Fall 2022
T
hroughout the course of an average year, I’m
fortunate to hop in an out of various pros’
boats. Whether they fish the Elite Series, the Bass Pro Tour or one of the AAA secrets, none of
them exclusively use their sponsors’ products. That
means you are only getting half of the story when you
see tournament write ups. Sure, technology like Bass
Live has reduced the ability for them to withhold or alter
information as they often did in the past.
Not every pro has the same favorites, but in some
categories, there are clear leaders – like the original
Yamamoto Senko, the Megabass Vision 110 and the
Keitech Fat Swing Impact. I’d guess that the vast majority
of them have all three in their boats much of the time.
Nevertheless, there are some other options, both old and
new, that I see again and again.
I don’t get paid by any of these companies, so you
can take me at my word. Nor do many of the pros, and
their silence is bordering on deafening.
Here are four options that you probably need to add
to your arsenal if they’re not already there.
BERKLEY CHOPPO
Carolina-
rigging take a
backseat in the media,
but not necessarily in the pros’ boats.
I often see them pull one out, both in largemouth country and smallmouth country, nearly 12 months out of the year, and the lure on the end of it is almost always a lizard – and in particular a 6-inch or 8-inch Zoom Lizard.
The C-Rig is deadly for covering water and discerning bottom composition in practice, and also for mopping up pressured fish on competition days. While other colors get some traction on occasion, I cannot imagine how many bags of Green Pumpkin and Watermelon Zoom produces each year.
HEDDON SUPER SPOOK
Heddon’s greatest innovations came decades ago, and the shape of the Spook hasn’t changed markedly
in forever, yet in a constantly-altered topwater
®
I’m a Whopper Plopper fanatic and the 130 size was my initial introduction to the family. I still love it and rely on it, as do many top anglers, but increasingly I see the Choppo in their boats, too.
The familiar refrain: “It just has a different noise, and sometimes it’s much better.” My other theory is that sometimes the 130 profile is a little bit intimidating for some bass – you still want something large to elicit strikes from kicker fish, but not quite that big.
While I’ve caught some fish on the Plopper 110, it’s never been a stone- cold killer for me. That’s where the Choppo 120 or even the 105 comes into play – it’s a big body but not quite that alarming, and produces that different noise. Bone is the one I see most often, but Maverick (black) is a close second.
ZOOM LIZARD
With the long-term rise of creature baits, and the dual emphasis on both flipping/pitching and finesse,
background by FWStudio
page
51