It was tough sleddin’ at Sabine.
The Bassmaster Elite Series at the Sabine River, which marks the southern border between Texas and Louisiana, before emptying into Sabine Lake, an estuary of the Gulf Of Mexico, was a tough one for Elite Series anglers who just finished stacking up 100-pound bags on Lake Fork. At Fork, the Top 10 all earned the Century Belt, eclipsing a 100 pounds over the course of 4 days, and champ Tucker Smith hauled in a whopping 127 pounds to cash that $100,000 check.
Sabine was a different story with champ Pat Schlapper hauling in a mere 38 pounds over the course of the 4-day tournament. It even became a bit of a running joke when an angler would set the hook, scream “BIG ONE,” and weigh in a 1-pound, 14-ounce bass.
To be honest, it’s kind of fun to watch these guys grind out the kind of bag that most of us weekend warriors can manage on our small, local lakes. And even better, old school bass fishing techniques… shallow water, flipping, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits… all that good stuff. And while there was quite a mix of techniques that came into play, just about everybody utilized some kind of flipping setup. Whether it was a creature bait, craw, or a jig, etc… everybody who every angler who finished in the Top 10 had some kind of heavy cover flipping presentation, and it got the job done.
Here’s what everyone in the Top 10 was flipping, with Tackle Warehouse links* to each.
*This post contains links through the Tackle Warehouse Affiliate Program. While all products are independently selected by our expert Riff Outdoors team, unless stated otherwise, if you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
Sabine River Top 10
10. John Crews Jr.
9. Justin Hamner
8. David Mullins
7. Stetson Blaylock
6. Cooper Gallant
Outkast Tackle Cage Fighter Tungsten Flipping Jig
5. Kyle Welcher
4. Taku Ito
3. Kyoya Fujita
Jackall Pine Shrimp 4.5
2. Patrick Walters
1. Pat Schlapper
Do-It Molds Compact Finesse Jig with Big Bite Baits Chunk
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