TOP FIVE
name |
hometoWn |
WeIght |
fIsh |
WInnIngs |
1 . CHAD GRIGSBY |
MAPLE GROVE , MN |
97-08 |
20 |
$ 128,000 * |
2 . DYLAN HAYS |
SHERIDAN , AR |
95-05 |
20 |
$ 30,200 |
3 . BRAD KNIGHT |
LANCING , TN |
92-05 |
20 |
$ 25,100 |
4 . SCOTT DOBSON |
CLARKSTON , MI |
89-11 |
20 |
$ 20,000 |
5 . BRYAN THRIFT |
SHELBY , NC |
87-13 |
20 |
$ 19,000 |
* Includes Ranger Cup
WINNING CO-ANGLER photo by Andy hAGEdon mark myers Cedar Falls , Iowa photo by Andy hAGEdon
Anglers took off on day one under cloudy skies , but by mid-morning the lake completely slicked off , and the sun came out in full force for basically the rest of the event . Those conditions prompted Grigsby to pull out a Duo Realis Spinbait 80 spy bait , which he cast out , let sink and slowly reeled back .
“ That bait was key , because that ’ s what I got all my big bites on ,” Grigsby says . “ The problem was how they were hitting it . If they really thumped it , you didn ’ t often get a good hook in them . But if all of a sudden your line went slack , you had them .”
Grigsby mainly tossed the spy bait around his waypointed areas . In between he dragged a 4-inch Venom tube to pick up “ rogues ” here and there . On day two , he also switched to a 1 / 4- ounce black marabou jig that provided his two biggest fish .
“ I really feel I stayed one step ahead of them all week ,” Grigsby says . “ Sometimes I ’ d go 45 minutes without a bite , and then I ’ d switch things up , adjust and start catching them again . I just had to keep making adjustments .”
photo by Andy hAGEdon
Winning Weight : 42-04 ( 10 fish )
Winning program : Back in 2011 , Mark Myers finished second in a Costa FLW Series event on the Detroit River . He lost what likely would ’ ve been the winning fish in the final hour of the event . Seven years later , he kept a late big one pegged and got his redemption on the St . Clair / Detroit River system . The co-angler from Cedar Falls , Iowa , stuck a 5-pounder in the last hour to cull out a 3-pounder , giving him 42 pounds , 4 ounces . That proved to be 1 pound better than Billy Messer , giving Myers his long-sought win .
While fishing deep with Darrel Robertson , Myers dragged a dropshot and Ned rig with a Z- Man Hula StickZ to catch 23 pounds , 9 ounces and take the co-angler lead . On day two , with Cameron Gautney , Myers fished much shallower . He struggled until he realized the smallmouths were slurping mayflies off the surface . Anytime he saw that , he ’ d quickly cast over to the surface disturbance and usually caught the fish , including his winning 5-pounder .
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