Skeet Reese came to Clear Lake hopping mad after coming within an ounce of victory at the California Delta, but didn't get on the type of fish he needed to win until late on day 3.
"I pre-fished on the ouside too much," he said. "By the time I realized what was going on, I was a day late and a dollar short." He threw a couple of different swimbaits and caught a couple of weigh-in fish on day 3 on a Berkley Powerbait Heavy Weight Sinkworm.
Main Factor: "Knowledge of the lake certainly didn't hurt."
Performance Edge: "It was the whole package."
Swimbait gear: 8' medium-heavy Wright & McGill Skeet Reese signature Tessera rod, Abu Garcia Revo Toro casting reel (5.4:1 ratio), 25-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line, Osprey or Jerry Rago swimbait (light hitch).
Worm gear: 7'2" medium-heavy Wright & McGill Skeet Reese signature Tessera rod, Abu Revo Skeet Reese casting reel (6.4:1 ratio), 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line, 4/0 TroKar extra-wide gap worm hook, 6" Berkley Powerbait Heavy Weight Sinkworm (watermelon-red).
Clear Lake Pattens 2-5 March 24, 2010. Bassfan (http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=3562).
If tournament days were just an hour long, Randy Howell of Alabama likely would've won this event by a wide margin. His main locale was a staging area that offered a sizzling jerkbait bite before the sun hit the water, and then he'd spend the rest of he day grinding to pick up an ounce or 2 at a time.
Things changed a little bit over the weekend as he discovered that his fish, for whatever reason, didn't like a cloudy sky. His morning action slowed down on day 3 and completely died on day 4.
He needed an afternoon flurry with a jig on day 4 to hold onto his Top-5 position. He also caught a couple of weigh-in fish on day 1 on a worm attached to a shakey-head jig.
Main Factor: "Finding one good offshore, pre-spawn spot, and then having the colder weather that kept those fish from leaving."
Performance Edge: "Probably that extra-heavy Daiwa rod because I could really jack those fish, and also the low stretch of the Molix line."
Jerkbait gear: 7' medium action Daiwa Zillion rod, Daiwa Steez casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 15-pound Molix fluorocarbon line, Lucky Craft Pointer 100 DD (chartreuse/shad or shell white).
Jig gear: 7'4" extra-heavy Daiwa Steez rod, Daiwa Zillion casting reel (7.3:1 ratio), 19-pound Molix fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Lunker Lure rattling football jig (green-pumpkin), Yamamoto Twin-Tail grub trailer (green-pumpkin/purple).
Worm gear: Same rod and reel as jig, 19-pound Molix fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Do-It football shakey-head jighead, 10-inch Yamamoto Kut Tail worm (green-pumpkin).
At age 70, North Carolina's Guy Eaker beat the pants off a lot of guys half his age and stayed a few places ahead of one (19-year-old rookie Bradley Roy, who finished 8th) who's not even close to a third of it.
He first fished Rodman Slough on his initial visit in 2003, and then again in 2007. It was even better this time because an extended period of low water had allowed for substantial grass and tule growth, and that vegetation is inundated now that the lake has come up 5 feet over the past 4 months.
"That's probably the dingiest water in the whole lake and the first time I checked it (on the first practice day) the water was 52 degrees," he said. "They weren't there yet, but I knew they were going to come. I went back (2 days later) and caught two 5-pounders."
He caught most of his weigh-in fish on a rattlebait. He flipped up a few, enticed a couple with a big worm and caught a few on the final day on a Z Man Chatterbait.
Main Factor: "Knowing what would be in that ditch with that high water."
Performance Edge: "The Stren Sonic Braid. It has a small diameter, but it's extremely strong."
Rattlebait gear: 7' medium-heavy Fenwick Elite Tech Crankshaft rod, Abu Garcia Revo Premier casting reel (6.4:1 ratio), 30-pound Stren Sonic Braid line, Lucky Craft LV 500 (crawdad red).
He got some Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip treble hooks from the man they're named after and placed them on his rattlebaits. "Those might be the best crankbait hooks I've ever used," he said.
Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Fenwick Elite Tech Flippin' Stik, Abu Revo Skeet Reese casting reel (6.4:1 ratio), 40-pound Stren Sonic Braid, 1-ounce tungsten weight, 5/0 Gamakatsu worm hook, 4" Berkley Powerbait Crazy Legs Chigger Craw (watermelon seed).
Worm gear: 7'6" heavy-action Fenwick Elite Tech Flippin' Stik, Abu Garcia Revo Premier casting reel (6.4:1 ratio), 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line, 3/8-ounce bullet weight, 5/0 Gamakatsu worm hook, Berkley Power Worm 10" (watermelon/purple flake).
Chatterbait gear: Same rod, reel and line as rattlebait, 1/2-ounce Z-Man Chatterbait (chartreuse/white). 3" Berkley Powerbait Ribbon Tail grub trailer (chartreuse).
Ohio's Bill Lowen equaled his best-ever Elite Series finish (he was also 2nd at Old Hickory in 2008) as he divvied up Rodman Slough with Guy Eaker, who finished right behind him. They worked well together throughout the week, with Lowen focusing primarily on shallower cover than Eaker was fishing.
"There was quite a bit of grass in there and I think a lot of people overlooked it," he said. "I knew the area from 3 years ago when I caught 20 pounds a day in there, but back then that wasn't any good." He used both a Chatterbait and a swim jig to produce his weigh-in fish.
Main Factor: "Finding that isolated grass and then beating it up for all it was worth."
Performance Edge: "My Power-Poles. They allowed me to anchor down and work that place to death."
Chatterbait gear: 7' heavy action All Pro rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX casting reel (6.4:1 ratio), 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce Z-Man Chatterbait (black/blue).
Swim jig gear: 7'6" All Pro Bill Lowen signature rod, Abu Garcia Revo STX casting reel (7:1 ratio), 30-pound Stren Sonic Braid line, 3/8-ounce D&L Tackle Bill Lowen signature swim jig (black/blue), Strike King Rage Craw (sapphire blue) or Zoom Horny Toad (black with blue legs) trailer.
Velvick attributed the victory to both his primary area; a shallow, warm bay that contained grass, rock and hitch, a rare bait fish found in California. His baitof choice was a Rago BV 3D swimbait.
Earlier in the week, Velvick had noted that versatility was key, a ploy to throw his competitors off of his real strategy. Instead, he decided early in the competition he would either sink or swim with the 7-inch lure.
The key to success, he said, was to work it slowly and deliberately. The bait was created in such a fashion that it is essentially weedless thanks to it's bottom fins which help to defelect snags but still allow the hooks to be exposed. Velvick said that allowed him to easily crawl it through the grass. He knew he was successfully casting when the belly of the swimbait would turn green from its exposure to the grass.
And to entice the bigger bites, he would position himself in the grass, casting out to the deeper water and entice the hitch back towards the boat. The bass would then strike on the retrieve. He labeled his method as the "pulse and hoover", and the presentration had to be precise. The two time Classic qualifier said if he fished just a hair fast, he wouldn't get a bite.
"A lot of guys came in that area and they just didn't know how to fish it correctly," said Velvick. "The bait allowed me to work the structure the correct way. Things had to line up perfect but I had a great combination of spot and bait this week."
Swimbait gear: Prototype 7'10" medium-action Duckett Fishing swimbait rod, Abu Garcia Revo Toro casting reel (5.4:1 ratio), 20-pound Berkely Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line, 6" Rago BV3D swimbait (hitch).
He fished the bait with an Owner Stinger Harness Rig with a size 4 treble hook, which was inserted into the belly of the bait. He said that helped him boat some short-striking fish.
He worked the bait extremely slowly through the grass and across the twigs in 3 to 5 feet of water. "I was throwing it out and letting it sink to the bottom, and then just slow-crawling it," he said. "It was important that it just kept creeping along the bottom." He also kept the bait slathered with Hot Sauce Gel attractant.
Main Factor: "That area. I found it when I was practicing with a friend of mine 10 years ago, but after this, I won't ever have it to myself again. It'll never be the same."
Performance Edge: "It might have been the Hot Sauce."
Iron Byron March 21, 2010. Bassmaster.com (http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/elite/news/story?id=5016489).
Velvick's Clear Lake Pattern March 23, 2010. Bassfan (http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=3560).
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