Fall 2026
A
lthough Major League Fishing pro Justin Lucas
now calls Alabama home, at heart he’s still a
California angler. Coming up the ranks as a young angler in Northern California, he quickly rose to the top of the
western tournament trails before trying his luck back east.
That was nearly 20 years ago now, starting as a co-angler
on the FLW Tour in 2008 before turning pro in 2010, then
moving to the Bassmaster Elite Series four years later, and
then in 2019 he made the switch to the Bass Pro Tour.
It’s been an amazing career for Lucas so far with several big wins and an Angler of the Year title with Bassmaster, and he capped off the 2026 season with Major League Fishing with a win on Lake Erie. We caught up with Lucas to get some insight on his latest win, how his California roots have helped his career, and why he thinks the drop-shot rig is the most effective way to catch a bass across the country.
LUCAS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DROP-SHOT RIG
WB: This is your third big win on the Great Lakes on smallmouth. What is it about these events that fit your style?
Lucas: I think the main thing is just how much confidence I have with the drop-shot more than anything. I just know that when I’m fishing for smallmouth on the Great Lakes or the St. Lawrence River, you can keep a drop-shot in your hands and be ultra-competitive and potentially win events doing it. You don’t have to make it very complicated. It’s more about finding what depth the better fish are in and what kind of stuff they’re holding on.
WB: The drop-shot rig has accounted for these three wins as well as your Elite Series win on the Potomac River with largemouth. What makes this rig so important for you?
Lucas: When I was in California, we fished one like crazy on Folsom, Shasta, and Oroville, and it’s something I have
so much confidence in. My win on the Potomac was just like fishing the California Delta around shallow grass and docks, and the smallmouth on the Great Lakes is just like fishing for spotted bass in California, only it’s usually much deeper out west. Other than that, it’s keeping it in your hands and being confident in it.
WB: The drop-shot has taken a back seat to other finesse techniques, especially the jighead minnow trend with forward-facing sonar. Is it going to make a comeback?
Lucas: I don’t think it’s ever going to go away, and if I could pick one rig to fish tournaments on across the country for the rest of my life, that’s what I’m picking. If the world was ending and I was dependent on catching fish to eat to feed my family, I’d also go with the drop-shot. I don’t know of any other techniques or rigs that you could say that about because it will work everywhere.
THE WINNING GEAR AND TECHNIQUE
WB: What are your go-to baits for drop-shot fishing, both for largemouth and smallmouth?
Lucas: For smallmouth, it’s the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm, the same worm I used for all my Great Lakes wins. I’m a huge believer in the scent, and I like the natural-looking matte finish of the MaxScent baits. For largemouth, it’s always been a straight tail worm, and I use the 6-inch Berkley Lab Series Finesse Worm, and the scent inside of those baits also makes a huge difference compared to other baits.
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Photo: PMoore
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