Bass Fishing May - Jun 2018 | Page 9

a SPOT ON small lead is a big lead on most lakes dominat- ed by spotted bass. That's because the feisty little cousin to the largemouth gen- erally doesn’t grow much beyond 4 pounds, and most professional anglers have little trouble sacking up a small limit. So to mount a come- from-behind win means every fish in your limit probably has to be a massive spot (aka spotopotamus). Zack Birge, shown here on day three at the Lake Lanier FLW Tour event, did his best to chase down Bradley Hallman, who began the weekend 7 pounds, 9 ounces ahead of his fellow Oklahoman. Birge weighed in 15-01 and 16-00 for his final two limits and closed the gap to 2-10, which made for some dramatic footage on FLW Live, but didn’t quite earn the young pro his first Tour victory. photo by KJell KVaNbecK 7