To follow up on BassFan's coverage of the Top 3 patterns from the recent Forrest Wood cup at Lake Murray, S.C., here's an analysis of how the 4th- and 5th-place finishers caught their fish.
4th: Chris Baumgardner
> Day 1: 5, 10-04
> Day 2: 5, 12-12 (10, 23-00)
> Day 3: 4, 10-09
> Day 4: 5, 6-00 (9, 16-09)
Chris Baumgardner spent the majority of his competition time in the mid-lake area where he targeted shallow flats and pockets.
"Some of them had a little grass, some of them didn't," he said about his areas. "My big key was just covering a lot of water with a Zoom Horny Toad."
He had a buzzbait bite working in tandem with his toad the first 2 days, but the buzzer fizzled on days 3 and 4. "I'm not really sure why they didn't want to eat that buzzbait all the sudden, but they just seemed like they wanted the toad more," he noted.
"I was reeling the toad fast up top just like a buzzbait, so I don't really understand why they wouldn't go after the buzz, but there's no sense in forcing it on them if they don't want it."
Baumgardner threw the Zoom Horny Toad exclusively on days 3 and 4 – he doesn't know why this fish stopped biting a buzzbait.
> Toad gear: 7'6" medium-action American Rodsmiths Rocket Launcher rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX casting reel (6.4:1), 17-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line, 5/0 Bass Pro Shops straight-shank hook, Zoom Horny Toad (green-pumpkin and junebug).
> Main factor in his success – "Being bull-headed. I got on my deal and stayed with it. The same thing that got me here probably cost me, but I kept with it anyway."
> Performance edge – "The rod and reel was key. You had to make long casts."
5th: Kevin Vida
> Day 1: 5, 17-05
> Day 2: 4, 5-06 (9, 22-11)
> Day 3: 4, 6-03
> Day 4: 5, 9-11 (15-14)
While many competitors ran frantically and burned several gallons of fuel in a single day, Kevin Vida spent most of his time within 3 miles of the launch site, where he sight-casted to small schools of roaming largemouths.
Several pros talked about the "wolf packs" of bass that patrolled Murray's banks, but most wrote them off as too skittish to catch. Vida, however, made them his bread and butter.
Kevin Vida stayed within 3 miles of the launch and sight-fished to roving wolf-packs.
"Sight-fishing is my favorite way to fish," he said. "And those fish in those schools were just too big to ignore."
He found most his schools in pockets off the main lake. But not every pocket had the numbers he was looking for.
"The best pockets were the ones that had natural rock with a lot of sand mixed in," he noted. "That was about the only thing I found that you could really look for, and I'm still not exactly sure why they were in those areas. Something about that sand-rock mix was attracting them up in there.
"What was funny is that my co-anglers couldn't see those fish," he added. "There were a couple times where I'd spook them and they'd come running under the boat and I'd be yelling, 'Look! Look!' but they still couldn't see them. My Solar Bat sunglasses really helped me see those fish."
Stealth played a key role in his presentation. He said he kept plenty of distance between him and his fish and tried to be as quiet as he could. "I only ran the trolling motor when I had to, and I made really long casts with a Pop-R and a shakey-head.
"You couldn't just throw out there and start working it," he said of his presentation. "I'd throw the Pop-R way out in front of them and then just give it a twitch when they got close - same thing with the shakey-head."
> Topwater gear: 6'2" medium-action Fenwick Elite Tech rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX (6.4:1), 12-pound Berkley Trilene Sensation line, Rebel Magnum Pop-R (chrome/black-back).
> He said he changed the Pop-R hooks to 4/0 Gamakatsu trebles and tied his own feathers for the back treble. He made some other modifications, but didn't want to "give away too much."
> Shakey-head gear: 6'6" medium-heavy Fenwick Techna AV spinning rod, Abu Garcia Sorön STX prototype spinning reel, 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line, 1/8-ounce Bite-Me jighead (green-pumpkin), 5" Berkley Power Shaky worm (green-pumpkin).
> Main factor in his success – "Being positive and keeping with those fish even though they'd frustrate you to death. Also being relaxed and having my family there helped. That made it so I didn't have to think about home."
Here's a look at the not-yet-released Abu Garcia Sorön STX. Note the unique "superline" spool that doesn't require backing.
> Performance edge – "I'd say that Fenwick Elite Tech topwater rod. It's got the perfect combination of hooksetting power and bend. My Minn Kota trolling motor was key, too. I had it on high all week. The other big thing was my Solar Bat sunglasses."
Notable
> BassFan did some digging about the prototype Sorön STX spinning reel Vida said he used (pictured to right). The Sorön STX will come packed with 11 High Performance Corrosion Resistant (HPCR) bearings. And the body, body cover, rotor and bail arm are built with Abu's "extremely light and corrosion resistant X-Cräftic aluminum alloy," according to the company. Another cool feature is the new SuperLine Spool System, which features a patent-pending design of two "elastimetric" rings built into the spool that will keep superlines from slipping, thus eliminating the need for mono backing or tape on the spool. The reel will ship in September.
Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here..
