PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
ROUNDING OUT THE REDCREST TOP 10
By Tyler Brinks
2 .
LUKE CLAUSEN Spokane , Washington Championship Round weight : 28-11 ( 8 )
For one dazzling , action-packed moment as the final minutes ticked down in the Championship Round , it looked like Luke Clausen might become the first person in history to own the three biggest trophies in the sport : REDCREST , the Forrest Wood Cup and the Bassmaster Classic . Clausen – who won the Cup in 2004 and the Classic in 2006 – claimed the lead with three fish for 10-12 early in the final period , and then added a 4-2 with just 2 minutes remaining to nearly surpass Lane ’ s miraculous last-minute fish and steal the REDCREST championship .
Clausen was forced to search out new water each day of the event , but shallow crankbaits were his primary tools everywhere he went . He stuck with various flat-sided crankbaits , including the Jackall Bling 55 in natural crawfish colors .
“ I never caught one deeper than 4 feet of water ,” Clausen said . “ I fished some main-lake pockets , but Horse Creek was my primary area . I focused on flatter banks close to deep water the first three fishing days and junked around the last day . I caught some on docks , riprap and standing timber .”
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
3 .
JACOB WHEELER Harrison , Tennessee Championship Round weight : 28-4 ( 8 )
As is the case anytime a tournament is up for grabs and Jacob Wheeler is in the hunt , the Tennessee pro threatened to steal the show with a three-fish surge midway through the final period that catapulted him 10-8 up the leaderboard . Lane and Clausen eclipsed the defending Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year , but Wheeler ’ s third-place finish marked the 16th time he ’ s finished in the Top 10 in the past 19 tour-level events he ’ s fished ( an almost superhuman 84 percent ).
Wheeler relied on forward-facing sonar and a jerkbait for most of the tournament and caught some shallow fish with a crankbait at times when he was in dirtier water .
“ It was mostly the jerkbait , and I used four different jerkbaits , including the Rapala Shadow Rap Deep ,” Wheeler said . “ Some of the fish were out roaming and chasing bait , but most were on the isolated cover and hard places . The key depth was 6 to 12 feet , but the suspended fish were out deeper in the abyss .”
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
4 .
DUSTIN CONNELL Clanton , Alabama Championship Round weight : 25-14 ( 10 )
Traditional stick-and-ball sports have their “ big game players ,” and it ’ s become quickly apparent that Dustin “ Big Game ” Connell shines when the pressure of REDCREST is on . The defending 2021 REDCREST champ stayed in the mix late into the final period of Championship Sunday thanks largely to his ability to connect with a jerkbait while watching his Lowrance ActiveTarget ( just as he did in winning REDCREST on Lake Eufaula in 2021 ).
“ I was concentrating on the shallow brush in 5 to 10 feet of water ,” Connell said . “ It was all staging fish inside of pockets , and the first third of each pocket was the best . The best places were on transition banks and flats leading into spawning areas .”
Connell focused on the middle and lower sections of the lake and utilized a handful of different jerkbaits depending on the depth and water color .
“ I had four different jerkbaits rigged up : three regular-diving baits and a deeper one ,” Connell said . “ I used translucent baits in the clearest water and a chartreuse shad bait in the dirtier stuff .”
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