Photo: Seigo Saito - Just like ice fishing, eh? Canadian Jeff Gustafson came to Tennessee, home of the world record smallmouth, and adopted a common ice fishing tactic to redefine how smallmouth can be caught in the South. All captions: Craig Lamb Photo: James Overstreet - Gussy never let up, posting a wire-to-wire victory in dominating fashion, as most other anglers targeted early-season transitional largemouth at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee River.
Photo: James Overstreet - For the second consecutive season, a coveted blue trophy crossed the border into Canada. Last year, it was Chris Johnston, and now Gussy. Could there be others? Photo: Shane Durrance - John Crews (10th; 31-5) John Crews combined a crankbait and bladed jig to track down early-stage migration bass. Photo: Andy Crawford - A Spro Little John crankbait was a key bait for Crews.
Photo: Andy Crawford - So was a 3/8-ounce Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer, with a Missile Baits Baby D Bomb trailer. Photo: Steve Bowman - Brock Mosley (9th; 37-0) Brock Mosley intercepted early-season transitional bass with a lipless crankbait. Photo: Andy Crawford - Mosley alternated between 1/4- and 1/2-ounce Rat-L-Trap. He switched out the stock hooks with No. 4 Vector Tornado Treble Hooks.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Hunter Shryock (8th; 37-4) Hunter Shryock used a crankbait and jerkbait to catch up with bass on the move. Photo: Andy Crawford - A Berkley Frittside 5 was a key bait for Shryock. Photo: Andy Crawford - So was a Berkley Cutter 110+ Jerkbait.
Photo: James Overstreet - Greg Hackney (7th; 38-3) Greg Hackney took the Bassmaster Elite stage during Championship Sunday for the second consecutive event. He found late-winter bass beginning to move, primarily using a bladed jig to catch them. Photo: Andy Crawford - Top producers for Hackney were a 3/8- and 1/2-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket, with 3.75- and 4.75-inch Strike King Rage Swimmer for trailers. A slow-rolling tactic produced strikes. He used the nickel blade version for stained water, and the white blade for clearer water. Photo: Kyle Jessie - Jake Whitaker (6th; 41-5) âIâll be the only one in Tellico today.â Jake Whitaker had it all to himself on Championship Sunday, along with a crankbait used for targeting early-stage prespawn transitional bass.
Photo: Andy Crawford - The Berkley Frittside 5 was the key bait for Whitaker, for prespawn staging bass. Photo: Andy Crawford - Whitaker also used a Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer, with a 4.25-inch Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimon trailer. Photo: James Overstreet - Jason Christie (5th; 48-13) Jason Christie combined a spinnerbait with a pair of crankbaits to find migrating bass.
Photo: Andy Crawford - A 3/4-ounce BOOYAH Covert Series Spinnerbait with a 4-inch YUM Swimân Dinger was a key bait for Christie. Photo: Andy Crawford - So were a Bomber Flat A Crankbait and a Norman Speed N Crankbait. Photo: Dalton Tumblin - Brandon Card (4th; 48-15) Brandon Card used a jig and jerkbait to catch up with staging bass.
Photo: Andy Crawford - A 5/16-ounce Advantage Baits Wild Card Finesse Jig, with a 4-inch Yamamoto Double Tail Grub, was a key bait for Card. Photo: Andy Crawford - Card also used a Yo-Zuri 3DB Jerkbait 110. Photo: Dalton Tumblin - John Cox (3rd; 52-10) A crankbait and jig did the trick for locating bass for John Cox.
Photo: Andy Crawford - A Berkley Frittside 5 was a key bait for Cox. Photo: Andy Crawford - Cox also used a 3/8-ounce Dirty Jigs Scott Canterbury Flippinâ Jig, with a 3-inch Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Meaty Chunk for a trailer. Photo: Dalton Tumblin - Steve Kennedy (2nd; 55-15) Staging bass were the catch for Steve Kennedy, a bladed jig and skirted jig doing the trick on the Tennessee River.
Photo: Andy Crawford - A 3/8-ounce Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer, with a 4-inch Yamamoto Zacko Swimbait, was a key lure for Kennedy. Photo: Andy Crawford - Kennedy also used a 5/8-ounce D&L Tackle Advantage Jig with a 3.5-inch Zoom Super Chunk Jr. for a trailer. Photo: Shane Durrance - Jeff Gustafson (1st; 63-0) Gussy's lure setup proved highly effective at locating and landing Tennessee smallmouth.
Photo: Andy Crawford - A 4-inch Z-Man Jerk ShadZ was the key producer for Gussy. He rigged it on a 3/8-ounce Smeltinator Swimbait Jig, designed by Bryan Gustafson (not related) and available from Lake of the Woods Sports Headquarters. Clear coated airbrush paint, 3D holographic eyes, textured gill plates and mouth and a universal ribbed bait keeper are features of the jig. Photo: Andy Crawford - The rig worked magic for all four days of the derby, resulting in a sore thumb and a wire-to-wire win for Gussy.
