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Bradley Hallman Wins FLW Tour Lake Okeechobee

Bradley Hallman Wins FLW Tour Lake Okeechobee

Bradley Hallman weighed in only 80 percent of the fish he was allowed to at last week's Lake Okeechobee FLW Tour in Florida. Those 16 largemouths were far more than he needed, however, to secure his first tour-level victory. Hallman, who fished 5 seasons on the Bassmaster Elite Series before bowing out following the 2011 campaign in the wake of a quick succession of family events (the death of his father and the births of two children), made a triumphant return to the sport's upper echelon. He did most of his damage over the first 2 days as he caught back-to-back 25-pound stringers on days 1 and 2 to take command of the event. The 6-foot-5 Oklahoman didn't know it at the time, but when he caught an 8 1/2-pound monster on the morning of day 3, the trophy and the six-figure paycheck were locked up right then. That fish pushed his total past 59 pounds, and nobody else in the field managed more than 56-04 over 4 days from the chilly, wind-ravaged lake. His 71-02 total left runner-up Alex Davis and everyone else far in his wake. Following are some of the details of how he went about winning the first tour-level event he'd entered in nearly 5 years.

Having been to Okeechobee just once before, Hallman did a lot of advance Internet research on the lake to prepare for the event. His original gameplan for practice included spending time in Eagle Bay and the vicinity of J&S Fish Camp on the northern end, as those places had produced Top-10 finishes in January's Costa Series event and, being farthest from the launch in Clewiston, Fla., would likely draw the fewest boats. "At that time I was still thinking there were going to be 30-pound bags caught," he said. "I found fish spawning at J&S and there were some decent things going on there and I caught one really big one at Eagle Bay the first day, but I went back the second day and couldn't catch anything. "I'd planned to spend the (final practice day) at Harney Pond, but every day when I was driving to put in at Eagle Bay there'd be about a million cars going in and out of there. I also wanted to look at Pelican Bay and South Bay." He went to Pelican Bay first and just didn't like the look of it, then motored over to South Bay and found water and vegetation that looked much more appealing. He began flipping reed heads and boated several 3 pounders before he quit setting the hook. He estimated that he got 25 more bites throughout the remainder of the afternoon. "There was a giant spawning flat there and it was very obvious to me there was a ton of fish," he said. "I realized that most people were fishing the haygrass, and I knew that with as many fish as the reed heads had there had to be some big ones. "If I was a big female bass, that would be home for me. It was the thickest stuff in that massive area." When he evaluated the entire practice period that evening, he determined that the J&S area could give him perhaps 17 to 19 pounds per day. He deduced South Bay's potential to be considerably higher than that and opted to head there on day 1.

Competition:

Day 1 offered up the most pleasant weather of the event and Hallman capitalized by catching the day's best stringer, heading a group of six that exceeded 25 pounds. He got about 25 bites and boated on 6-pounder during the morning and two more in the afternoon. He surpassed the quarter-century mark by almost half a pound on day 2, despite action that was considerably slower due to the arrival of a severe cold front that brought a fierce wind fro the north. He caught a 6-pounder early, but then went several hours without a bite. Things picked up in the afternoon and he enticed smaller fish at first, and the bigger ones as the day wore on. He ended up with four that topped 5 pounds and extended his lead from 2 1/2 pounds to 8 1/2. He popped his 8-10 monster at about 8 o'clock on day 3. "I'd been looking at some pretty big fish over the last couple days and I knew that one was a lot bigger," he said. "That's when it really sunk in that it just might be my week." He later added a 3 1/2-pounder and two run-of-the-mill keepers. Although his bag was a fish short of a limit and more than 11 pounds lighter than the one he'd scaled the previous day, it boosted his advantage to a stout 13 1/2 pounds. That bulge proved to be insurmountable on a chilly, windy final day that saw none of the Top 10 catch more than 10-13. Hallman, who fished most of the day with an inoperable trolling motor, weighed only two fish - a 5-pounder and one that barely met the minimum-length requirement. The 5 came first. "When I added that one to a 13 1/2-pound lead, it meant somebody was going to have to have at least 19 or 20 to catch me," he said. "With the weather as cold as it was, I knew that would be hard." Without the trolling motor, he was forced to bury the nose of his boat in the reeds in order to flip, and he ended up losing one that he thinks was nearly as big as the bruiser he'd caught the previous day. "I'd just sit in one place for about 30 minutes and flip everything I could reach," he said. "As I started flipping farther and farther away (from the boat), I knew if I got a big one on it was going to be a rodeo. "That one bit 25 or 30 feet away and there was nothing but reeds between me and her. I got her on top and tried to bring her in that way, but it didn't work."

Winning Pattern:

Hallman focused on the thickest reed heads that were surrounded by clear water. The amount of fishable water shrunk each day beginning on day 2 as the constant wind took its toll. "I would lose reeds each day as the water muddied, but my primary clump, even with all of the wind (on day 4), still had somewhat clear water around it," he said. He flipped Reaction Innovations Sweet Beavers in several different colors, but he doesn't think the color changes mattered a lot to the fish. "For me, it was more about how fast or slow I was going to pop the bait up and down, or if I was going to leave it at the bottom on the next cast. That was the game-changing approach."

Winning Gear:

Flipping gear: 8' heavy-action Mosley Rod Works flipping stick, unnamed casting reel (7:1 ratio), unnamed 65-pound braided line, 1 1/2-ounce tungsten weight, unnamed punch skirt (black/blue), 5/0 Strike King Hack Attack Flippin' Hook, Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (various colors, including hematoma, penetration, Homer and backwater blue).

He downsized his setup on the ultra-tough final day, going without the skirt and with a 3/4-ounce weight, a 4/0 hook and a smaller-profile Gambler BB Cricket (backatya).

Main factor: "I came down here to swing that big stick with the heavy weight - I had no doubt that flipping was going to be the deal. All I did was flip."

Performance edge: "That rod has a real parabolic bend to it and it was definitely key to landing all those big fish. The Power-Poles were huge all week and I had no problems with my (Mercury) motor, and that Phoenix is the best boat I've ever been in. It does everything so well."

Okeechobee FLW Tour Winning Pattern BassFan 2/9/16 (John Johnson)

Alex Davis' Pattern, Baits & Gear

power pole Alex Davis, a 4th-year pro who makes his primary living as a guide on Lake Guntersville, spent the entire tournament within a few miles of the launch ramp in Clewiston, Fla. He estimated that he burned less than 20 gallons of boat fuel over 4 days. He had little to no company in the small pocket that he fished. He flipped to bushes and made longer casts to holes in lily-pad fields. "The very first year I fished Okeechobee, one day I bet I had 60 bites throwing a (Reaction Innovations) Skinny Dipper in there," he said. "At that time I saw probably 200 beds in that area and I never forgot about it. I had the bites to get a check there 2 years ago, but they just wouldn't commit. "I was still pretty green about fishing in Florida back then. Since then I've learned some new tactics and I'm not so stubborn." His casts to the pad holes were lengthy - perhaps 20 or 25 yards on the average. Even while flipping, his best bet was to stay back as far as he could. At times he had to resort to flipping over obstacles such as tree branches, and then just taking his chances with landing the fish if he got bit. He caught every fish he weighed on a Jackall Flick Shake worm in the junebug color. He Texas-rigged it for flipping (using any of three different weight sizes, depending on the wind) and threw it weightless to the pad holes.

Weightless worm gear: 7'2" medium-heavy Shimano Zodias rod, Shimano Curado casting reel (7.2:1 ratio), 17-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG SuperLine worm hook, Jackall Flick Shake 6.8 (junebug).

Light flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Shimano Expride rod, Shimano Metanium casting reel (8.4:1 ratio), 50-pound PowerPro Maxcuatro braided line, 1/4-, 5/16- or 3/8-ounce tungsten weight, same hook and bait.

Heavy flipping gear: 7'5" heavy-action G. Loomis E6X rod, same reel as light flipping, 80-pound Maxcuatro braid, same weights, hook and bait.

Main factor: "Not doing what I've done every other year down here, which was run around the whole time. I picked two areas within 2 miles of each other that I thought had the most fish, and I figured if I went through enough of them I'd eventually get some big ones. I just spent a lot more time fishing than I ever had before."

Performance edge: "Definitely the Power-Poles and my Motor Guide trolling motor. The trolling motor took me through solid trees and without the Power-Poles, I wouldn't have caught anything in that wind."

Okeechobee Patterns 2-5 BassFan 2/10/16 (John Johnson)

Chris Johnston's Pattern, Baits & Gear

Chris Johnston, a tour rookie from Canada, likely would've been the runner-up had he not spent day 1 in the northern portion of the lake. "I went up north on the first day of practice and I caught one big one," he said. "I tried the south end, too, fishing what they call the hayfields, and that was more consistent, but I didn't think I could catch a giant bag. "You always hear about the south end - it's no secret. My brother (fellow Tour rookie Cory Johnston) fished there in the Rayovac last year and did okay, so I knew it was something I had to check. I knew what to look for, and that made it pretty easy." He was in 94th place after day 1 as his ill-fated trip north produced just four keepers. He catapulted all the way to 12th after heading the other direction on day 2 and just kept climbing from there. "I went down there just hoping to recover enough to get inside the Top 50 and make a $10,000 check. I was pretty surprised to get in the Top 20 and I ended up finishing much better than I thought I would." He flipped reed heads and pockets in the hayfields that were likely to contain spawning beds. He also tried throwing a spinnerbait, but that produced only smaller males - the females wouldn't come up to get it in the midst of a cold front.

Flipping gear: 7'11" G. Loomis IMX954 rod, Shimano Metanium casting reel (8.4:1 ratio), 65-pound PowerPro braided line, 4/0 Gamakatsu Super Heavy Cover hook, Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (black/blue). "I don't think the bait had too much to do with it," he said. "I just had to put it in front of them."

Spinnerbait gear: 7'5" G. Loomis GLX894 Jig & Worm Casting rod, same reel (6.4:1 ratio), 30-pound PowerPro braid, 3/8-ounce Jackall Super Eruption spinnerbait (white with silver willow-leaf blades).

Main factor: "The biggest thing was just making the change from the north to the south after the first day."

Performance edge: "I use the new Evinrude G2 on my Ranger and the dependability of that motor is great. I also have to give props to my Power-Poles because there were a couple of days when I wouldn't have even been able to fish without them."

Okeechobee Patterns 2-5 BassFan 2/10/16 (John Johnson)

Michael Neal's Pattern, Baits & Gear

Michael Neal never ventured to the fertile southern end of the lake. He spent the tournament in Eagle Bay in the northeast portion. An unfruitful practice left him thinking that a finish somewhere around 50th place was the best he could hope for, but it turned out he was around enough decent fish to notch a Top-5 under the tough-bite conditions. "Every time I've been here I've fished that same general area," he said. "I went through 3 days of practice and eliminated 95 percent of it, and I had one little area where the fish were grouped up. "It was the only hydrilla that was still there after all the rain and wind. I think that's why it was holding fish." He caught 17 of his weigh-in fish on a swimjig and the other three with a flipping stick. Flipping was totally unproductive for him over the weekend. "I tried it a little bit, but every time I picked (that rod) up I felt like I was wasting my time," he said. "That's not my strong suit, anyway."

Swimjig gear: 7'1" medium-heavy Cashion rod, Ardent Elite casting reel (6.5:1 ratio), 60-pound Sunline FX2 braided line, 3/8- or 1/2-ounce True South Custom Lures swimjig (black/blue), 4 1/4" Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper trailer (hematoma).

Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Cashion rod, Ardent Grand casting reel (7.3:1 ratio), same line, 1 1/2-ounce Hawg Tech weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu Super Heavy Cover hook, Big Bite Yo Daddy (black/blue).

Main factor: "Staying put and fishing my strengths and not trying to do a lot of flipping or looking for beds."

Performance edge: "I'm going to say it was the Cane Thumper. On day 2 I was sharing water with a guy and I was culling and he only had one fish. He was throwing a swimbait and he wasn't getting any bites. I trolled over and gave him four Cane Thumpers and he caught three fish in the next 30 minutes."

Okeechobee Patterns 2-5 BassFan 2/10/16 (John Johnson)

Shinichi Fukae's Pattern, Baits & Gear

Finesse-fishing is Shinichi Fukae's game, but he proved in this event that he can get the job done with the big rod, too. He shared water in South Bay with Hallman and joked throughout the tournament that, at a shade over 5 1/2 feet tall, he was at a serious disadvantage to the 6-foot-5 Hallman in trying to play that technique under such blustery conditions. After day 1, his goal was to weigh a bigger bag than Hallman on one day, and he accomplished that on day 3 when the winner brought just four fish to the scale. "I found that spot on the first day of practice, in the last couple hours," he said. "I got a couple of real good bites and I never went back the next 2 days. I wanted to leave that area for the tournament." His flipping bite died on the final day and he had to resort to throwing a Senko to catch a miniscule limit and remain among the Top 5 (he started the day in 3rd).

Flipping gear: 7'10" heavy-action prototype Shimano Zodias rod, Shimano Metanium casting reel (8.5:1 ratio), 60-pound YGK Super Black Dyneema braided line, 1 1/2- or 2-ounce Fish Arrow Tungsten weight, 4/0 Gamakatsu Super Heavy Cover hook, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Flappin' Hog (black/blue).

Casting gear: 7'2" medium-heavy Shimano Zodias rod, same reel (7.4:1 ratio), 16-pound YGK N-Waker fluorocarbon line, 1/4-ounce Fish Arrow tungsten weight, same hook (5/0), 5" Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Senko (black/blue).

Main factor: "I think I've fished here 11 times and I've had a couple good finishes, so I have some experience and confidence. I know what to do when the lake (level) is going down and when it's going up."

Performance edge: "Power-Poles. The key for me was being very patient and fishing very slowly, and the Power-Poles allowed me to do that. Also my Lowrance unit - I have 1,200 waypoints (for Okeechobee) in there and even though the lake changes every year, some of them helped."

Okeechobee Patterns 2-5 BassFan 2/10/16 (John Johnson)

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