Arizona pro Brett Hite caught a meager 7 1/2 pounds on the first day of the recent Okeechobee FLW Tour Open and found himself mired in 118th place in the 160-angler field. On day 2 he weighed a hefty 23-01 to move up to 29th and earn an $11,000 paycheck.
His 89-place improvement over the course of a single day made him the Sunline Strong Performer for the first tour-level event of 2012. That's fitting, since he's a member of the Sunline pro staff.
"What's funny is I did the same thing both days – I fished the same baits in the same spot," he said. "The only thing I can attribute it to is Florida bass are unlike any other bass in America.
"Anywhere else, on a day when it's 75 degrees and cloudy with a little bit of wind, the bass would be biting reaction baits like crazy. Not in Florida, though – they hide under those mats like babies. They're the most fair-weather fish I've ever seen."
He fished the outside edges of grasslines with a Texas-rigged Yamamoto Senko and a 1/8-ounce bullet weight attached to 20-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon.
"I honestly don't know what the difference was. My co-angler caught a 4-pounder and a 3 the first day, so I knew the fish were out there. I just couldn't get any good ones to bite.
"What really stumped me was in practice, the only fish I caught out there were good ones – anywhere from 3 pounds all the way up to 7 or 8."
The Sunline Strong Performer, which focuses on the angler who makes the most signifiant single-day move in the standings at each tour-level event, is brought to you by the great people at Sunline.
