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Whether hardbaits or jigs prove more productive in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, you’ll likely find Ott DeFoe fishing near grass.
“It’s Guntersville, there’s going to be some grass involved,” says the Rapala, Terminator and VMC pro. A 69,000-acre, northern-Alabama reservoir, Guntersville is famous for its aquatic foliage (known simply as “grass” in the shorthand of bass pros, despite the vegetation type). The health and height of Guntersville’s grass will greatly determine bait selection, Defoe says.
“When we’re going to be there, there’s going to be as little grass as there is for the whole year, with it being at the end of the winter,” he says. “The grass is washed out as much as will be and it’s not going to have started growing back much. So the grass that is there should be very, very thin and very close to the bottom.”
Among the best baits to target such submergent grass are lipless crankbaits, like Rapala’s Rippin’ Rap and Rattlin’ Rapala. Both “really cover water well and are very efficient at coming through grass,” Defoe says. Similar lipless cranks have won several cold-water tournaments on Guntersville. “A Rippin’ Rap and a Rattlin’ Rapala.
Lipped crankbaits can produce really well on Guntersville too. “Everything from shallow-running stuff like a DT-3, down to maybe a DT-10 or DT-16 even,” Defoe says.
Water temperature will also help determine bait selection. Air temperature, precipitation, wind and sunshine – or lack of it – all affect water temperature. But whether it’s warm or cold, “there will be fish to be caught on a jig,” Defoe says. “There is no doubt about that.” If conditions remain extra cold, crawling a Terminator jig very slowly along bottom could be “really good,” Defoe says. If the weather warms, however, targeting shallow shoreline cover with a jig could be more productive.
In cold water, Defoe favors a 3/8 Terminator Pro Jig. “I’ll put a big chunk-style trailer on the back of that to help slow ths fall,” he says. A slow-falling jig is key in cold water, much in the same way a long pause is key when jerkbaiting. “It’s all about that hang time,” Defoe explains. Essentially, he’s matching the hatch in action as well as color. “Everything slows down – the baitfish and the predators – so that extra little bit of time in front of the fish’s face definitely will trigger them into biting.”
Until the fish demonstrate a color preference, Defoe will try several jig patterns, including green pumpkin-orange, pumpkin-orange and blue-olive. If the water’s murky, black-and-blue could be best.
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