ASWEGANWINSTOPWATERDUELATKENTUCKYLAKE
CO-ANGLERCHAMP
ONTOUR
BFLREGIONALS
DEtAILSoct.13-15,2016presentedbymercuryhostedbykentuckyLakeConvention&VisitorsbureauDivisions:buckeye,GreatLakes,Illini,michigan
ASWEGANWINSTOPWATERDUELATKENTUCKYLAKE
SON’SLUCKYZARASPOOKKEYEDTHEVICTORY
ByCurtisNiedermier
themid-OctobershowdownonKentuckyLakethatwasthe2016T-HMarineBassFishingLeagueRegionalpresentedanglerswithamixofoldandnew.Old,inthesensethat,asusualinfall,weightswerelowerthanwhatKentuckyLakeisknownforinthesummer.New,becauseKentuckyLake’ssouthernwatersweremostlyvoidofthegrassthatusuallyattractsabouthalfoftheRegionalfieldeachyear.
Withthegrasspatternoutofplay,nearlyallofthetop10finishersreliedontheother“usual”fallpatternatKentuckyLake:fishingtopwateronshallowflatsincreeksoronshallowbarsonornearthemainlake.Findingkeyareaswithbaitandschoolsofforagingbassbecamethewinningprogram,andtournamentchampChrisAsweganuncoveredthemostproductivespot.
Utilizinga“lucky”HeddonZaraSpookthatwasgiventohimbyhis5-year-oldson,John,forFather’sDay,theTiffin,Iowa,boatertallied47pounds,4ouncesinthreedays.
“Normally,Ialwaysthrowabone-coloredZaraSpook,”saysAswegan.“He[hisson]knowsIliketofishaSpookandafrog,butheboughtmeashad-coloredZaraSpook.”
Forsentimentalreasons,perhaps,AswegantiedontheSpook,“wrongcolor”thatitwas,forsomesummerderbiesontheMississippiRiverbackhome,andthenhenevercutitoff,includingatKentuckyLake.Thefishdidn’tseemtomind.
Withabuzzbaitmixedin,Asweganfishedashallowflatallthreedays.Hekeyedonasubtledrop-off–fromabout8inchesdeepdownto18inchesdeep–thatstretchedabout100yardslongwhereschoolsofshadwerevisiblealongthebreakline.Aswegan’sonlyrealadjustmentwastodialinthesweetspoteachday.
CO-ANGLERCHAMP
Name:JimBuddehometown:Waterloo,Ill.totalWeight:30-04(11fish)Winningprogram:Justlikemostofthetoppros,coanglerchampJimBuddecaughtmostofhisfishonaZaraSpooktopwateraroundshallowbars.Buddealsousedaspinnerbaitandabuzzbait.
“Themajorityofthat100yardsIdidn’tcatchafishoffof,”saysAswegan,whofishedabout50milessouthoftheMoorsResorttakeoffsite.“Itwasadifferentstretcheachday.Mostofmybiteseachdaycamefromaspotabouttriplethesizeofaboat.”
AswegansaysthatfishingthespotremindedhimoffishingshallowsandbarsontheMississippibackhome.Thebiggestdifferencewasthatthere’salotlesscurrentonKentuckyLake.
Ineithercase,Aswegansuspectsthatbassdon’thangoutindeeperwaterandrushuptoambushbait.Rather,hebelievestheyhangtightalongthoseshallowdepressionsandfeedwhentheopportunitypresentsitself.
“Ididn’tseethemworkingalotofbait,”Asweganadds.“MostofthegoodbitesIgotwerenotwhentheywerebusting.”
2017All-AmericanQualifiers
boaters:cHrisasweganTiffin,IowamikeBrueggenLaCrosse,Wis.BradleyleiFermannAndover,Minn.ronaldnutterNewark,OhiolloydPickettjr.Bartlett,Tenn.claytonreitZMorton,Ill.
Co-anglers:jimBuddeWaterloo,Ill.timgillilandWellston,OhiojimstoneGreenwood,Ind.carllingleDongola,Ill.mikeraBerWolcottville,Ind.randywesterFieldConstantine,Mich.
68
FlwFisHing.comijanuary2017