Flipping, Reaction Baits Had Their Moments

Fish could be caught a lot of different ways at the recent Red River FLW Tour in Louisiana. The biggest problem was there just weren't all that many fish that could be caught, period.

Recent flooding in the region prevented the Red from showing its true colors – its name notwithstanding. The water level was high but rapidly receding, the water temperature was chillier than normal for this time of year and the mostly post-spawn fish weren't in much of an eating mood.

Finding the oxbows with the clearest water was a big key, and all of those places were discovered by multiple competitors. Crowding was a big issue and anglers had to choose between sitting on a spot and attempting to grind out a handful of bites or bouncing from one locale to another, hoping to get bit once for every three or four stops they made.

Whatever the case, this one was a lot tougher than most would've predicted it would be at the start of the season.

2nd: Mark Rose

> Day 1: 5, 12-10
> Day 2: 4, 7-04
> Day 3: 5, 10-11
> Day 4: 5, 12-11
> Total = 19, 43-04

Mark Rose, who finished a little more than 5 pounds behind winner John Cox, spent the tournament in one small backwater that didn't receive nearly as much pressure as a lot of other places. He said the tournament represented a return to his river-fishing roots after spending most of the past few years plying offshore tactics.

"It was a grind, but by the end I had that place figured out," he said. "Every day was different.

"When the water was up and muddy, I caught them on a spinnerbait, and there were 2 days like that. When the water was lower, they'd move out to the logs and I caught them on a Strike King KVD 1.5 (crankbait)."

> Spinnerbait gear: 6' medium-action unnamed vintage rod, Shimano Chronarch casting reel (7:1 ratio), 20-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line, 3/8-ounce Strike King Premier Pro Model spinnerbait (chartreuse with double gold Colorado blades).

> He said he's had the rod since he was in high school but rarely finds occasion to use it these days. "I felt like a little girl fishing with it. I had to deal undercut some trees and logs and stuff like that – it was real tight quarters. With that rod it was easy to make sort of an underhanded roll cast."

> Cranking gear: 7'11" Kistler Z-Bone Mark Rose Signature Series rod, Shimano Chronarch casting reel (5:1 ratio), 15-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon, Strike King KVD 1.5 (painted white/splatterback by Fall Creek Custom Paint).

Main factor in his success – "Understanding river fishing with fluctuating water levels and clarity."

Performance edge – "The combination of the crankbait, the line and the rod – I have a lot of confidence in all three of them."

3rd: Clint Brownlee

> Day 1: 5, 10-10
> Day 2: 5, 9-13
> Day 3: 5, 11-12
> Day 4: 5, 7-14
> Total = 20, 40-01

Clint Brownlee, who made his first career tour-level Top 10, focused on an oxbow that was only about 2 miles from the launch in Pool 5.

"There was a shad spawn going on in there and there was a really good morning bite," he said. "The first 3 days I had a limit by 9:30."

He caught the vast majority of his fish on a buzzbait, but also flipped up a couple.

> Buzzbait gear: 7' medium-action Kistler spinning rod, Shimano Sustain spinning real, 20-pound Berkley FireLine braided line, 1/8-ounce Strike King buzzbait (black or white).

> Flipping gear: 7'2" heavy-action Kistler Z-Bone rod, Shimano Core casting reel (7:1 ratio), 65-pound Berkley FireLine braid, 1/2-ounce unnamed tungsten weight (pegged), 5/0 Gamakatsu flipping hook, Grande Bass Mega Claw (green-pumpkin or black/blue).

Main factor in his success – "I'd say just staying in one area and maximizing my fishing time."

Performance edge – "I'd say it was my Power-Pole. The wind blew pretty hard every day, but I could hunker down and fish slow and thorough."

4th: Darrel Robertson

> Day 1: 5, 10-12
> Day 2: 5, 6-13
> Day 3: 5, 11-10
> Day 4: 5, 10-13
> Total = 20, 40-00

Darrel Robertson, who's having a resurgent season at age 61, limited himself to a few areas in Pool 5 and caught his fish by flipping extremely shallow water.

"In practice you could do a lot of fishing in a lot of places and not catch anything," he said. "I found a couple or three areas where I could get a few bites and just ended up making the right choices."

> Flipping gear: 7'3" medium-heavy Abu Garica Veritas rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX casting reel, 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 1/4- or 3/8-ounce unnamed tungsten weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu flipping hook, Gene Larew Biffle Bug (green-pumpkin).

Main factor in his success – "I had places where I could catch a limit if I stuck with it, and when things changed, I didn't run around."

Performance edge – "My Ranger boat. I just about had to jump stumps to get around in some of those places, and if I was in anything less than a Ranger I would've been afraid it was going to get torn up."

5th: Gary Yamamoto

> Day 1: 5, 7-05
> Day 2: 5, 12-07
> Day 3: 5, 7-11
> Day 4: 5, 10-04
> Total = 20, 37-11

Gary Yamamoto was another angler who settled into a single oxbow in Pool 5 and flipped all day.

"It was a shallow place with deep water close by," he said. "It was just getting some milfoil and some of the fish were in there trying to spawn.

"With the deeper water (12 feet) close by, I guess it just kept replenishing. I don't think I caught a fish deeper than 2 1/2 feet."

> Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Yamamoto flipping stick, Shimano Chronarch casting reel (7:1), 20-pound Sugoi fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce tungsten weight, 5/0 Owner or Gamakatsu flipping hook, 4" Yamamoto Craw, Yamamoto Hula Swimmer or prototype 6" Yamamoto double-tail creature bait (black/blue).

Main factor in his success – "Just not knowing where to go and staying in that one area."

Performance edge – "Just the different baits I had and switching them up. I was able to change in midstream and give them something different to look at."

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