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toP fIve
1 . dereK fuLPS broKeN arroW , oKLa . Total Weight : 45-05 ( 13 fish ) Winnings : $ 78,500 *
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2 . KYLe cortIaNa broKeN arroW , oKLa . Total Weight : 43-04 ( 15 fish ) Winnings : $ 13,004 |
3 . braNdoN moSLeY cHoctaW , oKLa . Total Weight : 42-01 ( 15 fish ) Winnings : $ 9,990 |
4 . JIm tutt LoNGvIeW , teXaS Total Weight : 41-10 ( 15 fish ) Winnings : $ 8,325 |
5 . zacK bIrGe bLaNcHard , oKLa . Total Weight : 41-03 ( 15 fish ) Winnings : $ 7,716 |
* Includes Ranger Z518 w / 200-hp outboard and $ 200 Costa Award
PreSeNtatIoN KeYS
Current was critical , and Fulps says that he strived to maintain awareness of what the water was doing , how the fish were reacting to the current dynamics and how he needed to present his baits . On day one , the current started running at around 9 a . m ., but the second day saw a later start , with no water movement until about 11 .
Fulps leveraged current-related feeding to sack up a fourth-place limit of 17 pounds , 7 ounces on day one and then followed that with a day two weight of 16-2 that sent him into the final round with nearly a 2 1 / 2-pound lead . The final day saw nearly no current , which likely accounted for Fulps ’ drop in productivity . He caught just three fish in the final round , but they were good ones that weighed 11-12 .
Fulps adjusted his weight size to match the varying current levels . He used a 3 / 8-ounce weight during the swift flows of days one and two , but stuck with the 3 / 16-ounce weight before the movement began , as well as when the current went slack on day three .
Fulps had one other area where he made a couple of stops to flip visible cover . On day two he caught several keepers there that he ended up culling later . He went there again on day three and caught a few non-keepers , but says the time away was time well spent .
“ When I returned to my special tree , I caught a 6-pounder ,” Fulps says . “ Sometimes you just have to let them settle down . When you come back , they ’ re usually ready to bite .”
PHOTO BY D . W . REED II coNdItIoNS fishery type : Grand River impoundment with large creek arms , shallow pockets with flat points , rocky shorelines , docks , laydowns and stumps air temperature : low 70s on day one ; mid- to upper 70s on day two ; mid-70s on day three Water temperature : 71 to 74 degrees Wind : N at 8 to 12 mph on day one ; N-NW at 10 to 15 mph on day two ; NE at 3 to 5 mph on day three Water clarity : 4 to 6 inches upriver ; clearer down the lake Precipitation / cloud cover : sunny to mostly sunny on days one and two ; partly cloudy on day three moon Phase : new
WINNING baItS
Fulps caught most of his fish on a 4 1 / 2-inch Gene Larew HooDaddy Jr . and a Zoom Trick Worm , both Texas-rigged with 3 / 16- to 3 / 8-ounce weights . co-aNGLer cHamP tate brumNett , WaGoNer , oKLa . total Weight : 38-07 ( 11 fish ) Winning Program : With current running and the wind blowing the first two days , the 16-yearold Wagoner High School sophomore relied heavily on a Gene Larew Biffle HardHead articulated jig with a Gene Larew Biffle Bug in the Sooner run color . In the final round , Brumnett fished with pro winner Derek Fulps and fished a 1 / 2-ounce shaky head with a green pumpkin stick worm and a 1 / 2-ounce jig with an Okeechobee craw Strike King Rage Craw trailer . He tossed a River2Sea Whopper Plopper when he spotted surface activity .
december 2016 I fLWfISHING . com 115
PHOTO BY D . W . REED II