Day on the lake: James Elam

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“The Dog Days” — to fishermen, it’s that dreaded phrase that indicates the slowest bite of the year is upon us — that slogging, stifling, sleepy summer period when the water temperature is nearly as high as the air temperature, and bass are moving even more slowly than you are. Further heightening the Angler Misery Index, many lakes are choked with aquatic vegetation now, including hyper-prolific junk weeds like milfoil and hydrilla. This thick vegetation presents the angler with an approach-avoidance conflict: All that grass looks undeniably bassy, but it can be a pain in the butt to fish. Your lure choices here are severely limited; it’s hard to figure out exactly where bass are holding in that matted mess; and if you do succeed in dropping your bait on a fish, how will you be able to even feel the bite? Yo, Bubba, don’t fret — help is on the way! James Elam, one of the Elite tour’s hardest working hammers, is about to give you some lessons in dog days weed whackin’. <p> <b>6:34 a.m.</b> Elam and I arrive at Lake L. It’s an unseasonably cool 66 degrees and clear, with a high in the upper 80s forecast for the day. Elam pulls an arsenal of McCain rods and Shimano reels spooled with Seaguar line from storage. “I’ll probably start off throwing some topwater, then once the sun gets up, I’ll try to locate some weedbeds and offshore structure. Bass aren’t always deep in summer, but if they are, they tend to group up in larger numbers than when they’re shallow.”<p> <b>7 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>7 a.m.</b> We launch the Phoenix. Elam idles around near the boat ramp for a spell, checking his electronics for deep structure. “Most guys launch their boats and then take off down the lake, meaning structure near the ramp may seldom get fished.”<br> <b>7:08 a.m.</b> Elam moves to a concrete retaining wall and makes his first casts of the day with a black Jackall Pompadour surface plug. “This cool Japanese bait has two metal wings that flap on the surface, mimicking an injured bird or a cicada.” <br> <b>7:14 a.m.</b> Elam moves to a nearby grassy point to try the surface plug. “This time of year, oxygen depletion in the deeper areas of some lakes can cause bass to move surprisingly shallow. The thermocline may start busting up, too, which can scatter the fish.” <br> <b>7:18 a.m.</b> Elam switches to a green pumpkin pepper Jackall Chunk Craw, rigged Carolina style with a cylindrical 1/2-ounce weight. He casts to the grassy point, works it into deeper water and drags up a wad of hydrilla. “Bass love this stuff! Weekend fishermen, not so much.” <br> <b>7:22 a.m.</b> Elam moves 100 yards to a sloping bank and drags a 10-inch plum Berkley Power Worm, Texas rigged with a 3/8-ounce sinker and a 4/0 hook. <br> <b>7:29 a.m.</b> He switches to the Pompadour surface bait. <br> <b>7:33 a.m.</b> Elam rigs a green pumpkin Yamamoto Senko with a 1/8-ounce weight and a 3/0 hook, casts it to an isolated clump of grass and catches a 10-inch largemouth. “That fish was holding on top of the vegetation — it hit as soon as the bait started sinking. I’m no expert on aquatic vegetation, but this grass looks more like milfoil than hydrilla. No matter; they both hold bass, and they both fish the same.” <br> <b>7:36 a.m.</b> He casts the Power Worm to the milfoil. “It’s growing right out to the edge of a 15-foot dropoff. A hard weed edge like [this] is usually prime.” <p> <em>All captions: Don Wirth</em>
“The Dog Days” — to fishermen, it’s that dreaded phrase that indicates the slowest bite of the year is upon us — that slogging, stifling, sleepy summer period when the water temperature is nearly as high as the air temperature, and bass are moving even more slowly than you are. Further heightening the Angler Misery Index, many lakes are choked with aquatic vegetation now, including hyper-prolific junk weeds like milfoil and hydrilla. This thick vegetation presents the angler with an approach-avoidance conflict: All that grass looks undeniably bassy, but it can be a pain in the butt to fish. Your lure choices here are severely limited; it’s hard to figure out exactly where bass are holding in that matted mess; and if you do succeed in dropping your bait on a fish, how will you be able to even feel the bite? Yo, Bubba, don’t fret — help is on the way! James Elam, one of the Elite tour’s hardest working hammers, is about to give you some lessons in dog days weed whackin’.
6:34 a.m. Elam and I arrive at Lake L. It’s an unseasonably cool 66 degrees and clear, with a high in the upper 80s forecast for the day. Elam pulls an arsenal of McCain rods and Shimano reels spooled with Seaguar line from storage. “I’ll probably start off throwing some topwater, then once the sun gets up, I’ll try to locate some weedbeds and offshore structure. Bass aren’t always deep in summer, but if they are, they tend to group up in larger numbers than when they’re shallow.”
7 HOURS LEFT7 a.m. We launch the Phoenix. Elam idles around near the boat ramp for a spell, checking his electronics for deep structure. “Most guys launch their boats and then take off down the lake, meaning structure near the ramp may seldom get fished.”7:08 a.m. Elam moves to a concrete retaining wall and makes his first casts of the day with a black Jackall Pompadour surface plug. “This cool Japanese bait has two metal wings that flap on the surface, mimicking an injured bird or a cicada.” 7:14 a.m. Elam moves to a nearby grassy point to try the surface plug. “This time of year, oxygen depletion in the deeper areas of some lakes can cause bass to move surprisingly shallow. The thermocline may start busting up, too, which can scatter the fish.” 7:18 a.m. Elam switches to a green pumpkin pepper Jackall Chunk Craw, rigged Carolina style with a cylindrical 1/2-ounce weight. He casts to the grassy point, works it into deeper water and drags up a wad of hydrilla. “Bass love this stuff! Weekend fishermen, not so much.” 7:22 a.m. Elam moves 100 yards to a sloping bank and drags a 10-inch plum Berkley Power Worm, Texas rigged with a 3/8-ounce sinker and a 4/0 hook. 7:29 a.m. He switches to the Pompadour surface bait. 7:33 a.m. Elam rigs a green pumpkin Yamamoto Senko with a 1/8-ounce weight and a 3/0 hook, casts it to an isolated clump of grass and catches a 10-inch largemouth. “That fish was holding on top of the vegetation — it hit as soon as the bait started sinking. I’m no expert on aquatic vegetation, but this grass looks more like milfoil than hydrilla. No matter; they both hold bass, and they both fish the same.” 7:36 a.m. He casts the Power Worm to the milfoil. “It’s growing right out to the edge of a 15-foot dropoff. A hard weed edge like [this] is usually prime.”

All captions: Don Wirth

<b>7:40 a.m.</b> Elam nudges the worm through the milfoil, then slams back his rod. A big bass shoots out of the vegetation for deeper water.
7:40 a.m. Elam nudges the worm through the milfoil, then slams back his rod. A big bass shoots out of the vegetation for deeper water.
<b>7:40 a.m.</b> He works it to the boat and swings aboard his first keeper of the day, a long, lean largemouth weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces. “That fish was right at the edge of the grass.”<br> <b>7:48 a.m.</b> Elam continues down the dam while casting the worm parallel to the structure. <br> <b>7:55 a.m.</b> Elam idles back toward the boat ramp to drag a Chunk Craw along a deep channel point he’d graphed up after launching. <br> <b>7:58 a.m.</b> He catches keeper No. 2, 15 ounces, on the craw. “That fish was on a little flat that butts up to the point. It was 15 feet deep.” <p> <b>6 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>8:01 a.m.</b> Elam switches to a chartreuse sexy shad Strike King 5XD crankbait and dredges it across the point. <br> <b>8:08 a.m.</b> He moves to the opposite side of the point and drags the Power Worm. “There’s grass growing down there to around 12 feet.” <br> <b>8:15 a.m.</b> Elam tries a homemade 3/8-ounce green pumpkin/blue cone-head jig with a watermelon pepper Chunk Craw trailer on the point. “My dad makes these jigs specifically for fishing grass. We’ve both caught some whales on ’em.”
7:40 a.m. He works it to the boat and swings aboard his first keeper of the day, a long, lean largemouth weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces. “That fish was right at the edge of the grass.”7:48 a.m. Elam continues down the dam while casting the worm parallel to the structure. 7:55 a.m. Elam idles back toward the boat ramp to drag a Chunk Craw along a deep channel point he’d graphed up after launching. 7:58 a.m. He catches keeper No. 2, 15 ounces, on the craw. “That fish was on a little flat that butts up to the point. It was 15 feet deep.”

6 HOURS LEFT8:01 a.m. Elam switches to a chartreuse sexy shad Strike King 5XD crankbait and dredges it across the point. 8:08 a.m. He moves to the opposite side of the point and drags the Power Worm. “There’s grass growing down there to around 12 feet.” 8:15 a.m. Elam tries a homemade 3/8-ounce green pumpkin/blue cone-head jig with a watermelon pepper Chunk Craw trailer on the point. “My dad makes these jigs specifically for fishing grass. We’ve both caught some whales on ’em.”

<b>8:22 a.m.</b> Elam bags his third keeper, 1 pound even, on the homemade jig. “This fish was buried in the grass, but that cone-shaped jighead slides through vegetation if you give it a little shake when you feel it start to hang up.” <br> <b>8:28 a.m.</b> Elam switches Senko sinkers from 1/8 to 3/16 ounce. “That seems like a minor adjustment, but it’ll get the lure into the deeper weed zone a little bit quicker.”
8:22 a.m. Elam bags his third keeper, 1 pound even, on the homemade jig. “This fish was buried in the grass, but that cone-shaped jighead slides through vegetation if you give it a little shake when you feel it start to hang up.” 8:28 a.m. Elam switches Senko sinkers from 1/8 to 3/16 ounce. “That seems like a minor adjustment, but it’ll get the lure into the deeper weed zone a little bit quicker.”
<b>8:34 a.m.</b> Elam bags keeper No. 4, 2 pounds, 2 ounces, off the grassy point on the Senko.
8:34 a.m. Elam bags keeper No. 4, 2 pounds, 2 ounces, off the grassy point on the Senko.
<b>8:34 a.m.</b> “That fish was 4 feet deep, close to a 24-foot drop.”<br> <b>8:36 a.m.</b> Elam casts to the point again. A small fish grabs the Senko and rips it off; he rigs a fresh one. “In late summer, you often have to fish through a bunch of dinks before you get on better quality fish.” <br> <b>8:41 a.m.</b> Elam catches a nonkeeper on the Senko, then switches to the Power Worm. <br> <b>8:45 a.m.</b> He motors uplake to a submerged rockpile, making his first casts to 15 feet of water with the Carolina rig. <br> <b>8:51 a.m.</b> Elam gradually works his way shallower with the C-rig until he detects hydrilla, then switches to the cone-head jig. <p> <b>5 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>9 a.m.</b> Elam drags the Power Worm down the steep side of the rockpile. <br> <b>9:11 a.m.</b> He bags a short fish off the rockpile on the Senko. <br> <b>9:17 a.m.</b> Elam abandons the rockpile and motors to a nearby channel bank with several docks. He pitches a blue Texas-rigged Chunk Craw with a 3/16-ounce sinker and 4/0 hook to the docks. The water here is 81 degrees. <br> <b>9:34 a.m.</b> Elam, an extremely patient angler, has worked his way down the channel bank without success. He moves to a nearby point and tries the Senko. <br> <b>9:43 a.m.</b> He relocates to a grass-clogged pocket and bags a squealer on the Senko. <br> <b>9:47 a.m.</b> Elam ties on a 3/8-ounce green pumpkin Jackall Break Blade bladed jig with a matching Jackall Rhythm Wave swimbait trailer. “I’ll try swimming this lure over the top of these grassbeds. If it works, it’s a much quicker way to catch ’em than with a sinking bait.”
8:34 a.m. “That fish was 4 feet deep, close to a 24-foot drop.”8:36 a.m. Elam casts to the point again. A small fish grabs the Senko and rips it off; he rigs a fresh one. “In late summer, you often have to fish through a bunch of dinks before you get on better quality fish.” 8:41 a.m. Elam catches a nonkeeper on the Senko, then switches to the Power Worm. 8:45 a.m. He motors uplake to a submerged rockpile, making his first casts to 15 feet of water with the Carolina rig. 8:51 a.m. Elam gradually works his way shallower with the C-rig until he detects hydrilla, then switches to the cone-head jig.

5 HOURS LEFT9 a.m. Elam drags the Power Worm down the steep side of the rockpile. 9:11 a.m. He bags a short fish off the rockpile on the Senko. 9:17 a.m. Elam abandons the rockpile and motors to a nearby channel bank with several docks. He pitches a blue Texas-rigged Chunk Craw with a 3/16-ounce sinker and 4/0 hook to the docks. The water here is 81 degrees. 9:34 a.m. Elam, an extremely patient angler, has worked his way down the channel bank without success. He moves to a nearby point and tries the Senko. 9:43 a.m. He relocates to a grass-clogged pocket and bags a squealer on the Senko. 9:47 a.m. Elam ties on a 3/8-ounce green pumpkin Jackall Break Blade bladed jig with a matching Jackall Rhythm Wave swimbait trailer. “I’ll try swimming this lure over the top of these grassbeds. If it works, it’s a much quicker way to catch ’em than with a sinking bait.”

<b>9:51 a.m.</b> Elam catches his fifth keeper, 1 pound, 1 ounce, on the bladed jig by retrieving the lure through open water at the edge of a grassline. What’s his strategy now that he’s caught a limit? “I’m just going to keep nosing around grassy areas until I figure out a more specific pattern.” <br> <b>9:56 a.m.</b> Switching gears, Elam dog-walks a sexy shad Jackall Bowstick surface bait across the top of the submerged grass but can’t get any response. <p> <b>4 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>10 a.m.</b> Elam, still in the weed-choked pocket, is flipping the cone-head jig. It’s getting hot, and there’s no breeze. “It’s a grind fishing grass on hot days like this, but I’ve got to believe that’s where the fish are.” <b>10:10 a.m.</b> A fish rips his Senko off the hook as it’s falling. “That could have been either a bass or a grinnel [bowfin]; they both inhabit junk weeds.”
9:51 a.m. Elam catches his fifth keeper, 1 pound, 1 ounce, on the bladed jig by retrieving the lure through open water at the edge of a grassline. What’s his strategy now that he’s caught a limit? “I’m just going to keep nosing around grassy areas until I figure out a more specific pattern.” 9:56 a.m. Switching gears, Elam dog-walks a sexy shad Jackall Bowstick surface bait across the top of the submerged grass but can’t get any response.

4 HOURS LEFT10 a.m. Elam, still in the weed-choked pocket, is flipping the cone-head jig. It’s getting hot, and there’s no breeze. “It’s a grind fishing grass on hot days like this, but I’ve got to believe that’s where the fish are.”
10:10 a.m. A fish rips his Senko off the hook as it’s falling. “That could have been either a bass or a grinnel [bowfin]; they both inhabit junk weeds.”

<b>10:12 a.m.</b> Elam moves to the mouth of a nearby tributary and bags his sixth keeper, 3 pounds, 1 ounce, on the Power Worm. It culls the 15-ouncer caught earlier. “That fish was in a narrow ditch that runs parallel to the bank, about 7 feet deep. There’s grass all around us, but the ditch felt clean.” <br> <b>10:15 a.m.</b> Elam is slowly dragging the ditch with the Power Worm. “You just can’t get in a hurry in hot, calm conditions like this.” <br> <b>10:19 a.m.</b> No more bites in the ditch, so Elam motors uplake to a grassy cove, where he tries the Break Blade. <br> <b>10:23 a.m.</b> He tries the Power Worm on the point at the cove’s mouth but hauls water. <br> <b>10:28 a.m.</b> Elam rigs up a lure for weed punching: a black and blue Jackall Archelon creature on a 1-ounce sinker with a heavy flipping hook. A black and blue punch skirt is positioned between the lure and the sinker; this imparts action and flash to the presentation as it’s falling. “As the sun moves overhead, I expect the fish to move deeper into the grass. I’ll use this bait to literally punch through the grass and drop straight down to the fish. Milfoil and hydrilla grow in towers that fold over to form a mat when they reach the surface. Once you break through that mat, there’s some open water below, and as the jig drops through, bass will grab it. I’ll use a fairly quick presentation, making short pitches, lifting the rod once or twice so the jig hops off the bottom, then reeling in quickly and pitching to another spot.” <br> <b>10:30 a.m.</b> It’s the halfway point of Elam’s day on Lake L. What’s his take on things so far? “I’ve had quite a few bites, but it may slow way down now that the sun’s getting higher. All but one of my keeper fish were either in or at the edge of grass. They seem to be scattered, but I haven’t seen very much of the lake so far. I want to explore it a little more before settling in to punching grassbeds.”
10:12 a.m. Elam moves to the mouth of a nearby tributary and bags his sixth keeper, 3 pounds, 1 ounce, on the Power Worm. It culls the 15-ouncer caught earlier. “That fish was in a narrow ditch that runs parallel to the bank, about 7 feet deep. There’s grass all around us, but the ditch felt clean.” 10:15 a.m. Elam is slowly dragging the ditch with the Power Worm. “You just can’t get in a hurry in hot, calm conditions like this.” 10:19 a.m. No more bites in the ditch, so Elam motors uplake to a grassy cove, where he tries the Break Blade. 10:23 a.m. He tries the Power Worm on the point at the cove’s mouth but hauls water. 10:28 a.m. Elam rigs up a lure for weed punching: a black and blue Jackall Archelon creature on a 1-ounce sinker with a heavy flipping hook. A black and blue punch skirt is positioned between the lure and the sinker; this imparts action and flash to the presentation as it’s falling. “As the sun moves overhead, I expect the fish to move deeper into the grass. I’ll use this bait to literally punch through the grass and drop straight down to the fish. Milfoil and hydrilla grow in towers that fold over to form a mat when they reach the surface. Once you break through that mat, there’s some open water below, and as the jig drops through, bass will grab it. I’ll use a fairly quick presentation, making short pitches, lifting the rod once or twice so the jig hops off the bottom, then reeling in quickly and pitching to another spot.” 10:30 a.m. It’s the halfway point of Elam’s day on Lake L. What’s his take on things so far? “I’ve had quite a few bites, but it may slow way down now that the sun’s getting higher. All but one of my keeper fish were either in or at the edge of grass. They seem to be scattered, but I haven’t seen very much of the lake so far. I want to explore it a little more before settling in to punching grassbeds.”
<b>10:33 a.m.</b> Elam pitches the Archelon to a hydrilla bed in 8 feet of water. He hops the lure off the bottom, detects a tap, slams back his rod and swings a thick tangle of weeds into his boat. He peels away the grass to reveal his seventh keeper, 2 pounds, 2 ounces; it culls a 1-pounder caught earlier. “That fish was way back in that grass!” <br> <b>10:45 a.m.</b> Elam has worked several grassbeds in the area with the punch bait. “I’m keying on the ones that are in or close to deeper water.” <br> 10:49 a.m.</b> He catches his eighth keeper, 1 pound, on the punch bait; it’s no help to his total. <br> 10:58 a.m.</b> Elam motors to a long main-lake point and tries the Power Worm. <p> <b>3 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>11:04 a.m.</b> No luck on the point, so Elam idles around offshore, looking for likely fish-holding structure on his graph. He locates a hump that rises from 19 to 9 feet and drags it with the C-rig. <br> <b>11:11 a.m.</b> He cranks the 5XD across the hump. “This spot looks awesome, but I’m not seeing any fish on it.” <br> <b>11:23 a.m.</b> Elam vacates the hump and motors closer to shore to punch grass. <br> <b>11:30 a.m.</b> Elam races farther up Lake L; here, the water is shallower, murkier and clogged with hydrilla.
10:33 a.m. Elam pitches the Archelon to a hydrilla bed in 8 feet of water. He hops the lure off the bottom, detects a tap, slams back his rod and swings a thick tangle of weeds into his boat. He peels away the grass to reveal his seventh keeper, 2 pounds, 2 ounces; it culls a 1-pounder caught earlier. “That fish was way back in that grass!” 10:45 a.m. Elam has worked several grassbeds in the area with the punch bait. “I’m keying on the ones that are in or close to deeper water.”
10:49 a.m. He catches his eighth keeper, 1 pound, on the punch bait; it’s no help to his total.
10:58 a.m. Elam motors to a long main-lake point and tries the Power Worm.

3 HOURS LEFT11:04 a.m. No luck on the point, so Elam idles around offshore, looking for likely fish-holding structure on his graph. He locates a hump that rises from 19 to 9 feet and drags it with the C-rig. 11:11 a.m. He cranks the 5XD across the hump. “This spot looks awesome, but I’m not seeing any fish on it.” 11:23 a.m. Elam vacates the hump and motors closer to shore to punch grass. 11:30 a.m. Elam races farther up Lake L; here, the water is shallower, murkier and clogged with hydrilla.

<b>11:35 a.m.</b> Elam ties on a black Jackall Gavacho frog and casts it around some lily pads. “This frog has a scooped-out mouth so it pops when you twitch it — a good feature when fishing pads in murky water.” <br> <b>11:42 a.m.</b> Back to punching grass mats. <br> <b>11:50 a.m.</b> A small bass swirls on the frog. <br> <b>11:58 a.m.</b> Elam runs to a long tributary arm, where he tries the Senko on a steep bank. Nada.
11:35 a.m. Elam ties on a black Jackall Gavacho frog and casts it around some lily pads. “This frog has a scooped-out mouth so it pops when you twitch it — a good feature when fishing pads in murky water.” 11:42 a.m. Back to punching grass mats. 11:50 a.m. A small bass swirls on the frog. 11:58 a.m. Elam runs to a long tributary arm, where he tries the Senko on a steep bank. Nada.
<b>2 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>12:01 p.m.</b> Elam rigs a green pumpkin Jackall Flick Shake worm on a 1/0 drop-shot hook positioned 18 inches above a 3/8-ounce sinker. “Drop shotting isn’t my favorite tactic, but the bite has tapered off, and I want to try fishing a worm off the bottom around these grass edges.” He casts the rig to a submerged point. <br> <b>12:13 p.m.</b> A short fish falls victim to the drop-shot worm. <br> <b>12:32 p.m.</b> Elam has saturated the point with the drop-shot worm, Power Worm and Senko with no payback. He spots some baitfish schooling on the surface and flings the Bowstick surface plug at them. <br> <b>12:45 p.m.</b> Elam follows the point toward shore while punching shallow grass clumps. <br> <b>12:54 p.m.</b> He drags the drop-shot worm through a rock-lined ditch. Again, nothing. <br> <p> <b>1 HOUR LEFT</b><br> <b>1 p.m.</b> Elam runs back downlake to a clay point, which he drags with the drop-shot worm. A small fish bites it but shakes off. <br> <b>1:16 p.m.</b> Elam races straight across the lake to a hydrilla-infested stretch of bank and begins methodically punching the cover.
2 HOURS LEFT12:01 p.m. Elam rigs a green pumpkin Jackall Flick Shake worm on a 1/0 drop-shot hook positioned 18 inches above a 3/8-ounce sinker. “Drop shotting isn’t my favorite tactic, but the bite has tapered off, and I want to try fishing a worm off the bottom around these grass edges.” He casts the rig to a submerged point. 12:13 p.m. A short fish falls victim to the drop-shot worm. 12:32 p.m. Elam has saturated the point with the drop-shot worm, Power Worm and Senko with no payback. He spots some baitfish schooling on the surface and flings the Bowstick surface plug at them. 12:45 p.m. Elam follows the point toward shore while punching shallow grass clumps. 12:54 p.m. He drags the drop-shot worm through a rock-lined ditch. Again, nothing.
1 HOUR LEFT1 p.m. Elam runs back downlake to a clay point, which he drags with the drop-shot worm. A small fish bites it but shakes off. 1:16 p.m. Elam races straight across the lake to a hydrilla-infested stretch of bank and begins methodically punching the cover.
<b>1:25 p.m.</b> Elam slams the Archelon’s hook into the jaws of a big fish, leans back with his rod and swings aboard his ninth keeper, a fine 4-11 largemouth.
1:25 p.m. Elam slams the Archelon’s hook into the jaws of a big fish, leans back with his rod and swings aboard his ninth keeper, a fine 4-11 largemouth.
<b>1:25 p.m.</b> “This fish was on the outer edge of that grassbed, 6 feet deep. These weedbeds form sort of a wall that’s butting up against deeper, open water.” <br> <b>1:30 p.m.</b> Elam spends his remaining half-hour punching the aforementioned grass mats without a strike. <br> <b>2 p.m.</b> Back to the boat ramp. Elam ends his day on Lake L with nine keeper bass; the five biggest weigh an impressive 16 pounds, 8 ounces. <p> <b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br> “Weedbeds close to deeper, open water proved to be the most productive pattern today,” Elam told Bassmaster. “The punch bait and the 10-inch worm were my big-fish baits, but I caught keepers on other baits, as well. I had more bites in the clearer lower and midsections of the lake than in the murkier upper end. If I were to fish here tomorrow under these same conditions, I’d concentrate more on those hard weed edges with the punch bait and worm in hopes of encountering more big fish.” <p> <b>HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS</b><br> <b>4 pounds, 8 ounces; </b> 10-inch plum Berkley Power Worm; edge of submerged grass; 7:40 a.m. <br> <b>2 pounds, 2 ounces; </b> green pumpkin Yamamoto Senko; grassy point; 8:34 a.m. <br> <b>3 pounds, 1 ounce; </b> same bait as No. 1; ditch; 10:12 a.m. <br> <b>2 pounds, 2 ounces; </b> Jackall Archelon creature rigged for punching with 1-ounce sinker; grassbed; 10:33 a.m. <br> <b>4 pounds, 11 ounces;</b> same bait as No. 4; edge of submerged grass; 1:25 p.m. <br> TOTAL: 16 pounds, 8 ounces
1:25 p.m. “This fish was on the outer edge of that grassbed, 6 feet deep. These weedbeds form sort of a wall that’s butting up against deeper, open water.” 1:30 p.m. Elam spends his remaining half-hour punching the aforementioned grass mats without a strike. 2 p.m. Back to the boat ramp. Elam ends his day on Lake L with nine keeper bass; the five biggest weigh an impressive 16 pounds, 8 ounces.

THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE
“Weedbeds close to deeper, open water proved to be the most productive pattern today,” Elam told Bassmaster. “The punch bait and the 10-inch worm were my big-fish baits, but I caught keepers on other baits, as well. I had more bites in the clearer lower and midsections of the lake than in the murkier upper end. If I were to fish here tomorrow under these same conditions, I’d concentrate more on those hard weed edges with the punch bait and worm in hopes of encountering more big fish.”

HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS4 pounds, 8 ounces; 10-inch plum Berkley Power Worm; edge of submerged grass; 7:40 a.m. 2 pounds, 2 ounces; green pumpkin Yamamoto Senko; grassy point; 8:34 a.m. 3 pounds, 1 ounce; same bait as No. 1; ditch; 10:12 a.m. 2 pounds, 2 ounces; Jackall Archelon creature rigged for punching with 1-ounce sinker; grassbed; 10:33 a.m. 4 pounds, 11 ounces; same bait as No. 4; edge of submerged grass; 1:25 p.m.
TOTAL: 16 pounds, 8 ounces