Wyatt Burkhalter Wins Bassmaster Open Grand Lake
Shop Burkhalter's Winning Baits & Gear
The winning package consisted of a 1/2-ounce Honey Creek Outdoors Spinnerbait with a gold single Colorado blade and soft plastic trailer. (Oklahoma blade also noted as used not pictured.)
Replay The Action
Bassmaster Open Grand Lake O the Cherokees - Top 10
2nd Place - Wesley Baxley - 57lb - 1oz - $16,739
Baxley focused on prespawn staging areas where fish were transitioning from major creeks. A 1-ounce Bass Mafia Zaldaingerous Swimbait was a top choice. So was a 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jackhammer. And a BassMooch Z Boss Squarebill.
3rd Place - Brock Bila - 54lb - 12oz - $12,554
Bila found success in an ideal combination of current, wind and water color. A Clutch Swimbait Co. The Baby Boss was a top choice. So was a Bill Lewis Lures SB57 Squarebill. And a 5-inch Yamamoto Senko rigged on 1/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Hook.
4th Place - Casey Scanlon - 53lb - 10oz - $11,717
A bladed jig and spinnerbait were key baits for Scanlon. A 3/8-ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS Chatterbomb Bladed Jig by Z-Man was a top choice. So was a 1/2-ounce Trophy Bass Co. Ozark Flash Spinnerbait with Bass Pro Shops XPS Speed Shad.
5th Place - Michael Harlin - 53lb - 5oz - $10,880
A hard-body swimbait and duo of jigs were primary baits for Harlin. A 7/16-ounce Crock-O-Gator Skipper Pro Jig was a top choice. So was a 5/8-ounce Crock-O-Gator Shaker Pro Head Jig. Harlin also used a Clutch Swimbait Co. The Boss.
6th Place - Jonathon Pimentel - 53lb - 0oz - $10,043
A stick worm, jig and spinnerbait were the old-school choices for Pimentel. A 3/4-ounce E-Factor Lures Spinnerbait with Yamamoto Zako was a top choice. So was an 1/2-ounce E Factor Lures Jig with Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw. And a Bait Cave Customs Thick Stick rigged on 1/4-ounce E-Factor Jig Head.
7th Place - Austin Cranford - 52lb - 7oz - $9,206
Cranford chose lures that are ideal for shad spawn conditions. A top choice was a SPRO Fat John 60 in Chartreuse Black Back. So was a 1/2-ounce War Eagle Spinnerbait.
8th Place - Ethan Fields - 51lb - 0oz - $8,369
Fields alternated between a bladed jig and shaky head. He rigged it with a 1/4-ounce Buckeye Lures Spot Remover with Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog. Fields also used a 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer with Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog.
9th Place - Justin Layton - 50lb - 0oz - $8,369
Layton chose a simple all-in approach using one key bait. That choice was a homemade 7/16-ounce rubber-skirted jig.
10th Place - Harmon Marien - 48lb - 15oz - $8,369
Marien used a duo of swimbaits ideal for the spawning cycle bite in play. His top choices were a Z-Man Swag LT and a 6-inch Megabass Magdraft.