Being from Arizona, Brett Hite is no stranger to deep, clear lakes.
Cayuga Lake, with its maximum depth of 435 feet, and gin-clear waters made Hite feel right at home during last week’s Elite Series event there. But Hite shunned the offshore options at Cayuga because the fish were ganged up in shallow vegetation – one his favorite scenarios on any lake.
Hite’s best spot last week was a narrow vein or strip of rock that ran through a large area covered in grass in roughly 10 feet of water. After catching 15-10 on day 1, he found himself in 66th place and in need of a rally on day 2 to get into contention for a paycheck.
He bagged 21-03 to move to 12th on day 2 and ultimately finished 3rd.
“Obviously, I have a lot of confidence fishing that way and its sets up for my favorite style of fishing,” he said, referring to his high rate of success with a vibrating jig in his hand. “It was a power-finesse pattern like on many of those northern lakes and that’s my strong point. It’s one of those 1-2 combinations that’s deadly up north.”
On day 1, he said several bigger fish showed themselves as he was reeling in smaller bass. He never could trigger the bigger fish to bite on the first day, but on day 2, he discovered the rock pile and figured those fish would be around there.
“I sensed the potential there and as soon as that happened, I knew there was something crazy special about that place,” he said. “Sometimes in a tournament, it’s hard to figure that out. Obviously, I unlocked the key on day 2.”
His key offerings were an Evergreen Jackhammer vibrating jig with a Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Zako trailer when it was breezy. When the water slicked off like it did Friday and Saturday, he went to finesse options – a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Kut Tail worm with a nail weight inserted in the head and also a Roboworm rigged on a dropshot. He used Sunline Super FC Sniper on all of his reels.
“Having the right cast and depth and knowing what they were holding on, I was able to put the pieces together,” he added.
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.
