John Crews got a more-than-fair number of bites on day 1 of the 2016 Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake. His landing percentage, however, left much to be desired.
"I went out on Friday and got 13 bites, but I only (boated) three of them," the veteran pro from Virginia said. "I'm still not 100-percent sure why they were short-striking everything so bad. I was throwing a spinnerbait, a ChatterBait and a crankbait.
"It seemed like the harder the bait would thump, the more bites I had."
With that in mind, he changed up his crankbait program for day 2, switching from a Spro Little John to a Fat John on 14-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon line. The result was fewer strikes, but more fish in the livewell.
He was in 40th place after weighing a three-fish, 7-02 sack on day 1. He climbed 23 places the following day with a 16-10 stringer.
"I think it was the Fat John more than anything else," he said. "Even though I didn't get as many bites, I was able to hook up and land them. I caught five keepers and three shorts that day, and I only had one short strike."
The crankbait produced only small fish on the final day, so he switched to the Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer. It enticed all four of his keepers, plus a quality fish that got away, as he settled for a 20th-place finish.
The Sunline Strong Performer, which focuses on the angler who makes the most significant single-day move in the standings at each tour-level event, is brought to you by the great people at Sunline.
