Jones winning baits, Q&AOY with Feider, Sight fishing tidbits

Way too much info in the full winning pattern post (on the BB website) to include here, so here’s mostly his bait info:

Falls Lake qualifying:

> “I fished both ends of the lake. [One was] way upriver in super-shallow flooded bushes and grass, less than 1′ deep, dirty water. The second pattern was…down at the dam. The water was still stained and I couldn’t sight-fish, so instead of flipping I was throwing a wacky worm.”

> Upriver TX-rigged tube: 3.75″ Canyon Plastics tube (gp/purple and black flake), 3/0 Owner Jungle Flippin’ Hook, 3/16-oz Reins Tungsten Weight pegged, 30-lb braid to a 20-lb fluoro leader, 13 Fishing Concept Boss Reel, 6′ 9″ MHF Kistler Z Bone Rod.

> “That MHF Kistler Z Bone is really key for accurately pitching lighter baits like that…enough backbone to set the hook and a soft-enough tip to make super pinpoint accurate casts.”

> Why that color in dirty water: “It’s a real dark gp – it probably almost looks black to the fish. It’s become one of my go-to colors. It works in clear, stained and dirty water.”

> Wacky Neko: Zoom Trick Worm (several colors including orange/flake, watermelon red/chart tail, gp/blue laminate). “If I didn’t get a bite on a really good target, I might switch colors the next pass. I couldn’t dial in to 1 color that was dominant.” #1 VMC Ike Weedless Neko Hook, O-ring, 3/32-oz nail weight.

> 7′ MH Kistler Z Bone Spinning Rod, 15-lb braid to a 9-lb Gamma Touch fluoro leader. “That Gamma 9 is actually a lot stronger than 8. If I’m throwing around cover and the water’s not too clear, I’ll go up from 8 to 9. You wouldn’t think it was a big deal, but when you’re finesse fishing around some cover it is a big deal.”

Final rounds were at Shearon Harris and it was all about the spawn bite:

> “I used the exact same tube setup. I never mixed in a different color.”

> “I have no lure sponsor this year – I get to fish whatever I want to now, whenever I want to fish it. Every 2 weeks I put out a little video – Alton Unfiltered – on my social media [@altonjonesfishing on FB and IG]. Whether it’s in a tournament or fun-fishing at home, it’s exactly what I’m catching fish on.”

> “One thing you always have to remember with your kids is it doesn’t matter if you can take them or not – it just matters if they think you can take them. But every now and then it’s nice to have kind of a show of force.

> “Of course that’s all in fun. He and I root for each other at every event. At every tournament…I feel like I have 2 chances to win. But at the same time…we keep score.”

2. In a field full of good sight-fishermen, what was the main differentiator for you?

> “The little nuances I try to do with every fish. One was not stopping on anything that’s not obviously a 3-lber. I caught 1 non-scoreable bass that was a 2-15 and several 3-01s and 3-02s.

> “Learning how to position the boat to minimize the fish’s awareness of my presence in his environment. Learning from how a fish reacts [and changing the bait’s action]. And sizing up fish quick – is it even worth spending time fishing for this fish….”

> “I never really got any. I’m kind of self-taught. Shaw Grigsby and Guido Hibdon were my sight-fishing heroes. Watching Shaw winning all these tournaments sight-fishing…but didn’t have someone teach me. I just read about it and then went out and did it.

> “I love how I can see the fish and he can see me. I love the games you have to play with those fish.”

4. Any Bible verse guide you in this one?

> “I didn’t have a specific verse this week, but a verse that’s been on my heart for the last few months is 1 Chronicles 12:32: ‘And of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do….’

> “We are the mighty men as Christians in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and we need to know the times and what we should do. God…is at work, is alive and we need to understand the times. Jesus is coming back and I don’t think it’s way off.”

5. Why do you shape your chocolate rice crispy treats that way?

> [Laughs] “That is my world famous chocolate rice crispy recipe that I can’t give out, but everybody who eats it says it’s the best thing they ever had. I had them so nicely cut in these little squares [but they melted in the boat]. I still wanted to eat them so I put [the bag] in the fridge. When it came out, Jimmy Sue and I just died laughing.”

3. Before you hit the Elites did you win more with largemouths or smallmouths?

> “Largemouths. Just because 3/4 of my tournaments were on Minnetonka. Actually the first tournament I won on Mille Lacs was with largemouths. At that time smallmouths all C&R except 1 over 21….”

4. When are we gonna see this new show with you, Pat and Matt?

> “I don’t know exactly when the first episode will drop – we’ve shot 2 already. I think sometime this summer it’ll hit the airwaves….”

5. Pat says he wins because he’s got a tin cup AND a tin boat. What do you say to this bold statement?

> “Strong argument. I guess I drink my whiskey out of a glass and I have a glass boat so that trumps that.”

Bonus deal: Here’s Seth’s bait from the Sabine, where he finished 6th:

> 7′ 2″ MH Daiwa Steez AGS Rod, Daiwa Zillion SV Reel (7.3), 20-lb Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon.

> “3′ and less, stumps, cypress trees, lilypads, laydowns, anything in the water. Just being real thorough. I couldn’t see my bait so I was kind of slow-rolling it…pretty close to the bottom. A lot of the fish came out of 1-2′ of water.”