Predictions that a variety of patterns would produce quality stringers at the Bassmaster Classic proved to be right on the money. Sight-fishing played only a minor role due to the strong winds that chopped up the surface and muddied up the beds.
The anglers who finished near the top of the standings all figured out other ways to catch the temperamental fish in Lake Toho and the three other lakes in the Kissimmee chain.
Plastics dominated the lure choices (winner Luke Clausen caught 14 of his 15 weigh-in fish on them), but spinnerbaits were heard from too. And the Chatterbait, which has been a factor in every Florida tour-level and triple-A tournament this year, made yet another appearance.
2nd: Rick Morris
> Day 1: 5, 18-07
> Day 2: 5, 18-14
> Day 3: 5, 13-11
> Total = 15, 51-00
Rick Morris was tight-lipped about his location during the tournament because he had it all to himself. He fished the Kissimmee River.
"I wasn't catching a lot on the lake (in practice), and that was an area I'd fished before," he said. "It's a protected area and it needs wind to get the fish active. When I saw that it was going to blow for all 3 days, I knew it would produce."
"River" is somewhat of a misnomer in this case. The Kissimmee is a man-made channel, more like a canal, that runs in a straight line to the lake. He targeted the points of shoreline vegetation.
"That thing's 30 feet deep in the middle, but the wind brings (the fish) to the banks to feed," he said. "It's not even worth fishing on calm days."
He caught most of his fish on a Rad Lures Chatterbait, but also got a few on a War Eagle spinnerbait. He said the fish in his area were in the post-spawn phase.
> Main factor in his success – "Wind."
> Chatterbait and spinnerbait gear: 7'6" medium-heavy RPM Flipping-Pitching Special rod, Pflueger President casting reel (6.3:1 gear ratio), 65-pound unnamed braided line, 3/8-ounce Rad Lures Chatterbait or 3/8-ounce War Eagle spinnerbait (both white/chartreuse).
> The rod is his own production (his initials are RPM). "I make about 20 different ones," he said.
Ron Shuffield committed himself to the toad, but struggled with lost fish.
3rd: Ron Shuffield
> Day 1: 5, 18-15
> Day 2: 5, 21-00
> Day 3: 3, 7-15
> Total = 13, 47-14
Some anglers focused on the worm and occasionally picked up a toad. Ron Shuffield was the opposite – he focused on the toad almost exclusively. He picked up a worm every so often, but it wasn't a factor.
Problem was, he had to live with the toad-curse. He got major blow-ups, but only landed a small percentage. On the final day, he only landed three of his 13 bites. One fish was 6-plus and two others were 4s. Ultimately, it was percentages that cost him the Classic.
"I fished (Lake) Kissimmee the entire tournament," he said. "I focused on scattered clumps of Hydrilla with other emergent vegetation in 2 to 4 feet of water."
He could catch smaller fish on the bank, but he backed off to get the quality bites. "I was just outside a spawning area where the grass was exceptionally thick. I think the bigger post-spawn fish were starting to move out and feed."
He fished by himself – he never saw another competitor – and kept moving and making casts.
> Main factor in his success – "Probably keying more on the holes in the hydrilla away from the shoreline, plus the lures I used. I'd pick up a worm from time to time, but those two lures (see below) were the entire key to my success."
> Toad gear: 7'6" Fenwick flipping stick, Abu Garcia Torno HSI casting reel, 65-pound Spiderwire Stealth line, Zoom Horny Toad Hook, Gambler Cane Toad (black) and Stanley Ribbit (black).
> Both the Cane Toad and Ribbit are topwater soft-plastic frogs (as opposed to traditional scum frogs).
Terry Scroggins caught his huge sack on day 2 by working the outside edges of lily pads.
4th: Terry Scroggins
> Day 1: 5, 10-14
> Day 2: 5, 28-06
> Day 3: 5, 7-11
> Total = 15, 46-15
Lady Luck didn't do Terry Scroggins many favors. The resident of nearby Palatka was labeled a favorite by many, and he might have proved them right had any sort of good fortune been on his side on days 1 or 3.
He found some big fish on beds on the official practice day, but drew boat No. 50 (out of 51) for day 1. "People were sitting on every one of those big fish I found in practice," he said.
That forced him to try to locate some fish he couldn't eyeball, and he was successful. He flipped up a small limit of lily-pad fish on day 1, but hammered their much larger companions with a worm on day 2. He might have done it again on day 3, but the 25 mph winds turned the water on the outside edge of the pads into chocolate milk.
He moved to the inside of the pads and caught a small limit on day 3 on the worm and a Yum Dinger.
> Main factor in his success – "Just moving around and finding some fish."
> Dinger gear: 6'6" medium-heavy Airrus rod, Team Daiwa Z Series casting reel, 16-pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line, 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook, 5" Yum Dinger (watermelon/red-flake).
> Flipping gear: 7'6" extra-heavy Airrus rod, Shimano Chronarch casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 65-pound Stren Superbraid line, 1 3/8-ounce Penetrator weight, XPoint X25Z hook, 3" Zoom prototype crawdad (black emerald).
> Worm gear: 6'8" Airrus Ultra XL rod, Team Daiwa Z casting reel, 16-pound Gamma Edge, 4/0 Gamakatsu straight-shank hook, Zoom Trick Worm (junebug).
Kevin VanDam was happy with the adjustments he made during the tournament.
5th: Kevin VanDam
> Day 1: 5, 14-02
> Day 2: 5, 14-15
> Day 3: 5, 15-07
> Total = 15, 44-08
Kevin VanDam was here and there, doing a little of this and a little of that in pursuit of his second straight Classic win and his fourth consecutive BASS victory. His performance was solid, with a strong day 3 charge. He just never ran into any giant fish.
He fished Kissimmee, Cypress and Toho. "I got on a lot of good fish in practice and I fished differently all 3 days," he said. "I was real proud of some of the adjustments I made."
He relied primarily on a Strike King 3X Zero over the first 2 days, then used a Strike King Premier Elite spinnerbait on day 3. He had the top bag on the final day.
"I fished the spinnerbait real slow around vegetation in the wind," he said. "I knew that was my best chance to catch a big stringer."
> Zero gear: 7'0" medium-heavy Quantum KVD PT Series rod, Quantum Energy 1160 PT casting reel (6:1 ratio), 20-pound Bass Pro Shops (BPS) XPS fluorocarbon line, Strike King 3X Zero (green-pumpkin/red-flake).
> Spinnerbait gear: 6'10" Quantum KVD Spinnerbait rod, same reel, 25-pound BPS XPS mono, 3/8-ounce Strike King Premier Elite spinnerbait (golden shiner).
Notable
> When asked if he thought he would have won had he been able to fish the outside of his pads on day 3, Scroggins responded, "Absolutely. Yep."
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