Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - May 2018

could prove effective is fishing a shaky head. In recent years on the Tennessee River system, the shaky head has seen a resurgence. This bait is not being fished as the finesse technique it is so well known for. Normally, this is a setup with a 1/4 oz. or less jig head paired with a small finesse worm, fished on light line. The new trend on lakes such as Pickwick has become to throw heavy jig heads up over 1/2 an ounce, and use larger soft plastic baits. The Big Bite Baits Finesse Worm in the 8 inch version would be ideal for targeting these bass with a larger profile bait. Lastly, we’ll focus on another technique to keep in mind as the tournament approaches. Earlier, we knocked the shallow water fishing saying that it can’t hold up to multiple days of fishing pressure. For some anglers, offshore fishing is so intimidat- ing that they will take their chances up shallow. Pickwick Lake is known for abundant amounts of shoreline cover and Adrian College just proved that Pickwick bass can be caught shallow based on their recent B.A.S.S. Collegiate Series win there. With the amount of rainmoving through this spring, there is a good chance this cover will be surround- ed by a good amount of water and that the sum- mer ledge patterns may not be in play yet when the event kicks off. When this situation arises, the one bait that comes to mind is the SPRO Bronzeye Frog . This bait is easy to fish around cover, and produces giant bites. All it takes is 10 bites. If a team can get up shallow and find the right 10 bites on a frog, they will have a chance to compete for a top 10 finish. With this tournament less than a month out, it will be interesting to see how the conditions set up out on Pickwick Lake. Be sure to stay up to date with the latest in collegiate bass fishing by visiting www.collegiatebasschampionship.com . As the tournament nears, we will continue to provide fur- ther coverage and insight into the event.

The 4’’ and 6” Finnesse Worm from Big Bite Baits are per- fect for when the bite gets tough, a Finnesse Worm is a great go-to bait. Click the photo to learn more!

Adrian College Team of Caleb Taylor (left) and Nick Marsh (right) weigh-in at the 2017 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Cabela’s

The Bronzeye Frog 65 is the perfect size and style. It’s de- signed to cast long distances to be fished in heavy cover or in open water.