Andy Morgan's Winning Pattern, Baits & Gear
Andy Morgan also relied on a Zoom Z-Craw, but employed it on a flipping set-up. It produced all 20 of the fish he took to the scale. "I was flipping woody-type stuff and most of them were standing trees," he said. "Most of the fish were about 18 inches deep. They were spawning, but I couldn't see them due to the mud." He had backwater locales on both pools 8 and 9 and utilized both each day. He deemed them equal at the outset of the tournament, but began to spend more and more time in 9 as the event progressed. "I think 9 was the more active pool - they were biting better in there. The biggest thing was it fit my style better. I'm a little more efficient flipping and pitching than some people are." He conserved one backwater area that featured scattered willows and had to resort to it at mid-morning on the final day.
Winning Gear:
Flipping gear: 7'6" medium-heavy iRod Genesis II Andy's Light Flipping/Junk casting rod, unnamed casting reel (7.5:1 ratio), 16-pound Gamma fluorocarbon line, unnamed 5/16-ounce weight, 5/0 Owner Jungle Hook, Zoom Z-Craw (green-pumpkin/blue).
Main factor: "I fished pretty fast, and that's a style I'm very comfortable with."
Performance edge: "Probably the rod - I only lost two bass in four days. I didn't lose many and that was kind of a surprise for what I was doing."
FLW Tour Mississippi River 2-5 Patterns BassFan 5/26/17 (John Johnson)
