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Aaron Britt Wins Clear Lake Western Rayovac

Aaron Britt's Winning Pattern, Baits & Gear

Aaron Britt believes Clear Lake is the hardest lake to win a tournament at because of the potential it holds at any given time of year. "Thirty pounds is realistic there all the time," he said. While the famed northern California fishery produced some stout stringers last week at the final Western Rayovac Series of the season, no one eclipsed the venerable 30-pound milestone. Britt came close, though, with 29 pounds on day 1 and it paved the way for the biggest win of his tournament career. He closed out the victory with 22-05 on the final day to finish the 3-day event with 70-00, good for nearly a 3-pound margin over runner-up Patrick Spencer. Not only did he beat a field that included some of the most accomplished western bass anglers, he also beat a handful of tour pros as well. "It's definitely my biggest win," he said. "I've been fishing for a long time and I made the move up front a couple years ago. I've had a boat for a couple years, but financially it's an issue to fish these deals and I was fortunate to get some help from my parents. Beating guys like Brett Hite, Ish (Monroe) and (Jared) Lintner is something I never dreamed of doing, much less winning. It was definitely a great experience." He did on a lake that was a little behind schedule in his estimation. Water temperatures were higher than normal, meaning bass weren't rushing to the shallows to feed. Most of the fish he targeted were in 8 to 15 feet of water and he relied on a crankbait program around rock and hard-bottom areas of the lake. "You can catch them on smaller stuff, but just not this time of year," said Britt, a native of Yuba City, Calif. "Generally, this time of year the water is 66 or 68 degrees, but it's been warmer here and last week it was starting at 69 in the morning and going up from there. I love to deep crank and structure fish and it just so happened I was able to do that for three days and it happened for me."

Britt had fished a Tournament of Champions event at Clear Lake the week before the Rayovac so he was pretty in tune with the bite. In addition, he already had a win and two runner-up finishes at Clear earlier this year in team events. "Unless you were throwing a crankbait or punching grass, you weren't catching anything of size," he said. "Guys were catching 2- to 3-pounders on worms and drop shots, but there are so many 6- to 10-inch fish in there right now you had to have something else going." He'd spent six days in the row on the water for the TOC, during which he threw a Carolina Rig, square-bill crankbait and a lipless rattle bait, then took four days off before returning to prep for the Rayovac Series. "I basically started over," he said. "Some guys were flipping grass, but you can put your head down doing that and look up two hours later and realize you've only covered 200 yards. In two hours with a crankbait, I could cover a lot more water and I figured I'd run into more fish doing that than flipping grass." He could decent bags in the 20-pound range during practice and had settled on a few areas and spots that he intended to fish once the competition started. On the day before the tournament, he was planning to stay off the water, but a co-angler friend of his wanted some extra prep time. "I didn't feel like I needed to keep catching some of those fish," he said. "I found this area on the last day, though. I pulled up, made four casts and caught four over 6 pounds. I pulled off that spot and got off the water at noon."

Competition:

Britt headed back to the spot that produced the big bites on the last day of practice to start the tourmament. He was boat number 23 and was the first - and only - boat there. He went an hour without a bite, making casts from every conceivable angle. Meanwhile, his co-angler had caught three with a square-bill over 15 feet of water. "I was spun out already," he said. He moved to another spot and loaded the boat with a 4, a 5 and a pair of 6 1/2-pounders - all cranking - that gave him a limit for about 24 pounds by 10:30 a.m. "It was an area where I can generally catch a limit of 3s or 4s," he said. "When I caught those fish, I knew I had something going." He left that area knowing he'd need to catch another big one in order to cull and he didn't want to cull for ounces. He tried a couple spots that he said he could make a handful of casts on and find out quickly if there were bass around. "The rest of the stuff were areas or stretches," he said. He returned to his starting spot and connected with a 8-pounder, which got him to 29-00 and the day-1 lead. "I was stoked to catch 29," he said. "I only got eight bites and they were all good ones with one exception. Catching 29 coming out of the gates was helpful because I knew I didn't have to catch 29 every day to win. If it were March or April, you'd need 33 a day to win, but after being there for two weeks, I knew how it was to catch a fish over 6 pounds." It was the second-heaviest bag weighed during a Clear Lake Rayovac since 2011, surpassed only by Jason Borofka's 32-01 sack in the September 2013 event.

He went back to the area that kicked out his best fish on day 1 to start day 2. After boating a 2-pounder, he popped matching 6-pounders, then left to start his rotation through other areas. He wasn't able to trigger any late-day kickers and wound up bringing 18-11 to the scale. It wasn't enough to keep him in the lead, but he was a mere 4 ounces behind Kyle Grover entering the final day. Britt had a front-row seat to watch a local catch a 9-pounder on a jig as he pulled up to his starting spot on the final day, the same spot he started day 1. "They weighed it and threw it back, so of course, I pull out a jig," he said. "I caught a 1 1/2-pounder on it, but the first fish I caught each day was small." By then, he'd narrowed down his fishing spots to three areas. He didn't catch any other keepers off his first stretch, so he went back to the area that produced on day 1 and cranked up three 2 1/2-pounders. He then called an audible and stopped on an area that he hadn't practiced or fished previously in the tournament. "It's a big community hole and I caught a 5 1/2 there to get me to 18 pounds," he said. With an hour left in his day, he made another gut call to go back to his best area. "Usually, I'd just go back and forth down this stretch, but when I got to the spot where I'd normally turn around, I went a little further and caught a 8-pounder," he said. "That fish won me the tournament. "I had five or six spectator boats following me around and few of them were by close buddies so it was special to have them there for that. I almost kissed my co-angler I was so excited." He went into the final day thinking he needed 25 pounds to have a shot to win. "When I caught that big one, I knew I had over 20, but I live on this lake and you're never sure unless you have 30."

Winning Pattern:

With the water temperature higher than normal, Britt said the "fish were just as confused as the fishermen. "The fish are sitting out and wanting to move up, but the water temperature made it tough for them. The fish are still in their summer patterns and they didn't know if they were supposed to suspend or move up. You had to stick with what you had confidence in." An algae bloom was evident in some parts of the lake, but Britt said it wasn't as dramatic as some made it out to be. "There were a few areas that were bad, but it wasn't unfishable bad. It was an inch of color on top. You could dip your hand in the water and it would just the color around. I think that scared a lot of people off. On some portions of the lake, it acts like a canopy. The sun still gets through." He spent his whole tournament on the mid-lake section bouncing among four to six areas and spots. "They all had rock and hard bottom," he said. "The main area was basically a long ledge, about 300 yards long down the highway 20 side. It's a community hole and usually, people go down once and leave. I'd go up and down and kept sticking with my guns. I figured if I made enough casts at the right angle, one would hit it eventually. "On the other areas, there were big boulder rocks and the key was being close 20 feet of water. On six of the fish I weighed in, my crankbait was caught in the rocks. I'd pop the line to get it loose and as soon as it would come off the rock, they'd eat it."

Winning Gear Notes:

Cranking gear: 7'11" medium-heavy iRod Fred's Crank Launcher casting rod, unnamed casting reel (6.4:1 gear ratio), 12-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, SPRO Little John DD (spooky shad, clear chartreuse), Norman DD-22 (Clear Lake crystal), Damiki DC-400 (ayu). He likes the SPRO plug because it's a silent bait and with all the pressure on the lake and clear water, he didn't feel rattles made a huge difference. "On top of that, I've never seen a baitfish with rattles in it," he said. He ran out of Little John DDs on the second day of the tournament, but his dad found some at a local tackle store and brought some to him in time for the final day. "I caught the big fish at the end of day 3 on it," he said. He changed every stock hook to a #2 Gamakatsu EWG trebles.

Main factor: "Putting my head down and going, and having faith in those areas and not panicking. I knew if I made enough casts, the fish were around and moving up and down. I knew I'd trigger them to eat and eventually there'd be good ones. I usually don't have that type of patience."

Performance edge: "The rod helped me a lot. Unless you fish a lot, you don't realize the effect the right rod can have for you. The cranks were key, too, but the rod allowed me to get that bait out there as far as I needed to."

Clear Lake Winning Pattern Bassfan 10/14/14 (Todd Ceisner)

Patrick Spencer's Pattern, Baits & Gear

Spencer, who works as a project engineer for a construction company, prefished Clear Lake on weekends for a month preceding the Rayovac. "It was tough," he said. "There were days I didn't get a bite during practice, but I knew going into it and seeing other tournament results that guys were catching them. I had to keep an open mind and not let that bother me. I knew somebody would catch them - it's Clear Lake. They're eating somewhere." He said as the tournament approached, there was even talk amongst competitors that they was a fish problem at the lake. He was having none of it. "I couldn't let that get in my head," he said. "I just put my head down and grinded." He eliminated some options right away, like the big swimbait pattern and deep-water jigs and finesse tactics. "I tried them when I got there, but I'm not those guys," he said. "I don't know the lake well enough." He eventually settled on trying for reaction bites first thing in the morning, then shift to punching and flipping around mid morning for the rest of the day. "I'd catch a couple 2 or 3-pounders on crankbaits and ChatterBaits in the morning, but I knew that wasn't good enough to win," he said. "When I went punching around 10 a.m., I knew they were in (the grass). It was just a matter of keeping my head down and grinding them out." In practice, one thing he felt was key was the presence of baitfish around the grass he was fishing. "There was bait everywhere, but some areas held it better," he said. "Every punch I made I scared bait and that was key. Once I figured that out, I went around looking for good, deeper grass with access to deeper water. I saw a lot of guys beating the bank in practice so I looked for stuff that was being overlooked. That was the stuff I keyed on." He targeted more isolated grass than long stretches.

"Some of it was on top, but it was dying off," he said. "It was hard to see. It was beneath the surface a foot or so. A lot of guys would write it off because it was dying, but I knew they were still in there." It was a breezy start to day 1 of the tournament and his crankbait program yielded three 3-pounders by 10:30. He moved to a deep spot where he'd gotten a bite in practice and fished it for 20 minutes, but left without another keeper. "I ran to some grass where I'd had two bites in practice and within five minutes, I caught a 4 1/2," he said. "I knew they were in there so I stayed there. I caught five for 24 pounds in an hour." He eventually left since no one else was fishing that area in hopes he could return to it later on. His 24-13 had him in 4th place after the opening day. There was no wind to speak of to start day 2 so Spencer went back to his productive grass and went all morning without a bite. "I knew they were there and that kept me there all day," he said. "I had three that came off that would've won it for me. My timing was a bit off. I think I was in there too long, but I knew if I could survive and make it to Saturday, I could come back and catch them." He didn't finish his limit until after 3:30 and came in with 15-13 to make the cut in 9th place. On the final day, he threw a square-bill until 10 a.m. before jumping to his green stuff. "Sure enough, 20 minutes after I got there, I caught an 11-09," he said. "It's the biggest fish I've ever caught. I pitched in there and let the bait soak quite a bit. I remember looking back at my co-angler, then picking my rod up and it felt heavy. I set the hook as hard as I could and it didn't move. I told my co-angler it was a giant and the fish came up and tail-flapped on the mat and I reeled him in as fast as I could." He added a couple smaller fish, then caught an 8 1/2-pounder at 1:30 and finished his limit at 2. "That spot was crazy," he said. "I had two bites there in practice, but I didn't set the hook so I had no clue how big they were. I only had five bites all day the last day." He focused on staying in 6 to 8 feet of water and noted the fish would take his bait on the fall in practice and on day 1, but he had to let it go to the bottom on the final two days. "They were biting weird," he added. "It was like they were buried in the grass and not moving."

Flipping/Punching gear: 7'5" extra-heavy G. Loomis GLX casting rod, Shimano Core casting reel, 65-pound Stren Super Sonic braided line, 1-oz. Eco Pro Tungsten flipping weight (black), Paycheck Baits punch skirt (black/red), 3/0 Gamakatsu super heavy cover flippin' hook, Berkley Havoc Craw Fatty (black red flake). His crankbait of choice was a Lucky Craft SKT MR square-bill (chartreuse shad).

Main factor: "Keeping my head on straight and staying mentally focused. I saw guys flipping grass for an hour and then they'd leave if they didn't get a bite. I'd go two or three hours without even a hit. I could've lost my head. A lot of guys would've spun out, especially Friday when I lost those key fish without having a limit. I just kept my head down and told myself that on any flip it could happen. I knew I needed just five bites. "

Performance edge: "The reel and line were really key. I've never broken one off with that line and I was setting the hook as hard as I could. Not breaking those off is really key. A good hook is so important also, especially when you set the hook on an 8 and it runs on slack and you keep it on."

Clear Lake 2-3 Patterns Bassfan 10/15/14 (Todd Ceisner)

Justin Kerr's Pattern, Baits & Gear

Justin Kerr says fall tournaments at Clear Lake are usually "feast or famine" for him and after a rough practice session, he got dialed in on flipping and punching pattern that didn't mirror Spencer's approach in any way. "It was weird," he said. "The guy who won was cranking. My best friend, Roy Hawk, is one of the best crankers in deep water I've ever seen. He didn't catch them. Ish Monroe and Bub Tosh are two of the best grass fishermen and they didn't catch them flipping grass. "What I was doing was a little different. It seemed like the fish were on the outside edge or right in the middle. That cut my fishing time in half. I'd go down the front edge and then down the middle. The grass had to have a distinct edge, either a point or an ambush spot." His tactic was to move quickly down grass lines and flip to the front several times before making flips to the center and then moving on. He also threw a crankbait in the early morning and finished the day by dragging a Carolina-rigged Roboworm. "Maybe other guys were flipping too methodically," he said. "That was my key - to move." He had two 7-pounders in his bag on day 1, but not much else as his 19-02 stringer had him in 21st place. He lost two 4-plus pounders in the grass that would've helped him significantly. "That blew it for me, but that's the way it goes," he said. "It was tough, but it got better as the tournament went on for me. It was way warmer than it usually is. It's been hot here and the grass bite was like it was still mid-summer. It was totally different from how it normally fishes in October. I've been there before in October when it was snowing." The grass he was focused on was in 4 to 6 feet of water. He rallied on day 2 with 23-15, which pushed him up to 6th entering the final day. He finished strong with 23-02 to rise to 3rd.

Flipping/Punching gear: 7'11" heavy-action Evergreen Morizo Flip casting rod, unnamed casting reel (7.1:1 gear ratio), 25-pound Evergreen Bass Seil fluorocarbon line, 1-oz. Kanji tungsten flipping weight (black), Paycheck Baits punch skirt (green-pumpkin), 4/0 Gamakatsu heavy cover flippin' hook, Kinami Pyscho Dad (green-pumpkin blue). He had punching rods rigged with 1 1/2-oz. and 1/2-oz. weights, but he said 90 percent of his grass fish came on the 1-oz. setup.

Crankbait gear: 6'8" medium-light Evergreen Servil casting rod, same reel, 14-pound Evergreen Bass Seil fluorocarbon line, Evergreen Wild Hunch (silent) crankbait (shad).

Carolina rig gear: 7'7" medium-heavy Evergreen Strikemaster casting rod, same reel, same line as crankbait, 1/2-oz. egg sinker, 4/0 Roboworm Rebarb hook, 7" straight-tail Roboworm (margarita mutilator).

Main factor: "Moving a little faster than normal."

Performance edge: "My HydroWave was pretty important. I had the volume turned all the way up and in certain places they just came to the boat with it on. At certain times of the year and at certain places it works."

Clear Lake 2-3 Patterns Bassfan 10/15/14 (Todd Ceisner)

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