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Story & Photos
BY JOE SILLS
A
chill sweeps through the dawn air
and down over Kentucky Lake
as Andy Montgomery pillages
through his port tackle locker. Through the rising mist, Montgomery
quickly whips out a shiny, new Daiwa rod
and reel combo specked out for his favorite
technique for hauling in bass.
The cold wind doesn’t take long to settle
over the glowing bow of his boat; a fully
wrapped Nitro that will soon find itself for sale,
like so many of its brethren, as Montgomery
retools for the next tournament season. With
a whip, the jersey-clad angler on its front
deck lets a long cast fly. The cast splashes
with a plunk beside a nearby dock.
Andy Montgomery, the 33 year-old professional bass fisherman from Blacksburg, South Carolina has racked in over $850,000 in under ten years on the B.A.S.S. and FLW circuits in large part thanks to his prowess with the bait now bumping along the shallow bottom just off his bow.
The lure is an old standby. It is an essential in every bass angler’s tackle box, but though many have used it, far fewer have mastered it. It is the faithful jig. And a few simple lessons can go a long way towards hitting the bullseye or missing the board with this proven, potent lure.
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