Top lures at High School Championship

Multiple strategies played out during the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School National Championship at Lake Hartwell presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. And while plenty of spotted bass crossed the weigh-in stage, teams that focused the majority of their attention on largemouth found the most success.

In the end, it was Northeast Wisconsin Bass anglers Bryce Moder and Reece Keeney who claimed the trophy with a three-day total of 43 pounds, 1 ounce. Moder and Keeney were one of several top teams that focused solely on the largemouth bite and that strategy paid off.

The Top 12 finishers in this event displayed a range of techniques, but many of those were power fishing techniques that traditionally favor the largemouth bite. All of these baits generated quality bites on Hartwell but are also ones anglers carry all across the country and win money. Check out Basspro.com to purchase your favorites.

Kasey Ferguson and Jakari Thomas, Ringgold Bassin (12th place, 27-7)
The Virginia duo utilized two main techniques this week on Hartwell starting with an Aaron’s Magic Roboworm rigged on a 3/16-ounce Spot Remover shaky head. In the mornings, a Strike King Sexy Dawg in bone triggered quality strikes.

Ely Hagans and Cole Pennington Southside Bee Branch (11th place, 30-15)
For the finicky bass, the Arkansas anglers threw a white topwater popper with a white feathered treble on the back hook. They triggered more aggressive strikes with a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin War Eagle buzzbait with a Zoom Z-Craw trailer.

Dylan May and Brady Westrich, Brownsburg High School (10th place, 32-3)
A chrome 4 3/4-inch Lake Fork Flutter Spoon did a lot of the damage in the morning hours this week for the Indiana natives before using a custom made green pumpkin flipping jig paired with a Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver in the afternoons. They also used a Zoom Trick Worm on a 3/16-ounce PH Custom shaky head and a Berkley Cane Walker.

Destin Morales and Samuel Cobb Jr., Livingston Parish High (9th place, 32-9)
The Louisiana anglers utilized two moving baits to generate big bites starting with a bone colored River2Sea Whopper Plopper. They also utilized a 1/4-ounce golden shiner Humdinger spinnerbait with a Colorado and willow leaf blade combination.

Peyton Sorrow, The Eagle Eye Anglers (8th place, 34-2)
Fishing solo this week, Sorrow threw a chrome colored Lucky Craft Sammy. He also used a 5-inch Farley Baits jointed swimbait to mimic blueback herring around cane piles.

Braci and Brody Ault, Frontier, Ind. (7th place, 35-2)
For topwater action, the duo methodically worked an Evergreen Pencil Popper with a feathered treble hook on the back. They also caught fish on a 3/8-ounce green pumpkin Z-Man Evergreen Jackhammer paired with a Strike King menace. They also painted the blade black to reduce the flash around a finicky bite.

Nathan Reynolds and Luke Malik, Mt. Juliet High School (6th place, 37-1)
The Tennessee duo generated quality strikes with a Lucky Craft Gunfish as well as a Ima Skimmer in real ghost shad. They completed their rotation with a 1/4-ounce stand up shaky head with a 6-inch morning dawn Roboworm.

Evan Wood and Spencer Lovett, Mt. Pleasant High School (5th place, 37-2)
The Tennessee anglers used a 1.5 chartreuse/black back Strike King squarebill crankbait to catch bass this week. Their rotation also included a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white Davis spinnerbait with a curly tailed grub as a trailer.

Ty Trentham and Chase McCarter, Sevier County High School (4th place, 37-9)
The Tennessee duo caught bass this week on one main technique. A 3/8-ounce white buzzbait with a Zoom Z-Craw Jr. triggered their quality bites.

Chris Fallon and Briar Dodson, Gardendale High School (3rd place, 38-2)
Fallon and Dodson applied a finesse approach on Hartwell. The duo rigged a morning dawn Roboworm on a drop-shot rig with a 3/8-ounce weight and a 1/0 Trokar hook. They also threw a weightless wacky rigged Yamamoto Senko paired with a Gamakatsu octopus hook.

Brady Vest and Brody Hopper, Cullman High School (2nd place, 38-11)
A Strike King Baby Z Too Soft Jerkbait on a 3/8-ounce drop shot with a 1/0 lightwire hook did much of their damage this week. They also caught bass using a Zoom Magnum Swamp Crawler on a 1/4-ounce shaky head.

Reece Keeney and Bryce Moder, Northeast Wisconsin Bass Club (1st place, 43-1)
The majority of Keeney and Moder’s bass were caught on a white Brovarney Baits swim jig paired with a Zoom Speed Craw. They would follow that up with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw on a Texas rig. Moder used a 5/16-ounce tungsten sinker and a 4/0 EWG Gamakatsu Superline hook.