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S
huan Leytem is a life-long angler and has been
competing in bass tournaments for more than
20-years. Like many, he started out in team tournament fishing, competed in some Pro Ams and then
took the full plunge into competitive kayak bass fishing. He
hasn’t looked back yet. He is known to be a very consistent
angler who frequently finds himself near to the top of the
leaderboard when all the fish have been submitted.
According to his TourneyX stats, in the first half of 2024
he has already accumulated four top 10 finishes and a win.
Here we talked to Shaun to find out more about him and
time on the water
WB: How did you get introduced to fishing?
LEYTEM: I grew up fishing farm ponds. When I was around three or four-years old, my Grandad used to take me fishing at Gibson Ranch in Sacramento, back in the early ‘80s. We used to catch bluegill and catfish, take them home and have a big fish dinner. As I got older, I started to watch the fishing shows like Bill Dance, Hank Parker Outdoor Magazine, and Bassmaster. Watching all those shows inspired me.
WB: Tell us about your first tournament(s).
LEYTEM: I fished my first tournament in 2000 at Folsom Lake. My buddy and I ended up in 4th place in the annual Golden State Bass Tournament. We fished from a 14-foot aluminum boat decked out with a front-mount trolling motor and an ice chest for a live well.
I won five team tournaments and placed in several others. (I enjoyed) fishing with great people, the adrenaline in the morning when you’re idling by the check in person, waiting to blast off, talking to other anglers off the water, going out to eat in the evening, and most of all traveling with my friend who is no longer with us. That was a special time.
WB: Now let’s talk fall fishing. First off, where do you look for fall fish?
LEYTEM: Starting out, I’ll target main lake points, underwater humps and islands, ledges and drop-offs, or isolated rock piles or trees. Wind- blown bays that has had the wind blown into them for a couple days are worth checking out too. As soon as you catch a couple fish you can kind of run with the where/what factor – where you caught them and what you caught them on.
WB: What are the main lures you use to locate active fish? LEYTEM: My top baits of choice are: • A 1/2-ounce. football head, Yamamoto five-inch
Hula Grub (Spider Jig) in Green Pumpkin Purple/
Copper Flake or Cinnamon Black/Purple Flake
or a 3.3 Keitech Swing Impact FAT swimbait in
Tennessee Shad • A dropshot with a 4” Roboworm in
Prism Shad or Morning Dawn, size 1
Gamakatsu dropshot hook with a 10-inch to 6-foot
leader (yep, 6-foot leader) with a 1/4- to 3/8-ounce
dropshot weight • A Berkley Choppo, Size 120 in Perfect Ghost • A 1/4-ounce darterhead with a six-inch Roboworm
in Pro-Staff People’s Worm
WB: During the fall months, the weather can change quickly. How do you adjust to make sure you keep catching them?
LEYTEM: During the fall, there can be some drastic weather changes. For instance, if we get some heavy winds prior to going fishing. I look on the Windy app and see which way the wind is blowing the day before. When I hit water, I might start in a bay on a creek arm that has had some wind blowing into it. That usually where some of the bait fish might be schooled up.
That wind can also change what side of the points and island tops the fish will be on. If it’s windy and I’m still out there on the water, if it is safe to still be fishing, I may even up the size of my weights or jig heads to get my bait to the
bottom. I may switch to a reaction
bait like a jerk
bait, lipless
Fall 2024
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