Winningest Patterns: 2007 (cont.)
A Summary Of This Season's Winning Patterns

Photo: FLW Outdoors/Rob Newell Aaron Hastings kicked off the year with an FLW Tour win at Lake Travis where he finessed marinas.

What follows is a brief summary, in chronological order, of the techniques used to win each Bassmaster Elite Series and FLW Tour event in 2007.

Aaron Hastings, Travis FLW Tour (TX), Feb. 15–18
> Hastings concentrated on marinas and followed the fish out deeper throughout the event. He fished painfully slow with a mix of dropshots and jigs/tubes. He noted a single cast could take as long as 2 minutes.
> Tube gear: 6'6" medium-heavy G.Loomis spinning rod, Shimano Stradic 2500 spinning reel, 8-pound Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon line, 1/8-ounce homemade jighead, 3 1/2" Cabin Creek tube (smoke).
> Jig gear: 7'1" G.Loomis Senko Rod, Shimano Sustain 4000 spinning reel, 8-pound Vanish, 3/16-ounce Big Mouth Lures jig (black/brown/purple), Kinami double-tail grub trailer (cinnamon/purple). > Dropshot gear: 6'10" G.Loomis dropshot rod, Shimano Sustain 4000 spinning reel, 6-pound Vanish, 3/8-ounce generic lead dropshot weight, No. 1 Owner rigging hook, 5" Roboworm (Aaron's magic).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Boyd Duckett, Bassmaster Classic, Lay Lake (AL), Feb. 23–25
> Duckett pretty much threw everything at Lay Lake's fish – he flipped, cranked, dropshotted, and "finesse-flipped." It was a classic local scramble, and he put all the pieces together at the right times of day.
> Mat-flipping gear: 7'6" extra-heavy E21 rod, Abu Garcia Revo casting reel (7:1 gear ratio), 65-pound Stren Super Braid line, 1 1/2-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight (pegged), 4/0 Owner hook, Berkley PowerBait Chigger Craw (black/blue).
> Lipless crankbait gear: 7' medium-action E21 rod, same reel, 12-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap (chrome/black).
> Dropshot gear: 6'6" medium-heavy E21 rod, Abu Garcia Cardinal 804 spinning reel, 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 1/4-ounce Tru-Tungsten Convertible Drop Weight, 1/0 Owner hook, 6" Berkley Power Hand Pour Finesse worm (triple margarita).
> Finesse flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action E21 flipping stick, Abu Garcia Revo casting reel (7:1), 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 3/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight, 3/0 Owner hook, 7" Berkley Power worm (electric grape).
> He also caught one weigh-in fish on day 3 on a Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbait (white).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Derek Remitz, Amistad Elite Series (TX), March 8–11
> Remitz, a rookie, won the season opener by dragging a jig along bluff ledges in 25 to 35 feet of water.
> Jig gear: 7' medium-action St. Croix rod, Shimano Curado casting reel, 16-pound unnamed fluorocarbon, 3/4-ounce Omega Custom Tackle football-head jig (Ozark special, which is brown with green flashabou), 5" Yamamoto Hula grub (green-pumpkin/candy).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Aaron Martens, Delta Elite Series (CA), March 22–23
> Martens wowed everyone when he attacked the weed-rich delta with light line. He dropshotted, flipped small worms and weightless worms, added a sight-fish or two, and won by more than 7 pounds. He said the key was patience. "I had to fish painfully slow – so slow that it hurt even me. I like to fish fast, but I can do this if I have to."
> Dropshot gear: 6'10" medium-light Megabass Aaron Martens signature series rod, Daiwa Steez 2500 spinning reel, 8- and 10-pound Sun Line Sniper fluorocarbon line, 1/16- and 1/8-ounce unnamed dropshot weights, 2/0 and 3/0 Gamakatsu ReBarb worm-bend hooks, 6" Roboworm Fat Straight Tail worm (Aaron's magic/red-flake and purple/red-flake).
> Weightless worm gear: Same rod, reel and line, 1/0 and 1 Gamakatsu shiner hooks, wacky-rigged 6 1/2" Yamamoto 7X Kut-Tail worm (junebug).
> Flipping gear: 7'2" medium-heavy Megabass Aaron Martens signature series pitching stick, Daiwa Steez casting reel, 22-pound Sun Line monofilament, 1/4-ounce unnamed weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu Superline worm-bend hook, 3 1/2" Roboworm Zipper Grub (Aaron's magic and MM3).
> Sight-fishing gear: 7'7" Megabass Randy Blaukat signature series flipping stick, Daiwa Zillion casting reel, 50-pound Spiderwire Ultracast line, 1/4-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight, NetBait Paca Toad (green-pumpkin).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Aaron Martens continued the finesse trend when he worked light stuff in the snag-rich California Delta.

Steve Kennedy, Clear Lake Elite Series (CA), March 29–April 1
> It took Steve Kennedy a little while to connect with his swimbait fish, but on day 3 the floodgates opened and he set a new all-time 4-day BASS weight record with a winning total of 122-14.
> Big swimbait gear: 7'11" heavy-action Kistler Helium 2 LTX rod, Shimano Curado casting reel, 30-pound P-Line Fluoroclear line, 8" Huddleston Deluxe swimbait (rainbow trout).
> Small swimbait gear: 7' heavy-action Kistler Helium 2 LTA rod, same reel, 15-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon, 6" Basstrix Paddle Tail swimbait (hitch).
> Jig gear: Same rod, reel and line as small swimbait, 3/4-ounce PJ's Finesse Baits football jig (green-pumpkin), Kinami Double-Tail grub trailer (green-pumpkin).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Mike McClelland, Clarks Hill Elite Series (GA/SC), April 19–22
> McClelland stuck with his trump suit at Clarks – the jig – and fished it extremely shallow. In fact, he never caught a fish deeper than 4 feet. He said he targeted post-spawn fish that weren't yet ganged up on blueback herring, so they were up shallow looking for other food items. Both his jigs were football-heads, and long casts were critical.
> He used two different rods – a 7' heavy-action Falcon Expert and a 7'3" medium-heavy Falcon Mike McClelland signature series. "You had to have that long rod to make a pretty aggressive hookset," he said. "Typically, when you're fishing deeper and dragging the jig more, you can get away with a more sweeping hookset. But these fish weren't eating the jig good. They'd suck it in quick, and if you didn't hit them then, you'd miss them. When they're shallow, they do that."
> He used a Quantum Tour Edition casting reel with a 6.3:1 gear ratio. He noted that the 7:1 Quantum "Burner" would have probably been better, but he hadn't fished with it yet and was more comfortable with the 6.3:1. The high gear speed was important, he added, because a lot of times the fish ate the jig and swam toward him, and he needed to take up line quickly before the hookset.
> He spooled up with 15-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon.
> His primary jig was the same one he used to win at Grand – a 1/2-ounce Jewel Heavy Cover Finesse football jig in peanut butter and jelly, tipped with a green-pumpkin/purple Zoom Super Chunk.
> He also threw a 3/8-ounce Jewel finesse jig on occasion.
> He used the stock finesse-style skirt that comes with the 1/2-ounce football, but often removed it and went with a bulkier skirt. Notable is that Hite won last year with an oversized skirt, too, albeit on a Buckeye Mop jig, not a Jewel.
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Larry Nixon, Norman FLW Tour (NC), April 26–29
> Nixon clinched his 17th career win with a one-two punch – he threw a swimbait in the mornings, then culled out nearly every one of his swimbait fish by working Texas-rigs and shakey-heads on stumps and other wood.
> Jighead worm gear: 6'6" medium-fast Fenwick Techna AV Spinning rod, Abu Garcia Cardinal 804 spinning reel, 8-pound prototype Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon line, 1/16- or 1/32-ounce Japanese-made jighead, Berkley PowerBait Wacky Crawler (green-pumpkin).
> Texas-rigged worm gear: Same rod, Abu Garcia Revo casting reel, 14-pound prototype Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon, 1/8-ounce Tru-Tungsten colored worm weight (green-pumpkin), 2/0 Gamakatsu worm hook, 7-inch Berkley PowerBait Shaky Worm (green-pumpkin).
> He threw a 6" Basstrix Fat Minnow swimbait (blueback herring) in the mornings.
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Kevin VanDam, Guntersville Elite Series (AL), April 26–29
> The shad spawn was the predominant pattern this year at G-Ville, and everybody could run the grass in the mornings and pick off fish focused on the spawning shad. What made the difference, though, was the afternoon bite, and KVD had it wired. He rocked a 25-pound limit on the final day, most of which he caught with a crank in the afternoon, and stunned the field to win by a 7-02 margin.
> "I've got a lot of confidence in the way I like to fish," he noted. "And following those grasslines at Guntersville is a lot like fishing the grasslines at home in Michigan."
> Spinnerbait gear: 6'10" medium-heavy Quantum Kevin VanDam spinnerbait rod, Quantum PT Tour Edition 1160 casting reel (6.2:1), 20-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS monofilament, 1/2-ounce Strike King Kevin VanDam Tournament Series spinnerbait (blue shad, double willow-leafs in various combinations of gold and silver).
> The spinnerbait is made by Strike King, but is available exclusively through Bass Pro Shops. It comes with a Perfect Skirt and pre-rigged Mustad trailer hook – upgrades not found on the traditional KVD Pro Model spinnerbait.
> Crankbait gear: 7' medium-heavy Quantum Tour Edition fiberglass cranking rod, Quantum Energy PT 750 casting reel (5.1:1), 17-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon, Strike King Series 5 Tour Grade crankbait (shad color).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Fred Roumbanis, Bassmaster American, High Rock (NC), May 17–20
> The Majors feature a split-water format. The field fishes the primary lake the first 2 days, then moves off-site to a new body of water for hole-course competition. In this case, the off-site water was 1,500-acre municipal Lake Townsend. In both cases, Roumbanis finessed dropshots and shakey-heads. He also caught one sight-fish.
> Shakey-head gear: 7' medium-heavy Okuma Guide Select rod, Okuma VS 200 casting reel, 12-pound P-Line fluorocarbon line, 1/4-ounce Reaction Innovations Screwed Up jighead, 7-inch Roboworm (oxblood).
> Dropshot gear: 7' medium-heavy Okuma Guide Select spinning rod, Okuma VS spinning reel, 6-pound P-Line fluorocarbon, 3/8-pound Bass Pro Shops dropshot weight, No. 2 Gamakatsu circle or No. 1 Roboworm ReBarb hook, 4-inch Roboworm (margarita mutilator).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Andy Morgan, Wal-Mart Open/Beaver FLW Tour (AR), May 17–20
> Morgan notched the first tour-level win of his long career by fishing a used area in a different way. And he used a spinning rod – a technique he once shunned. He focused a lot on schooling fish, and the big key there was the Sworming Hornet Fish Head Spin, which he used to catch schoolers after they went back down.
> Shakey gear: 6'8" medium-action 2-power G. Loomis 822 dropshot rod, Shimano Symetre spinning reel, 10-pound Spiderwire Original braid with an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader (either Berkley Vanish or Seaguar fluorocarbon), 1/8-ounce War Eagle shakey-head, 4" Zoom finesse worm (watermelon-candy).
> He threw the 3/16-ounce Sworming Hornet Fish Head Spin on the shakey-tackle. His trailer was a Zoom Tiny Fluke. Both the Fish Head Spin and the Fluke were pearl white.
> About the Fish Head Spin, he said: "When they'd go down, everybody else would give up. But I'd catch two or three every morning on that Sworming Hornet. At least one would be a largemouth, and every spot I caught on it was a good one."
> He caught some of his schooling fish with a Jackall Mikey, and he also caught a few fish on a California Swimbabes Tiny "E".
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Casey Ashley, Smith Mt. Elite Series (VA), June 7–10
> Ashley, a rookie, won in Virginia with a two-pronged attack: He targeted docks with a finesse worm, and worked main-lake points with a jig. He noted his docks needed to have rocks nearby – the shad were spawning on them – and he had to fish his jig very slowly on the points. So slow, he added, that "you'd grind your teeth down to your gums."
> Dock gear: 6'6" medium-heavy Fenwick Techna AV rod, Abu Garcia Cardinal 804 spinning reel, 8-pound Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon, 1/8-ounce unnamed jighead (given to him by fellow pro Jason Williamson), 4" Zoom Finesse worm (watermelon/candy).
> Point gear: 7' medium-heavy Fenwick Techna AV rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX casting reel (7:1), 15-pound Trilene fluorocarbon, 7/16-ounce Jewel Eakins' jig (PB&J), Zoom Fat Albert twintail grub trailer (green-pumpkin).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Chris Baumgardner, Potomac FLW Tour (MD), June 14–16
> Baumgardner fished a reliable pattern at the Potomac River – a Chatterbait in and around milfoil and lily pads. But he caught the winning fish, a 7 1/2-pounder, on a bait his co-angler have him – a Yamamoto Senko.
> Chatterbait gear: 6'10" medium-heavy American Rodsmiths Dion Hibdon signature series jig and worm rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX casting reel (6.4:1), 17-pound Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon line, Rad Lures Chatterbait (brown/green-pumpkin and black/blue), 4" Zoom Super Speed Craw trailer (green-pumpkin).
> He used the brown/green-pumpkin Chatterbait to catch nine of his 10 weigh-in fish over the final 2 days. Fellow competitor Andy Montgomery tied the skirt on that one, so he nicknamed the bait "Little Andy."
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Kevin VanDam used Strike King cranks in his two wins, and at Grand Lake, he showed the world his custom sexy shad color.

Tim Horton, Champlain Elite Series (NY), July 12–15
> Horton dominated Champlain to such an extent, he spent most of the final day parked at the launch. He weighed his fish early, then sat in his boat and talked to the crowd for 6 more hours until weigh-in. His winning spot was an isolated rockpile outside a spawning bay in the south end.
> Crankbait gear: 7' medium-action All Star cranking rod, Pflueger President casting reel, 20-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon line, No. 6 Bomber Fat Free Shad (citrus shad).
> Jig gear: 6'10" All Star SJ1 rod, same reel, 17-pound XPS fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Booyah football-head jig (black/brown), YUM Craw Papi trailer (green-pumpkin).
> Tube gear: 7'6" All Star flipping rod, Pflueger Supreme casting reel, 65-pound Bass Pro Shops Magibraid line, 1-ounce Xcalibur tungsten weight, 5/0 Xcalibur wide-gap hook, YUM Vibra King tube (watermelon/pro-blue, which is a special-order color).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Steve Clapper, Detroit River FLW Tour (MI), July 12–15
> Clapper, a local ace fishing his first-ever FLW Tour event, exploited a Lake Erie spot where he'd won in the past and averaged over 22 pounds a day.
> Tube gear: 7'6" medium-heavy custom-made rod with a G. Loomis 842 GLX blank, Shimano Stradic 4000 spinning real, 10-pound Seaguar Inviz-X fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce Bite-Me Big Dude jighead, 4" ISG Intimidator tube (goby).
> Dropshot gear: 6'10" G. Loomis DSR 822S dropshot rod, Shimano Stradic 2500 spinning reel, 8-pound Inviz-X fluorocarbon, 1/4- to 5/8-ounce homemade cylindrical weight, No. 2 or 1/0 Gamakatsu dropshot hook, Berkley Gulp! 4" Goby (green-pumpkin/gold flake), Berkley 3" Gulp! Fry (green-pumpkin) or Poor Boys Goby Jr. (goby).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Edwin Evers, Erie/Niagara Elite Series (NY), July 19–22
> Lake Erie and the Niagara River out of Buffalo marked the first, and arguably only, pure smallmouth event of the BASS season. Very few green fish came to the scales, and with good reason. Evers averaged nearly 22 pounds a day with brown fish. He did it deep, with a long run, and targeted tightly packed schools of fish with a dropshot.
> Dropshot gear: 7' medium-action Bass Pro Shops (BPS) Pro Qualifier rod, BPS Pro Qualifier 4000 spinning reel, 8-pound BPS XPS fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce BPS XPS tungsten weight, No. 1 dropshot-style hook.
> He used three different baits. He'd catch a few fish in the mornings on an unnamed goby. His primary bait was a green-pumpkin Yum Houdini worm, which he cut down to about 3 inches. He also caught some fish on "another little green-pumpkin worm."
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Peter Thliveros, Bassmaster Memorial, Lake Oneida (NY), July 26–29
> Tommy Biffle won with largemouths the year before at Oneida, but this time around, Oneida marked a Major, so only days 1 and 2 were at the lake. Then the Top 12 moved over to Onondaga for the final 2 days. Thliveros made the cut and won with flipping and Carolina-rigging, and he also cranked a few fish.
> Carolina-rig gear: 7'3" medium heavy American Rodsmiths rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX reel, 12-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line, 1/8-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight, Tru-Tungsten Smart Peg (placed 8-10 inches above hook), 3/0 Eagle Claw offset round-bend hook, Zoom Super Fluke (watermelon or watermelon-red).
> Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action American Rodsmiths flipping stick, same reel, 17- and 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Tru-Tungsten grass weight with Tru-Tungsten Smart Peg, Zoom Super Hog (watermelon-red or green-pumpkin).
> He also caught two schooling fish on day 2 on a Rapala DT10 crankbait (bluegill).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Photo: FLW Outdoors/Doug Dukane Scott Suggs used a big worm and spinnerbait on deep timber at the Forrest Wood Cup.

Skeet Reese, Potomac Elite Series (MD), Aug. 9–12
> BASS Angler of the Year Reese dominated the Potomac Elite Series – he led every day and won by an 8 1/2-pound margin. His primary spot was way back in the Nanjemoy, where he worked wood. He also had a flipping spot he'd hit on the way back to the launch.
> Wood gear: 8' heavy-action Lamiglas XFT806 flipping stick, Abu Garcia Revo casting reel, 25-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon, 3/8-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight, 3/0 extra-wide-gap hook, Berkley Power Hawg (green-pumpkin).
> Grass gear: 7'10" heavy-action Lamiglas SRFT 7108 Skeet Reese Punchin' rod, same reel, 55-pound Spiderwire Ultracast braid, 1-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight, 5/0 Reaction Innovations BMF hook, Berkley Sabertail Burly Bug (green-pumpkin).
> He also caught two fish cranking a Lucky Craft BDS 2.
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Boyd Duckett, Bassmaster Legends, Lake Dardanelle (AR), Aug. 23–26
> Once again the field fished split water for a Major – Dardanelle, then the Illinois Bayou. Bassmaster Classic champ Duckett did a bunch of things – flipped, cranked and finessed – en route to his second victory of the year.
> Mat-flipping gear: 7'6" extra-heavy E21 rod, Abu Garcia Revo casting reel (7:1 gear ratio), 65-pound Stren Super Braid line, 1 1/2-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight (pegged), 4/0 Owner hook, Berkley PowerBait Chigger Craw (black/blue).
> Lipless crankbait gear: 7' medium-action E21 rod, same reel, 12-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap (chrome/black).
> Dropshot gear: 6'6" medium-heavy E21 rod, Abu Garcia Cardinal 804 spinning reel, 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 1/4-ounce Tru-Tungsten Convertible Drop Weight, 1/0 Owner hook, 6" Berkley Power Hand Pour Finesse worm (triple margarita).
> Finesse flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action E21 flipping stick, Abu Garcia Revo casting reel (7:1), 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 3/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight, 3/0 Owner hook, 7" Berkley Power worm (electric grape).
> He also caught one weigh-in fish on day 3 on a Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbait (white).
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

Ben Matsubu, Toho Elite Series (FL), Sept. 13–16
> Toho was brutally tough during September, and Ben Matsubu won largely by working grass points along a large, main-lake mat. He flipped, but eventually culled all those fish out, and caught his winning fish with a crank and Carolina-rig.
> Crankbait gear: 7'5" medium-action Powell cranking rod, Shimano Curado Super-Free casting reel, 14-pound Gary Yamamoto Sugoi fluorocarbon line, Lucky Craft RC 1.5 square-bill crankbait (green-perch and chartreuse/shad).
> Carolina-rig gear: 7' medium-heavy Powell rod, Shimano Curado casting reel, 16-pound Sugoi, 4/0 Roboworm ReBarb hook, 1/4-ounce Kanji X-Metal tungsten weight, "generic" junebug worm.
> click here to read more about his winning pattern.

– End of part 2 (of 2) –