Mitchell Robinson Wins MLF TW Invitational Stop 2

Smith provided some thrilling moments, including a 5-pounder on a buzzbait that he caught on Day 2. That fish ate a homemade buzzbait with a soft-plastic toad trailer, which Smith rotated with a 1/2-ounce jig tipped with a chunk as well as a spinnerbait.

A 6th Sense Bamboosa 5.3 worm in "any variation of green pumpkin" did just about all the work for Mrazek. He rigged it in a variety of ways Ð on a shaky head, a Neko rig and a drop-shot. Mrazek threw his worms on 6th Sense Response spinning rods. He also downsized to 6-pound test fluorocarbon for his leader, which he thinks helped draw a few more strikes.

Gill wound up hitting the banks with a clacking buzzbait with a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog on the back of it. Gill used a familiar setup for his Neko rig Ð a Big Bite Baits Nekorama worm in green pumpkin black flake with a 1/16-ounce nail weight. He threw it on a 7-6 medium-light Phenix K2 Torzite rod with 22-pound braided main line and a 12-pound fluorocarbon leader tied to a size 1 hook.

On Day 1, Marshall caught most of his 19-12 using a jighead minnow to catch bass chasing bait in ditches. He used a variety of 4-inch minnows on a 3/16-ounce jighead with a 7-1 medium-light Phenix K2 Torzite rod. With no forward-facing sonar on Day 2, Marshall targeted docks with a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko and a swimbait and also cranked with a few different medium-diving plugs. Then, on Day 3, he employed a similar program as his brother, using a Neko-rigged Senko to target cruising fish he spotted with his electronics. Marshall used both 6-9 medium and 7-1 medium Phenix Feather rods to wield his Senkos. His top color was green pumpkin/watermelon. He built his Neko rigs using 1/32- or 1/16-ounce nail weights.

Rampey started each morning fishing ditches in 30 to 40 feet of water with a finesse swimbait on either a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce jighead. After that, he spent the rest of the day skipping docks with a wacky-rigged Zoom Fluke Stick or Zoom Zlinky. Rampey threw both baits on 7-4 Abu Garcia Winch spinning rods with Abu Garcia Zenon reels. He used 8-pound HI-SEAS 100% fluorocarbon for his leaders.

Kyle caught a few keepers with a paddletail swimbait on a ball head, but most of his damage was done using a 4-inch Yum FF Sonar Minnow. He credited his telescoping mount from Precision Sonar for helping him effectively use his Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 amid challenging conditions, with pollen and wind making it difficult to accurately present his bait. Cortiana rotated between three colors of FF Sonar Minnow - natural shad, clear shad and JC natural. He used a 1/8-ounce jighead and threw it on a 7-foot, medium-light Kistler Helium spinning rod with a Kistler reel, which he spooled with 15-pound braid tied to 10-pound fluorocarbon. For the swimbait, he used a 7-3, lite-medium-heavy Kistler Helium and 15-pound fluorocarbon.

Ken started each morning targeting schooling fish in a drain using a RAID Fish Roller on a homemade jighead. For skipping docks, Thompson used a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko. Like Gill, he found that bite waning as the event progressed. His bedding fish, which accounted for most of his final-day weight, ate a Texas-rigged Geecrack Bellows Gill.

A key player in Shaw's comeback was a Neko-rigged Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Magnum Hit Worm. He threw it on a Joe Burns custom spinning rod paired with a Shimano Stella.

Latimer used a discontinued deep-diving jerkbait, which he threw on a Level NGX 6-9, medium-heavy, moderate-fast rod. He'd then clean up with a Carolina-rigged Z-Man SMH WormZ on a 4/0 hook with a 1/2-ounce weight. He wielded the Carolina rig on a 7-3, medium-heavy Level NGX model. Once his herring spawn spot stopped producing, Latimer headed to the bank. He targeted docks, stumps and a few spawning beds, mainly using a SMH WormZ on a shaky head or a Neko-rigged Z-Man Bang StickZ. He threw the Bang StickZ on a 7-foot, medium Level NGX spinning rod.