Ott DeFoe caught an 8-07 bag from the Alabama River on Sunday to defeat Edwin Evers by 5 ounces, claiming the title and the $100,000 top prize in the finals of the Toyota Trucks All-Star Series.
“This is where I’ve wanted to be since I was a little kid,” said DeFoe, who was 4th in the Angler-of-the-Year race in his debut season on the Bassmaster Elite Series following 4 seasons on the FLW Tour. “This trophy will be cherished forever.”
B.A.S.S. reported that he traveled as far north on the river as competitors were allowed and focused on shallow water. He hit the mouth of the Walter Bouldin Dam canal hard, targeting spotted bass in current breaks as well as in patches of shade created by overhanging tree branches. He also traveled up the Coosa River to the Highway 14 bridge, navigating rocks and swift current. He even ventured up the Tallapoosa, another Alabama River tributary.
“Current was the key – the more the better, up to a point. Current positions the fish and dirties up the water a little bit, and that makes the fish less likely to be spooked.”
His baits included a Heddon Super Spook Jr. in a minnow finish and a 5-inch soft jerkbait. He credited Gerald Swindle, the pro he’d beaten in the semifinals the day before, with giving him a productive tip. Swindle told him to throw a finesse worm on a dropshot rig at a spot near the check-in. DeFoe tried it, and he upgraded his weight just before he came in.
Evers was tripped up Sunday by falling water that cut him off from a sweet spot he’d been saving for Sunday (except for a brief stop there in the quarterfinals on Friday). The water was so low, he couldn’t get his boat back into it. He gave up and continued on as far south as competitors were allowed to go (to the first dam), working shallow wood cover with a Yum Wooly Bug.
“I fished as hard as I know how,” Evers said. “When you have that rare opportunity to win, you need to take it. I just didn’t get it done.”
