Pro Tips Weekly: Luke Clausen

Know when to fold ’em

Say you’re on a really good spot and the fish are biting everything you’re throwing at them. You’ve got a limit of 3-pounders and you’re hoping for a good kicker or two to give you a boost at weigh-in. But if you don’t get a big fish within the first few you catch, chances are you’re not going to. Fish tend to school in size classes. I might invest some time on that spot if I’m fishing a place where a 3-pound average is darn good, but if it’s Kentucky Lake or Guntersville, I’m out of there. I’ll save that spot for tomorrow, or the next tournament. To get a big kicker, chances are I’ll try to find some isolated cover somewhere – a single stump on a drop-off or a laydown at the bank. That’s where lone big bass are more likely to hang out. And I’ll probably fish the cover with a jig and a chunk trailer. I don’t think there’s a better big-bass bait than a jig.

—- Chevy pro Luke Clausen of Spokane, Wash.