COLUMN : BALOG ON BASS FISHING
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more than 20 years , Joe Balog has made his living in the fishing industry on and off the water . A successful tournament angler from the Great Lakes region , Balog now lives in Florida , where he continues to work in product design , marketing and outdoor media when he ' s not chasing trophy largemouth . the heaviest hitters
How Jones , Lucas , Roy , Birge have capitalized on MLF ’ s big-fish bonanza event
T hroughout the history of organized bass fishing , a number of unique showcase events have come and gone . Perhaps none has created the stir of General Tire Heavy Hitters . Created in 2020 to serve as a bigevent bridge when Major League Fishing moved its REDCREST championship from fall to spring , Heavy Hitters is a two-in-one major tournament : A six-figure payday is up for grabs for the tournament winner in addition to a whopping $ 200,000 in big-bass awards . Minimum scorable weights increase to 3 pounds in the final round , adding unprecedented strategy to the game , while the big-fish focus means each angler is always one bite away from going zero to hero .
While some might argue that there ’ s an element of randomness to catching big bass , a handful of anglers seem to have cracked the code across the first four iterations of Heavy Hitters .
alton jr . is the heaviest hitter of all Alton Jones Jr . has become synonymous with Heavy Hitters , and deservedly so . At Lake Palestine in 2022 , Jones claimed the $ 50,000 big-bass award in the Knockout Round , then followed that up a day later with a $ 100,000 payday by boating the biggest fish in the Championship Round . For an encore , he blew away the rest of the field in 2023 on Bussey Brake , adding another $ 100,000 to his Heavy Hitters wallet . That big check boosted the Texas pro ’ s Heavy Hitters earnings to more than a quarter million dollars in just two events . Throw in the $ 4,000 he earned at the inaugural event in 2020 , and his running total is up to $ 269,000 .
No one has enjoyed Heavy Hitters as much as defending champ Alton Jones Jr ., who has pocketed $ 265,000 across the past two renditions of the event .
It ’ s safe to say that the importance of Heavy Hitters to Jones can ’ t be understated .
“ With big money comes a big desire to win ,” Jones confirms . “ You ’ re fishing for title that comes around just once a year . It ’ s a no-entry-fee event and an exclusive club of winners .”
The moment the Heavy Hitters location is announced , Jones goes into planning mode . Online research plays a big role initially — “ I look at local events from that time of year and what it took to win big bass awards in those tournaments ,” he says — and Jones then determines what techniques will best fit his strengths while also appealing to big fish . A noted expert on spawning largemouth , the spring timing of Heavy Hitters often fits his skillset to a T .
While big bass are the focus , Jones also finds it necessary to generate numbers of strikes . His strategic mind is
always cognizant of his standing on SCORETRACKER ® and what he needs to advance to the next round . He understands that not only do the big-bass payouts dramatically increase as the tournament progresses , so do his chances of winning them .
“ I try to ensure advancement ( in the event ) before focusing on big fish ,” he says . “ You have to make it to the last day to have the opportunity , and the odds go up ( for a big bass win ) every day . So I go in trying to win the tournament first .”
lucas applies some home cooking
While he hasn ’ t taken home the championship belt , Justin Lucas has a case as the most successful Heavy Hitters angler of all time based on average finish . The Alabama pro has placed in the top 20 all four times since the inaugural event on Florida ’ s Kissimmee Chain in 2020 , including two Top 5s .
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
22 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024