For the third year in a row, BassFan staff took a look at the "winningest" techniques on tour (this time including the Bassmaster Elite 50s) for the year, and guess what: flipping dominated once again.
Actually, that's flipping and pitching jigs and soft-plastics, which was involved in almost 30 percent of both wins and high finishes (2nd through 5th place) this year. Cranking, mostly shallow, climbed back into the second-most-productive spot after being displaced in the cool 2003 season by spinnerbaits.
Senko-type baits, which really came into their own in 2003, were bumped down a notch this year (to the fifth-most-productive technique) by finesse techniques, including dropshotting and shakey-heading.
The early "spring-loaded" tour schedules, particularly on the Bassmaster Tour, also seem to have contributed to a rise in the productivity of coldwater techniques like jerkbaits, tube-dragging and deep-jigging. And sight-fishing wasn't much of a factor at all.
This proves several things:
> Power techniques – including shallow cranking – still rule on tour.
> Most tour events are still won on bass living in shallow water no matter how cold or warm the water is.
> If BASS continues to load its Tour events into the early spring, proficiency in colder-water techniques is a must.
The Stats
Here's a quick look at how the stats break down:
> Flipping and pitching were involved in 28 percent of wins and a remarkably consistent 28 percent of high finishes. That's about where flipping was last year.
> Cranking was involved in 17 percent of wins (about the same as last year) and 24 percent of high finishes (three times more than last year).
> Spinnerbaits were at 10 percent and 5 percent, respectively, as compared to 16 percent and 17 percent during last year's cloudy tour season.
> Also, you should know that:
- Seven (58%) of 12 tour events were pre-spawn
- Add in the four tournaments where bass were in all phases of the spawn, and 92 percent of tour events had pre-spawn fish
- Only one tournament (8.3 percent) was smack on the spawn, but add in the four all-phases events and that climbs to 42 percent of tour events with spawning fish
- One of the E50 events was on the spawn and three were post-spawn
- Both championships were of course post-spawn
Table I: Best Techniques By Type
| Technique | Win | Place | Total |
| Flip | 27.6% | 27.8% | 27.8% |
| Crankbait | 17.2% | 23.5% | 22.9% |
| Spinnerbait | 10.3% | 5.2% | 6.3% |
| Finesse | 6.9% | 7.8% | 7.6% |
| Senko | 6.9% | 4.3% | 4.9% |
| Jerkbait | 6.9% | 4.3% | 4.9% |
| Drag Tube | 6.9% | -- | 1.4% |
| Deep Jig | 3.4% | 5.2% | 4.9% |
| Sight-Fish | 3.4% | 4.3% | 4.2% |
| Carolina Rig | 3.4% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Buzzbait | 3.4% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Worm | 3.4% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Swim Jig | -- | 6.1% | 4.9% |
| Topwater | -- | 1.7% | 1.4% |
| Heavy Metal | -- | 1.7% | 1.4% |
__________
Notes:
> Place = 2nd through 5th places
> Flip = Flip/pitch jigs and soft-plastics
> Crankbait = Lipped and lipless crankbaits (only 1 instance of a lipless crank)
> Finesse = All finesse techniques, including flipping small jigs, dropshotting and shakey worms
> Senko = All Senko-type baits (including soft-jerkbaits, wacky and trick worms) fished every way (including deadsticking) except dropshotting
> Jerkbait = Hard jerkbaits only
> Swim Jig -- FYI, Wisconsin FLW Tour pro Tom Monsoor had two Top 5s doing it, and all five of the Top 5 at the Dardanelle E50 did it
> Topwater = All topwaters, including frogs
> Heavy Metal = Jigging spoon and Horsiehead
> Every time a technique was mentioned it was counted, regardless of whether an angler used one or five techniques for a high finish.
Table II: Best Techniques By Month
| Technique | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul-Aug |
| Flip | 42.9% | 15.8% | 40.0% | 5.0% | 31.3% | 33.3% | 22.2% |
| Crankbait | -- | 21.1% | 30.0% | 20.0% | 18.8% | 25.0% | 33.3% |
| Spinnerbait | 14.3% | 10.5% | 3.3% | 5.0% | 6.3% | 8.3% | -- |
| Finesse | 21.4% | 10.4% | 3.3% | 5.0% | -- | 4.2% | 37.5% |
| Senko | 14.2% | -- | 6.6% | 5.0% | -- | 4.2% | -- |
| Jerkbait | -- | 15.8% | -- | 15.0% | -- | 4.2% | -- |
| Drag Tube | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6.3% | 4.2% | -- |
| Deep Jig | -- | 15.8% | 6.7% | -- | 6.3% | 4.2% | -- |
| Sight-Fish | 7.1% | -- | 10.0% | -- | -- | 4.2% | -- |
| Carolina Rig | -- | -- | -- | 5.0% | 6.3% | 4.2% | 11.1% |
| Buzzbait | -- | -- | -- | 5.0% | 6.3% | 4.2% | -- |
| Worm | -- | -- | -- | -- | 12.5% | -- | 5.6% |
| Swim Jig | -- | 5.2% | -- | 30.0% | -- | -- | -- |
| Topwater | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6.3% | -- | 5.6% |
| Heavy Metal | -- | -- | -- | 5.0% | -- | -- | 5.6% |
| Techniques | 5 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 7 |
__________
Notes:
> Same notes apply as in Table I
> Percent refers to percent of time technique (win and palce) mentioned in that timeframe (columns add to 100%, not rows)
> July-August tournaments are the Bassmaster Classic and FLW Tour Championship
> Techniques = The number of techniques that worked (resulted in wins or high finishes) that month
> In addition to time of year, type of lake and location also had something to do with what techniques were most productive.
Notable
> Here's the 2003 winningest patterns story (click here) and here's the 2002 story (click here).
Notable: Winning Gear
Following is a brief look at the gear that was used to win tournaments in 2004.
Ray Scheide – Okeechobee FLW
> He flipped mats with a Terminator SnapBack Skeet's Creature bait and a 3-inch Gambler B.B. Cricket (all baits were black/blue) and 1- to 1 1/2-ounce Bass Pro Shops tungsten weights.
Marty Stone – Harris Chain Bassmaster
> He flipped a 6 1/2-inch Gambler Sweebo worm (junebug) with a 1/4-ounce prototype tungsten Gambler Florida Rig screw-in weight, 12- and 15-pound test P-Line CXXC (clear) and a 7' 6" American Rodsmiths Marty Stone Signature Series Tube Flipping rod. On the last day he fished a 3/8-ounce, three-bladed Gambler Ninja Spin spinnerbait (alewife – white with a blue head) with a 6' 10" American Rodsmiths Dion Hibdon Signature Series spinnerbait rod and 15-pound P-Line CXXG (extra strong, green).
Charlie Weyer – Smith Lake Bassmaster
> He fished a 1/4-ounce Fred's Head shakey head with a green-pumpkin Zoom Finesse Worm on vertical steep walls next to creek channels with 10-pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon FW line.
Sam Swett – Atchafalaya Basin FLW
> Booyah spinnerbaits with double Colorado blades and emerald blue skirts: 1/4-ounce (No. 2 1/2 silver and No. 3 1/2 gold blades); 3/8- and 1/2-ounce (No. 3 silver and No. 4 gold blades). He fished those with a 6' 8" All Star Zell Rowland-edition Titanium spinnerbait rod; Pflueger Trion high-speed reel and 15-pound Silver Thread AN40 line (green).
George Cochran – Guntersville Bassmaster
> Strike King Wild Shiner (bone/green back) with round-bend Eagle Claw trebles (changed every day). Other gear: 7' Light and Tough Daiwa cranking rod, Daiwa Millionaire reel (left-handed) and 10-pound P-Line.
Mark Davis – Table Rock Bassmaster
> Spinnerbait – 6' 6" medium-heavy Pflueger rod, Pflueger President reel, 20-pound Ande mono, 3/8-ounce Strike King Pro Model spinnerbait with two Colorado blades and a chartreuse/white skirt.
> Jig – Same rod, reel and line; 3/8-ounce Strike King Premier Elite Jig (black/blue) with Strike King 3X Denny Brauer trailer (black/blue).
> Crankbaits – Strike King Series 3 (chartreuse rootbeer) fished with a 6' 6" medium-action Pflueger Trion spinning rod, Pflueger President spinning reel and 8-pound Ande mono. Most of his final-day fish were caught on an older-model Wiggle Wart (crawfish) fished with a 7' Pflueger composite cranking rod, Pflueger Trion cranking reel (4.3:1) and 12-pound Ande.
Dave Lefebre – Old Hickory FLW
> Crankbaits – Two Laser crankbaits ("a fat wobbler that dives 2-2 1/2 feet, and a flat-sided one that was a silver foil color and dives 4-5 feet") and a Luhr Jensen Radar 10 crankbait (shad) fished with a 6' 5" medium-action Rogue Rods rod, Shimano Chronarch reel and 20-pound Triple Fish
Fluorocarbon with a Duo-Lok snap so he could change the crankbaits easily.
> Jig – Stanley 7/16-ounce jig (green pumpkin) with the back half of a Kinami Nories Bug (same color), 7' 6" Rogue flipping stick (medium-heavy), same reel and line.
Denny Brauer – Eufaula Bassmaster
> He fished a 3/8-ounce Strike King Denny Brauer Pro Model Jig (black/blue) with the new Strike King Denny Brauer 3X Chunk (black/blue glimmer) behind it. He fished it with a 7' 6" Daiwa flipping/pitching rod, a Daiwa TDX reel and 25-pound green original Stren.
Kelly Jordon – Santee Cooper Bassmaster
> He sight-fished with a 3 1/2-inch Lake Fork Tackle Baby Fork Craw
(green pumpkin) fished with a 7' Fenwick Techna AV medium-heavy rod, Abu Garcia Torno reel, 65-pound braided line, 3/16-ounce Lake Fork Tackle Mega-Weight and 6/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus hook.
Tim Klinger – Beaver FLW
> Jig: 3/8-ounce jig with an Arkie-style head and brown rubber skirt, tipped with a brown Super Pork (Denair, Calif.) and fished with a 7' Phoenix heavy-action rod or a 7' 9" Rogue Rods Byron Velvick Junior Swimbait rod, Shimano Chronarch reel and 16-pound Yamamoto Sugoi line.
> Jerkbait: Lucky Craft Bevy Shad (aurora pro blue) with hooks changed to red, fished with a 7' Fenwick Techna AV medium-action rod, Chronarch reel and 12-pound Yamamoto Sugoi fluorocarbon.
Randy Howell – Dardanelle E50
> Jig: 3/8-ounce Lunker Lure Rattleback Jig with a prototype Berkley Gulp Swim Frog (green-pumpkin with red dye, then white/white) with a 6' 10" Quantum Tour Edition PT heavy-action rod, Quantum Energy 860 XM reel and 50-pound SpiderWire Stealth.
> Crankbait: Eastern Tennessee "homemade" Flat-Shad in firetiger color with Daiichi bleeding bait trebles.
Anthony Gagliardi – Kentucky Lake FLW
> He cranked a Lucky Craft Flat CBD 20 (chartreuse/blue back) with a 7' medium-heavy Falcon cranking rod and 8-pound P-Line and 10-pound P-Line Fluorocarbon. He also caught two smallmouths casting and dragging a bargain-bin tube in watermelon.
Mark Davis – Tenn-Tom Elite 50
> Worms: 7-inch Strike King 3X Ribbontail worm in tequila sunrise and red shad and a 10-inch Berkley Power Worm in junebug fished with a 6' 6" Pflueger Trion medium-heavy rod, Pflueger President reel, 15-pound Ande monofilament line, 3/16-ounce weight and Gamakatsu offset round-bend hook (3/0 for the 7-inch worms and 5/0 for the 10-inch worm).
> Tube: 4 1/2-inch Strike King Flip-N-Tube (green pumpkin) with 7' Pflueger Trion medium-heavy rod, same reel, 20-pound Ande mono, 3/16-ounce weight and 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG Superline hook.
Mark Davis – Alabama River E50
> Buzzbait: 3/8-ounce Strike King buzzbait (black), 6' 6" Pflueger Trion rod (medium-heavy), Pflueger President reel, 20-pound Ande mono.
> Jig/Brush Hog/Carolina rig gear: 7' Pflueger Trion rod (medium-heavy), same reel, same line, 3/8-ounce Strike King Premier Elite jig (black/blue/purple) with Strike King 3X Denny Brauer Chunk (black/blue), or Zoom Brush Hog (watermelon candy) with 3/16-ounce weight and 3/0 wide-gap hook, or Brush Hog with 3/4-ounce weight for Carolina-rigging.
> Cranking gear: 7' Pflueger Trion composite rod (medium), Trion reel, 15-pound Ande, Strike King Series 4S square-billed crankbait (chartreuse/black back and pearl/black back) and wooden bait (pearl/black back).
Alton Jones – Paducah E50
> Four-inch Yum Houdini worm (cotton candy, junebug, green pumpkin, smoke/red flake) fished with a 6' Berkley Series 1 medium-action spinning rod, Mitchell 308X spinning reel, 6-pound Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon line and three No. 7 splitshot 12-14 inches above the Excalibur TX3 1/0 hook.
Scott Martin – Champlain FLW
> He fished a 3 1/2-inch Matzuo tube (watermelon/copper flake) with a 1/4-ounce jighead on a 7' 6" Kistler Helium spinning rod, Shimano Stradic reel and 10-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon line.
Takahiro Omori – Bassmaster Classic
> Flipping: Lunker Lure Ultimate Rattlin' Jig with a Strike King Denny Brauer 3X chunk, a Yamamoto Kreature, and a Zoom Brush Hog (all green pumpkin). He flipped with a 7' 6" Team Daiwa flipping stick, Daiwa baitcaster and Sun Line 50-pound braid, and used a 5/16-ounce lead sinker and a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook.
> Cranking: Bagley Balsa B2 (chartreuse/black back/orange belly) with Gamakatsu No. 2 red trebles fished with a 7' Daiwa fiberglass-graphite composite rod, Team Daiwa 6.3:1 reel and 16-pound Sun Line fluorocarbon.
Luke Clausen – FLW Tour Championship
> He fished docks with 1/8- and 1/16-ounce round jigheads tipped with a prototype Reaction Innovations finesse worm (green pumpkin). Other gear: 6' 10" G. Loomis DSR822 medium-power extra-fast-action dropshot rod, spinning reel, 6- and 8-pound Sunline fluorocarbon.
What do you think about this article? Click here to let us know.
