Top 10 Baits from Kentucky Lake

What worked in post-frontal, high-water, prespawn conditions

Chase Serafin, Cody Batterson Photo by Matt Pace.

March 7, 2018 • David A. Brown and Matt Pace • Abu Garcia College Fishing

The go-to baits from the 2018 YETI FLW College Fishing Open on Kentucky/Barkley lakes were pretty standard for prespawn season in the Tennessee Valley, but some teams had to employ slightly different approaches than what’s considered normal due to high, dirty water combined with cold front conditions.

Winner's story

Here’s what they used.

1. Tournament champions Chase Serafin and Cody Batterson used an umbrella rig fitted with Keitech Swing Impact FAT swimbaits, a Rapala DT10 crankbait and a Terminator double-willow spinnerbait to bring home the win for Adrian College.

2. East Texas Baptist University’s Chad Poulsen and Jacob Sanders fooled their fish with V&M Lightning Blade vibrating jigs with V&M Thunder Shad swimbait trailers.

3. A Queen Tackle HAMMERHEAD Jig with a Strike King Rage Craw and a Queen Tackle Football Swinghead with a Gene Larew Biffle Bug were the choices for Bethel University’s Cody Huff and Garrett Enders.

4. Jack Hippe III and Nicholas Czajka caught all their fish in a 25-minute rally by throwing an umbrella rig with Keitech Swing Impact swimbaits, a Rapala DT10 crankbait and 3/4-ounce underspin.

5. Targeting main-lake points, Luke Mason and Garett Marler earned fifth place for the University of North Alabama by throwing Rapala DT6 and DT10 crankbaits.

6. Landing in sixth place, Adrian College’s Alex Henderson and John Franco caught their fish on Picasso Finesse School E Rigs with Keitech 3.8-inch Swing Impact FAT swimbaits.

7. Murray State’s Harbor Lovin and Evan Bramhill caught their seventh-place fish by flipping Missile Baits D Bomb s on 4/0 Trokar flipping hook s.

8. Hunter Louden and Seth Roberts of Bethel University mixed it up by flipping a 1/2-ounce jig with a Zoom Big Salty Chunk and a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Bug, and then cranking a Stike King 4.0 Magnum square-bill and a lipless crankbait in deeper water.

9. An umbrella rig and a Gene Larew Biffle HardHead with a Strike King Rage Bug yielded ninth place for Campbellsville University teammates Dakota Cantrell and Austin Moore.

10. In 10th place, Bethel’s Cole Floyd and Dakota Pierce employed a buzzbait and a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss in the Skywalker color.