Magic docks cools off big time!
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASEBy Bryan Brasher
The heat is rising and his magical dock seems to be cooling off a little.
But despite catching only 12 pounds, 15 ounces during
Saturday’s semifinal round, Alabama pro Justin Lucas is in position for a
wire-to-wire win at the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo
Lodge.
Drop Shot key all week for Lucas (Photo BASS) |
Both anglers were covered with sweat backstage after
Saturday’s weigh-in, with the heat index rising above 112 degrees.
“I had 10 pounds for a long time today,” Lucas said. “I
don’t know why things slowed down the way they did. But I’m very fortunate to
be where I am with this kind of lead.
“This all started from Day 1 of the tournament. I had no
idea what lived under that dock — never even had a bite there in practice.”
A California native, Lucas has been using the kind of
finesse tactics that West Coast anglers are known for. He’s caught a couple of
fish on a stickbait and a couple on a swim jig, but the majority have been
caught on spinning tackle with a drop shot rig.
He’s fishing one back-channel dock on the upper end of the river. He said it’s 5 to 8 feet deep on the end, and aquatic grass grows right up to the edge of the dock. But because the dock is so low to the water, it creates enough shade to keep grass from growing under the dock.
“There’s a grassline right against the dock,” Lucas said.
“There are old pilings all around there. Then there’s shade and current.”
The idea of pulling big bass from under docks on light
spinning tackle would make some anglers nervous. But Lucas said he’s really
only had one tense moment all week.
“The first morning, the second one I hooked was a 3
1/2-pounder, and I had it wrapped around one of the pilings for five minutes,”
Lucas said. “I could still feel it pulling, and it finally just wedged its way
out.”
Then Lucas learned the key to landing fish around the dock.
“Once I could see that there were these crossbars under the
water, I never had another problem,” he said. “That second fish, I didn’t even
know what I was throwing to. I was just throwing under the dock, and I just
happened to throw over one of the crossbars.”
The dock surrendered 20-4 on Thursday and 19-14 on Friday.
Despite the drop-off to 12-15 on today, Lucas said he still considers the spot
the best he’s ever found during a tournament.
“It’s really the only time in my life that I’ve ever
stumbled onto a hole like this where there were so many fish in one stretch —
and I’ve had it to myself,” Lucas said. “These are the best locals I’ve ever
seen. They’re keeping their distance — just really, really good guys.”
With nearly a 6-pound lead over Lowen, Lucas believes he
needs to catch at least 12 pounds Sunday to secure the win.
Despite fishing what he described as the “hottest conditions
he’s ever fished,” Lowen brought 16-0 to the scales Saturday to push his
three-day total to 47-3. As usual, he’s fishing super shallow in a small canal
that he said is “narrow enough to flip both sides.”
“It’s fun — I mean it is, but isn’t,” Lowen said of the
heat. “I’m in a little tiny creek. I had about five bites in there in practice,
and that was the best spot I had.
“I don’t know how many fish are left in there. I really
don’t understand how there have been this many in there all week.”
The other anglers who qualified for Sunday’s Top 12 include:
Brent Ehrler (45-9), Jason Christie (45-6), Keith Combs (45-1), Clifford Pirch
(44-10), Andy Montgomery (44-7), Gerald Swindle (42-6), Brett Hite (41-13),
Jordan Lee (41-11), Fred Roumbanis (41-8) and Randall Tharp (41-6).
Pirch took over the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass with a
largemouth that weighed 6-11. Swindle maintained a comfortable lead in the
Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.
Sunday’s take-off will be at 6:15 a.m. ET from Smallwood
State Park, and weigh-in will be at 3 p.m. at Indian Head Pavilion on the
Village Green.
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