Photo: Shane Durrance - The fans showed out, as always, in Orange, Texas, for the Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by 'Bassmaster 2022' the video game. All captions: Craig Lamb Photo: Shane Durrance - The contest came down to two anglers, spread more than 200 miles apart, between Houston and far up the Sabine River, near Toledo Bend Dam.
Photo: Dalton Tumblin - Those anglers were Brock Mosley, the runner-up, and Jason Christie, hoisting his sixth Bassmaster trophy. See the baits of the top finishers, and try them out this spring. Photo: Steve Bowman - K.J. Queen (10th; 35-15) K.J. Queen did whatever he had to do to access gnarly cover in a backwater bayou. Photo: Andy Crawford - A Queen Tackle Switch Blade, rigged on a 3/8-ounce swim jig, with a BizzBaits Cutter Craw trailer, was a top bait for Queen.
Photo: Andy Crawford - So was a Zoom Trick Worm, rigged on a 3/0 Gamakatsu Offset Shank EWG Worm Hook, with a 3/8-ounce weight. Photo: Andy Crawford - Queen also used a River2Sea Whopper Plopper 90. Photo: Troy Broussard - Lee Livesay (9th; 36-13) Lee Livesay used a topwater frog and a Texas-rigged craw in the backwaters to catch his fish.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Livesay used a Scum Frog Launch Frog, the same bait he used to win at Lake Guntersville last year. Photo: Andy Crawford - Livesay also used a NetBait Paca Craw, rigged on a 3/0 hook with a 1/4-ounce weight. Photo: Andy Crawford - Kyle Welcher (8th; 37-6) Kyle Welcher alternated between a frog and Texas-rigged worm.
Photo: Andy Crawford - A Spro Poppin Frog 60 for topwater action was a top bait for Welcher. Photo: Andy Crawford - Welcher also used a Missile Baits 4.5 Worm, rigged on a 4/0 hook with 3/16-ounce weight. Photo: Andy Crawford - Caleb Sumrall (7th; 38-1) Caleb Sumrall used a creature bait and duo of spinnerbaits to do his damage.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Sumrall used a Missile Baits D Bomb, rigged on a 5/0 Gamakatsu Straight Shank Worm Hook, with a 1/4-ounce weight. Photo: Andy Crawford - A 1/4-ounce Kajun Boss Spinnerbait and 1/4-ounce Mr. Blitz Spinnerbait were other choices. Photo: Andy Crawford - A Spro Bronzeye Frog Jr. was another top lure for Sumrall.
Photo: Dalton Tumblin - Seth Feider (6th; 39-7) A compact spinnerbait did the trick for Seth Feider. Photo: Andy Crawford - A 3/8-ounce Bassman Spinnerbaits Carlâs Compact Series was the top lure for Feider. Photo: Andy Crawford - Drew Cook (5th; 39-14) Drew Cook rotated through a crankbait, spinnerbait and worm.
Photo: Andy Crawford - The latter choice was a 4-inch Big Bite Baits Finesse Worm, rigged on a 1/8-ounce slider-style jig head. Photo: Andy Crawford - Another choice for Cook was a 3/8-ounce Nichols Pulsator Spinnerbait in which he replaced the stock front willowleaf blade with a Colorado blade, making the lure ride higher in the water column. A Big Bite Baits Fat Grub was added for strike appeal. Photo: Andy Crawford - Cook also used a Spro Fat John 50 crankbait.
Photo: Shane Durrance - Chris Johnston (4th; 39-15) A topwater frog and a duo of Texas-rigged soft plastics were key baits for Chris Johnston. Photo: Andy Crawford - A Strike King Rage Bug, rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu Aaron Martens G-Finesse Heavy Cover Hook, with a 3/8-ounce WOO! Tungsten Weight, was a top choice for Johnston. Photo: Andy Crawford - So was a Zoom Trick Worm, rigged weightless on a 4/0 Gamakatsu Straight Shank Worm Hook.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Johnston also used a Spro Poppin Frog 60. Photo: Shane Durrance - Taku Ito (3rd; 40-12) A most unique rig was a headliner bait for Taku Ito. Photo: Andy Crawford - Ito created a heavy-duty Neko rig, using a Nories Sankaku T-San, rigged on a 2/0 Ryugi Infini Hook, with a 3/16-ounce weight.
Photo: Andy Crawford - Another top bait was a 3/8-ounce Nories Crystal S Spinnerbait, with a Keitech FAT Swing Impact 3.8 trailer. Photo: Andy Crawford - He also used a Deps Sakamata Shad Heavy Weight Soft Jerkbait, rigged weightless on a 3/0 Ryugi Infini Hook. Photo: Andy Crawford - Brock Mosley (2nd; 42-9) The two-hour, one-way run to Houston was worth the trip for Brock Mosley, who used a bladed jig to catch his fish.
Photo: Andy Crawford - A 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer, with a Yamamoto Zako trailer was the top lure for Mosley. Photo: Andy Crawford - Jason Christie (1st; 43-15) A 1/2-ounce BOOYAH Covert Spinnerbait with tandem Colorado blades, with a YUM Swimân Dinger was a top lure for Jason Christie. Photo: Andy Crawford - So was a YUM Spine Craw, with a 4/O Lazer Trokkar TK130 Flippinâ Hook, with 3/8-ounce tungsten weight.
