Freeman played a more diverse game aimed at finding
bigger bites. He picked up three keepers and a 3 1/2-pound
kicker while cranking stumps in the bay’s upper end, added
his fifth pitching shallow wood with a 1/2-ounce ball-head jig
with a Strike King Rage Craw trailer and made a small cull with
the jig on a rock jetty back in the north end.
Freeman made a day-saving catch with less than three
minutes to go when a 2-pounder ate his 1/2-ounce War
Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait under a dock near the check-in
site. At final tally, Freeman’s 7 pounds, 11 ounces edged
Soileau’s raw weight of 7-9, which was officially recorded as 6-
9 after dead-fish penalties.
For winning the Fish-Off, Freeman earned the YETI FLW
College Fishing National Champoinship berth in the 2018
Forrest Wood Cup, and will carry the college banner in Hot
Springs in August.
huntER FREEMAn
thoMAS SoILEAu
96
flWfIshIng.com I august-september 2018