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most definitely inherited his father ’ s skill for catching big Southern bass .
Nick needed just a couple baits ( a Strike King Cut-R worm and a Strike King Anaconda worm ) and one 50-yard stretch in Spring Creek to catch all his fish .
13 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY A . R . E . PLAINS DIVISION Lake Dardanelle presented by Fenwick May 6-8
Kirk Smith was so confident in his pattern at Dardanelle that he was able to lay off his fish for the first two days of the event and still carry a 1-ounce lead into the final day of competition . On that final day , the kid gloves came off and Smith went to work .
Smith , who spent time in practice trying to find a secluded backwater full of shallow fish , stumbled upon something even better when he found grass pretty far off the bank on a point , further out than many were fishing and not nearly as far out as everyone else .
In Shoal Bay and Thompson Creek , Smith ran his pattern to perfection , eventually dropping 19-15 on the scales on Day 3 to run away with the victory and a $ 36,104 check . To do his damage , Smith relied on a 1 / 2-ounce
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BOOYAH swim jig with a Zoom Super Chunk trailer , both in black and blue .
14 . TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT PRESENTED BY BAD BOY MOWERS GRUNDENS STOP 4 Lake Eufaula Presented by A . R . E .
May 13-16
For the second time in less than two full seasons , Jason Abram is a Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit winner . The Piney Flats , Tennessee pro took home the victory and $ 100,000 at Eufaula in mid-May with 66-4 over four days after spending each of the first three tournament days in second place . Trevor Fitzgerald grabbed the lead from Bobby Lane heading into the final round , but Fitzgerald weighed in just four fish while Abram put 14-1 on the scales to seal the deal .
Abram ’ s program was pretty simple , but it did involve a couple unique twists . Taking his cues from the shad spawn , Abram relied on a 5 / 8-ounce white swim jig throughout the week , pitching it to cover near channel swings in the Chattahoochee River . The heavierthan-usual jig , Abram says , was better for keeping his offering in the strike zone while it combatted the river current .
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15 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY A . R . E . WESTERN DIVISION California Delta May 13-15
Call it fate or luck or coincidence or whatever else you want , but clearly talent runs in the Huntze family . At the California Delta , brothers Logan and Colby Huntze proved it by each getting a win — Logan from the front of the boat and Colby from the back .
Logan , a Delta local who hails from Discovery Bay , California , finished eighth at the Delta last season . This year , by virtue of punching a Missile Baits D Bomb and working a Snag Proof Bobby ’ s Perfect Frog , Logan overcame Day 1 motor issues to sack up 64-12 over three days for the $ 24,293 check and the win .
16 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY A . R . E . CENTRAL DIVISION Lake Chickamauga presented by Googan Baits May 20-22
Jordan Hartman is a fine example of the type of savvy angler the electronics golden age is producing . The Murray State grad from Benton , Kentucky is just 24 and
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already has a masterful grasp of — and affinity for — using his graphs to locate schools and structure offshore . In fact , it ’ s his favorite way to fish .
It comes as no surprise then that Hartman was able to edge out Seth Davis by 12 ounces to notch the win in the Toyota Series Central Division finale on Chickamauga and take home the $ 51,500 top prize .
Hartman keyed on Chickamauga ’ s many ledges throughout the event after having graphed “ every hour of practice ” in preparation . While he was able to locate about 30 schools , only five of them consistently produced bites , including one that produced almost all the fish he weighed in — an offshore high spot with shells on it that was basically a one-cast location .
Lining up with his waypoints and a shoreline dock , Hartman made repeated casts to bring his baits in front of the fish hanging out on the back side of the drop . For the task , he employed a Strike King 5XD crankbait and a True Bass Shuttlecock hair jig . For the schools he targeted deeper ( in up to 28 feet of water ), Hartman turned to a Strike King 10XD and managed to catch one key keeper on a Strike King Sexy Spoon .
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PHOTO BY MATT BROWN PHOTO BY JACOB FINE |
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PHOTO BY CHARLES WALDORF |
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE PHOTO BY JOSH DUKE
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