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PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN CALDWELL PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA |
PHOTO BY MATT BROWN |
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who has called Guntersville home for the last seven years , Kent Ware has an innate understanding of how bass behave amidst everchanging weather conditions . That ’ s why , as rain inundated Guntersville throughout the week , Ware was able to roll with the punches to tally 59-15 over three days to earn an $ 80,000 check and a Toyota Series champion ’ s trophy .
Ware found an area he really liked and stayed put throughout the week , covering water with a 1 / 2- ounce Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap to catch limits of 18-15 , 18-8 and 22-8 , respectively . The key to his spot downriver of Scottsboro was clean water , which remained fairly clean each day thanks to its being shielded from current by an island .
To contend with the thick grass , Ware opted for a stiffer heavy-power rod to effectively rip his traps through cover to catch his winning fish .
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9 . ABU GARCIA COLLEGE FISHING PRESENTED BY YETI OPEN Lake Chickamauga February 24 – 25
Hunter Fillmore and Dylan Fogarty of Bethel University blew out the competition in the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI Open on Lake Chickamauga in late February , leading by 2-13 after Day 1 and going on to win the event by 14-3 over the Georgetown College team of Conner Johnson and Jordan Nicely .
On Day 1 , the Bethel duo started out fishing one of Chickamauga ’ s notorious community holes , though most of what they weighed came from a patch of shallow grass near the main river . On Day 2 , they switched from lipless crankbaits to vibrating jigs at that same grass patch and caught a few keepers before leaving that spot . They came
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back around 11 o ’ clock to catch a 4- pounder and a 9-5 to finish out their 22-10 limit for the blowout win and Bethel ’ s first-ever Open title .
10 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY A . R . E . AT LAKE OF THE OZARKS PRESENTED BY SMART DIGITAL PLAINS DIVISION Lake of the Ozarks
March 1 – 3
Brock Reinkemeyer guides on Lake of the Ozarks , so he ’ s familiar enough with the fishery to know exactly how to adjust when conditions call for it . Fishing out deep in the Gravois arm of the lake , Reinkemeyer – who struggled to get bit up shallow anywhere else – leaned on an umbrella rig and a jerkbait to target brush piles and rock in 14 to 22 feet of clear water .
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Forward-facing sonar clued Reinkemeyer in on how his fish were set up , finding the early morning bite to be the most productive . He wrangled up 21-2 and 21-7 , respectively , over the first two days for a 3-pound , 2-ounce lead before weighing in 17-4 on the final day to seal the deal and take home a $ 41,700 check .
11 . BASS PRO TOUR FAVORITE FISHING STAGE THREE PRESENTED BY MERCURY Lewis Smith Lake March 2 – 7
Just in case his 2021 win at RED- CREST hadn ’ t already cemented Dustin Connell ’ s reputation as one of the most skilled practitioners of forward-facing sonar , the Alabama pro proved it again on Smith Lake in the Championship Round of Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Mercury .
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