Cranking Rock Carried Britt To Biggest Win Yet

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Aaron Britt believes Clear Lake is the hardest lake to win a tournament at because of the potential it holds at any given time of year.

"Thirty pounds is realistic there all the time," he said.

While the famed northern California fishery produced some stout stringers last week at the final Western Rayovac Series of the season, no one eclipsed the venerable 30-pound milestone.

Britt came close, though, with 29 pounds on day 1 and it paved the way for the biggest win of his tournament career. He closed out the victory with 22-05 on the final day to finish the 3-day event with 70-00, good for nearly a 3-pound margin over runner-up Patrick Spencer.

Not only did he beat a field that included some of the most accomplished western bass anglers, he also beat a handful of tour pros as well.

"It's definitely my biggest win," he said. "I've been fishing for a long time and I made the move up front a couple years ago. I've had a boat for a couple years, but financially it's an issue to fish these deals and I was fortunate to get some help from my parents. Beating guys like Brett Hite, Ish (Monroe) and (Jared) Lintner is something I never dreamed of doing, much less winning. It was definitely a great experience."

He did it on a lake that was a little behind schedule in his estimation. Water temperatures were higher than normal, meaning bass weren't rushing to the shallows to feed. Most of the fish he targeted were in 8 to 15 feet of water and he relied on a crankbait program around rock and hard-bottom areas of the lake.

"You can catch them on smaller stuff, but just not this time of year," said Britt, a native of Yuba City, Calif. "Generally, this time of year the water is 66 or 68 degrees, but it's been warmer here and last week it was starting at 69 in the morning and going up from there. I love to deep-crank and structure-fish and it just so happened I was able to do that for three days and it happened for me."

Here's how he figured it out.

Practice

Britt had fished a Tournament of Champions event at Clear Lake the week before the Rayovac so he was pretty in tune with the bite. In addition, he already had a win and two runner-up finishes at Clear earlier this year in team events.

"Unless you were throwing a crankbait or punching grass, you weren't catching anything of size," he said. "Guys were catching 2- to 3-pounders on worms and dropshots, but there are so many 6- to 10-inch fish in there right now you had to have something else going."

He'd spent six days in a row on the water for the TOC, during which he threw a Carolina rig, square-bill crankbait and a lipless rattlebait, then took four days off before returning to prep for the Rayovac Series.

"I basically started over," he said. "Some guys were flipping grass, but you can put your head down doing that and look up two hours later and realize you've only covered 200 yards. In two hours with a crankbait, I could cover a lot more water and I figured I'd run into more fish doing that than flipping grass."

He caught decent bags in the 20-pound range during practice and had settled on a few areas and spots that he intended to fish once the competition started. On the day before the tournament, he was planning to stay off the water, but a co-angler friend of his wanted some extra prep time.

"I didn't feel like I needed to keep catching some of those fish," he said. "I found this area on the last day, though. I pulled up, made four casts and caught four over 6 pounds. I pulled off that spot and got off the water at noon."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 29-00
> Day 2: 5, 18-11
> Day 3: 5, 22-05
> Total = 15, 70-00

Britt headed back to the spot that produced the big bites on the last day of practice to start the tourmament. He was boat number 23 and was the first – and only – boat there. He went an hour without a bite, making casts from every conceivable angle. Meanwhile, his co-angler had caught three with a square-bill over 15 feet of water.

"I was spun out already," he said.

He moved to another spot and loaded the boat with a 4, a 5 and a pair of 6 1/2-pounders – all cranking – that gave him a limit for about 24 pounds by 10:30 a.m.

"It was an area where I can generally catch a limit of 3s or 4s," he said. "When I caught those fish, I knew I had something going."

He left that area knowing he'd need to catch another big one in order to cull and he didn't want to cull for ounces. He tried a couple spots that he said he could make a handful of casts on and find out quickly if there were bass around.

"The rest of the stuff were areas or stretches," he said.

He returned to his starting spot and connected with an 8-pounder, which got him to 29-00 and the day-1 lead.

"I was stoked to catch 29," he said. "I only got eight bites and they were all good ones with one exception. Catching 29 coming out of the gates was helpful because I knew I didn't have to catch 29 every day to win. If it were March or April, you'd need 33 a day to win, but after being there for two weeks, I knew hard how it was to catch a fish over 6 pounds."

It was the second-heaviest bag weighed during a Clear Lake Rayovac since 2011, surpassed only by Jason Borofka's 32-01 sack in the September 2013 event.

He went back to the area that kicked out his best fish on day 1 to start day 2. After boating a 2-pounder, he popped matching 6-pounders, then left to start his rotation through other areas.

He wasn't able to trigger any late-day kickers and wound up bringing 18-11 to the scale. It wasn't enough to keep him in the lead, but he was a mere 4 ounces behind Kyle Grover entering the final day.

Britt had a front-row seat to watch a local catch a 9-pounder on a jig as he pulled up to his starting spot on the final day, the same spot he started day 1.

"They weighed it and threw it back, so of course, I pull out a jig," he said. "I caught a 1 1/2-pounder on it, but the first fish I caught each day was small."

By then, he'd narrowed down his fishing spots to three areas. He didn't catch any other keepers off his first stretch, so he went back to the area that produced on day 1 and cranked up three 2 1/2-pounders.

He then called an audible and stopped on an area that he hadn't practiced or fished previously in the tournament.

"It's a big community hole and I caught a 5 1/2 there to get me to 18 pounds," he said.

With an hour left in his day, he made another gut call to go back to his best area.

"Usually, I'd just go back and forth down this stretch, but when I got to the spot where I'd normally turn around, I went a little further and caught an 8-pounder," he said. "That fish won me the tournament.

"I had five or six spectator boats following me around and a few of them were close buddies so it was special to have them there for that. I almost kissed my co-angler I was so excited."

He went into the final day thinking he needed 25 pounds to have a shot to win.

"When I caught that big one, I knew I had over 20, but I live on this lake and you're never sure unless you have 30."

Winning Pattern Notes

> With the water temperature higher than normal, Britt said the "fish were just as confused as the fishermen.

"The fish are sitting out and wanting to move up, but the water temperature made it tough for them. The fish are still in their summer patterns and they didn’t know if they were supposed to suspend or move up. You had to stick with what you had confidence in."

> An algae bloom was evident in some parts of the lake, but Britt said it wasn't as dramatic as some made it out to be. "There were a few areas that were bad, but it wasn't unfishable bad. It was an inch of color on top. You could dip your hand in the water and it would just stir the color around. I think that scared a lot of people off. On some portions of the lake, it acts like a canopy. The sun still gets through."

> He spent his whole tournament on the mid-lake section bouncing among four to six areas and spots.

"They all had rock and hard bottom," he said. "The main area was basically a long ledge, about 300 yards long down the Highway 20 side. It's a community hole and usually people go down once and leave. I'd go up and down and kept sticking with my guns. I figured if I made enough casts at the right angle, one would hit it eventually.

"On the other areas, there were big boulder rocks and the key was being close to 20 feet of water. On six of the fish I weighed in, my crankbait was caught in the rocks. I'd pop the line to get it loose and as soon as it would come off the rock, they'd eat it."

Winning Gear Notes

> Cranking gear: 7'11" medium-heavy iRod Fred's Crank Launcher casting rod, unnamed casting reel (6.4:1 gear ratio), 12-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, SPRO Little John DD (spooky shad, clear chartreuse), Norman DD-22 (Clear Lake crystal), Damiki DC-400 (ayu).

> He likes the SPRO plug because it's a silent bait and with all the pressure on the lake and clear water, he didn't feel rattles made a huge difference. "On top of that, I've never seen a baitfish with rattles in it," he said.

> He ran out of Little John DDs on the second day of the tournament, but his dad found some at a local tackle store and brought some to him in time for the final day. "I caught the big fish at the end of day 3 on it," he said.

> He changed every stock hook to No. 2 Gamakatsu EWG trebles.

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "Putting my head down and going, and having faith in those areas and not panicking. I knew if I made enough casts, the fish were around and moving up and down. I knew I'd trigger them to eat and eventually there'd be good ones. I usually don't have that type of patience."

> Performance edge – "The rod helped me a lot. Unless you fish a lot, you don't realize the effect the right rod can have for you. The cranks were key, too, but the rod allowed me to get that bait out there as far as I needed to."

Notable

> Britt won the TBF Divisional at Lake Havasu in June and qualified for next year's TBF National Championship.

> Britt is also a big fan of mixed martial arts and has helped train a couple of his friends. He tried his hand in the octagon last year and was involved in a rare double-knockout against Brandon Alexander in an amateur bout in March 2013 in Yuba City. Footage of the fight was shown on the "The Tonight Show", "Tosh.O" and "Sportscenter."

"It was in between tournaments so all I could think about during the first one was how bad I wanted to get in the ring and hit somebody," Britt said. "Then during the fight I was thinking that I didn't want to hurt my hand before the next tournament."

Check out the clip below (Britt is in the red shirt).

Britt said he was offered "a bunch of money" for a rematch with Alexander, but turned it down to focus more on building his fishing career.

Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.

Final Results

1. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 29-00 (5) -- 18-11 (5) -- 47-11 (10) -- 22-05 (5) -- 70-00 (15) -- $32,448

2. Patrick Spencer -- Penn Valley, Ca -- 24-13 (5) -- 15-13 (5) -- 40-10 (10) -- 26-09 (5) -- 67-03 (15) -- $12,574

3. Justin Kerr -- Simi Valley, Ca -- 19-02 (5) -- 23-15 (5) -- 43-01 (10) -- 23-02 (5) -- 66-03 (15) -- $9,734

4. Kyle Grover -- Trabuco Canyon, Ca -- 24-01 (5) -- 23-14 (5) -- 47-15 (10) -- 17-04 (5) -- 65-03 (15) -- $8,112

5. Mark Crutcher -- Lakeport, Ca -- 25-11 (5) -- 19-11 (5) -- 45-06 (10) -- 19-13 (5) -- 65-03 (15) -- $7,301

6. Dan Sweat -- Pleasant Hill, Ca -- 28-07 (5) -- 18-08 (5) -- 46-15 (10) -- 15-11 (5) -- 62-10 (15) -- $6,490

7. Jerred Jennings -- Stockton, Ca -- 15-00 (3) -- 27-09 (5) -- 42-09 (8) -- 13-07 (5) -- 56-00 (13) -- $5,678

8. Clayton Meyer -- Henderson, Nv -- 24-11 (5) -- 18-15 (5) -- 43-10 (10) -- 11-01 (4) -- 54-11 (14) -- $4,867

9. Paul Bailey -- Kelseyville, Ca -- 21-06 (5) -- 21-09 (5) -- 42-15 (10) -- 2-08 (1) -- 45-07 (11) -- $4,056

10. Toshitada Suzuki -- Tokyo, Japan -- 21-15 (5) -- 17-07 (5) -- 39-06 (10) -- 4-01 (2) -- 43-07 (12) -- $3,245

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

11. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 17-01 (5) -- 22-03 (5) -- 39-04 (10) -- $3,042

12. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Surprise, Az -- 19-12 (5) -- 18-09 (5) -- 38-05 (10) -- $2,839

13. Jason Borofka -- Salinas, Ca -- 20-06 (5) -- 16-01 (5) -- 36-07 (10) -- $2,434

14. Ricky Shabazz -- Rialto, Ca -- 20-05 (5) -- 16-00 (5) -- 36-05 (10) -- $2,434

15. Steve Ericksen -- Palo Alto, Ca -- 23-12 (5) -- 12-07 (5) -- 36-03 (10) -- $2,434

16. Rusty Salewske -- Alpine, Ca -- 16-09 (5) -- 19-03 (5) -- 35-12 (10) -- $2,434

17. Robert Lee -- Angels Camp, Ca -- 16-06 (5) -- 19-03 (5) -- 35-09 (10) -- $2,434

18. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 11-12 (4) -- 23-09 (5) -- 35-05 (9) -- $2,434

19. Ishama Monroe -- Hughson, Ca -- 22-07 (5) -- 12-00 (3) -- 34-07 (8) -- $2,434

20. Ken Mah -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 19-08 (5) -- 14-12 (4) -- 34-04 (9) -- $2,434

21. Chris Franks -- Petaluma, Ca -- 19-12 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 33-07 (10) -- $2,231

22. Mark Daniels Jr -- Fairfield, Ca -- 19-08 (5) -- 13-13 (5) -- 33-05 (10) -- $2,231

23. Chris Costello -- Gilroy, Ca -- 12-03 (5) -- 20-15 (5) -- 33-02 (10) -- $2,231

24. Gary Collins -- Upper Lake, Ca -- 22-11 (5) -- 10-04 (3) -- 32-15 (8) -- $2,231

25. Wade Curtiss -- Meadow Vista, Ca -- 15-10 (5) -- 16-13 (5) -- 32-07 (10) -- $2,231

26. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 15-15 (5) -- 16-05 (3) -- 32-04 (8) -- $2,028

27. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Ca -- 20-05 (5) -- 11-14 (5) -- 32-03 (10) -- $2,028

28. Mike Folkestad -- Villa Park, Ca -- 13-13 (5) -- 17-07 (5) -- 31-04 (10) -- $2,028

29. Brent Becker -- Henderson, Nv -- 15-04 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 31-00 (10)

30. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 22-14 (5) -- 7-02 (3) -- 30-00 (8)

31. Brian Carnahan -- Flagstaff, Az -- 17-04 (5) -- 12-03 (5) -- 29-07 (10)

32. Kevin Hugo -- Chino, Ca -- 16-12 (5) -- 12-02 (5) -- 28-14 (10)

33. Steve Klein -- Oroville, Ca -- 8-05 (3) -- 20-03 (5) -- 28-08 (8)

34. Ted Holverson -- El Cajon, Ca -- 16-13 (5) -- 11-07 (5) -- 28-04 (10)

35. William Gibbs -- John Day, Or -- 4-02 (1) -- 23-12 (5) -- 27-14 (6)

36. Howard Hughes -- Redding, Ca -- 10-04 (5) -- 17-09 (5) -- 27-13 (10)

37. Tuan Nguyen -- Woodland, Ca -- 12-15 (4) -- 14-13 (4) -- 27-12 (8)

38. Ed Arledge -- Valley Center, Ca -- 11-10 (5) -- 16-01 (5) -- 27-11 (10)

39. Cody Spetz -- Menifee, Ca -- 13-01 (5) -- 14-08 (5) -- 27-09 (10)

40. Mike Saso -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 14-05 (5) -- 13-01 (5) -- 27-06 (10)

41. Joe Raftery -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 14-04 (5) -- 13-02 (4) -- 27-06 (9)

42. Kody Leigh -- Yuma, Az -- 13-10 (5) -- 13-06 (5) -- 27-00 (10)

43. Chad Martin -- Nicolaus, Ca -- 21-03 (5) -- 5-10 (2) -- 26-13 (7)

44. Chad Hulbert -- Gilroy, Ca -- 15-10 (4) -- 11-02 (4) -- 26-12 (8)

45. Bryant Smith -- Castro Valley, Ca -- 9-06 (3) -- 17-05 (4) -- 26-11 (7)

46. Chris Gosselaar -- Fresno, Ca -- 6-05 (3) -- 20-05 (5) -- 26-10 (8)

47. Manas Malikian -- Huntington Beach, Ca -- 5-07 (2) -- 20-11 (5) -- 26-02 (7)

48. Gary Pinholster -- Lake Havasu, Az -- 13-09 (5) -- 12-06 (5) -- 25-15 (10)

49. Wade Durling -- Petaluma, Ca -- 8-06 (3) -- 16-06 (5) -- 24-12 (8)

50. Aaron Cole -- Salida, Ca -- 4-02 (2) -- 20-06 (5) -- 24-08 (7)

51. Sean Minderman -- Spokane, Wa -- 10-04 (5) -- 13-15 (4) -- 24-03 (9)

52. Tai Au -- Glendale, Az -- 15-11 (5) -- 8-07 (3) -- 24-02 (8)

53. Vu Au -- Tucson, Az -- 10-04 (5) -- 13-08 (5) -- 23-12 (10)

54. John Fuqua -- Oxnard, Ca -- 17-06 (5) -- 6-02 (3) -- 23-08 (8)

55. Todd Woods -- San Dimas, Ca -- 11-11 (4) -- 11-11 (3) -- 23-06 (7)

56. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 10-13 (4) -- 12-07 (5) -- 23-04 (9)

57. Benjamin Byrd -- Moab, Ut -- 10-14 (3) -- 12-03 (4) -- 23-01 (7)

58. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Ca -- 11-10 (5) -- 11-00 (5) -- 22-10 (10)

59. Kazuki Kodama -- Torrance, Ca -- 11-09 (5) -- 10-09 (5) -- 22-02 (10)

60. Mike Iloski -- Escondido, Ca -- 10-04 (4) -- 11-12 (5) -- 22-00 (9)

61. Oliver Ngy -- Hacienda Heights, Ca -- 14-07 (5) -- 7-01 (2) -- 21-08 (7)

62. Roger Fischer -- Castaic, Ca -- 11-10 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 21-05 (10)

63. Marco Valdez -- Gilbert, Az -- 12-09 (3) -- 8-06 (4) -- 20-15 (7)

64. Ken Phillips -- Antioch, Ca -- 13-14 (5) -- 6-12 (3) -- 20-10 (8)

65. Steven Latino -- Hemet, Ca -- 8-04 (4) -- 12-00 (5) -- 20-04 (9)

66. Marty Lawrence -- Mesa, Az -- 7-15 (3) -- 12-01 (5) -- 20-00 (8)

67. Mark Walker -- Cave Creek, Az -- 3-11 (2) -- 15-09 (5) -- 19-04 (7)

68. Jason Milligan -- Shasta Lake, Ca -- 8-11 (4) -- 10-02 (5) -- 18-13 (9)

69. Melvin Williams -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 13-07 (4) -- 5-03 (2) -- 18-10 (6)

70. Jim Jeffords -- Tualatin, Or -- 3-08 (1) -- 14-07 (5) -- 17-15 (6)

71. Earl Dalton -- Jackson, Ca -- 5-03 (2) -- 12-08 (4) -- 17-11 (6)

72. Jim Malm -- Loomis, Ca -- 7-14 (4) -- 9-12 (4) -- 17-10 (8)

73. Russ Barger -- Boise, Id -- 8-13 (5) -- 8-12 (3) -- 17-09 (8)

74. Bobby Barrack -- Oakley, Ca -- 9-09 (4) -- 7-14 (2) -- 17-07 (6)

75. Cliff Gregory -- Quartz Hill, Ca -- 10-13 (4) -- 6-09 (2) -- 17-06 (6)

76. Travis Moran -- Carmel, Ca -- 2-08 (2) -- 14-06 (4) -- 16-14 (6)

77. Gary Dobyns -- Live Oak, Ca -- 16-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 16-13 (5)

78. Jim Hawkes -- Apache Junction, Az -- 14-10 (5) -- 1-09 (1) -- 16-03 (6)

79. Sean Kimble -- San Ramon, Ca -- 8-07 (4) -- 7-12 (4) -- 16-03 (8)

80. John Stewart Jr -- Peoria, Az -- 4-04 (2) -- 11-06 (5) -- 15-10 (7)

81. Jeff Michels -- Lakehead, Ca -- 9-01 (4) -- 5-07 (1) -- 14-08 (5)

82. Jeff Rutt -- Winchester, Ca -- 4-02 (1) -- 10-02 (4) -- 14-04 (5)

83. Jon Griffith -- Mesa, Az -- 11-01 (5) -- 2-15 (2) -- 14-00 (7)

84. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 5-14 (2) -- 7-12 (4) -- 13-10 (6)

85. Mo Hassen -- Alameda, Ca -- 13-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 13-09 (5)

86. Kevin Gross -- Claremont, Ca -- 5-09 (2) -- 7-15 (4) -- 13-08 (6)

87. Brand Little -- Grass Valley, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 13-02 (5) -- 13-02 (5)

88. Bryan Lutz -- Clearlake Oaks, Ca -- 1-02 (1) -- 11-09 (3) -- 12-11 (4)

89. Stephen Tosh Jr -- Turlock, Ca -- 12-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 12-01 (5)

90. Matt Newman -- Agoura Hills, Ca -- 10-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-13 (5)

91. Scott Davis -- Preston, Id -- 7-09 (4) -- 2-10 (1) -- 10-03 (5)

92. Jamond Andrews -- Brentwood, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-05 (2) -- 9-05 (2)

93. Mitch Kistner -- Gilbert, Az -- 9-02 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-02 (3)

94. Mark Lassagne -- San Ramon, Ca -- 7-13 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-13 (4)

95. Mark Casey -- Fairfield, Ca -- 7-13 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-13 (4)

96. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 6-01 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-01 (4)

97. Steve Consalvi -- Eureka, Ca -- 5-13 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-13 (2)

98. David Valdivia -- Norwalk, Ca -- 5-02 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-02 (2)

99. Michael Rigney -- Janesville, Ca -- 4-10 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-10 (2)

100. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-06 (1) -- 4-06 (1)

101. Garrett Dixon -- Durham, Ca -- 4-02 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-02 (2)

102. Brendon Sapp -- Hidden Valley Lake, Ca -- 2-02 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-02 (1)

103. Maurice Miller II -- Cerritos, Ca -- 2-00 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-00 (1)

Ronald Hammett -- La Mesa, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Josh Kaneko -- Berkeley, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Jim Lyon -- Reno, Nv -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)