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Dudley won the 2003 Cup on the tidal waters of the
James River and is an expert on tidewater fishing. Most tidal
fisheries are highly variable, with all sorts of cover to fish and
vast areas to search. So the first feature that Dudley checks
to narrow down the fishable waters when the bite gets
tough is the amount of flow.
“You always want to go where the current is heaviest,” he
says. “Go where there’s a lot of water flow when the water
is hot.”
From there, you have to dial in on the specific features of
the fishery and area. Dudley will usually pick up a small
crankbait and a Texas-rigged creature bait and fish every
stitch of grass, every piece of wood and every bit of rock
until he can narrow it down.
10. Fish Hard
Probably the greatest factor in Dudley’s Cup career is his
attitude. He never quits. He’ll pick up a spinning rod and
drown a worm all day, or wind a deep-diving plug if that’s
what it takes.
We all know the summer doldrums make for really tough
fishing in a lot of places. It can be hot, and the bite can be
slow. But the winner’s check is always the same, whether
you won it with five bites a day or by plucking smallmouths
out of 30 feet all day long.
FLWFISHING.COM I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018
RA
9. Fish the Heaviest Tidal Flows
Dudley’s mastery of finding bass
in tidal waters earned him the
2003 Forrest Wood Cup victory.