By BassFan Staff
Sight-fishing was a non-factor at the Okeechobee FLW Tour Open – there simply were very few bedding fish that could be seen. Nonetheless, it was some fish that Art Ferguson III saw that led him to his 4th-place finish.
Meanwhile, Brandon McMillan employed the mat-punching pattern that had carried him to victory a year earlier. He was within 2 ounces of eventual wire-to-wire winner and good friend Randall Tharp after day 1, but his best stuff received intense pressure and he tailed off after that, ending up 5th.
4th: Art Ferguson III
> Day 1: 5, 26-12
> Day 2: 5, 20-04
> Day 3: 5, 6-01
> Day 4: 5, 18-04
> Total = 20, 71-05
Ferguson, a Michigan resident who's guided in Florida during the winter months for many years, tried to develop a flipping pattern in practice, but was unable to connect with the type of quality he knew he'd need to be competitive. He was investigating the Cochran's Pass area on the north end of the lake when he happened to see a bunch of big fishing busting the surface.
The activity lasted no more than 15 seconds, but he realized they were the type of fish that could keep him around for all 4 days of the event if he exploited them properly.
"These big, giant bass just started blowing up inside this grassbed," he said. "In the tournament I was able to slow down and catch them."
He hammered those fish for the first 2 days by casting plastics, then had to resort to a splitshot rig to catch a miniscule limit on day 3 once the north wind began to howl. On the final day, which featured the heaviest winds of the tournament, he moved into the rim canal and cranked out a strong bag from the rocks.
He caught all of his day-4 weight in about an hour and a half. His fifth fish went nearly 6 pounds and spit up a big shad in his livewell.
> Worm/lizard gear: 7'6" heavy-action Kistler Helium rod, Shimano Caenan casting reel (6.5:1 ratio), 20-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon line, unnamed 1/4-ounce tungsten weight, unnamed 4/0 hook, unnamed 6" worm (red shad/green glitter) or 8" lizard (junebug).
> Cranking gear: 7'8" heavy-action Kistler Micro Magnesium All Day Power Tool rod, same reel and line, Strike King Series 5 (sexy shad).
> His splitshot rig included a 7'3" heavy-action Kistler Magnesium rod, 16-pound Sunline FC Sniper and a Yamamoto Senko (green-pumpkin/watermelon).
Main factor in his success – "God showing me those fish. I was in the right place at the right time."
Performance edge – "I'd have to say my Mercury motor for getting me around for 4 straight days under adverse conditions."
Brandon McMillan was reluctant to leave his best mats despite heavy fishing pressure.
5th: Brandon McMillan
> Day 1: 5, 33-07
> Day 2: 5, 14-05
> Day 3: 4, 13-06
> Day 4: 2, 3-04
> Total = 16, 64-06
McMillan averaged better than 4 pounds per weigh-in fish, and he was the only angler other than Tharp among the Top 10 who could make that claim. However, his total number was four shy of the tournament limit after a rough couple of days to conclude the event.
His pattern was basically the same as the one employed by Tharp – punching the heaviest mats on the north end of the lake (click here to read that story). They had a lot of company in there, however, and whereas Tharp never hesitated to pull out and head for isolated locales, McMillan admitted that he stuck with his main stuff for too long.
"I went to a 2-ounce sinker (on day 4) and that really helped a lot," he said. "At the end of (day 3) I'd gotten some decent fish out of my primary area, and I went back there (on day 4) and figured that if I waited for them to turn on, I could catch 25 pounds.
"If that didn't happen, the worst I could do was 10th place."
> Flipping gear: 7'5" heavy-action G. Loomis GLX flipping stick, Abu Garcia Revo MGX casting reel, 70-pound Daiwa Samurai braided line, unnamed 1 1/2- or 2-ounce tungsten weight, 4/0 Gambler KO hook, Gambler Y-Not creature bait (black/blue/silver).
Main factor in his success – "Local knowledge definitely factored into it – I knew what to target."
Performance edge – "My Power-Poles. I couldn't have gotten through the last 2 days without them."
Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here..
