Bushes Produced Key Bites For Dodson

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

After enduring what he termed a “disappointing” 38th-place finish at the Table Rock FLW Tour Major, Robbie Dodson took his frustrations out on Bull Shoals Lake last week, capturing the first Central EverStart of the season at the northern Arkansas reservoir. The Harrison, Ark., angler, regarded as one of the top sticks in the Ozarks, caught 44-01 over 3 days, eclipsing 14 pounds each day to register his third career EverStart win and second in 2 years.

“It never gets old,” he said of winning, especially around home. “I don’t think I ever get tired of it. This one probably ranks near the top because the time I won on Norfork [Lake in 2008] and last year on Table Rock, those were I don’t if I should say expected, but those tournaments I really knew how it should be won. This time, it was more about just fishing hard and having everything come together.

“How I won isn’t actually my style of fishing. The lake’s full of good fish. Actually, that’s a pretty low weight for what I thought it would take. For some reason, we could hardly catch them.”

Here’s how he did it.

Practice

While Dodson has had success at Table Rock and Norfork in the past, he considers Bull Shoals his home waters. But coming off the Table Rock Major, he had a poor practice since he came into the event with an idea of how it was going to fish.

“I’d planned on trying to catch staging fish in the mouths of creeks and coves and fish in 15 to 20 feet, but I just could never get bit there,” he said. “I pretty well fished out deep and couldn’t get on anything. Actually, I probably had one of the worst practices I’ve ever had.”

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 14-11
> Day 2: 5, 14-09
> Day 3: 5, 14-13
> Total = 15, 44-01

Scrapping his practice strategy, Dodson spent day 1 of the tournament flipping a crawfish bait in bushes in East and West Sugarloaf creeks, boxing a 14-11 limit by the end of the day, good enough for 2nd place behind Dave Crisenbery. He’d start at the mouth of the creeks and work the banks all the way to the back.

By the middle of day 2 when he fished Shoal Creek, he noticed the water had begun falling at a steady rate and the fish, in turn, were pulling out of the bushes. He adjusted on the fly and rigged up a flipping jig with the same crawfish bait he was using on day 1. Casting in front of the bushes and focusing on the 3- to 10-feet depth range, he weighed 14-09 to take over the lead with 29-04.

He said there were plenty of fish moving onto beds, but with the lake level coming down it forced them into deeper water.

He fished Trimble Creek and a large cove on day 3 to put together a 14-13 sack to clinch the win and become the only angler in the field to crack the 40-pound mark. His 14-ounce lead at the start of the day turned into a 4 1/2-pound winning margin. He again had to adjust on the final day as the water continued to fall.

“It just kept pulling the fish off the bank and by (day 3), I had to catch them all from about where the bushes ended out to 5 feet in front of the bushes,” he added. “It seemed like if you could find a 45-degree rock chunk in the bushes, that’s where it was better.”

While his near 3-pound average per fish won him the event, he never got a kicker bite that would have gained him additional separation from the field.

“They were all littermates,” he said, noting he caught between 30 and 40 keepers on days 1 and 2 and 20 on day 3. “You catch so many and you get tired trying to cull because they’re all the same size. After you cull about 10, you just start turning them loose unless you could tell it was a better fish.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Flipping gear: 7’6” extra-heavy Duckett Fishing Micro Magic casting rod, Shimano Calcutta casting reel (6.2:1 ratio), 25-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS Signature Series Fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce Bass Pro Shops tungsten flipping weight, 2/0 Gamakatsu flipping hook, 2.5” Luck “E” Strike Fighting Craw (green bamboo).

> Casting gear: 7’ extra-heavy Duckett Fishing Micro Magic casting rod, same reel, 15- pound Bass Pro Shops XPS Signature Series fluorocarbon line, skirtless 5/16-ounce Luck “E” Strike flipping jig, same bait.

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – “Just going up there and fishing instead of running. I pretty much knew the fish live there. I just figured out how to catch. Once I got up there, I pretty well started at the mouth of one of those creeks not ever pull my trolling motor up, just fish whereever I came to.”

> Performance edge – “None.”

Final Standings

Field Size: 77 boats

1. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 14-11 (5) -- 14-09 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 44-01 (15) -- $22,026 + boat

2. Zach King -- Clarksville, Ar -- 14-06 (5) -- 13-08 (5) -- 11-11 (5) -- 39-09 (15) -- $7,552

3. Ray Meredith -- Smiths Grove, Ky -- 13-12 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 39-07 (15) -- $6,293

4. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, Al -- 12-12 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 13-07 (5) -- 39-00 (15) -- $5,664

5. Rich Dalbey -- Greenville, Tx -- 12-00 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 38-07 (15) -- $5,035

6. Shane Long -- Springfield, Mo -- 13-00 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 37-14 (15) -- $4,405

7. Robert Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 12-00 (5) -- 13-13 (5) -- 11-13 (5) -- 37-10 (15) -- $3,776

8. Lance Williams -- Billings, Mo -- 12-06 (5) -- 12-14 (5) -- 10-02 (5) -- 35-06 (15) -- $3,147

9. Frank Clark -- Benton, Il -- 8-05 (4) -- 16-04 (5) -- 10-10 (5) -- 35-03 (14) -- $2,517

10. Dave Crisenbery -- Flippin, Ar -- 15-07 (5) -- 11-11 (5) -- 7-10 (3) -- 34-12 (13) -- $1,888

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Mike Foree -- Osage Beach, Mo -- 14-06 (5) -- 10-03 (5) -- 24-09 (10) -- $1,259

12. Lance Ricketts -- Madisonville, Ky -- 13-01 (5) -- 11-08 (5) -- 24-09 (10) -- $1,259

13. Keith Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 4-09 (3) -- 19-15 (5) -- 24-08 (8) -- $1,259

14. Larry Caldwell -- Saint Peters, Mo -- 14-06 (5) -- 9-15 (5) -- 24-05 (10) -- $1,259

15. Rick Lapoint -- Springfield, Mo -- 10-11 (5) -- 13-07 (5) -- 24-02 (10) -- $1,259

16. Matt Robertson -- Central City, Ky -- 12-07 (5) -- 11-09 (5) -- 24-00 (10) -- $944

17. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 12-14 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 23-12 (10) -- $944

18. Ed Young -- Harrison, Ar -- 11-06 (5) -- 12-05 (5) -- 23-11 (10) -- $944

19. Cody Malone -- Sulphur Springs, Tx -- 13-15 (5) -- 9-09 (5) -- 23-08 (10) -- $944

20. Roger Harp -- Huntsville, Ar -- 10-05 (5) -- 13-03 (5) -- 23-08 (10) -- $944

21. Bobby Curtis -- Siloam Springs, Ar -- 11-02 (5) -- 12-00 (5) -- 23-02 (10) -- $881

22. Zack Bull -- Arlington, Tn -- 11-13 (5) -- 11-05 (5) -- 23-02 (10) -- $881

22. Hunter Snell -- Jonesboro, Ar -- 11-13 (5) -- 11-05 (5) -- 23-02 (10) -- $881

24. Jeff Farley -- Ozark, Mo -- 11-11 (5) -- 11-04 (5) -- 22-15 (10) -- $881

25. Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tn -- 11-14 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 22-12 (10) -- $881

26. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 10-13 (5) -- 11-13 (5) -- 22-10 (10) -- $818

27. Steve Ruff -- Wentzville, Mo -- 11-05 (5) -- 11-05 (5) -- 22-10 (10)

28. Terry Tretsven -- Lindstrom, Mn -- 11-03 (5) -- 11-04 (5) -- 22-07 (10)

29. Joe Bennett -- Independence, Mo -- 13-08 (5) -- 8-12 (4) -- 22-04 (9)

30. John Holmes -- Lake Tomahawk, Wi -- 12-09 (5) -- 8-15 (4) -- 21-08 (9)

31. Tom Murphy -- Richland, Mo -- 10-13 (5) -- 10-11 (5) -- 21-08 (10)

32. Jason Lieblong -- Conway, Ar -- 11-04 (5) -- 10-01 (5) -- 21-05 (10)

33. Paul Brunson -- Mountain Home, Ar -- 8-15 (4) -- 12-03 (5) -- 21-02 (9)

34. Andy Smith -- Pewaukee, Wi -- 10-01 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 21-02 (10)

35. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 11-00 (5) -- 9-08 (5) -- 20-08 (10)

36. Eric Schultz -- Minnetonka, Mn -- 12-11 (5) -- 6-14 (3) -- 19-09 (8)

37. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 12-03 (5) -- 7-03 (3) -- 19-06 (8)

38. Deno Ek -- Perry, Mo -- 7-07 (5) -- 11-12 (5) -- 19-03 (10)

39. Ladd Shannon -- Atkins, Ar -- 10-06 (5) -- 8-10 (5) -- 19-00 (10)

40. James Christian -- Dickson, Tn -- 7-08 (4) -- 11-02 (5) -- 18-10 (9)

41. Matthew Jones -- Spokane, Mo -- 4-14 (3) -- 13-06 (5) -- 18-04 (8)

42. Brandon Hunter -- Benton, Ky -- 12-02 (5) -- 6-01 (4) -- 18-03 (9)

43. Larry Gragg, Jr. -- Pine Bluff, Ar -- 4-15 (2) -- 13-01 (5) -- 18-00 (7)

44. Patrick Stines -- Granger, In -- 4-00 (2) -- 13-09 (5) -- 17-09 (7)

45. Greg Schultz -- Wayzata, Mn -- 5-14 (3) -- 11-09 (5) -- 17-07 (8)

46. Tim Brogan -- Arpin, Wi -- 7-09 (4) -- 9-08 (5) -- 17-01 (9)

47. Ronald Cherkas -- Grimes, Ia -- 10-09 (5) -- 5-06 (3) -- 15-15 (8)

48. Chuck Loerzel -- Yorkville, Il -- 5-15 (2) -- 9-15 (5) -- 15-14 (7)

49. Mark Goines -- Shady Point, Ok -- 10-12 (5) -- 4-05 (2) -- 15-01 (7)

50. Peter Cherkas -- Grimes, Ia -- 3-00 (2) -- 11-14 (5) -- 14-14 (7)

51. Eddy May -- Valley Center, Ks -- 10-08 (5) -- 4-01 (3) -- 14-09 (8)

52. Scott Dooley -- Columbia, Mo -- 0-00 (4) -- 13-15 (5) -- 13-15 (9)

53. Bub Taylor -- Tontitown, Ar -- 7-06 (4) -- 6-09 (3) -- 13-15 (7)

54. Scott Nelson -- Lake Ozark, Mo -- 11-10 (5) -- 2-03 (1) -- 13-13 (6)

55. Dennis Edmonds -- Centennial, Co -- 10-12 (5) -- 3-01 (2) -- 13-13 (7)

56. Randall Hutson -- Washburn, Mo -- 8-12 (4) -- 4-14 (3) -- 13-10 (7)

57. Jeremy Lindley -- Wynne, Ar -- 2-10 (1) -- 10-15 (5) -- 13-09 (6)

58. Ken Young -- Saint Louis, Mo -- 9-09 (5) -- 3-05 (2) -- 12-14 (7)

59. Ronnie Lawson -- Hollister, Mo -- 1-08 (1) -- 11-05 (5) -- 12-13 (6)

60. Gary Isgrigg -- Mt. Washington, Ky -- 10-07 (5) -- 2-01 (1) -- 12-08 (6)

61. Tim Janke -- Janesville, Wi -- 4-13 (3) -- 6-12 (3) -- 11-09 (6)

62. Darrell West -- Drasco, Ar -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-01 (5) -- 11-01 (5)

63. Sean McBee -- Sibley, Mo -- 4-01 (2) -- 6-15 (3) -- 11-00 (5)

64. Kirk Warren -- Russellville, Ar -- 6-02 (3) -- 4-14 (2) -- 11-00 (5)

65. Calvin Horn -- Mountain Home, Ar -- 7-04 (3) -- 3-00 (1) -- 10-04 (4)

66. Kelly Owens -- Crowley, La -- 4-10 (2) -- 5-01 (3) -- 9-11 (5)

67. Sam Rosefsky -- Morris, Il -- 1-11 (1) -- 7-10 (3) -- 9-05 (4)

68. Shane Melton -- Greentown, In -- 3-15 (3) -- 4-08 (2) -- 8-07 (5)

69. Seth Brown -- Mount Vernon, In -- 4-04 (2) -- 3-07 (2) -- 7-11 (4)

70. Michael Fiedler -- Richland, Mo -- 4-04 (2) -- 2-03 (1) -- 6-07 (3)

71. Rodney Ply -- Diamond City, Ar -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-05 (2) -- 5-05 (2)

72. Doyle Isom Jr -- Bourbon, Mo -- 2-09 (1) -- 2-05 (1) -- 4-14 (2)

73. John (Jack) Morris Jr -- Robinson, Il -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-10 (3) -- 4-10 (3)

73. Ron Weiss -- Cotter, Ar -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-10 (3) -- 4-10 (3)

75. Don Dreiling -- Garden City, Ks -- 4-09 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-09 (2)

76. Izz Byrd -- San Jose, Ca -- 2-05 (1) -- 2-04 (2) -- 4-09 (3)

77. Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ar -- 4-06 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-06 (2)

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