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BRADFORD BEAVERS | 20 LB 8 OZ (9)
MIXING IT UP
l
By David A. Brown
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
ast year in his Forrest Wood Cup debut, Beavers missed the top 10 by
one spot. This time around, the South Carolina pro secured his 10th-
place finish on Ouachita largely with a 1/2-ounce Treeshaker Buzz Toad
with a Zoom Horny Toad. Beavers says he chose a watermelon candy-colored
toad when he believed the bass were targeting bream and a white one when
they were on shad.
Later in the day, Beavers switched to drop-shotting a 6-inch Roboworm in
standing timber or deep brush. Fitted with a 1/4-ounce weight, the finesse rig
produced Beavers’ biggest fish, a 7 1/2-pounder on day one.
Casting the buzzbait at a 45-degree angle to the bank was critical for cover-
ing water and keeping his bait in the strike zone, which he says was right
against the bank.
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Maximizing his buzzbait’s
appeal was a matter of varied
cadence for Beavers. When
his bait ran next to a tree, he
would pop it to create a fran-
tic fleeing motion. Around
shade lines, he’d go 180 and
actually pause the bait.
Combining the strategies pro-
duced a key fish on day two,
in which he got only five
baits. As he passed a shade
line, pausing his bait and
then popping it once was all it
took to draw the strike.
FlWFISHING.COm I Fall 2018