Top 10 Baits From Lake Guntersville
West Memphis, Ark., pro Mark Rose won a prespawn showdown at the 2017 FLW Tour opener presented by Lowrance at Lake Guntersville. He worked a two-pattern program of fishing shallow inside grass lines and riprap causeways, and the rest of the top 10 relied on similar approaches for their high finishes. Baits of choice were typical of grass-oriented patterns in early spring. Here’s what the top 10 used to get it done.
1. Tournament winner Mark Rose threw a green pumpkin Strike King Tour Grade Finesse Football Jig in both 3/8- and 1/4-ounce sizes, along with a flat-sided crankbait. He also used a Strike King Red Eye Shad Tungsten 2 Tap, while a couple of other baits produced a fish or two during the week.
2. A Size 80 Damiki Tremor in softshell craw and a brown 1/2-ounce Damiki Mamba Jig were Bryan Thrift’s go-to baits.
3. Alex Davis used a trio of baits, including a Jackall Squad Minnow 128 in super shad, a Jackall Jaco 58 in red crawdad and a Jackall Muscle Deep 7 in red crawdad.
4. A 1/2-ounce Berkley Warpig in red craw was Scott Suggs’ primary bait
5. Shinichi Fukae preferred a SPRO Aruku Shad in both Delta craw and mudbug red.
6. Brandon Cobb’s favorite Guntersville bait was a 1/2-ounce Yo-Zuri Rattl’n Vibe in matte crawfish.
7. Andy Morgan threw either a Livingston Flatmaster crankbait or a 1/2-ounce War Eagle jig tipped with a green pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk Jr.
8. Christopher Brasher used a 1/2-ounce Black Angel swim jig in bling bream and a 6th Sense Quake rattle bait in wild lava Craw.
9. Rookie pro Justin Atkins used a Rapala DT6 in dark brown craw.
10. Texan Chris McCall used either a homemade vibrating jig or a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap in both 1/2- and 3/4-ounce sizes in pinch’n perch, cranapple and Rayburn red colors.