Mark Rose dominated the recent Pickwick FLW Tour with a ledge pattern. He fished ledges along the main Tennessee River channel and his key was a school of fish that bit late in the day when the current began to move.

Here's how the rest of the Top-5 finishers caught their fish.



2nd: Kevin Snider

> Day 1: 5, 15-11
> Day 2: 5, 16-10
> Day 3: 5, 18-13
> Day 4: 5, 21-08
> Total = 20, 72-10

Kevin Snider's a Kentucky Lake stud and along with Rose is widely regarded as one of the best ledge-fishermen on the FLW Tour. Snider finished 2nd at Kentucky Lake last month, and 2nd again at Pickwick. But he didn't fish main-river ledges at Pickwick – he focused on a hump in Bear Creek.

He ultimately might have threatened Rose for the win if not for a slow start, which was the result of lost spoon-fish the first 2 days.

Snider noted: "The (main) pattern at the event was definitely ledges, but in this day and age, with all the technology and GPS maps, and that many fishermen on a lake as small as Pickwick, people are going to find the spots. So rather than get out there and butt heads, I thought I had to find something else that didn't rely on current.

"I decided to go back in Bear and I found four or five spots, but one was real special. It was 10 or 12 feet on top and it was a gradual deal. It was away from shore, but it was pretty much shore-related. I'd say it was probably a hump. It was wide and gradual though."

He caught 17 pounds by 8:00 there on day 4 with no current to speak of.

He also had one more "special" spot in Bear that was "a river-related thing that wasn't that deep."

He threw spoons the first 2 days and lost a lot of fish. When he switched to a jig he was able to keep them buttoned up.

One of his spoons was a 2-ounce "generic" spoon, the other was a flutter spoon sold by Bass Pro Shops. He threw both on Falcon Cara rods, Shimano Curado reels and Gamma Edge fluorocarbon.

His jig was a 3/4-ounce homemade model in green-pumpkin, tipped with a green-pumpkin Prowler trailer.

  • Main factor in his success – "Finding some fish that weren't current-related."

  • Performance edge - "It would have to be my homemade jig. That thing generated bites like crazy and I didn't lose fish."

    3rd: Robbie Dodson

    > Day 1: 5, 19-14
    > Day 2: 5, 15-02
    > Day 3: 5, 18-14
    > Day 4: 5, 17-09
    > Total = 20, 71-07

    Arkansas pro Robbie Dodson fished ledges, but he described several of them as "just rounded points – secondary ledges, you could say. I'd say most of my fish were in 25 to 30 feet. I could feel the shellbeds up on top in a lot of the places and I think the fish were suspending just off the ledge. When the worm fell off the ledge, I'd kind of let it freefall and then I'd get a bite. I was only getting six or seven bites a day."

    Worm gear: 7'1" heavy-action G. Loomis GLX rod, Shimano Chronarch casting reel, 15-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce tungsten weight, 5/0 offset Owner hook, 10" Luck "E" Strike Sneaky Snake (Motoroil) and 9 1/2" Guido Ringer (plum) worms.

    > He caught two crankbait fish the final day.

  • Main factor in his success – "Having 1 more day to practice. I think I just proved to myself on that last day that I needed to fish slower. I had a shallow pattern going too, but the fish weren't as big. At about noon I pulled onto this place and caught three 5-pounders. Then I knew I had good fish and I knew I'd fish a worm the rest of the tournament."

  • Performance edge – "The worms."

    4th: Lance Vick

    > Day 1: 5, 18-05
    > Day 2: 5, 17-01
    > Day 3: 5, 14-11
    > Day 4: 5, 17-13
    > Total = 20, 67-14

    Texas pro Lance Vick shared a main-river ledge with 5th-place Boo Woods, although they didn't share the exact same spot. Vick noted that "Woods had the sweet spot," while Vick himself fished more to the sides.

    "I never even graphed over where he (Woods) was fishing," Vick said. "I didn't want to get in his water. I was fishing the high spots and the point on the other end, and I never really knew what he was fishing, but I watched him catch a lot of fish."

    Vick caught most of his big fish on a crank over the first 3 days, but supplemented his catch with a Carolina-rig. He also caught some spoon-fish and on the final day he threw a swimbait.

    > Crankbait gear: 7'10" Quantum Tour KVD cranking rod, unnamed casting reel, 12-pound unnamed mono, Strike King 6XDS (sexy shad and other shad colors).

    > Spoon gear: 7' heavy-action rod, casting reel, 20-pound fluorocarbon, Lake Fork Trophy Lures Flutter spoon (gold).

    His Carolina-rig bait was a 4 1/2" GrandeBass RattleSnake.

  • Main factor in his success – "I like to fish offshore and ledges but I knew I had to find something off the wall. I found one spot that was loaded with fish with no one around and I knew I had a home base for 3 days."

  • Performance edge – "It was my StructureScan electronics and I also deployed a HydroWave unit. I believe in the technology."

    5th: Boo Woods

    > Day 1: 5, 20-07
    > Day 2: 5, 18-09
    > Day 3: 5, 13-05
    > Day 4: 5, 15-04
    > Total = 20, 67-09

    Here's what Boo Woods had to say about the "sweet spot" that Vick referenced: "The deal I had going was a little different than most people. It was kind of a hump. On one side of it there was nothing but shells – big shells, the size of your hand. On the other side it was nothing but brushpiles. Somebody did a real good job of making brushpiles on this spot. Then right down the middle of the hump there was a 2-foot ditch.

    "I'd catch them in the ditch in the morning, then back off in the afternoon and catch them on the sells and brush. At one time I saw 40 to 60 4- to 6-pounders come up busting shad everywhere. I never saw so many big fish in my life."

    He threw a spoon in the ditch and a worm on the brush and shells.

    > Spoon gear: 7'3" heavy-action H&H Custom rod, Abu Garcia Revo SX casting reel, 17-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon, 5" Lake Fork Trophy Lures Flutter spoon.

    > Worm gear: 7'3" medium-heavy H&H Custom rod, Abu Garcia Revo Premier casting reel, 15-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Slong's Jigs Football shakey-head, Zoom Magnum Ultravibe Speed worm (junebug).

  • Main factor in his success – "I love fishing deep and if we could have all the tournaments all year long fishing deep water, I think my success rate would be sky-high."

  • Performance edge – "My Lowrance HDS-10 with the DownScan and StructureScan. If I didn't see them on that, I didn't stop and fish."

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