B
ryan Thrift earned the nickname
“Smoke on the Water” for his blaz-
ing-fast fishing style. He seemingly
always covers water and moves often.
At the Cup, Thrift did run and gun in
the afternoons, but he also showed the
patience and versatility to slow down
and thoroughly work an area.
While the tournament saw many
anglers catch a large limit one day, then
falter the next, Thrift was able to use
this combo system to stay consistent
throughout the event. He came out
swinging on day one, bringing in 14
pounds, 7 ounces for third place, then
followed with double-digit weights
every day and never dropped out of the
top six.
In the mornings, Thrift ran to the
back of Wheeler Lake’s creeks and tar-
geted areas with wood, grass and
shade. He had several creek stretches
around the mid-lake area and the Elk
River, including one stretch that he
fished all four days where the fish
would replenish overnight – though he
never hit the spot twice in one day.
Thrift’s technique was to Power-
Pole down in the very back of a creek
and slowly fan-cast a spayu-colored
Damiki D Pop 70 popping-style topwa-
ter on 12-pound-test P-Line monofila-
ment around laydowns.
“That Pop 70 walks really well,”
Thrift says. “I’d throw it next to the
wood, and I’d basically just walk it in
place.”
THRIFT’S KEYS TO SUCCESS
Thrift attributes his success to a key adjustment made on Saturday after-
noon. His morning topwater bite carried him the first two days but only yielded
one small keeper that third morning. Thrift decided to ditch the area and head
out to his offshore spots. He turned his trolling motor on high and began
heading to the main lake. In order to not waste any time on his way out, Thrift
picked up a swim jig and made a few quick casts.
Somewhat unexpectedly he hooked a quality keeper that keyed