PHOTO BY D . W . REED II
Run and Gun
When first targeting a school , Lambert ’ s strategy is to create chaos .
“ When I pull up on a school of fish , my objective is to throw the biggest , loudest , nastiest thing in there that I can on the first cast ,” says Lambert . “ If you do that , you ’ re going to get the most aggressive fish in there to eat it . Usually , that ’ s a big one , because that big guy got big by eating .”
What does he cast ? Take your pick : Lambert ’ s boat is stacked with 3 / 4- and 1-ounce swimbaits , giant worms , deep-diving crankbaits and magnum spoons . They comprise the arsenal that ’ s earned him a reputation as one of the FLW Tour ’ s most consistent power anglers on the ledges . But – just in case – he ’ s also squirreled away a drop-shot rig , a trick picked up from longtime friend and finesse maestro Cody Meyer .
In tournaments , Lambert might move on if he doesn ’ t quickly get a big bite . And that ’ s fine . With three days ’ worth of waypoints chalked up from practice , there ’ s always another ledge to fish .
“ I ’ ve gotten beat several times by running and gunning ,” he notes . “ But typically , multi-day tournaments on the river aren ’ t won in a single spot .”
Lambert ’ s ledge strategy is born of adaptation . It ’ s a response to the way Tennessee River angling has evolved , and the way fishermen have evolved with it since side-scan and contour maps have lifted the veil from its offshore secrets . But in the end , the strategy boils down to a universal truth in tournament fishing : He who finds the most fish often wins .
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