PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
After finishing in the
Top 20 four years in a row , could Justin Lucas be due to take home a
Heavy Hitters belt ?
Lucas attributes his success in large part to his California upbringing .
“ I enjoy fishing for big fish , and my time in California was when places like Clear Lake and the Delta were in their prime ,” Lucas says .
His Heavy Hitters approach starts with choosing high-potential areas and eliminating water that he considers unlikely for big fish to inhabit .
“ I target more main lake or main creek areas , closer to channels , than what I might target for numbers ,” Lucas
says . “ The far backs of a creek are probably not going to hold a bunch of big fish .”
Lucas believes strongly that slow , methodical tactics appeal best to big bass . When conditions warrant a different approach , he still thoroughly combs the area from multiple angles ( making “ casts other guys may have missed ,” he says ). The slower pace of Heavy Hitters allows Lucas to be thorough without fear of falling behind .
“ It ’ s not a numbers game ,” he says . “ Minimum size is always 2 or 3 pounds , so it gives me a chance to slow down .”
bradley Roy : “ big fish are not random ”
Another Heavy Hitters standout , Bradley Roy gets more detailed than usual in his method of eliminating water . Approaching these spring-season events , Roy strictly concentrates on figuring out what stage of the spawn the females are in . While his techniques can vary , from his first Heavy Hitters cast / flip / pitch to his last , the Kentucky pro is always chasing the big girls .
“ I push all my chips in that direction ,” Roy says . “ Big fish are not random . They ’ re always in a place for a reason . [ I ’ m always looking to ] dial in that pattern . It ’ s a mindset and an area thing . Whenever MLF takes us to a fishery where big ones live , my mindset changes immediately . I ’ m extremely aware that I might get less bites , but bigger bites . At that point , I ’ m not worried about just catching fish .”
PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN
birge goes big on the big stage
Oklahoma pro Zack Birge has also
made a habit of cashing big checks at Heavy Hitters , earning two Top 10s and pulling down Top 20 paydays in all four events to date . Like Jones , Birge attempts to make each day ’ s cut before going all in on big fish .
Zach Birge always seems to be at his best during championship events like Heavy Hitters .
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
Bradley Roy ’ s strategy for targeting big female bass paid off with a sixth-place finish at Heavy Hitters 2023 .
“ I keep in mind that if I ’ m doing good ( according SCORETRACKER ®), I ’ ll then throw a big-profile lure , like a glide bait ,” Birge says . “ But overall , my Heavy Hitters approach isn ’ t much different than every other tournament .”
Still , with a whopping 11 Top 10 finishes in MLF championship-level tournaments , Birge ’ s record in premier events can ’ t be ignored . While Birge admits he doesn ’ t know exactly why he ’ s performed so well on the biggest stages , he did say he ’ s at his best “ when there ’ s an opportunity to make a whole lot of money .” He ’ s especially fond of one-off events like Heavy Hitters .
Perhaps bass fishing most powerful influence — confidence — is the secret to Birge ’ s success .
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