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He only fished a dropshot:
> "They bit it too good to throw anything else."
Rod and line deets
> Why a ML rod: "Because I like a longer rod for a dropshot, something in that 7 3 to 7 5 length. It leans into them a lot better. That [7 3] is the the longest rod they offer in the Reinforcer, and it's not really a ML – it's more of a M."
> SuperBraid 9: "That braid it so smooth-casting. I was running my Scope on 110', no wind knots whatsoever – I was able to make very good, long, smooth casts. That braid comes through the guides so well. And white's my favorite color now. It's very visible, it stands out great."
> Why a heavier leader in such clear water (15-25' viz): "...for the minnow...I use 15-lb braid to like a 12-14 lb fluorocarbon leader, and my...leader on a minnow is usually only on 2.5'. That allows that minnow to float and shimmy really well.
> "But on a dropshot it doesn't matter on fluoro leader length. You just need something long enough that you can retie if you need it.
> "The few times I've come out here...I broke off a couple....their mouths are a lot rougher out here and they will cut your line. And at the St Lawrence River [BPT] in '24...I was using 8 but they've got zebra mussels on the rocks...and I got cut off a few times on big smallmouth. So I went to 10 and 12.
> "[After that event] I started in practice [at the '24 US Open] with 10-12 lb line and got as many bites...and have never broke off a fish since."
Hook and bait deets
> RedLine Drop Shot Hook: "Dude that hook is legit. I've always used a Gamakatsu, the regular Drop Shot Split Shot Hook and I love it, but I will lose a fish or 2 a day. Drew [Gill, his BPT roommate] was telling me about the RedLine hook....
> "I use the [RedLine] Neko Hook for a wacky worm, but I didn't know they had a dropshot hook. So I...started using them here and dude, I never lost a fish – in 3 days of practice and 2 days of the tournament. I'm sold on it now."
> The baits: "The Jerk ShadZ seemed to be better early. The bait was shallower...you could see the smallmouth fire off the bottom. [As the sun got up] they got sucked to the bottom – glued to the bottom. Then I mainly switched over to the fuzzy bait.
> "If they flew to it, usually they'd have it when you picked it up. If they slowly went to it, I'd deadstick for 5-8 seconds, hold the line tight and you'd feel them thump it. Sometimes I'd just quiver it. It was really just trial and error.
> "...about 50% I caught where they screamed straight at it, and by the time I tightened the line up they'd already have it."
Scoping the area
> "You go out to the basin and it's all just flat. You just get in a depth range and Scope. There's really fine short grass everywhere but they don't relate to it.
> "I was scoping in 18-25' of water, just zigzagging in and out. Once the sun got up you'd barely get a glimpse of top of their head surfing across the bottom.
> "...there's like millions of carp and a lot of them are the same size as the smallmouths. ...the only way you know is how they react: Carp act like there's nothing going on, and smallmouth they're gonna let you know.
> "It was just all singles, but every now and then you'd see little wolfpacks of 3-4.
> "...bait [schools] is pretty much nonexistent in the day. This place is loaded with stripers. In the morning the smallmouths have their way with the bait, and after that it's all stripers.
> "You never see a smallmouth puking up bait. I always see them puking up big giant red crawfish – like the size of your hand. They're all 6-8 inches long – the biggest crawfish I've ever seen.
> "But I've never caught them using a crawfish-imitating bait, other than a little Sniper Jig with a [Berkley] MaxScent Trooper on it. But the problem is you can't drag anything on the bottom because of that grass, and it gets on your bait instantly. It's really strange.
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