Former Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bradley Hallman of Norman, Okla., weighed a 22-04 sack on Saturday to win the Grand Lake Central Rayovac with a 3-day total of 65-15.
“I had an absolute great week this week,” he said. “My wife and kids made it out to the weigh-in today to watch me and this whole experience has just been really special.
“I was sight-fishing all week. I came back home after the Rayovac tournament on Sam Rayburn last weekend and jumped into a local tournament. So many fish were on beds, so I knew that would be huge player in this tournament. I spent my entire practice just looking for fish on beds and if I found one that looked 4 pounds or better, I’d mark it.”
The strategy definitely paid off as he started the event with 107 waypoints to target.
“Today it was raining pretty good and I knew that it would make it really tough to sight-fish, but I really felt like I could catch them on a Zara Spook,” Hallman said. “I have a ton of confidence in that bait. As soon as I picked it up and started throwing it this morning I caught a 4-pounder, and I kept getting bit. Two of the fish that I weighed in came on a white Spook and I think that decision really turned out to be the key to my win.”
Full details of his winning pattern will be published in the coming days.
Below are the final numbers for the Top 10:
1. Bradley Hallman: 65-15
2. Jonathan Henry: 60-11
3. Matt Arey: 59-06
4. Todd Castledine: 58-13
5. Jason Christie: 57-06
6. Robbie Dodson: 56-07
7. James Watson: 52-12
8. Jeremy Lawyer: 52-09
9. Dylan Hays: 51-01
10. Brandon Perkins: 50-09
