Bass Fishing Apr - May 2020 | Page 51

TREBLE TROUBLE Getting treble-hook lures in and out of snaggy situations By Sean Ostruszka “I specialize in putting treble-hook lures in places others can’t reach.” Many top anglers have their specialties – ledge fishing, punching mats, sight-fishing – but the one Nick LeBrun hangs his hat on, which he alluded to on stage at the 2018 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American, is pretty unique. There are so many techniques designed to effortlessly get in and out of the snaggiest cover with little issue. Fishing around stumps or brush? Use a Texas rig. Docks? Swim jigs will do the trick. There are even weedless or sin- gle-hook versions of almost every topwater imaginable, designed for the sole purpose of getting lures in places where anything with an exposed hook is bound to get hung. Why throw treble-hook lures there in the first place? “What happens when fish get conditioned and won’t bite a Texas rig pitched to stumps, or they’ve already seen 10 buzzbaits zip over their heads behind a dock?” asks the second-year Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit pro. And therein lies the problem. If every other angler can only use the same lures to reach covered fish, being able to get something different in there – say, something with treble hooks – is going to give you an advantage no other angler will have. That’s exactly what LeBrun had at the 2018 All- American on Cross Lake, and he used his advantage to not just earn a $100,000 paycheck, but also parlay it into a full- fledged fishing career. Here’s a look at why and how LeBrun and a few other top pros get treble hooks in places few dare. APRIL-MAY 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM 49