Knight ’ s winning ways in 2015 are a case in point . He caught fish in the back of a feeder creek on buzzbaits and drop-shot rigs in water as shallow as 2 feet . Ramie Colson Jr ., who was runnerup to Knight that year , also caught his fish from wood cover near the bank .
As for the lures critical to success , frogs fished over shallow grass or through lily pads have helped account for four Cup titles , most famously in 2008 when Michael Bennett captured the title fishing Lake Murray ’ s docks . Crankbaits ruled in five Cups , and spinnerbaits in four – including Steve Daniel ’ s win at Lake Sinclair in the first-ever championship . Otherwise , jigs and buzzbaits and a variety of soft plastics – big worms or swimbaits mostly – have helped build winning stringers .
Familiar Favorites
Knight won ’ t be there this year , nor Colson , but four of the top eight anglers from 2015 will return to Ouachita : Brandon Cobb ( third in 2015 ), Scott Martin ( fifth ), Bryan Thrift ( sixth ) and Zack Birge ( eighth ). Momentum rides with Cobb , who finished third at Murray in 2017 , ninth in 2016 at Wheeler and third in 2015 . Martin won a Ouachita championship before , and Thrift almost wins everywhere , every year . Birge is a past Costa FLW Series Championship winner and , like Cobb , is on an upward trajectory in his young career . And then there ’ s … who knows ? Each Cup has its own surprises . Each unwinds in its own way and at its own pace .
Considering the composite gleaned from years past , the winning angler will be the one who winds up being able to excel within his comfort zone . He ’ ll do the things he ’ s good at , no matter whether he ’ s been competing for two years or 20 . He ’ ll discover there ’ s a particular pattern that he can milk with a multi-lure approach . He will be able to catch the 15 heaviest bass over three days and get them to the scale . He won ’ t have any fish pull off or break off – at least none that counts . He won ’ t use the wrong bait at the wrong time .
Actually , it ’ s likely the championship will be won by somebody fishing a lure or lures that few others thought of , in ways that go against the collective grain , and perhaps in places that others passed by . All the stars will line up for the winner , though , of course , there will be other strong contenders as well . But he ’ s the one who ’ ll hold up the Forrest Wood Cup .
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE PHOTO BY SHANE DURRANCE PHOTO BY KYLE WOOD PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
Zack Birge
Brandon Cobb
Scott Martin
Bryan Thrift
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