N
ONE HOOK, $100,000
ick LeBrun suspected he was
looking at “the juice” when he
cast his 6th Sense Movement
80X crankbait past a small cluster of
cypress trees next to a ditch in a Cross
Lake bayou. And he knew he’d hooked a
good one when his crankbait came to a
sudden stop as he brought it past one of
the trees. When the fish tail-walked in
front of him is when LeBrun realized his
good fortune might be short-lived, and
his T-H Marine BFL All-American hopes
were in jeopardy.
“There’s just one hook in it,” he said.
Sometimes, in bass fishing, we get
lucky. Sometimes luck has nothing to do
with it. LeBrun didn’t need luck. He
stayed calm and cool, like he’d been all
week long, and swiftly steered the 5-
pounder into the net held by co-angler
Mike Allen, who’d hustled to the front of
the boat to assist.
The two anglers shared a high five
and a hug before LeBrun made the cull
that secured his All-American champi-
onship win, which he dedicated to his
late father, Billy LeBrun.
At weigh-in, Nick told the crowd that
he’d felt his father’s presence in the boat
with him on that final day. Perhaps in
that moment, when Nick’s hopes hung
on just one hook, Billy was there, watch-
ing over his son’s shoulder, rooting for
him, guiding him, proud of him for
becoming an All-American champion.
PHOTO BY CURTIS NIEDERMIER
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