Top 10 Baits - Bassmaster Open Santee Cooper

Kyle Austin (1st Place; 83-07)

Kyle Austin set up on a shallow current-swept hard bottom area, and another in cypress trees used by staging spawning largemouth. His winning lure lineup covered all the bases, from current to heavy cover. For intercepting spawning cycle bass, he used this 1-ounce Treeshaker Tackle Spinnerbait. For reaction bites, Austin chose this 1/2-ounce Strike King Red Eyed Shad Tungsten 2 Tap lipless crankbait. For finesse tactics, he used a soft-plastic stick bait, rigged weightless on a No. 1 Neko-style hook.

Laker Howell (2nd Place; 80-9)

A bladed jig and a wacky rig did the trick for Laker Howell. A Z-Man ChatterBait Jackhammer, with a 4-inch Yamamoto Zako was a top choice. So was a Yamamoto Senko wacky rigged on a No. 1 Owner Sniper Finesse Hook.

Scott Martin (3rd Place; 80-3)

Scott Martin kept it simple with a Texas-rigged creature bait. The choice was a 4-inch Googan Baits Bandito Bug, rigged on an Eagle Claw Lazer Trokar TK 130 Flippin Hook, with a 3/16-ounce tungsten weight.

Dakota Ebare (4th Place; 71-4)

Dakota Ebare targeted spawning cycle bass with a Texas-rigged creature bait. The choice was a Strike King Scounbug, rigged on a 3/0 Owner Jungle Flipping Hook, with a 1/4-ounce weight.

Parker Guy (5th Place; 69-11)

Parker Guy’s primary bait was a finesse worm used for spawning cycle bass. The choice was a 6-inch Gambler Fat Ace, rigged on an Owner Offset Worm Hook, with a 1/8-ounce tungsten weight

Chad Grigsby (6th Place; 69-7)

Chad Grigsby scored a top finish with a bladed jig as his primary lure. That choice was a 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jackhammer, with a 4-inch Arsenal Fishing Tactical Minnow Swimbait.

Matt Messer (7th Place; 66-0)

Matt Messer scored a Championship Saturday appearance with a bladed jig. The choice was this 3/8-ounce Berkley Slobberknocker, gold blade, with a Berkley PowerBait Jerk Shad for a trailer.

Matt Adams (8th Place; 63-1)

Matt Adams keyed on his bass with a finesse worm and Texas-rigged creature bait. That choice was a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog, rigged on a 4/0 Spearpoint Fury Flip Hook and a 3/16-ounce weight. Adams also made a wacky rig with a Yamamoto Senko, rigged weightless on a 1/0 Owner Sniper Finesse Hook.

Evan Kung (9th Place; 62-11)

Evan Kung’s primary bait lineup featured a bladed jig for covering water and a wacky rig for spawning bass. A top lure was this 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jackhammer, with a Z-Man RaZor ShadZ for a trailer. Kung made a wacky rig with a Daiwa Yamamoto Neko Fat Worm, rigged on a No. 1 VMC RedLine Series Wacky Neko Hook.

Ronnie McCoy (10th Place; 62-1)

Ronnie McCoy rotated through a bladed jig and a spinnerbait to key on his fish. For stained water conditions he chose a 1/2-ounce Berkley Slobberknocker with a gold blade, with a Berkley PowerBait Power Grub for a trailer. For clearer water he used a 1/2-ounce Berkley Slobberknocker with a Hog Farmer Bait Co. Spunk Shad Swimbait for a trailer. Reaction strikes came on a Berkley Power Blade Spinnerbait with a Zoom Tab Tail Grub for a trailer.

Source: bassmaster.com, "Top Lures at Santee Cooper Lakes Open 2024" by Craig Lamb, March 11, 2024. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.bassmaster.com/gear/slideshow/top-lures-at-santee-cooper-lakes-open-2024/1187242