PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON |
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE |
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4 . ABU GARCIA COLLEGE FISHING PRESENTED BY YETI WILEY X COLLEGE FACEOFF Smith Mountain Lake June 4
The catch , weigh , immediaterelease format of the Wiley X College Faceoff series meant the winning team of Ruth Caudle , Alex Moss , Kent Clark and Jackson Norton of Radford University had to make some adjustments on the fly and key in on some high-percentage areas to catch their 15 bass for 30-14 at Smith Mountain Lake . To do so , the eventual winners utilized topwater baits up shallow to target bass feeding on shad spawns in the morning before switching to drop-shots around docks to finish out the day .
That approach clearly worked , as the Radford crew edged out the King University team of Tyler Altizer , Dylan Thomson and Jacob Lovell ,
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who combined for 13 bass for 27-13 . Teams from Western Michigan ( 24- 15 ), Virginia Tech ( 24-9 ) and Penn State ( 8-7 ), respectively , rounded out the rest of the field .
5 . BASS PRO TOUR GENERAL TIRE STAGE FIVE PRESENTED BY COVERCRAFT Watts Bar Lake
June 4 – 9
It ’ s extremely rare that a tourlevel bass tournament is won in a 150-yard stretch of water . It ’ s even more rare when that feat is accomplished on a fishery with 770 miles of shoreline and an immeasurable number of ledges , drains and other offshore structure to target . None of that seemed to matter to Bass Pro Tour rookie Ryan Salzman as he doggedly stuck to a small section of Watts Bar Dam for four competition days en route to the biggest win of his young career .
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Tapping into a wealth of damfishing knowledge that he ’ s collected over the years while guiding on Guntersville and fishing other impoundments of the Tennessee River through college , Salzman methodically plinked away at bass hovering just off the high side of Watts Bar Dam , working his way through qualifying days and the Knockout Round and eventually holding off Jacob Wheeler by 11 ounces on the final day to secure the win .
Salzman leaned on a 4.5-inch Roboworm Straight Worm in morning dawn and trio of small swimbaits to catch the majority of his 40 scorable bass , alternating between a drop-shot and a 1 / 8-ounce jig head , depending on the depth and strength of the current .
He made hay when water managers upped the flow of water through the dam , catching fish in flurries when increased current kickstarted the bite .
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6 . TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT PRESENTED BY FUEL ME TOYOTA STOP 5 PRESENTED BY POWERSTOP BRAKES James River
June 16 – 19
For five weeks in May and June , Nick LeBrun might have been the best bass angler on the planet . It ’ s hard enough to win a tournament against 150-plus other touring professionals , but to do it twice – first at Guntersville and then again in backto-back tour stops at the James River – is a feat we ’ ve witnessed just twice before on the Pro Circuit . Even more impressive , LeBrun ’ s two wins came on vastly different fisheries in a Tennessee River reservoir and a tidal river system , showcasing his versatility and proving the fourth-year pro is really coming into his own .
The Bossier City , Louisiana , pro admitted it was the most stressful
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