began to see big fish swimming in the area . His primary depth was the 25- to 35-foot zone .
“ There were some isolated high spots with boulders , and I started catching some quality fish ,” he says . “ The biggest I caught was 4.2 pounds and the smallest was 3.63 pounds . I thought it was a good place to catch 20 pounds , but really didn ’ t think I could catch enough to win .”
Shuffield ’ s primary area was 90 minutes from tournament takeoff in Massena and required a stop for gas on the way back . That left him with just four and a half hours of fishing time , so he had to catch his fish quickly and not make any significant mistakes .
He landed 21 pounds , 5 ounces on Day 1 and found himself in fifth . Shuffield ’ s bigger fish showed up and Day 2 – he weighed in 23-3 and won his group , advancing straight to the Championship Round .
“ The second day , when I pulled up , I caught some heavy 3-pounders and then back-to-back 5-pound fish ,” he says . “ That ’ s when I realized I could win the tournament from that spot .”
Winning Group A ( and earning a bye to the Championship Round ), Shuffield was awarded two days off , which he spent with his wife , visiting Niagara Falls and trying not to think about the fishing .
“ I typically like to fish on all my off days , but my wife came up with me and we went to Niagara for two nights ,” he says . “ I just tried to enjoy it and not think about the fishing .”
On the final day , Shuffield landed 22-12 to take the win by 12 ounces over second-place angler Dakota Ebare . Shuffield believes his spot would have held up even if he hadn ’ t gotten to skip the Knockout Round .
“ To be honest , the area was so full of fish that I could have fished it every day I was off and still caught good bags ,” Suffield says . “ We filmed ‘ Day 5 ’ after the tournament and caught them immediately . It was an incredible spot .”
How Shuffield Caught ’ Em
Shuffield had located what he called nine “ money spots ” inside his winning area , which was roughly three-quarters-of-a-mile long and a quarter-mile wide . He identified isolated boulders
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE with his forward-facing sonar and focused almost exclusively on them .
Among the 15 bass that Shuffield brought to the scales during the tournament , 12 were fish he saw on his forward-facing sonar ; the other three were caught blind-casting as he moved between key spots .
The drop-shot was Shuffield ’ s primary weapon , with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm in brown back , gobyashi or green pumpkin party . He rigged the bait on a size 2 Gamakatsu Split Shot / Drop Shot Hook and employed a 1 / 2- and 3 / 4-ounce Ark Fishing No Chip Tungsten Tear Drop Shot Weight . Shuffield fished his dropshot on a 7-foot , 4-inch medium Phenix M1 spinning rod and a 2500-size Daiwa Ballistic reel spooled with 15-pound-test Yo-Zuri Superbraid in the high vis yellow color with a leader of 8-pound-test Yo-Zuri T7 Fluorocarbon .
His other tool was a Ned rig , which accounted for an estimated four of the fish he weighed . Shuffield fished a green pumpkin Z-Man Finesse TRD on a 3 / 8-ounce WOO ! Tungsten Ned Head jig on the same reel and line setup , but opted for a 7-foot , 2-inch medium Phenix M1 rod .
Victorious at last , Spencer Shuffield hoists a check worth $ 200,000 at the final weigh-in of the TITLE .
Looking Ahead to 2023
Riding the success that concluded his 2022 season , Shuffield eagerly awaits his chance to fish the Bass Pro Tour full time , for which got a taste during the 2021 season when he qualified for two BPT events based on his success on the Pro Circuit .
“ I can ’ t wait for next year . The Bass Pro Tour format is my jam ,” he says . “ I approach every tournament , no matter the format , by catching every fish I can . I ’ ve always tried to specialize in catching numbers , knowing that the big fish will come with that . I always try to catch as many fish as possible in a day because that ’ s more fun . I ’ m really looking forward to next season .”
Shuffield is also planning to fish the MLF Invitationals next year and will mix in as many other events as possible .
“ I would fish every tour if they let me ; I ’ d be like [ MLF pro ] John Cox in 2021 if all of the schedules worked out ,” he says . “ I want to be fishing every week . I fish everything I can , from local events to BFLs and up . I don ’ t care if the top prize is $ 100 or $ 200,000 – I fish the same and want to enter everything I can . I make my money catching bass .”
44 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2022