Keys:
re-fish key Bushes
• treat the bushes just like mats of
vegetation and go right at their centers.
• look for “oddball” bushes that are unique.
• Fish as many as possible.
• don’t be afraid to re-fish bushes that hold fish.
Because bushes offer so
many nooks and crannies for a
fish to hide, there are usually
multiple bass holding in the
best bushes. Make several flips
to the best bushes, and don’t
be afraid to go back through a
productive stretch after a few
minutes.
“We [he and his team part-
ner, Russell Cecil] had a tour-
nament on Rayburn one year
where we found the magic
bush,” says Castledine. “Our
first pass we caught, like, six
out of it. Then an hour or two
later we caught four more out
of it. Then before weigh-in we
stopped again and caught two
more. It’s crazy how many bass
can hold in a big bush.”
Rig Specifics:
castledine employs a 7-foot, 5-inch Xh prototype Falcon flipping
stick mated to a lew’s superduty reel (8.1:1 gear ratio) spooled
with 65-pound-test sufix braid. his flipping rig is a pegged 1 1/4-
ounce strike king tungsten sinker, a 5/0 hack attack heavy cover
Flipping hook and a strike king space monkey in either black and
blue or big texan, depending on the water color.
4. Medlock’s Post-Frontal
Punching Pattern
Background
Where: lake okeechobee
When: november through February
if punching has a motherland, without question it’s
Florida’s lake okeechobee. With 730 grass-choked square
miles, much of it shallow enough to stand up in, the lake
is an absolute flipper’s paradise. Florida stick Brandon
medlock has two costa FlW series wins on his ledger at
the Big o, and they both came by way of punching the
thick stuff.
“For Florida anglers, punching is a 365-day proposition,
so we get particular about the specific conditions that are
present when it’s really ideal,” medlock says. “in my opin-
ion, the absolute best punching scenario is during the
prespawn, which down here lasts from november all the
way through February. ideally it’d be a couple days after a
cold front, and with some sun shining on the water.”
post-frontal conditions force Florida bass to gravitate
toward the thickest cover around, and the addition of
72
Brandon
Medlock’s Stats:
Hometown: lake placid, Fla.
Top 10s: 14
Winnings: $147,673
sunny conditions just locks them up underneath the mats,
making them easily accessible for an astute flipper.
“after a front blows through, the bite can get really
tough,” medlock says. “But it’s a great time to target the
biggest fish by punching because you know exactly where
they are going to be.”
Presentation
“the best mats for prespawners are all going to be
located pretty close to spawning areas,” medlock says.
“they’re also going to have a hard bottom and clean
water. those are keys, as there aren’t nearly as many
places like that as you’d think on a body of water as big as
okeechobee.”
While moving through likely areas, medlock starts flip-
ping the most isolated of the mats, and lets the fish clue
him in on what they’re doing that day.
“it can be a day-to-day proposi-
the hush-hush approach
tion, so you’ve got to start out trying
Because post-frontal bass are already in a negative mood, it’s important to
different things,” medlock says.
minimize noise above and below the surface. Medlock does this by being as
“some days they might be on
quiet as possible and running his trolling motor sparingly, and on low.
hyacinth mats or buggy whips, and
“On Okeechobee you’re usually fishing around other anglers, and post-
others they might be buried in
frontal bass can shut down in a hurry. I keep my trolling motor on the absolute
hydrilla. once you get a few bites,
lowest setting I can while still being able to get around,” he says. “I’m confident
you can often dial it in to a much
that although I may not cover as much water, I’m going to get more bites.”
more efficient and specific pattern.”
FLWFISHING.COM I FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017