In his element

Defining the Fritts Blitz

APPLING, Ga. – Professional angler David Fritts and crankbaits go together like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and restrictor plates.

In all of professional fishing, there is none better with a “cranking plug” than Chevy pro David Fritts.

In fact, Fritts even has a moniker to describe his signature cranking technique – the Fritts Blitz – a patented named given to his dominating crankbait bite when he won his first Bassmaster Classic on a cranking plug in 1993.

Fritts has won a total of four BASS events and four FLW Tour events on a crankbait, yet he has not won an event since 2001. That’s because the Fritts Blitz does not always work, but when it does, especially in the postspawn and fall portions of the year, he is unstoppable.

“When Fritts finds a wad of fish on a crankbait in the fall, there’s nobody that can beat him,” echoed fishing legend Guido Hibdon.

This week on Clarks Hill has been a shining example of Fritts’ unbelievable talent with a crankbait. Since the event began, he has left the field in the dust, lapping them by 15 1/2 pounds in three days of competition.

“I’m in my element here,” Fritts said this morning before the final day of the Walmart FLW Series event on Clarks Hill began. “I completely understand what these fish are doing and how to target them. This is what I live for.”

Fritts’ love affair with crankbaits began many years ago when he won a BFL Regional on Buggs Island on a deep-diving plug.

“I caught 25 pounds in that tournament on a crankbait in the fall, which is unheard of that time of year on Buggs,” Fritts said. “That’s when I really realized the power of a crankbait and its ability to pinpoint fish that few others can target that time of year.”

What Fritts really likes about the fall is that fishing is notoriously tough. Bass tend to suspend in the water column, and a crankbait is one of the few lures that can tap that strike zone.

Much like the “strike zone” in baseball for pitchers, the strike zone of bass in the fall can be very defined. Imagine a small window of water, 2 feet by 2 feet, suspended in about 12 feet of water over 25 feet and you start to get the idea of how small of an area Fritts is trying to hit with his crankbaits.

“That’s what I love about it,” Fritts explained. “It’s not about being around fish or near fish; it’s about finding that one single cast that is the right cast. And when you find that one cast, you can catch them every cast when others cannot.”

As an example of just how potent a single cast can be, consider that Fritts has reeled in 52 pounds, 14 ounces of fish in the last three days, while the combined catch of all three of his co-anglers was just a single bass.

“That’s how precise you have to be,” Fritts explained. “I’ve got one spot where I spent almost two hours trying to hit the top of one tree without a bite, and when I finally dialed it in and hit it, I caught one every cast after that.”

Not to take any suspense out of the final FLW Series BP Eastern event of the year, but it’s a safe bet that Fritts probably has this one wrapped up. The only question now is how big his winning margin will be.

The final weigh-in of the FLW Series on Clarks Hill will begin at 4 p.m. at the Evans Walmart located at 4471 Washington Road in Evans, Ga.

Saturday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:43 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 57 degrees

Expected high temperature: 71 degrees

Water temperature: 63 degrees

Wind: WNW at 10 to 15 mph

Day’s outlook: mostly cloudy