The fishing was tough at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Red River after the flooding over the last few months in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. Even so, the Top 12 pro and co-anglers found a way to succeed despite the tough conditions.
Photo: James Overstreet
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12. Charlie Hartley
Hartley ran through the lock down to Pool 4 and fished one backwater pond all week with a 3/8 ounce Original Chatterbait with a Reaction Innovations Smallie Beaver as a trailer.
Hartley ran through the lock down to Pool 4 and fished one backwater pond all week with a 3/8 ounce Original Chatterbait with a Reaction Innovations Smallie Beaver as a trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He has had a great year on the Opens as he won the James River Northern Open to punch his ticket to the Classic. Another Top 12 at the Red River is stout.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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11. Tommy Murray
Murray maximized his time and stayed in Pool 5 all week on the Red River.
Murray maximized his time and stayed in Pool 5 all week on the Red River.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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One of his biggest players was an old Luck-E-Strike Rick Clunn crankbait that is no longer made. This was what he caught the 6-2 Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the tournament on during Day 2.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He also flipped a Zoom Baby Brush hog with a 1/4 ounce weight and a Trokar hook.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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10. Robbie Latuso
Latuso stayed in Pool 5 and fished the same bait, but in two different colors. His bait was a Strike King Rage Craw in both Junebug...
Latuso stayed in Pool 5 and fished the same bait, but in two different colors. His bait was a Strike King Rage Craw in both Junebug...
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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And his other color was California Craw. Both were rigged on a 1/2 ounce Texas Rig.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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9. Luke Palmer
Palmer fished all three pools available to anglers this week and caught key fish in all three.
Palmer fished all three pools available to anglers this week and caught key fish in all three.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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His bait of choice was a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in Hematoma color.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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8. Jeffery Lemoine Jr.
Lemoine opted for a 3/8 ounce Pepper Custom Baits jig with a V&M trailer when he was fishing ultra shallow.
Lemoine opted for a 3/8 ounce Pepper Custom Baits jig with a V&M trailer when he was fishing ultra shallow.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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When it came to the deeper water he switched to a 1/2 ounce.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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7. Skylar Hamilton
Skylar Hamilton won the first Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open when he fished the Arkansas River a few months ago. He backed it up with another Top 12 at the Red River and it was in his aluminum boat once again.
Skylar Hamilton won the first Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open when he fished the Arkansas River a few months ago. He backed it up with another Top 12 at the Red River and it was in his aluminum boat once again.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He opted for two moving baits to do the majority of his heavy lifting.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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One option was a 1/4 ounce Buckeye Swim Jig with a Strike King Menace as a trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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The other was a 3/8 ounce Jackal Break Blade vibrating jig with a Rage Craw for a trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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6. Luke Estel
The lone Illinois pro stayed in one small backwater pond in Pool 5 all three days and he maximized his area with one lone bait predominantly.
The lone Illinois pro stayed in one small backwater pond in Pool 5 all three days and he maximized his area with one lone bait predominantly.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He flipped a black and blue Strike King Rage Bug on a 1/4 ounce weight.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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When all was said and done he had a graveyard of Rage Bugs from his week on the Red River.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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5. Darrell Lyons
Darrell Lyons made a big jump on the final day as he went from 12th all the way to the Top 5.
Darrell Lyons made a big jump on the final day as he went from 12th all the way to the Top 5.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He did so with the help of a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in June Bug.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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4. Billy McCaghren
Billy McCaghren jumped into the Top 5 by way of a two prong approach.
Billy McCaghren jumped into the Top 5 by way of a two prong approach.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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One was a Talon Lures Billy Mac jig with a Zoom Super Chunk trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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And the other was an old school Zoom EWC crankbait in black/chartreuse.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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3. Mike Pedroza
Pedroza also used a two-bait approach to get in the Top 3 of this event.
Pedroza also used a two-bait approach to get in the Top 3 of this event.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Both baits were soft plastics with one being a Reaction Innovations Kinky Beaver in Magic Craw and the other was a Zoom Speed Worm in Red Bug.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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2. Todd Murray
Murray lost to just one angler this week, but his two-bait approach was between a slow moving bait and reaction lure.
Murray lost to just one angler this week, but his two-bait approach was between a slow moving bait and reaction lure.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He used a 1/2 ounce handmade jig with a Strike King Rage Craw and the other was a 3/8 ounce War Eagle Spinnerbait.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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1. Alton Jones Jr.
After falling just short of a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens win last week, Jones Jr. came to the Red River and took the title.
After falling just short of a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens win last week, Jones Jr. came to the Red River and took the title.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He junk fished on the main river all week after he had a poor practice. He caught one key fish per day on this Chartreuse and Black Balsa crankbait.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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He caught the majority of his fish on a Missile Baits D Bomb in California Love.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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And when he fished more of the industrial cover on the river he opted for a Roboworm on a dropshot.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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