Paul Marks Wins Bassmaster Elite Lake Hartwell
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After spending Day 1 on a bed-fishing pattern, Marks moved offshore and committed to grinding through numbers of spotted bass. He started each day on the blueback herring spawn. A primary bait was this Zoom Fluke Stick, rigged on 5/0 Gamakatsu Round Bend Worm Hook. Marks chose the larger size for added weight to the bait. He also used a 3/16-ounce SPRO Skip Gap Shaky Head with a Zoom Fluke Stick Jr. Marks also used a Zoom Super Fluke, rigged weightless on a 5/0 Gamakatsu Round Bend Hook.
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Bassmaster Elite Lake Hartwell - Top 10
2nd Place - Tucker Smith - 67lb - 10oz - $21,000
Smith used a Neko rig, shaky head and soft-body jerkbait. He made the Neko and shaky-head rigs with a 5-inch Yamamoto Senko. Alternatively, he used a 5-inch Yamamoto D-Shad on a 5/0 Ryugi Hook.
3rd Place - Luke Palmer - 66lb - 10oz - $15,000
Palmer chose a swimbait and drop-shot rig. A top choice was this 4-inch YUM Sonar Minnow, rigged on a 1/4-ounce Rougarou Jig Head. He made the drop shot with a YUM Finesse Worm, rigged on a 1/0 wide gap hook, with a 1/4-ounce Rougarou Tungsten Voodoo Series Drop Shot Weight.
4th Place - Drew Cook - 65lb - 7oz - $12,500
Cook used a variety of soft plastics ideal for bed fishing, including two versions he co-designed with Drew Benton. Cook rigged this SPRO prototype on a 5/0 Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Worm Flip and Punch Hook, with a 5/16-ounce weight. He rigged this other SPRO prototype on a No. 2 Gamakatsu G-Stinker Hook. Cook also used this Nories Front Flapper rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu G-Power Heavy Cover Worm Flip and Punch Hook, on a 1/4-ounce tungsten weight.
5th Place - Jay Przekurat - 64lb - 7oz - $12,750
Przekurat used a drop shot and wacky rig. He made the drop shot with a 5-inch Strike King KVD Filler Worm, rigged on a 1/4-ounce WOO! Tungsten Drop Shot Weight. Przekurat made a wacky rig with a Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Ocho, rigged on a Gamakatsu G-Finesse Hook.
6th Place - Randy Howell - 62lb - 11oz - $16,000
Howell alternated between a topwater for the early morning herring spawn and a wacky-rigged worm for the remainder of the day. Howell caught most of his fish on this wacky-rigged 5-inch Yamamoto Senko rigged on a 1/0 Pro X Hook. For topwater action, he used a Livingston Lures Walking Boss.
7th Place - Easton Fothergill - 61lb - 11oz - $10,500
Fothergill used a swimbait and Neko rig. A key bait was this Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Caffeine Shad Soft Jerkbait, rigged on a 4/0 Ryugi Infini Offset Wide Gap Worm Hook. He made the Neko rig with a Strike King KVD Filler Worm, rigged on a No. 1 Ryugi Talisman Hook, with a 3/32-ounce weight.
8th Place - Wesley Gore - 61lb - 3oz - $10,300
Gore used finesse tactics and a glide bait for varying strike zones. He made a drop shot with a 6-inch Roboworm Straight Tail Worm, rigged on a 1/0 Roboworm Rebarb Hook with a 3/16-ounce weight. Gore used this SPRO KGB Chad Shad 180 Glide Bait. Another top lure was this 5.25-inch Nomad Wingman, rigged on a 5/0 Owner Cutting Point Hook.
9th Place - Emil Wagner - 60lb - 13oz - $10,200
Wagner alternated between Neko and wacky rigs and a shaky head. A key bait was this 5-inch Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General, rigged on a 1/0 Berkley Fusion19 Drop Shot Hook. He also used a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Hit Worm Magnum, rigged on a 3/16-ounce shaky head.
10th Place - Jacob Powroznik - 60lb - 2oz - $10,000
Powroznik alternated between a topwater and drop shot. He made it with a 6-inch Roboworm Flat Worm rigged on a 4/0 Ryugi hook, with a 1/8-ounce Ryugi Tungsten Drop Shot Weight. Powroznik used a Livingston Lure Plopmaster for topwater action.
