All captions: Craig Lamb
Photo: Dalton Tumblin
Photo: James Overstreet
Chad Morgenthaler did what he does best, which was fish with a punch rig in heavy vegetation. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Shane Durrance
Morgenthaler used his all-around favorite punching rig of choice. That is a Missile Baits Baby D-Bomb, Love Bug for low light and Bruiser Flash for sunny conditions. He rigged those to a Gamakatsu 3/0 Super Heavy Cover Flippin’ Hook, with 6th Sense Peg-X Weight Stopper, and 1.5-ounce tungsten weight. Buy it now on Amazon: Missile Baits Baby D-Bomb | Gamakatsu Super Heavy Cover Flippin’ Hook | 6th Sense Peg-X Weight Stopper
Photo: Andy Crawford
A buzzbait, frog and jig were the baits of choice for Scott Canterbury. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Steve Bowman
Photo: Andy Crawford
Another choice was a Dirty Jigs 1/2-ounce Compact Pitchin’ Jig, with NetBait Paca Chunk. Buy it now on Amazon: NetBait Paca Chunk
Photo: Andy Crawford
A unique buzzbait and jig were key baits for Brandon Cobb. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Shane Durrance
A Greenfish Tackle 1/2-ounce Brandon Cobb All-Purpose Jig, with Zoom Super Chunk trailer was a top choice. So was a Greenfish Tackle 3/8-ounce Toad Toter Buzzbait, with Zoom Horny Toad trailer. Buy it now on Amazon: Zoom Super Chunk
Photo: Andy Crawford
A pitching jig and crankbait were top baits of choice for Stetson Blaylock. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Andy Crawford
Photo: Andy Crawford
Photo: Andy Crawford
Bob Downey (6th; 58-14)
A Reaction Innovations Spicey Beaver, rigged on 4/0 VMC HD Wide Gap Hook, with VMC 1-ounce Worm Weight, was a key bait for Bob Downey. On Day 3, he downsized to a Reaction Innovations 3.5 Smallie Beaver, rigged on the same hook and weight. The switch proved successful for catching wary fish. Buy it now on Amazon: VMC Worm Weight
Photo: Andy Crawford
Running and gunning was the name of the game for Kyle Welcher, who fished from one end to the other of Lake Guntersville. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Steve Bowman
Photo: Andy Crawford
He also used a Z-Man 1/2-ounce Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer, with Yamamoto Zako Swimbait trailer. A Missile Baits D-Bomb, rigged on 4/0 Gamakatsu hook and 1/2-ounce weight was another choice. Buy it now on Amazon: Z-MAN ChatterBait Jack Hammer | Yamamoto Zako Swimbait | Missile Baits D-Bomb
Photo: Andy Crawford
A punch rig, topwater and buzzbaits were in the lure lineup for Wes Logan. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Dalton Tumblin
Photo: Andy Crawford
He also made a punch rig with a Z Craw Jr., 4/0 straight shank flipping hook and 1.5-ounce Ark Tungsten Weight. Buy it now on Amazon: Zoom Z Craw Jr.
Photo: Andy Crawford
A punch rig and buzzbait were lures of choice for Luke Palmer. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Steve Bowman
A Yum Bad Mamma, rigged on 4/0 straight shank hook, with 1.25-ounce weight was a key bait. A Yum Spine Craw, rigged on similar weight and hook, was another choice. Buy it now on Amazon: Yum Bad Mamma
Photo: Andy Crawford
So was a War Eagle Buzz Toad Buzzbait. Buy it now on Amazon: War Eagle Buzz Toad Buzzbait
Photo: Andy Crawford
Randy Sullivan (2nd; 61-15)
A Berkley Frittside 5 Crankbait, fished along riprap shorelines and causeway bridges, was the key bait of choice for Randy Sullivan. Buy it now on Amazon: Berkley Frittside 5 Crankbait
Photo: Andy Crawford
A modification to a mainline bait was a key to Frank Talley’s win. Shop for lures on Amazon.com
Photo: Dalton Tumblin
Talley’s key bait was a Strike King 1/2-ounce Thunder Cricket, with Strike King Rage Swimmer trailer. Buy it now on Amazon: Strike King Thunder Cricket | Strike King Rage Swimmer
Photo: Andy Crawford
For kicker bass he used a plopping-style hollow body frog.
Shop for lures on Amazon.comPhoto: Andy Crawford
