All captions: Craig Lamb
Chris Johnston made it back-to-back Championship Sundays with a Ned rig and crankbait. That choice was the Evergreen Faith Jerkbait. He made the Ned Rig with a Keitech Swing Impact 3.3 FAT on 1/4-ounce ball head jig.
Clent Davis alternated between a wacky rigged worm and jerkbait. That choice was a Duel Hardcore Minnow Flat SP.
Stetson Blayock used a finesse approach on Lake Lanier. A 5-inch YUM Dinger rigged wacky style with a No. 1 Gamakatsu TGW Drop Shot Hook was a top producer. So was a 4.5-inch YUM Pulse swimbait rigged on 1/4-ounce jighead.
Brandon Card used a swimbait made for him by friend Bryan McGill. Card fished the namesake 3-inch BC Shad on a 3/8-ounce jighead. âThe smaller hook size was perfect for a small 3-inch swimbait, and the weight kept it in the 30-foot strike zone.â Card also used a generic 3-inch swimbait on the jighead.
âI pre-fished on Smith Lake (Alabama) and caught spotted bass fishing vertically from 40 to 60 feet and just transferred the pattern over here.â To get the job done Bill Weidler used a Dirty Jigs Matt Stefan Guppy Swimbait Jig Head. To that he rigged a 2.75-inch Z Man Finesse T.R.D. that is designed for wacky rigs and Ned rigs.
Todd Auten used the Livetarget Yearling Bait that suspends at depths of 4 feet. He chose Blue Chartreuse Shad until Championship Sunday, when he marked the sides of the lure with a red marker as the water turned dingy. He also used a 3/8-ounce Zorro Baits Booza Bug with 4-inch Zoom Super Speed Craw for a trailer.
âI targeted fish feeding on crawfish so the color was key,â said David Mullins. A Red Crawdad Rapala DT6 was the choice. âIt stayed in the 6- to 7-foot strike zone longer so that and the color were the reasons why I chose the crankbait.â Mullins also used a Megabass Ito Version 110 Jerkbait.
Two Strike King crankbaits and a shaky head produced for Keith Combs. He alternated between a Strike King Pro Model 3XD and 5XD depending on strike zone depth. âThe 3XD worked for my early bite when the fish were shallow up on the rocks.â
Chris Zaldain rotated through four finesse rigs to maximize his opportunities for spotted bass feeding on blueback herring. His primary lure was a 3-inch Megabass Spark Shad on a 3/8-ounce jighead. To that rig he also used a 4.2-inch Megabass Hazedong Shad.
Paul Mueller primarily relied on a swimbait with modifications made to the jig head. A 1/2-ounce Do-It Molds Herring Head with 3/0 Gamakatsu 111 Jig Hook in size 3/0 was the choice. Mueller removed the blade from the underspin-style jig. To that he added a 3.25 Reins Fat Rockvibe Shad. Mueller also used a 3/8-ounce Do It Molds Freestyle Jig Head with a No. 1 Mustad Hook. He added a 3-inch Reins Bubbling Shaker to complete the rig.
