the day, but it doesn’t measure. “That’s OK; now I know there really are bass in the lake.” <br> <b>9:12 a.m.</b> Whitaker swaps out the spinnerbait’s small, gold Colorado blade for a similar blade painted hot orange. “I like that little orange blade in muddy water; it adds just enough visibility to trigger a reaction strike.”
6 HOURS LEFT7:40 a.m. Still looking for his first bite, Whitaker moves rapidly down the bank with the lipless crank.
7:51 a.m. Whitaker hangs up his jig in a submerged brushpile. He breaks off, ties on an identical lure and adds another Speed Craw after painting the tips of its claws with an orange marker “for added attraction.”
7:53 a.m. He hangs up in the brushpile again and shakes the jig free. “If there were any bass there, I’ve spooked them by now.” 7:58 a.m. Whitaker moves to the creek entrance and tries the jerkbait on a windblown bank. 8:03 a.m. Whitaker ties on a craw colored 6th Sense Curve 55 round-bill crankbait and hits a main-lake retaining wall. “This is a compact medium diver with an erratic ‘hunting’ action. There’s a mudline starting to form around these windy banks; bass will move right into that churned-up water to grab crawfish.” 8:10 a.m. Whitaker is wind-drifting his way uplake, rotating between the Curve 55 and the spinnerbait. 8:20 a.m. Whitaker cranks the Merc and idles around the mouth of a big cove, eyeballing his electronics for structure, baitfish and bass. “I haven’t seen any sign of life so far. Are you sure there are bass in this lake?” 8:26 a.m. Whitaker moves to a steep channel bank. A fish bumps his jerkbait but doesn’t hook up. “Aha! A sign of life!” 8:30 a.m. He casts the lipless crank to a flat point. The wind is gusting 30 mph and waves are crashing against the shoreline. “I’m glad we’re not on Lake Erie! It’s rough enough on this little lake.”

5 HOURS LEFT8:40 a.m. Whitaker idles farther uplake to another steep bank, where he tries the jerkbait. “I’d have more faith in a jerkbait presentation if it were sunny, but I’ll stick with it a while longer.” 8:47 a.m. He cranks the Curve 55 without success. “Come on fish, wake up! I realize that shouting angrily at them doesn’t do any good, but it makes me feel better.” 9 a.m. Whitaker makes a high-speed run to the extreme upper end of Lake R, where the water is muddy and 55 degrees. “Wow, that’s a huge temperature difference from downlake! Runoff from recent storms has really warmed up this area.” A nearby chunk-rock bank looks like a prime target, but several bank fishermen are stationed on it. “I really want to fish that bank, but I need to stay out of their way, so I’ll poke around some other spots up here until they leave.” 9:06 a.m. Whitaker moves into a shallow pocket and tries a black-and-blue Rockstar jig with a matching trailer around shoreline wood cover. 9:08 a.m. He casts the spinnerbait to a stickup and bags his first bass of the day, but it doesn’t measure. “That’s OK; now I know there really are bass in the lake.” 9:12 a.m. Whitaker swaps out the spinnerbait’s small, gold Colorado blade for a similar blade painted hot orange. “I like that little orange blade in muddy water; it adds just enough visibility to trigger a reaction strike.”

<b>9:14 a.m.</b> Whitaker combs a shallow flat with the lipless crankbait. He hangs a fish and swings it aboard, but it’s not a bass — he’s foul hooked a huge gizzard shad! “Good grief, that’s the biggest shad I’ve ever seen!” <br> <b>9:25 a.m.</b> Still hunting his first keeper bass, Whitaker heads a half-mile back downlake and slow rolls the spinnerbait on a windblown bank. <br> <b>9:34 a.m.</b> Whitaker reaches a long, steep channel bank with a mixture of clay and chunk rock. He fishes the spinnerbait and lipless crankbait down its entire length without a strike.
9:14 a.m. Whitaker combs a shallow flat with the lipless crankbait. He hangs a fish and swings it aboard, but it’s not a bass — he’s foul hooked a huge gizzard shad! “Good grief, that’s the biggest shad I’ve ever seen!” 9:25 a.m. Still hunting his first keeper bass, Whitaker heads a half-mile back downlake and slow rolls the spinnerbait on a windblown bank. 9:34 a.m. Whitaker reaches a long, steep channel bank with a mixture of clay and chunk rock. He fishes the spinnerbait and lipless crankbait down its entire length without a strike.
<b>4 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>9:40 a.m.</b> Whitaker ties on a chartreuse/black back 6th Sense Crush 50X squarebill crankbait and heads upwind, casting it parallel to the rocky channel bank. His reel backlashes on his first cast; he quickly dials it in to meet the gusty conditions. <br> <b>9:49 a.m.</b> Whitaker catches his first keeper largemouth of the day, 1 pound even, on the squarebill. “This fish was in that rough water at the end of this channel bank, about 3 feet deep.” <br> <b>9:53 a.m.</b> Another cast to the same spot nets Whitaker’s second keeper, 1 pound, 3 ounces. <br> <b>10:01 a.m.</b> Whitaker casts the squarebill to the channel bank again, and a gust of wind blows it into a shoreline tree. Rather than bang up his trolling motor in the shallow rocks to retrieve the lure, he breaks it off, ties on an identical plug and resumes cranking. “Hopefully, some kid will find that lure and catch a big one on it some day!” <br> <b>10:08 a.m.</b> Whitaker hasn’t had another strike on the channel bank, so he replaces the chartreuse 50X with the same lure in citrus shad. “This color pattern is similar but has some blue in it. Sometimes even a slight color change will get ’em fired up again.” <br> <b>10:11 a.m.</b> The citrus shad squarebill wedges between shallow rocks, and Whitaker reluctantly breaks it off. What’s his take on the day so far? “Other than the fact that I’m burning through my crankbait stash, the bite has picked up some, and I definitely think windy banks will continue to be a key factor today. I’ve been pretty much limited to fishing moving baits in shallow water because of the windy conditions, and I’m hoping more fish move up shallow as the day progresses. I need to run back uplake and fish that rocky shoreline, if those bank fishermen ever leave it; the water’s a lot warmer there. Until then, I’ll stick mostly with the crankbait and spinnerbait and keep covering water.”
4 HOURS LEFT9:40 a.m. Whitaker ties on a chartreuse/black back 6th Sense Crush 50X squarebill crankbait and heads upwind, casting it parallel to the rocky channel bank. His reel backlashes on his first cast; he quickly dials it in to meet the gusty conditions. 9:49 a.m. Whitaker catches his first keeper largemouth of the day, 1 pound even, on the squarebill. “This fish was in that rough water at the end of this channel bank, about 3 feet deep.” 9:53 a.m. Another cast to the same spot nets Whitaker’s second keeper, 1 pound, 3 ounces. 10:01 a.m. Whitaker casts the squarebill to the channel bank again, and a gust of wind blows it into a shoreline tree. Rather than bang up his trolling motor in the shallow rocks to retrieve the lure, he breaks it off, ties on an identical plug and resumes cranking. “Hopefully, some kid will find that lure and catch a big one on it some day!” 10:08 a.m. Whitaker hasn’t had another strike on the channel bank, so he replaces the chartreuse 50X with the same lure in citrus shad. “This color pattern is similar but has some blue in it. Sometimes even a slight color change will get ’em fired up again.” 10:11 a.m. The citrus shad squarebill wedges between shallow rocks, and Whitaker reluctantly breaks it off. What’s his take on the day so far? “Other than the fact that I’m burning through my crankbait stash, the bite has picked up some, and I definitely think windy banks will continue to be a key factor today. I’ve been pretty much limited to fishing moving baits in shallow water because of the windy conditions, and I’m hoping more fish move up shallow as the day progresses. I need to run back uplake and fish that rocky shoreline, if those bank fishermen ever leave it; the water’s a lot warmer there. Until then, I’ll stick mostly with the crankbait and spinnerbait and keep covering water.”
<b>10:19 a.m.</b> Whitaker has moved 100 yards uplake to hit a steep bank with the spinnerbait and crankbait. <br> <b>10:24 a.m.</b> Whitaker pitches the black-and-blue jig to the bank. “There’s some sunken tree limbs and brush on this bank that should hold fish.” <br> <b>10:32 a.m.</b> Back to slow rolling the spinnerbait. “This water color looks perfect for that orange blade, but I don’t think many fish have moved up shallow yet.”
10:19 a.m. Whitaker has moved 100 yards uplake to hit a steep bank with the spinnerbait and crankbait. 10:24 a.m. Whitaker pitches the black-and-blue jig to the bank. “There’s some sunken tree limbs and brush on this bank that should hold fish.” 10:32 a.m. Back to slow rolling the spinnerbait. “This water color looks perfect for that orange blade, but I don’t think many fish have moved up shallow yet.”
<b>3 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>10:40 a.m.</b> Whitaker idles across the lake to a clay bank with a pronounced mudline, where he tries the spinnerbait. He gets a hard strike and swings aboard keeper No. 3, 2 pounds, 4 ounces. “This fish was about 10 feet off the bank. I guarantee that little orange blade helped trigger that strike.” <br> <b>10:46 a.m.</b> Whitaker reverts to the chartreuse crankbait on the clay bank. “It’s too deep here for my Power-Poles and I don’t want to spook the fish by constantly turning my trolling motor on and off, so with this wind, I’m better off just drifting and making lots of short casts into that mudline.” <br> <b>10:58 a.m.</b> Whitaker has run back to the rocky channel bank where he caught his first two keepers. He positions his boat downwind of the sweet spot at the end of the bank and chunks the chartreuse 50X to the submerged rocks.
3 HOURS LEFT10:40 a.m. Whitaker idles across the lake to a clay bank with a pronounced mudline, where he tries the spinnerbait. He gets a hard strike and swings aboard keeper No. 3, 2 pounds, 4 ounces. “This fish was about 10 feet off the bank. I guarantee that little orange blade helped trigger that strike.” 10:46 a.m. Whitaker reverts to the chartreuse crankbait on the clay bank. “It’s too deep here for my Power-Poles and I don’t want to spook the fish by constantly turning my trolling motor on and off, so with this wind, I’m better off just drifting and making lots of short casts into that mudline.” 10:58 a.m. Whitaker has run back to the rocky channel bank where he caught his first two keepers. He positions his boat downwind of the sweet spot at the end of the bank and chunks the chartreuse 50X to the submerged rocks.
<b>11:05 a.m.</b> He bags his fourth keeper, 1 pound, 5 ounces, off the end of the bank. “They must really like that spot; it’s the third keeper I’ve caught there. Now I need an 8-pound kicker fish!” <b>11:13 a.m.</b> Whitaker does a 180 and re-cranks the rocky bank. “Sometimes they want your lure coming from a certain direction.” <br> <b>11:19 a.m.</b> Whitaker runs uplake far enough to see that the bank fishermen haven’t vacated the spot he hopes to fish, so he blasts back downlake to a cove with several docks. He locates a big brushpile in 12 feet of water and crawls the crawdad jig through it. It hangs in the submerged shrubbery, and he breaks it off. <b>11:23 a.m.</b> Whitaker retrieves the spinnerbait around a shallow pocket. “It’ll probably take a few days before they move into this spot, but it looks too good not to try it.” <br> <b>11:31 a.m.</b> Whitaker rigs a green pumpkin finesse worm on a 1/4-ounce shaky head and casts it to a brushy point. “I’m out of the wind here, so I thought I’d slow down a bit.” <P> <b>2 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>11:40 a.m.</b> He catches a short fish off a stickup on the spinnerbait. Then the lure accidentally smacks into his trolling motor on his next cast, breaking his line and sending the spinnerbait to the bottom of the lake. “Rats, there goes the only orange blade I’ve got with me!” He locates a similar spinnerbait in chartreuse and white and ties it on. “I sure hate to lose that bait.”
11:05 a.m. He bags his fourth keeper, 1 pound, 5 ounces, off the end of the bank. “They must really like that spot; it’s the third keeper I’ve caught there. Now I need an 8-pound kicker fish!”
11:13 a.m. Whitaker does a 180 and re-cranks the rocky bank. “Sometimes they want your lure coming from a certain direction.” 11:19 a.m. Whitaker runs uplake far enough to see that the bank fishermen haven’t vacated the spot he hopes to fish, so he blasts back downlake to a cove with several docks. He locates a big brushpile in 12 feet of water and crawls the crawdad jig through it. It hangs in the submerged shrubbery, and he breaks it off.
11:23 a.m. Whitaker retrieves the spinnerbait around a shallow pocket. “It’ll probably take a few days before they move into this spot, but it looks too good not to try it.” 11:31 a.m. Whitaker rigs a green pumpkin finesse worm on a 1/4-ounce shaky head and casts it to a brushy point. “I’m out of the wind here, so I thought I’d slow down a bit.”

2 HOURS LEFT11:40 a.m. He catches a short fish off a stickup on the spinnerbait. Then the lure accidentally smacks into his trolling motor on his next cast, breaking his line and sending the spinnerbait to the bottom of the lake. “Rats, there goes the only orange blade I’ve got with me!” He locates a similar spinnerbait in chartreuse and white and ties it on. “I sure hate to lose that bait.”

<b>11:47 a.m.</b> The sun finally appears as Whitaker runs straight across the lake to a clay point, where he tries the spinnerbait. <br> <b>11:54 a.m.</b> The point transitions into a steep channel bank, which Whitaker probes with the spinnerbait and squarebill. <br> <b>12:09 p.m.</b> Lake R is churning under 35 mph wind gusts as Whitaker drifts steep banks while chunking the spinnerbait. <br> <b>12:17 p.m.</b> Whitaker runs back to the rocky bank where he’s caught three keepers. He dredges the squarebill around the rocks without success.
11:47 a.m. The sun finally appears as Whitaker runs straight across the lake to a clay point, where he tries the spinnerbait. 11:54 a.m. The point transitions into a steep channel bank, which Whitaker probes with the spinnerbait and squarebill. 12:09 p.m. Lake R is churning under 35 mph wind gusts as Whitaker drifts steep banks while chunking the spinnerbait. 12:17 p.m. Whitaker runs back to the rocky bank where he’s caught three keepers. He dredges the squarebill around the rocks without success.
<b>12:28 p.m.</b> Whitaker catches his fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce, off the end of the bank on the squarebill. “I should probably park on this spot, but I really want to run way back uplake before my time is up. Surely those bank fishermen won’t stay there all day!” <p> <b>1 HOUR LEFT</b><br> <b>12:40 p.m.</b> Whitaker starts uplake, then stops at a clay point to try the spinnerbait. <br> <b>12:53 p.m.</b> Neither the squarebill nor the spinnerbait provokes a strike on the point, so Whitaker continues uplake to find that the bank fishermen have finally departed. He drops the Minn Kota and begins cranking his way down the rock bank. <br> <b>1:19 p.m.</b> All Whitaker’s squarebill can dredge up in two trips down the bank is a wad of old fishing line. With minutes remaining, he races back downlake to crank a point near the boat launch. <br> <b>1:40 p.m.</b> Whitaker’s time is up. Conditions have been tough on Lake R, but he’s managed to boat five keeper bass weighing a total of 7 pounds, 13 ounces.
12:28 p.m. Whitaker catches his fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 1 ounce, off the end of the bank on the squarebill. “I should probably park on this spot, but I really want to run way back uplake before my time is up. Surely those bank fishermen won’t stay there all day!”

1 HOUR LEFT12:40 p.m. Whitaker starts uplake, then stops at a clay point to try the spinnerbait. 12:53 p.m. Neither the squarebill nor the spinnerbait provokes a strike on the point, so Whitaker continues uplake to find that the bank fishermen have finally departed. He drops the Minn Kota and begins cranking his way down the rock bank. 1:19 p.m. All Whitaker’s squarebill can dredge up in two trips down the bank is a wad of old fishing line. With minutes remaining, he races back downlake to crank a point near the boat launch. 1:40 p.m. Whitaker’s time is up. Conditions have been tough on Lake R, but he’s managed to boat five keeper bass weighing a total of 7 pounds, 13 ounces.

<b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br> “Today proves that one day of unseasonably warm weather isn’t enough to wake up sluggish winter bass,” Whitaker told Bassmaster. “The lake is cold and I believe the fish are still on their deep winter patterns, but the extreme wind conditions prevented me from effectively fishing offshore structure. The water was warmest in the upper end, but it may take two or three calm, sunny days to activate the fish there. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d move deeper off the points and maybe drag a heavy football jig, provided it didn’t blow as hard as it did today.” <p> <b>WHERE AND WHEN JAKE WHITAKER CAUGHT HIS FIVE KEEPERS</b><br> 1 pound; end of rocky channel bank; chartreuse/black back 6th Sense Crush 50X squarebill crankbait; 9:49 a.m.<br> 1 pound, 3 ounces; same place and lure as No. 1; 9:53 a.m.<br> 2 pounds, 4 ounces; mudline on clay bank; chartreuse and white TrueSouth Bullet tandem spinnerbait with gold and orange blades; 10:40 a.m.<br> 1 pound, 5 ounces; same place and lure as No. 1; 11:05 a.m.<br> 2 pounds, 1 ounce; same place and lure as No. 1; 12:28 p.m.<br> TOTAL: 7 POUNDS, 13 OUNCES
THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE
“Today proves that one day of unseasonably warm weather isn’t enough to wake up sluggish winter bass,” Whitaker told Bassmaster. “The lake is cold and I believe the fish are still on their deep winter patterns, but the extreme wind conditions prevented me from effectively fishing offshore structure. The water was warmest in the upper end, but it may take two or three calm, sunny days to activate the fish there. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d move deeper off the points and maybe drag a heavy football jig, provided it didn’t blow as hard as it did today.”

WHERE AND WHEN JAKE WHITAKER CAUGHT HIS FIVE KEEPERS
1 pound; end of rocky channel bank; chartreuse/black back 6th Sense Crush 50X squarebill crankbait; 9:49 a.m.
1 pound, 3 ounces; same place and lure as No. 1; 9:53 a.m.
2 pounds, 4 ounces; mudline on clay bank; chartreuse and white TrueSouth Bullet tandem spinnerbait with gold and orange blades; 10:40 a.m.
1 pound, 5 ounces; same place and lure as No. 1; 11:05 a.m.
2 pounds, 1 ounce; same place and lure as No. 1; 12:28 p.m.
TOTAL: 7 POUNDS, 13 OUNCES