6
ZACK BIRGE | 26 LB 13 OZ (15)
POCKET HOPPING
T
By David A. Brown
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
he Oklahoma pro began day one by chasing schoolers, but quickly real-
ized he needed something besides the big spoons and topwater baits
many others were throwing. Tying on a 1 1/2-inch shad-imitating topwa-
ter bait enabled Birge to mimic the tiny forage bass were targeting. A good
rally of schoolers, plus one keeper on a YUM Tip Toad rigged on a 5/0 wide-
gap hook, delivered 13 pounds, 1 ounce – his biggest sack of the tournament.
Seeing no schooling action on day two, Birge stayed with the Tip Toad and
bagged a small limit. The final day offered brief schooling activity, and Birge
scrounged up a lone keeper on his day-one shad imitator. He caught his other
four keepers over deep brush using a drop-shot rigged with a finesse worm.
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Birge attributes his success
to bypassing large, time-con-
suming pockets and instead
keying on smaller pockets
that were closer to the main
lake. An optimal area con-
tained three or four pockets
of similar size in close proxim-
ity, all facing the main river.
Running as many pockets as
possible and spending only a
brief time in each allowed
him to cover lots of water and
find active fish.
FlWFISHING.COm I Fall 2018