Bass Fishing Jul 2018 | Page 9

L RIGHT AT HOME argemouth bass tend to feel right at home when the water rises into bush- es and trees along the shores of our favorite reservoirs. You might say the same thing about John Cox. The DeBary, Fla., pro makes his living fishing shallow water. So when heavy rains raised the water level on Lewis Smith Lake for stop No. 5 of the 2018 FLW Tour, Cox squeezed his “tin” boat into the flooded for- est and fished under, in and around all the newly inundated woody cover along the banks. Fishing his strengths paid off for the former Cup champ. Cox hauled out four limits of bass, including this day-four fish, for a total weight of 59 pounds, 12 ounces and a run- ner-up finish. PHOTO BY SEAN OSTRUSZKA 7