To be as efficient as possible with fishing depths of 40-50 feet, he needed to use the heaviest lure that he could while generating bites. For Audi, it was a ½ oz. Queen Tackle L.S. tungsten jig paired with a 5 inch Deps Sadamata Shad. He was catching smallmouth both dropping the lure right on their heads and strolling the minnow back to the boat above the bass.
Audi mentioned, “For strolling, the right rod and reel combo is really important to impart the proper action on the bait.” He used two G Loomis rods for this technique, the NRX+ 821 Ned Rig rod and the NRX 822 Drop Shot rod. Both of these rods have enough hook setting power to drive home a hook set and enough deflection in the tip section to impart action on the lure so that minnow rolls properly, according to Audi. For his spinning reel, Audi used a 3000 Shimano Exsence. This reel has a shallow spool, fantastic drag system and is ultra light which makes for less fatigue throughout a day of strolling a minnow. Audi also mentioned, “It is essential when fishing a ½ ounce jig head minnow not to overplay the fish. The ½ ounce head provides the fish with a lot of leverage to potentially throw the hook.” He set the hook and tried to land the fish as quickly as possible while keeping complete tension on the line. “The proper gear was definitely essential to my finish in this tournament,” Audi said. You can find his exact setup with a variety of Shimano and G. Loomis products at Black Hall Outfitters in Connecticut.
Kiefer used this presentation with a couple of St. Croix Victory VTS610MKXF rods. He typically has a Ned Rig on one rod and a Wacky on the other, but that week it was primarily a Wacky and drop shot. Over the past four years, these rods have put hundreds of big fish in his Jackson Big Rig kayak. He had the VTS610MLXF paired with a Shimano Miravel spooled with 15 lb. High Vis Power Pro braid and an 8 lb. Sunline FC Sniper leader.
When the wind picked up mid-morning, the wacky bite died. At this point, he had 95.5 inches (19.75, 19.75, 19.25, 19, and 17.75) and was in the lead for a bit but felt like he needed to cull the 17.75” fish to feel confident enough that he would cut a check. He cycled through several baits and colors, trying to find something that would trigger some bites. He could visually see fish cruising around and finally grabbed the Shimano SLX combo spooled with the 12 lb. FC Sniper and a Wicked Weights ¼ oz. Mini Patriot jig. He picked these up specifically for this event.
His fishing partner for the week, Ryan, had caught a few on a finesse jig that Tuesday, so he had to tie it on. He paired the jig with a Berkley Maxscent Lil’ Super Trooper. He caught a few fish on it in practice, including a really nice one on Friday. Popping the jig through the grass and over the rocks seemed to turn on the bite again. Finally, he culled out that pesky 17.75” fish with a fat 19.5” smallmouth that weighed 5 lbs 1 oz. Catching this fish and culling up to 97.25 inches was the only time he got excited enough to yell out loud, “Let’s Go!” With 30 minutes to go, a 20 incher grabbed the jig and made her way to the net. She was barely hooked, but luck was on Kiefer’s side!
One of Queen’s favorites is the new ZMan Fattyz Thick Stickz. Queen said that they are more productive in lakes like Champlain that hold large populations of both largemouth and smallmouth as this bait works exceptionally well for both. The Fattyz Thick Stickz is equally productive in heavy grass and the many rock piles that make up the environs both these species love to hang out in.
Rigging this bait is simple, according to Queen. He uses the ZMan Pro Bulletz with as light of a presentation as he can get by with in the grass. He will usually have a separate rod, a 7’ or 7’3” Cashion ICON for the worm and jig, combined with a ZMan Shroom jighead for working rock piles. The profile of this bait makes it shake with the slightest of movements of the line which even wind or grass moving can give it even more life. From Caddo to Champlain, Queen has had great finishes this year using this bait and his choice for the 2025 season. He finished by saying, “Oh! They catch biggun’s too!
Lee used a G. Loomis 842S JWR with a Shimano Stradic 2500HG reel and FX Custom MBSH74MF/WSJ74MLF with a Pflueger President XT 25 reel. His line consisted of 15 lb. Suffix 832 braid and the leader was 12 lb. Seaguar Red Label. To pin his bass Lee used a 1/0 Mustad Alpha Point Finesse hook.
