Hallman Prevails On Grand
Rainy day adjustment cinches win
The third day of the Rayovac FLW Series presented by Power-Pole on Grand Lake began with a torrential downpour that tapered off into a steady rain the rest of the morning. While the rest of the top 10 struggled to adapt to the rain, day-two leader Bradley Hallman of Norman, Okla., capitalized in a big way. Tossing a Heddon One Knocker Spook for fish around beds and sight-fishing for a few, Hallman stroked 22 pounds, 4 ounces on the final day and earned a win and $40,000 with a three-day total of 65-15.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” says Hallman. “I’ve had four or five shots at winning and I haven’t got it done. To do it here, and to have a glory day on the last day – it’s phenomenal. It doesn’t get any better than that. When that big one ate that spook (around 11 a.m.) I knew it was my day.”
Hallman has been fishing Grand Lake since he was young, and he expertly balanced sight-fishing and regular fishing on the final two days to bring in three bags over 20 pounds. Fishing from Drowning Creek to the dam, Hallman caught mostly bedding fish on the first day, but capitalized on a strong topwater bite in the rain the final two days.
“Grand lake is pretty notorious for a bad to the bone Spook bite,” explains Hallman. “When you get all those fish shallow around beds it is notorious for big ones. I caught a 4-pounder on it yesterday when it was raining and it allowed me to cover water between docks. When they started waylaying it this morning, I was very pleased.”
All told, a bone-colored Heddon One Knocker Spook accounted for his second biggest fish each of the last two days and a number of other quality fish on the final day. He caught most of his other fish on either a white tube or a green pumpkin-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw.
A prime example of how effective the Spook and spawn combo turned out to be played out on a fish that Hallman saved for nearly the entire event. After passing on a 4-pound male the first two days because the larger female was present but not locked on the bed, Hallman caught the female in the rain with the Spook on his first pass in the pocket, and then returned and caught the male sight-fishing about an hour later.
Hallman also used the rain to his advantage for sight-fishing. First thing in the morning on day three, the Oklahoma pro caught a number of fish from behind the back walkway of a marina dock. According to Hallman, the rain disguised his presence enough that he could creep within range of them without being detected. Once he hooked up, co-angler winner Kyle Triplett provided a huge assist with some creative net jobs.
During practice, Hallman plugged over 100 waypoints of beds into his GPS unit and careful rationing paid off. His strategy also involved some serious work. When many of his competitors tried to target deeper spawning bass, Hallman did the opposite and targeted many that were plumb against the bank, yet tucked behind a dock or in places that were tricky to access.
Hallman says he wants to fish the Walmart FLW Tour, and he seems on track to do it. He is currently sitting 13th in the Texas Division standings, and a win is a great way to start in the Central Division.
Watch Hallman's spectacular final day here.
Read about the patterns the rest of the top 10 pros used here.
See all the baits used by the top 10 here.
Top 10 Pros
1: Bradley Hallman – Norman, Okla. – 65-15 (15) – $40,000
2: Jonathan Henry – Grant, Ala. – 60-11 (15) – $15,500
3: Matt Arey – Shelby, N.C. – 59-6 (15) – $12,000
4: Todd Castledine – Nacogdoches, Texas – 58-13 (15) – $10,000
5: Jason Christie – Park Hill, Okla. – 57-6 (15) – $9,000
6: Robbie Dodson – Harrison, Ark. – 56-7 (15) – $8,000
7: James Watson – Springfield, Mo. – 52-12 (15) – $7,000
8: Jeremy Lawyer – Sarcoxie, Mo. – 52-9 (15) – $6,000
9: Dylan Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 51-1 (15) – $5,000
10: Brandon Perkins – Counce, Tenn. – 50-9 (15) – $4,000