Inside Elite Boats: Todd Faircloth

Todd Faircloth in his FX20 Skeeter powered by a Yamaha 250 SHO.

Faircloth trolls with a Motor Guide Trolling Motor. He says the recess panel for the foot control, which allows him to keep his foot even with the deck of the boat, is a lot easier on your hips and back.

A Lowrance HDS-9 graph and a Hyrdowave Electronic Fish Stimulator are among the items you’ll find on Faircloth’s front deck. He also has up and down controls for his Power Pole shallow-water anchors.

Faircloth said he carries as many as 30 rods in his rod locker during practice. “I like to have different line sizes, different baits, different combinations,” he said. “When I get an idea out there on the water, I can just reach inside the rod box and grab it usually. By the time a tournament starts, hopefully I can take 10-15 of those rods out.”

He uses Castaway Rods and Shimano Reels.

In the center box closest to the trolling motor, Faircloth carries his hard baits like crankbaits and jerkbaits. “The reason for that is they are lighter than plastic worms and stuff like that,” he said. “I keep them up in that front box, and that allows me to get more bow lift out of my boat.”

A wide selection of lipless crankbait color patterns.

A staple for most Elite Series anglers – the jig box.

At the beginning of every tournament season, Faircloth has all of his boxes perfectly organized and labeled with black magic marker. But by the end of the season (when these photos were taken), he says the labels have usually been rubbed off.

More of the hard-plastic baits that Faircloth carries near the front of his boat.

A box filled with square-billed crankbaits.

Faircloth said he takes some plastics out of their original packaging and places them in boxes for organizational purposes.

He organizes plastics by bait type and color pattern. “I like to have a box with just ochos, a box with just rodents,” he said. “I keep my basic colors in there that I use a lot. I store them in my Planos like that, but I have a bunch of reserves in my truck that I carry in their original bags. For a tournament, I normally have it narrowed down to what I think Iâll use for that particular event, and Iâll take a bunch of that reserve stuff out of my truck and put in my boat.”

More worm hooks than the average fisherman could use in five years.

A worm weight for every situation.

Again, Faircloth’s labeling system is showing the wears on a long year on the Elite Series.

In the big storage compartment on the right side of his boat, Faircloth carries an extra spool of line, a spare trolling motor, his fire extinguisher, a tow rope, spinnerbaits in bags and all of his treble hooks. “It’s mostly a lot of stuff I donât use a whole bunch,” he said. “But it needs to be in my boat in case I need it.”

Faircloth prefers keeping his spinnerbaits in Bass Pro Shops Extreme Finesse Binders as opposed to standard boxes with hanging racks.

He says the bags are the best way he’s found to preserve a spinnerbait. “The boxes where you hang them tend to tarnish your blades,” he said.

During a tournament, Faircloth said he uses his day box more than any other box on his boat. “Itâs small, and itâs compact,” he said. “The plastics Iâll be using for a given day are going to be in that box, so I can just flip it open and grab what I need. Time is of the essence on the water when weâre out here fishing a tournament. You have to be organized and know where everything is at. I want to be able to get to it and get to it quick.”

The tool rack every angler needs.

Faircloth said the cooler in the middle of his boat is very well insulated, and it’s where he keeps all of his drinks, snacks and cold food.

The glove box is where he keeps an extra pair of sunglasses, along with rags, towels, spray for his electronics and sometimes his keys.

Faircloth has been with Skeeter for his entire career.

He runs a Lowrance HDS-9 graph unit on his console.

A small storage pouch near his Hot Foot throttle control holds several important items, including his sunscreen. “As anglers, we need to use sunscreen every day,” Faircloth said. “Sometimes, I get wrapped up in what I’m doing and forget. But if it’s right there where I can see it, I’m more likely to remember.”

Faircloth said the box behind the driver’s seat is for extra tackle. “It’s for stuff I donât really think Iâll use,” he said. “It’s for just-in-case type stuff.”