Top 10 Baits from Lake Hartwell
The baits the bass couldn't resist on Hartwell
The Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau at Lake Hartwell was all about the sight-fishing bite much of the time. Of course, a few other patterns turned out to be players as well. If you’re headed to just about any clear lake around the spawn, you’d be wise to consider what the top 10 tossed this week.
1. For the first three days, John Cox relied on a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko on a 1/0 hook. He’d cast it around up shallow to search for bed fish. He’d also use it on them, as well as a beaver-style bait and Zoom Trick Worm. On Day 4, Cox called an audible and cast a 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait (black and blue) with a Strike King Menace Grub trailer in some stained water.
2. Clark Wendlandt did what he does better than almost everyone, using a white Strike King Bitsy Tube to tempt bedding fish. While searching for beds, Wendlandt cast around a wacky-rigged green pumpkin Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Ocho.
3. Jamie Horton made a valiant charge on the final day, tempting some big fish with a green pumpkin Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket on a wacky rig.
4. Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson was no stranger to a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko, but he also relied heavily on a Jackall Dowzvido 90SP jerkbait in matte pearl white.
5. In typical Bryan Thrift-fashion, he had 11 different rods rigged up each day, with everything from jigs to wacky rigs to swimbaits. That said, 90 percent of his fish came on a wacky-rigged Damiki Stinger in baby bass color.
6. Like most of the field, Darrel Robertson used a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko for the majority of his fish. He alternated between green pumpkin and watermelon red colors, and 2/0 and 3/0 hooks to vary to fall rates.
7. Larry Nixon had a great jerkbait bite going pretournament and into the first morning, but it quickly fizzled out. When it did, he switched gears to a Ned rig with half of a Yamamoto Senko on it and a Yamamoto Pro Senko on a 1/16- or 3/32-ounce shaky head.
8. Cory Johnston was on a sight-fishing pattern like most everybody, but his tool to tease bedding fish was different. He opted for a 1/4-ounce drop-shot with either a Jackall Crosstail Shad in green pumpkin or a morning dawn Roboworm Straight Tail Worm.
9. Peter Thliveros kept things simple and light, tossing around a Zoom Swimming Fluke and a Zoom Trick Worm, both on 1/8-ounce heads.
10. Powell Kemp was one of the few pros in the top 10 who opted to not throw a wacky rig. Instead, he alternated between a Zoom Lizard, Zoom UV Speed Craw and NetBait Paca Jig with a matching Paca Chunk trailer. based on what each bed fish would react to best.