Top lures at Grand Lake

Oklahoman James Elam scored a win on his home water of Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees. See what lures he and other top finishers used at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open.

All captions: Craig Lamb

The lineup featured an 11/16-ounce Gene Larew Biffle Hardhead, 1/2-ounce shaky head jig and a Texas rig. To complete that he used a 4/0 hook and 1/4-ounce weight.

That was flipping a Texas rigged Yamamoto Senko in less than one foot of water. He made the rig with a No. 5 Daichi Offset Wide Gap Worm Hook, with 1/4- or 3/8-ounce worm hook.

So was a 10.5-inch Texas rigged Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm. He rigged that to a 4/0 Gamakatsu Super Line Hook and 3/8-ounce tungsten weight. He also used the same terminal tackle with a 9-inch Zoom Mag II Worm. He also used a Strike King KVD HC Shallow Squarebill 1.5 Crankbait.

That choice was a 6-inch Evergreen Shower Blows 105. The bait was key because the pencil design and unique action does everything from walking the dog to chugging, so he could vary the action to suit the bite.

To cover shorelines Ortega used a personally made 1/2-ounce Money Maker Jig. “I missed lots of fish when I was younger and wanted to come up with a better weed guard.” A light wire was the solution. “It covers the hook but won’t get hung in wood or rocks. It also collapses when a fish takes the jig for a better hookset.”

His choice was a 1-ounce Bass X Football Jig with a Strike King Rage Craw.

A 1/2-ounce Pepper Jig and Yamamoto PsychoDad was a key choice. So was a Duo Realis M65 11A crankbait, capable of running at depths up to 11 feet.

A Tight Lines UV Hog rigged to a 4/0 Owner hook and 1/4-ounce weight completed the rig.

A 1/2-ounce homemade jig and V&M trailer and a topwater were key choices. So was a Carolina-rigged, V&M Baits Baby Swamp Hog that he rigged to a 4/0 hook and 1/4-ounce weight.

A Reaction Innovations Vixen was a key choice. So was a 5/16-ounce homemade skirted jig with a NetBait Paca Chunk. Hartsell also rigged a 10-inch Berkley Powerbait Worm to a 5/0 hook and 1/4-ounce weight.

This Whopper Plopper was a key bait in his success, especially for schooling fish in the early morning.

Scanlon also used a Luck-E-Strike Con Man Worm or Bass Pro Shops Tube. He rigged the worm to a 1/0 Hayabusa FPP Straight Worm Hook and 5/16-ounce Bass Pro Shops Tungsten Weight, or a 1/4-ounce shaky head jig. For the tube bait he used a 4/0 Hayabusa TNS Offset Worm Hook and 5/16-ounce weight.

A 3-inch Jackall Pompadour was a key choice. The lure is fitted with metal wings that collapse on the cast and then flare out upon hitting the water. The wings create splash that complement dual rattle chambers. He also Carolina rigged a lizard with a 4/0 Owner Rig ‘N Bass Hook and 3/4-ounce weight.