What baits worked at the Classic

Weird. That’s what I’d call how this Classic fished. I really can’t think of another Classic where competitors did so many different things to catch fish. One example: After Day 2, all anglers in the top eight was doing something different. How did everyone in the field catch ’em? Read on.

Local knowledge ended up being key for Casey Ashley, but usually that’ a curse more than a blessing. When it turned cloudy on Saturday, he knew the fish-head spin (aka, blade runner, horsehead, underspin, etc.) was the deal. His homemade 3/8-oz version (white) had a #3.5 willow blade with a Zoom Super Fluke Junior (white pearl). He fished it right on the bottom of ditches in creek mouths, in 25-40 feet.

Coby Carden crushed ’em on Day 2 and thought he was onto something, but it fizzled on Day 3. Believe it or not, he was fishing do-nothing, muddy clay creek banks in 5 feet or less. He had no idea why the fish were there (the water temp was no warmer). His two best baits were a custom balsa crankbait and a Livingston Lures prototype crankbait given to him by Jacob Powroznik.

Jason Christie’s pattern was fishing creek docks that had “nothing in common.” It was all about covering water. He fished a 1/2-oz Booyah Boo Jig (brown) with a YUM Craw Papi (green pumpkin)

Keith Combs keyed on bridge riprap, channel-swing banks, and steep banks with rock and stumps. He fished a Strike King Pro Model Lucky Shad (crawdad), and reeled it very slowly, “pulling the rod a lot.” His fish were 8 feet and shallower.

Mark Davis was still recovering from shoulder surgery, so he didn’t fish the lake before cutoff and in the tournament had to fish a spinning rod. He used it to crank rock points and channel swings up creeks with a Strike King 1.5 Flat crankbait (chartreuse/brown back). The key was deep water close by. He also used a 1/2-oz Strike King Denny Brauer Structure Jig (green pumpkin) with a Rage Menace trailer (green pumpkin).

Ott DeFoe’s main technique was “tight-lining” a 3-inch Berkley Power Bait Jerk Shad (watermelon pearl) on 3/16- and 3/8-oz VMC jigheads. He fished it on a tight line on points, steep banks and docks in creek coves and pockets. His fish were shallower, in 5-12 feet.

Todd Faircloth fished mid-lake and down-lake creeks, channel-swing points with rock. All his fish came on a Strike King Pro Model Lucky Shad (orange bream).

Day 1, Brett Hite’s fish came off docks. The next two days they were all from secondary and main lake points with brush, 8-50 feet. He dropshotted a Yamamoto Pro Senko (morning dawn) and a Roboworm (red crawler), and wacky-rigged a Yamamoto Senko (smoke purple/pearl belly, purple/copper and elextric shad) with a tungsten nail weight in the head. Yep, he waited for that Senko to drop all the way down, but said it didn’t take that long. He saw most of his fish on his electronics.

Randy Howell was fishing the exact same way he won the last Classic: cranking riprap (mostly) with his signature Livingston Lures Howeller crankbait (Guntersville craw). He fished up the Seneca River. The keys were fishing slowly, and paralleling the riprap to hit the bigger rocks in 8-10 feet.

Ike spent the first hour of each morning looking for herring. When he found them, he fished the new Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbait (moss back shiner) with “slow, small twitches” in the very backs of pockets. After that it was all about slowly dragging a 3/4-oz prototype Missile Jigs football jig with a Berkley Havoc Pit Chunk (both green pumpkin) on ledges in 20-40 feet with brush â “where the deepest water touches something,” he said.

A Strike King Swim’n Caffeine Shad (green pumpkin and ghost shad) on a 1/4-oz jighead fished around visible main lake and creek structure/cover was the deal for David Kilgore, who likes to fish shallow. Structure included “anything” shallow â stumps, rocks,rock points, laydowns and more. Interestingly, he got several aggressive bites in that cold water, but the bass swam right at him.

A main lake ditch (in 19 feet) with rocks was Chris Lane’s main spot. He fished it with 1/2- and 1-oz horseheads tipped with a soft jerkbait, and a Luck-E-Strike American Series crankbait (red crawdad).

Bobby Lane said he fished “everywhere you could imagine.” But his two best spots were a dock and a deep roadbed â or actually a few hundred yards off that roadbed. His main baits were a Yo-Zuri crankbait (red craw) fished all over, a 4-inch Berkley Havoc Craw Fatty (green pumpkin) flipped around the dock, and a fish-head spin.

Brandon Lester fished channel bends with rocks and laydowns way upriver. His main bait was a 3/16-oz shaky head with a Zoom Finesse Worm (gourd green).

Jared Lintner weighed most of his fish on two 3/4-oz jigs: an Eco Pro Tungsten jig (for rocks) and a G Money Fooball Jig. Both were pb&j-colored with twin-tail grubs (smoke/purple flake). He explained that the tungsten jig makes a different sound when it hits rocks. His fish were in 30-40 feet in main-river creek mouths, and the key was dragging the jig until it contacted rocks or brush. When that happened, he’d shake the jig and then get bit.

Justin Lucas had one magic dock where he caught almost all his fish from. He couldn’t figure out why they were there, but one big rock was beneath it. He fished a 5-inch worm (green/purple flake) and a 6-inch Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper (green pumpkin/gold flake) on a 1/4-oz shaky head.

Mike McClelland jerkbaited creek docks near deep water for the first hour of each morning with a Spro McStick 110 (natural herring). After that he went deep, fishing main lake pockets that had drains near deep water with “mounds” of cover, like. For that he used 3/8- and 1/2-oz horseheads tipped with a 3.5-inch Cabela’s Swim Minnow (grey ghost).

Paul Mueller has finished 2nd and 12th in two consecutive Classics â stout. At Hartwell, he chased herring. Structure didn’t matter, but he was always fishing in 30 feet. He dropshotted a 4-inch Reins Bubble Shaker (kito kito shad and bluegill) and slow-rolled a 4″ Reins Fat Rock Vibe Shad (natural pro blue). He rigged that swimbait on a 1/2-oz jighead he poured himself using a Do-It Mold. The last day he also fished a 1/2-oz Hopkins Shorty spoon that had a quad hook on the bottom and a stinger on top.

James Niggemeyer fished rock and docks in creeks with two baits: a balsa crankbait, and a 3/8-oz Strike King Hack Attack Jig and chunk (both green pumpkin). Keys were cranking slow and feeling for the jig bite on the fall. Fish were in 6 feet or less.

Takahiro Omori said he hated everything about fishing this Classic â fishing deep, fishing slow, cold water â but he adapted. He dropshotted a Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm (green pumpkin) and dragged a 3/4-oz football jig with a Yamamoto Double Tail (both green pumpkin) on main lake points in 40 feet with standing timber.

Brandon Palaniuk focused on shallow docks in mid-lake drains and steeper pockets. He fished a Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbait (moss back shiner).

Cliff Pirch fished differently every day, “around all kinds of stuff,” mostly deep. His main baits were a dropshotted Roboworm (pro blue neon and other colors), and a 3/4-oz Cliff Pirch Outdoors football jig (clay bank orange) with an Uncle Josh Meat trailer (purple) which he hopped.

Jacob Powroznik, JP, J-Pow, J-Proz…whatever you want to call him, he maybe coulda, woulda won this Classic without the Day 1 delay. In other words, he was on ’em, but just the first hour of the morning. His spot was in 30 to 40 feet with standing timber, brush and rocks. He mostly fished a 7/16-ounce fish head spin custom-made by Ryan Coleman of SpotSticker Baits with a soft jerkbait (both white), but also used a white swimbait on 1/2- and 3/4-ounce heads and a 1/2-ounce V&M football jig with a V&M Chopstick (green pumpkin).

Skeet’s best pattern was fishing the shade lines of creek docks…which is why he didn’t do so well on the final two days when it was cloudy. His fish were in 6 to 8 feet. Baits he used were a 4-inch Berkley Rib Shad and a 4-inch Berkley Havoc Sick Fish, both on a 1/4-ounce diamond jighead. He used bluegill, green pumpkin and chartreuse shad colors.

Dean Rojas’ dock fish spread out with the cloud cover, but he stuck with his pattern. His main baits were a Big Bite Cane Stick stickbait (brown/purple/green) and a hand-poured worm (green/blue/brown bottom) fished on a 1/8-ounce shaky head. He said he wasn’t doing anything special â “just shaking it” â brush didn’t matter, and his fish were in anywhere from 5 to 30 feet.

The shallowest standing tree in ditches at the mouths of main lake pockets is what Kevin Short concentrated on. He fished a 1-ounce Jewel Scuba Spoon (lavender shad). “I showed it to a bunch of them, but they were all giving me the finger,” he joked.

Randall Tharp stuck with main-lake docks in 10 to 25 feet and a Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbait (moss back shiner) the whole tournament. He fished slow, but made only three casts per dock: each side, and then down the front.

Believe it or not, Jacob Wheeler’s best bait was an ice-fishing bait: a Rapala Jigging Rap (glow). He fished that, a Fish Stalker Pro Shad Spin (horsehead) and a dropshot in 13-40 feet in mid-lake pockets and ditches. He also fished the new Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbait (moss back shiner) shallow around herring in creeks.

Stephen Browning concentrated on creek channel swing banks with chunk rock. He kept his boat in 10 to 12 feet and cast at the bank. His fish came from 3 to 7 feet. His best bait was a prototype LiveTarget crawfish crankbait (red).

John Crews dropshotted a red Roboworm on stumps along a creek channel. He only got bit on a 50-yard stretch during a 30-minute period during the middle of the day.

The Cajun Sensation Cliff Crochet had two patterns. One was cranking steep banks at the mouths of creeks and on the main river near good drops. For that he used Luck-E-Strike Series 3 and Series 2 crankbaits (shad). The other pattern was skipping 3/8- and 1/2-ounce Chatterbaits (white, with a white Zoom Speed Craw) under docks in 4 to 10 feet. He let the Chatterbait drop to the bottom and then pulled it up “just enough to make it flutter.”

Troy Diede stayed in the main lake, using a shaky head on rock and wood. Rigged on his 1/8-ounce head was a Zoom Trick Worm (green pumpkin candy).

Paul Elias fished the new Mann’s Reel N’ Shad swimbait (Hartwell special) for schooling fish chasing bait. He used a 1/4-ounce jighead.

Edwin Evers fished channel swings and secondary points in creeks in 10 to 20 feet â rocks and laydowns were key structure. His arsenal: a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait (pro blue, 5- to 6-second pause), a 7/16-ounce finesse jig (brown) with Zoom Critter Craw (green pumpkin), and a Megabass Diving Slap Slap (pro blue).

Shin Fukae’s areas were brush and docks in creeks and the main lake in 5 to 20 feet. He used a new Yamamoto California Roll on a 1/8-ounce shaky head.

Brandon keyed on docks with brush in about 18 feet up the Tugaloo River. “They all looked the same,” he said. “You’d fish 100, then there’d be seven fish under one dock.” He had no idea why that was the case. His main baits were 1/2- and 3/4-ounce Hot Shot football jigs (pb&j) with a 4-inch Yamamoto Double Tail (dark pumpkin).

Greg Hackney fished a jig (surprise!): a 1-oz Strike King Denny Brauer Structure Jig with a Strike King Rage Craw (both candy craw). He fished channel-swing ledges in creeks â “it helped if there was wood” â in 35 to 45 feet.

Matt Herren looked for big isolated rock and big stumps on long main lake points (mid-lake). He fished “stupidly slow” with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (green pumpkin) on a 5/16-ounce shaky head. He said his Lakemaster map was key for finding the right areas.

Teb Jones fished the main lake and the Seneca River in 20 to 45 feet. He dragged a 3/4-ounce V&M Pacemaker football jig (Delta melon and burnt pumpkin) with a V&M Wild Thang (green pumpkin candy) in treetops, brushpiles and chunk rock.

Bill Lowen fished channel swings with rock nearby in creek arms. He kept it pretty shallow: 6 to 8 feet. His two main baits were a 1/4-ounce shakey head with a 6-inch straight-tail worm (watermelon candy) and a shad-colored balsa crankbait weighted with Storm SuspenDots.

Jeff Lugar focused on pockets off creeks â brushpiles, and docks with brush. He fished a 7-inch Z-Man Finesse WormZ (green pumpkin) on a 3/16-ounce shakey head.

Steve Lund fished brush in coves up Sadlers Creek. His bait was a Zoom Magnum Finesse Worm (watermelon pepper) on a 1/8-oz shakey head. Key was shaking the worm in the brush.

Aaron Martens had a tough tournament, but persevered. Day One he fished deep, but Day 2 he fished a 4.5-inch Roboworm (Aaron’s magic) on 3/16- and 1/4-oz shakey heads. He fished really slowly: “Shake the weight, not the bait.” He looked for hard bottom in big creeks, and focused on 8-12 feet.

Andy Montgomery fished main-lake ditches in 35-40 feet with no other structure. He used a 3/4-oz Strike King Denny Brauer Structure Jig (pb&j) with a Strike King Range Bug (green pumpkin).

Chad Morgenthaler fished the Tugaloo River from the mouth to the 85 bridge. He focused on docks, as well as secondary points and 45-degree channel-swing banks with chunk rock. He paralleled the cover and structure casts with a #8 Rapala Shad Rap (Ike’s blue back herring).

Lots of folks thought this Classic lined up well for Cliff Pace, but it didn’t happen for him this time. Still, he did catch fish â in the back halves of major creeks up the Seneca River. He looked for rocks in 8-25 feet, and crawled his signature 1/2-oz V&M Adrenaline football jig (crawdad) with a V&M Mudbug trailer (green pumpkin).

Chad Pipkens fished the first break in the backs of pockets up the Seneca River, between the bridges. His fish were in 25-30 feet â some suspended â and he fished for them two ways: with a Damiki Armor Shad (shad) on a 3/8-oz head, and dropshotting a Po Boys DS Darter (green pumpkin).

Brett Preuett fished docks in 10-15 feet in the backs of creek coves. Key was covering water. He “power-shotted” with a Roboworm (Aaron’s morning dawn) on a dropshot rig, and also fished a Creme Reel Scremer swimbait (smokin’ shad) on a 3/8-oz head.

Cliff Prince looked for dingy water in creeks, and fished around whatever rock he could find in 10-20 feet. His main bait was a 1/4-oz Scrounger jighead with a Yum Breaking Shad (white pearl). He let it hit the bottom, and slow-rolled it back.

Scott Rook fished rock banks in creeks up the Seneca River. His fish were in 4-8 feet, and he caught them with two baits: a #8 Rapala Shad Rap (shad), and a 1/2-oz Jewel Jig (green pumpkin) with a Zoom Super Chunk Jr (green pumpkin).

Morizo Shimizu banked on dropshotting main lake points with rocks and timber using a 4-inch Bait Breath straight worm (watermelon) on a dropshot rig.

Brian Snowden fished a well-known cold-water bait â a Storm Wiggle Wart (natural green craw) â on steep creek banks with laydowns. Most bites were at the ends of the laydowns in 6-12 feet. He also caught a few fish with a 3/8-oz Pig Sticker jig (brown/orange) and Zoom Critter Craw (green pumpkin) fished in brush by shallow docks.

Van Soles thought he’d get bit on 1/2-oz and 3/4-oz jigs on deep timber, but he couldn’t make it work. He thought that maybe his fished left with the bait.

Gerald the G-Man Swindle looked for rock on the steepest banks he could find, and made long casts parallel to the bank with a #7 Rapala Shad Rap (crawdad). Interestingly, he used mono to slow down his hookset. “With fluorocarbon, my reflexes are too fast” to hook sluggish fish in that cold water, he said.

David Walker did something no one else did: He fished bluff walls upriver. He hopped a 1/2-oz Z-Man Project Z jig (brown) with a Z-man BatwingZ trailer (green pumpkin). His fish were in 10 feet but the bluff dropped off to 25 feet. He noted that laydowns were there, but the fish weren’t relating to them.

Andy Young fished wind-blown, rocky, secondary points in 5-8 feet with three baits: a #8 Rapala Shad Rap (crawdad), a Biovex Stay80 jerkbait (shad color) and Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait (shad color).

Before every Classic and Elite event, I use BassGold.com to predict the winning and high-placing patterns and weights. Bait-wise for the Classic, BassGold showed worm/Senko (like on shakey heads), crankbaits and jigs in that order. Those weren’t the winning bait, but for most of the field that was right on. Location was shoreline and offshore about equally, which was the case. The best habitats were wood/brush and ledge/drop/ditch, which indicated a better deep bite, which was true as well. BassGold pegged the winning weight at 16-17 pounds per day, and that â for the fourth Classic in a row â was dead on. It also showed that in this tournament, the winner would win by at least 3 pounds, also dead on. Data doesn’t lie!