Gagliardi kept his tackle pretty simple. He used a 7-foot, 2-inch, medium-heavy Level rod to fish a single Yamamoto D- Shad soft jerkbait and upsized to a 7- foot, 10-inch, medium-heavy Level rod for throwing a double rig and a pencil popper. The D-Shad wound up being his primary tool of the tournament.
“ That 7-2 Level rod is tailor made for it [ the D-Shad ],” he says.“ It has a fast tip and parabolic bend that help with the way I fish because it is almost a crankbait-type bite. I’ ll rip the bait, and I might know there is one on it and just let the rod load up and absorb shock while I wind down on him.”
GaGS StayS ReaDy FoR SchooLeRS
Catching schooling fish at times can be easy, but there is no doubt Gagliardi is one of the best at picking off these sometimes fickle fish— a skill set he developed in the summertime on Lake Murray.
“ The biggest reason I catch more schooling fish than others is because I’ m ready,” he says.“ You have a very short window once one blows up to get him to bite, and if your bait is there immediately after he blows up then your odds of catching him are astronomically high.”
Sometimes the key is to not cast unless a fish is visible at the surface, even if it means waiting minutes at a time without casting.
“ Before I even start my day I pull my schooling bait out and hang it over the side of the boat so it is ready to go,” he adds.“ I even keep my rod in my hand as I pull my trolling motor up and bring it with me as I walk to the console. I’ ll hold onto it as I drive to the next spot just so that when I stop I am instantly ready to start casting.”
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