Photo: James Overstreet - A wire-to-wire winner and a weeklong wacky rig whack fest. South Carolinian Brandon Cobb and his Bassmaster Elite Series peers put on a seminar on how itâs done at the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell. All captions: Craig Lamb Photo: Andy Crawford - The takeaway for the average angler was just how far this latest class of Elite pros went to teach the average angler. You watched them on Bassmaster LIVE. Now see inside the tackleboxes of the top finishers.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Hank Cherry Jr. (56-8; 10th) ) Hank Cherry worked bedding fish with two soft plastic rigs. He used a new 3.5-inch Berkley PowerBait The Champ Craw rigged to a 4/0 Berkley Fusion 19 Heavy Cover Hook and 1/4-ounce weight. He used the same model hook to make a weightless wacky rig using The Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General. Photo: Andy Crawford - On Championship Sunday he added this Berkley Surge Shad. Photo: Andy Crawford - Chad Pipkens (58-2; 9th) Chad Pipkens rotated between two finesse rigs for bed fishing. He used a 3-inch Damiki Air Craw on a 3/16-ounce jighead. He made a weightless wacky rig with a 2/0 Eagle Claw Trokar TK137 Finesse Hook and 5-inch Lunker Hunt Lunker Stick.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Jamie Hartman (59-6; 8th) Jamie Hartman rotated through these baits. A 3.25-inch Riot Baits Little Fuzzy rigged on 3/0 Owner Extra Wide Gap Hook with 3/16-ounce Riot Baits T3 Worm Weight was a top choice. So was a Riot Baits Baton Worm rigged weightless on a 2/0 Owner Sniper Finesse Hook; he also rigged it on a 1/8-ounce jighead as a shaky head rig. He also used a 3/16-ounce Riot Baits Minima Jig with 2.4-inch Riot Baits The Tantrum trailer. Photo: Andy Crawford - Bill Lowen (60-15; 7th) Bill Lowen rotated between homemade swim jigs and buzzbaits made with components from Lure Parts Online. The choices were a 1/4-ounce buzzbait and Backstroke Swim Jig, fished with a Strike King Rage Tail Craw. A Hayabusa WRM920 Trailer Hook was added to the buzzbait for better hookup ratios. Photo: Andy Crawford - Mark Menendez (61-15; 6th) Mark Menendez used a 3/8-ounce Strike King Premier Spinnerbait with double Colorado blades for reaction strikes. He also used a 4-inch Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Game Hawg, rigged on 5/0 Gamakatsu Straight Shank Worm Hook, with 5/16-ounce Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten Weight. He added a Strike King Shadalicous and Strike King Finesse Worm on Championship Sunday.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Shane Lehew (61-15; 5th) Shane Lehew rotated between two lures, beginning with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General on a 2/0 Berkley Fusion 19 Drop Shot Hook. A 4-inch Berkley PowerBait Lizard rigged on a 3/0 Berkley Fusion 19 Flipping Hook and 1/4-ounce weight was another choice. Photo: Andy Crawford - Drew Cook (63-4; 4th) Drew Cook used a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog rigged on 4/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Heavy Cover Hook, alternating between 1/4- or 3/8-ounce weights depending on depths of the spawning beds. A wacky rigged 5-inch Big Bite Baits Soft Super Salt Trick Stick on a 2/0 Gamakatsu Drop/Split Shot Hook was another choice. Photo: Andy Crawford - Micah Frazier (63-3; 3rd) Michah Frazier used a wacky rigged Yum Dinger rigged on 2/0 drop shot hook. He also used a 3.5-inch Yum Christie Craw on a 2/0 hook and 3/8-ounce Swagger Tungsten Weight.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Stetson Blaylock (68-11; 2nd) Stetson Blaylock rotated through these rigs for bed fishing. A 3.5-inch Yum Christie Craw rigged on a 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Heavy Cover Hook and 7/16-ounce sinker was a top choice. So was a Yum Dinger rigged on No. 1 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Heavy Cover 1 Hook. He fished it wacky-rigged and weightless or with a tungsten nail weight. Photo: Andy Crawford - He added a Booyah Poppin Pad Crusher and well seasoned Rebel Pop-R on Championship Sunday. Photo: Andy Crawford - Brandon Cobb (72-4; 1st) Brandon Cobb rotated between a Zoom Fluke Stick and Zoom Trick Worm. He rigged that to a 1/8-ounce Greenfish Tackle Clean Up Shakey Head. He used a 1/0 weed guard-style hook for the weightless Fluke Stick.
