Ott DeFoe gained access to the Douglas Lake headwaters aboard a tunnel hull aluminum rig to win for the second time in three years on his home lake. This year victory came at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open. Check out DeFoe’s winning lure and those used by the anglers on Championship Saturday.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Mike Huff
To finish 12th, Mike Huff alternated between jigs and Texas rigged soft plastics.
To finish 12th, Mike Huff alternated between jigs and Texas rigged soft plastics.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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A 3/4-ounce Lunker Lure Jig, rigged with a 4-inch Strike King Rage Tail Craw was a top choice.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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So was a 4-inch Missile Baits D Bomb, Super Bug, rigged to a 4/0 Eagle Claw TroKar Hook and 3/8-ounce tungsten weight.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Al Farace
Al Farace finished 11th using this jig made by friend Steve Allender.
Al Farace finished 11th using this jig made by friend Steve Allender.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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To the 3/8-ounce 3306 jig he added a 3-inch Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw, Green Pumpkin.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Allen Brooks
To finish 10th, Allen Brooks flipped a jig to isolated cover in the river.
To finish 10th, Allen Brooks flipped a jig to isolated cover in the river.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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His choice was a 1/2-ounce Chattahoochee Jig Company Jig, Killer Miller pattern. For a trailer he added a brown/chartreuse 4-inch Strike King Rage Tail Craw trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Brad Burkhart
Slow rolling spinnerbaits across bluff banks produced a ninth-place finish for Brad Burkhart. He used 1/2-ounce Killer Bass Baits One Killer Blade Spinnerbaits. To both baits he added a 3-inch Zoom Fat Albert Grub, White Pearl.
Slow rolling spinnerbaits across bluff banks produced a ninth-place finish for Brad Burkhart. He used 1/2-ounce Killer Bass Baits One Killer Blade Spinnerbaits. To both baits he added a 3-inch Zoom Fat Albert Grub, White Pearl.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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In clear water Burkhart fished a Killer Blade with black and white skirt and tandem willowleaf nickel blades. Another Killer Blade featured a chartreuse and white skirt with gold and nickel tandem willowleaf blades for stained water conditions.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Wil Hardy
Wil Hardy used a rotation of three baits to finish eighth.
Wil Hardy used a rotation of three baits to finish eighth.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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A 1/4-ounce jig head with a wacky rigged 6.5-inch Zoom Trick Worm was a unique choice. Another lure was a 3/4-ounce Greenfish Tackle Creeper Head, with a 3.5-inch Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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For locating bass he used a Strike King 8XD, Blueback Herring.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Toshinari Namiki
Toshinari Namiki of Tokyo, Japan, used crankbaits and jigs made by O.S.P. to finish seventh.
Toshinari Namiki of Tokyo, Japan, used crankbaits and jigs made by O.S.P. to finish seventh.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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For moving fish he chose O.S.P. Blitz MR and O.S.P. Blitz EX-DR crankbaits.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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For slower presentations he used 3/8- and 1/2-ounce O.S.P. Zero Three Hunts Jigs with the OSR Dolive Shad for a trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Drew Benton
Drew Benton alternated between a buzzbait and square-billed crankbait to finish sixth.
Drew Benton alternated between a buzzbait and square-billed crankbait to finish sixth.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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A 1/2-ounce Nichols Lures Reflex Buzzbait, Black Plague Black body and blade was a choice for reaction strikes. Another was a 2-inch Bagley Sunny B Crankbait, Chartreuse Shad.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Alex Wetherell
Alex Wetherell relied on a rotation of three lures to finish fifth.
Alex Wetherell relied on a rotation of three lures to finish fifth.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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The choices were a 1/4-ounce shaky head jighead rigged to a 9-inch Lunker City HydroTail Worm. Another soft plastic choice was a straight tail worm.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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For locating bass he used a Strike King Pro Model 6XD Crankbait, Green Gizzard Shad.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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David Williams
David Williams used a tungsten jig with a unique rattle chamber to finish fourth.
David Williams used a tungsten jig with a unique rattle chamber to finish fourth.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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The choice was a crawfish 1/2-ounce Queen Tackle Hammerhead Jig with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Brian Latimer
Brian Latimer finished third using a classic chrome 1/2-ounce Rat-L-Trap and duo of spinnerbaits made by Destroyer Baits, a custom lure business offering over 150 skirt colors and combinations. For strike appeal he added a 3-inch Z Man MinnowZ.
Brian Latimer finished third using a classic chrome 1/2-ounce Rat-L-Trap and duo of spinnerbaits made by Destroyer Baits, a custom lure business offering over 150 skirt colors and combinations. For strike appeal he added a 3-inch Z Man MinnowZ.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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“I fished some stained water and the Z Man MinnowZ added more action and water displacement.” This spinnerbait choice is a 1/2-ounce model with gold tandem willowleaf blades.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Another choice was a 3/8-ounce model with gold Colorado and nickel willowleaf blades.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Hunter Shryock
Hunter Shryock fished his third Championship Saturday using a jig, crankbait and spinnerbait. This time the concoction enabled him to finish second. “I fished in dirt shallow water,” he said.
Hunter Shryock fished his third Championship Saturday using a jig, crankbait and spinnerbait. This time the concoction enabled him to finish second. “I fished in dirt shallow water,” he said.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Reaction strikes came on a 3/8-ounce War Eagle Spinnerbait with tandem willowleaf and Colorado blades.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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For intercepting moving fish he relied on a 2.75-inch Berkley Pitbull.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Another choice was this 1/2-ounce homemade jig with Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw for a trailer.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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Ott DeFoe
Ott DeFoe returned to familiar water where he won a 2014 Open fishing far up the French Broad River. Not pictured was the Tracker/Grizzly tunnel hull aluminum rig helping him gain access to the skinny water. Flipping a jig was a key technique in the win.
Ott DeFoe returned to familiar water where he won a 2014 Open fishing far up the French Broad River. Not pictured was the Tracker/Grizzly tunnel hull aluminum rig helping him gain access to the skinny water. Flipping a jig was a key technique in the win.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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DeFoe chose this 1/2-ounce Terminator Pro Series Jig, Black Blue Chartreuse pattern. For strike appeal he added a Bass Pro Shops Elite Chunk, Green Pumpkin/Blue Flake.
Photo: Ronnie Moore
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