Magic Tree, Bluff Wall Produced For Lawyer

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

In 2013, Jeremy Lawyer finished 7th in the BFL All-American at Nickajack Lake. Last year, he was the runner-up to Curtis Richardson in the All-American at Kentucky Lake.

There must be something about the Tennessee River that just jives with the Sarcoxie, Mo., angler because at this year’s All-American, held last week on the southern end of Barkley Lake, which is part of the Cumberland River and runs parallel to Kentucky Lake off to the east, he made sure the third time was the charm.

“I’ve been up there sniffing around,” he joked.

Lawyer averaged nearly 17 pounds a day to finish with a 3-day total of 50-12 and capture the wire-to-wire victory. He won $120,000 plus an invitation to this year’s Forrest Wood Cup at Wheeler Lake in August.

“It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Lawyer, who serves as a city administrator in his hometown. “It still seems like a fairy tale. It’s so much higher than anything I’ve ever done. It’s as far up there as my daughter being born.”

Lawyer competed in the Ozark BFL Division last year and qualified for the All-American with a 4th-place finish at the regional held at Kentucky Lake last October.

Sarcoxie is located roughly 20 miles east of Joplin, Mo., and Lawyer said he liked how Barkley set up as it compared to some of the lakes he’s fished around home.

“It was really similar aside from the current,” he said. “As far as flipping shallow cover and those shallow ledges in the 6- to 10-foot range, I felt really comfortable. My pre-practice was terrible even though I’d never seen a fishier-looking place. I just couldn’t catch them, but I felt like it had some Grand Lake and pieces of Truman Lake and Table Rock to it. I’m used to fishing diverse fisheries around home.”

Here’s how did it.

Practice

When Lawyer came to Barkley before it went off limits, the water was on the rise and getting dirty.

“Logs had washed in and there were no fish on the ledges,” he said. “I was looking hard at stuff hoping to find them. The river was in poor shape with all kinds of debris. That helped me because I knew when we came back, it would be different.

“I told myself, ‘When you show up, you better have a game plan ready.’ We only had one practice day before the tournament and that caused a lot of guys to fish instinctively. That helped me because I didn’t get married to anything. I just fished open-minded. If it looked good, I stopped on it.”

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 18-06
> Day 2: 5, 14-12
> Day 3: 5, 17-10
> Total = 15, 50-12

Lawyer had a bunch of spots he wanted to fish on day 1 as he figured it would take a milk-run of areas to get a limit in the boat.

“I didn’t think I could pull up and catch five on one spot,” he said.

His first stop was a flooded tree and it produced two 4-pounders on a Zoom Brush Hog. He ran around some after that and picked up single keepers off a ledge and another dragging a football jig. He’d also planned to flip shallow cover down near Dover, Tenn., but the water had dropped and was clearing up so he wrote that off.

He headed back toward the ramp and started cranking when he caught a 5-05 smallmouth.

“You can’t pattern a 5-pound smallmouth on Barkley,” he said. “It was such a lucky deal. Anyone could’ve caught that fish. That basically took me from about 7th place to the lead with 30 minutes to go.”

It capped off a strong start as he came in with 18-05 to take the day-1 lead.

“I wanted to set the pace for whole event on day 1,” he said. “I didn’t want to lose it on the first day so it felt good coming out with a lead.”

He decided to start in a different spot on day 2 because he thought the lighting could be more favorable. He eventually moved back to the tree that produced on day 1 and caught a 5-pounder.

He stayed mostly near the Little River area and picked up a couple keepers flipping and another on a crankbait before pulling along a bluff wall near the mouth of the Little River.

“Shaky-heads aren’t my forte, but my co-angler caught two on it there,” he said. “I pulled out a (stand-up) football jig with a magnum finesse worm and went down the wall and caught my fifth keeper – a 4-pounder.”

Those were the only bites Lawyer got on day 2, but his 14-12 was enough to keep him in the lead entering the final day.

He elected to start on the bluff wall – it was the first of three separate stops there on Saturday – and he caught a 5 1/2-pounder in the first 45 minutes.

“I figured there’d be some good ones there,” he said. “I think the fish were stopping to feed there before heading out to the main river. The bluff was loaded with fry. That set the tone for the day.”

After a lull, he hopped around and picked up a keeper on the worm off a point. He checked the ledges and the tree where he’d caught good ones earlier, but came away with nothing.

“I went back to the bluff around 11 and caught a 4 and a 3,” he said. “I didn’t know it at the time that that was enough (to win), but I didn’t want to leave the door open.”

He came back to the bluff with 10 minutes left and caught another 4-pounder to cap it off.

“I wish I’d found that bluff the first day,” he added. “The fish just seemed to be filtering out to that spot. They were starting to get thick again. Their tails were healing.”

He’s understandably anxious to compete in the Cup later this summer.

“I’m excited to go,” he said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was kid. I’m going to soak it all in and I’m going to try to do all I can like any other tournament. I’m going to try to not get swept away by the hype.”

Winning Pattern Notes

> Lawyer said the key to catching fish off the bluff wall was making sure the worm was falling right up against the wall.

“I had the boat sitting out in 14 feet, but you had to put the worm right on the rocks,” he said. “You couldn’t let it fall 2 or 3 feet short. They were tucked into those crevices. The boat traffic was horrendous and I think the wave action had those fish tucked in tight to the cover.

“I definitely was not on a pattern,” he added. “Day 3 was probably the closest I came. I tried three other places similar to that bluff, but I didn’t catch anything. That was just a key stretch. It was the last deep water before they hit the river.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Flipping gear: 7’6” heavy-action Falcon Rods Cara and Low Rider casting rods, Quantum EXO PT casting reels, 15- to 20-pound Cabela’s No-Vis fluorocarbon line, 1/2-oz. unnamed worm weight, 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG Superline worm hook, Zoom Brush Hog (green-pumpkin).

> Despite fishing in 18 inches of water, he favored the half-ounce weight because it triggered reaction strikes.

> Worm gear: Same rods, reel and line (17- and 20-pound), 3/8-oz. homemade football jig, Zoom Magnum Trick Worm (green-pumpkin).

> He dipped the tails of the Brush Hog and worm in chartreuse dye.

> When he did crank, it was with a Bandit 200 in a custom herring finish by Fallcreek Lures.

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – “It was between my ears. Just having the focus to grind it out and go slow and not get caught up going too fast. I felt like I’d pass the only bite there if I went too fast.”

> Performance edge – “I found some hard spots with my Humminbird 360 imaging in pre-practice, but even though I couldn’t use that in the tournament it helped me to get the lineups on certain areas.”

Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.

Final Results

1. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 18-6 (5) -- 14-12 (5) -- 33-2 (10) -- 17-10 (5) -- 50-12 (15) -- $100,000 + Ranger Cup ($20,000)

2. Todd Walters -- Kernersville, NC -- 15-1 (5) -- 12-8 (5) -- 27-9 (10) -- 17-1 (5) -- 44-10 (15) -- $20,000

3. Clabion Johns -- Covington, Ga -- 13-13 (5) -- 13-13 (5) -- 27-10 (10) -- 15-9 (5) -- 43-3 (15) -- $15,000 + Ranger Cup ($8,000)

4. John Vanore -- Mullica Hill, NJ -- 15-14 (5) -- 11-5 (5) -- 27-3 (10) -- 13-4 (5) -- 40-7 (15) -- $14,000 + Ranger Cup ($7,000)

5. Kyle Weisenburger -- Ottawa, Oh -- 15-9 (5) -- 13-0 (5) -- 28-9 (10) -- 11-12 (5) -- 40-5 (15) -- $13,000

6. Drew Boggs -- Lebanon, Tn -- 17-4 (5) -- 11-9 (5) -- 28-13 (10) -- 10-8 (4) -- 39-5 (14) -- $12,000

7. Mike Devere -- Berea, Ky -- 14-2 (5) -- 12-11 (4) -- 26-13 (9) -- 11-12 (4) -- 38-9 (13) -- $11,000 + Ranger Cup ($4,500)

8. Nelson Walker -- Manning, C -- 13-8 (5) -- 13-7 (5) -- 26-15 (10) -- 11-2 (4) -- 38-1 (14) -- $10,000 + Ranger Cup ($4,000)

9. Thomas Helton -- Charleston, Tn -- 14-4 (5) -- 12-9 (5) -- 26-13 (10) -- 9-5 (4) -- 36-2 (14) -- $9,000 + Ranger Cup ($3,500)

10. Jim Eakin -- Clarksville, Tn -- 14-6 (5) -- 12-8 (5) -- 26-14 (10) -- 1-12 (1) -- 28-10 (11) -- $13,000 + Ranger Cup ($3,000)

The following anglers missed the cut and did not compete on day 3.

11. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, Al -- 11-3 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 25-1 (10) -- $3,000

12. John Duvall -- Madison, Ga -- 15-13 (5) -- 9-1 (4) -- 24-14 (9) -- $3,000

13. Dearal Rodgers -- Camden, SC -- 7-5 (3) -- 17-5 (5) -- 24-10 (8) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

14. Shonn Goodwin -- Moore, Ok -- 13-1 (5) -- 11-1 (4) -- 24-2 (9) -- $3,000

15. Mark McCaig -- Oxford, Al -- 11-5 (5) -- 12-9 (5) -- 23-14 (10) -- $3,000

16. Roger Fitzpatrick -- Eldon, Mo -- 8-11 (4) -- 14-4 (5) -- 22-15 (9) -- $3,000

17. Tony Couch -- Buckhead, Ga -- 13-4 (5) -- 8-11 (3) -- 21-15 (8) -- $3,000

18. Kip Carter -- Social Circle, Ga -- 12-12 (5) -- 9-2 (3) -- 21-14 (8) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

19. Donald Hinson -- Lugoff, SC -- 9-0 (4) -- 12-9 (4) -- 21-9 (8) -- $3,000 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)

20. Brent Anderson -- Kingston Springs, Tn -- 9-13 (5) -- 11-7 (5) -- 21-4 (10) -- $3,000

21. Joseph Webster -- Fulton, Ms -- 13-7 (5) -- 7-11 (3) -- 21-2 (8) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

22. Mark Tucker -- Kirkwood, Mo -- 6-11 (2) -- 12-2 (5) -- 18-13 (7) -- $2,000

23. Andre Dickneite -- Freeburg, Mo -- 15-11 (5) -- 3-0 (1) -- 18-11 (6) -- $2,000

24. Kyle Dorsett -- Odenville, Al -- 10-1 (4) -- 6-13 (2) -- 16-14 (6) -- $2,000

25. Scott Towry -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 8-14 (4) -- 7-7 (3) -- 16-5 (7) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

26. Derek Jenkel -- Pinckneyville, Il -- 8-3 (3) -- 8-2 (3) -- 16-5 (6) -- $2,000

27. Jon Griffith -- Mesa, Az -- 2-6 (1) -- 13-10 (5) -- 16-0 (6) -- $2,000

28. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 7-13 (4) -- 8-0 (3) -- 15-13 (7) -- $2,000

29. Raymond Trudeau -- Saint Cloud, Fl -- 10-8 (4) -- 5-1 (2) -- 15-9 (6) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

30. Leroy McDuffie -- Mc Leansboro, Il -- 2-14 (1) -- 11-12 (5) -- 14-10 (6) -- $3,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,500)

31. Mike Morris -- White, Ga -- 3-15 (2) -- 10-11 (4) -- 14-10 (6) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

32. Ken Garbe -- Loveland, Oh -- 7-0 (3) -- 7-6 (3) -- 14-6 (6) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

33. Michael Belter -- Reidsville, NC -- 10-14 (3) -- 3-6 (1) -- 14-4 (4) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

34. Tim Smiley -- White Pine, Tn -- 11-2 (5) -- 2-12 (1) -- 13-14 (6) -- $2,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

35. Daniel Langton -- Haubstadt, In -- 10-11 (3) -- 2-14 (1) -- 13-9 (4) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

36. Travis Brueggen -- Cashton, Wi -- 5-9 (2) -- 7-10 (3) -- 13-3 (5) -- $1,500

37. Klaus Hadschin -- Granite Falls, NC -- 7-7 (3) -- 5-5 (2) -- 12-12 (5) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

38. Corey Cook -- Delbarton, Wv -- 6-1 (2) -- 5-15 (3) -- 12-0 (5) -- $1,500

39. Jim Vitaro -- Wooster, Oh -- 8-5 (4) -- 2-4 (1) -- 10-9 (5) -- $2,000 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

40. Bruce Neal -- Lancaster, Oh -- 5-15 (3) -- 4-7 (1) -- 10-6 (4) -- $1,500

41. Randy Ramsey -- Ceresco, Mi -- 4-4 (2) -- 5-14 (2) -- 10-2 (4) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

42. Grae Buck -- Harleysville, Pa -- 8-3 (3) -- 1-13 (1) -- 10-0 (4) -- $1,500

43. Chris McCall -- Brookeland, Tx -- 3-4 (1) -- 6-4 (2) -- 9-8 (3) -- $1,500

44. Russell Corry -- Shelby, NC -- 4-12 (2) -- 4-4 (2) -- 9-0 (4) -- $1,500

45. Ronny Webb -- Dyersburg, Tn -- 2-2 (1) -- 6-4 (2) -- 8-6 (3) -- $1,500

46. Aaron Echternkamp -- Moses Lake, Wa -- 6-15 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-15 (3) -- $1,500

47. Justin Fung -- Scarborough, On -- 1-15 (1) -- 2-1 (1) -- 4-0 (2) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

48. Chris Darby -- Hot Springs, Ar 2-8 (1) -- 2-8 (1) -- $1,500 + Ranger Cup ($1,000)

49. Landon Lomax -- Owens Cross Roads, Al -- 2-1 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-1 (1) -- $1,500