The Bassmaster Elite Series made its way to North Carolina this past weekend for some coastal bass fishing in the brackish waters of the Pasquotank River and the Albemarle Sound, which also offered the opportunity to fish a number of waterways that empty into the sound. Of course, if you watched the event, you know it was the the less salty waters of the Chowan River where most of the leavy lifting was done. Last year’s stop at Albemarle Sound also featured a heavy dose of the Chowan, but last year’s winner, Kyle Welcher, stayed only a few miles from the launch on the Pasquotank to boat his massive 118-pound bag.
While the field always features a good mix of baits and techniques, it’s no surprise that one style of bait proved to be the go-to for a number of majority of top 10 angler… the Coike or urchin-style bait was a major player on Championship Sunday as more than half of the top ten anglers relied on the hottest bait in bass fishing to cash a check.
So without further ado… here’s the top 10 baits that got the job done:
10. Tyler Williams: 67-5
Top Lure: 3/8-ounce Greenfish Tackle Little Rubber Jig paired with a 3.75-inch Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog.
The Strategy: Williams targeted key areas of isolated structure by flipping and pitching his skirted jig.
Shop the Greenfish Tackle Little Rubber Jig at Tackle Warehouse – $5.99
9. Kyle Patrick: 71-15
Top Lures: Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg, 6-inch Bass Mafia Daingerous Swimbait (Unloaded), and X Zone Lures True Center Stick.
The Strategy: Patrick mixed it up, using the Sexy Dawg for surface-feeding bass. He used the Daingerous Swimbait to land most of his best fish, and slowed it down with a True Center Stick weightless for his finesse presentations. The Sexy Dawg is a great walking bait and on sale right now!
Shop the Strike King Sexy Dawg at Tackle Warehouse – $8.39
8. Wesley Gore: 76-8
Top Lure: 17mm Hideup Coike.
The Strategy: Leaning into the urchin-style bait trend, Gore fished the Hideup Coike rigged with a 1/0 Neko-style hook and a 3/32-ounce nail weight. Unfortuantely, they’re just about impossible to find anywhere, but I share the links anyways.
Shop the Hideup Coike at Tackle Warehouse – $20.49
7. Chris Zaldain: 77-9
Top Lure: 5-inch Bass Mafia Daingerous Swimbait (Unloaded).
The Strategy: Zaldain relied on a swimbait he designed himself for Bass Mafia, rigging it with a 3/16-ounce in-line style hook and burning it around bridges.
Shop the Bass Mafia Daingerous at Tackle Warehouse – $11.48
6. Stetson Blaylock: 78-3
Top Lure: Unnamed urchin-style bait.
The Strategy: Blaylock kept things simple, rigging an urchin-style bait on a 1/0 hook and flipping it heavily around thick cover.
5. Drew Cook: 82-4
Top Lures: Coike Fullcast and Spro Wacky Snack 5.25.
The Strategy: Cook targeted isolated cypress trees using the full size Coike Fullcast on a 1/0 bronze Gamakatsu Round Bend Treble Hook with a 1/16-ounce TG Trigger Nail weight. He also threw a weightless wacky rig utilizing the Spro Wacky Snack. Much like the 17mm Coike, the Fullcast size is also unavailable just about everywhere right now.
Shop the SPRO Wacky Snack at Tackle Warehouse – $7.49
4. Cody Huff: 85-0
Top Lure: Bass Pro Shops XPS Urch X.
The Strategy: Huff methodically flipped and pitched the new XPS Urch X, rigged on a treble hook, to isolated wood cover holding bass.
3. Hunter Shryock: 86-10
Top Lures: 8-inch Berkley PowerBait Chop Block and Berkley PowerBait MaxScent ‘Moeba.
The Strategy: Shryock flipped the ‘Moeba to shallow cover in the very back of Chowan River creek each morning, and later in the day, hit the main river with a big Berkley Chop Block glidebait around flooded brush.
Shop the Berkley Chop Block Glide Bait at Tackle Warehouse – $24.99
2. Fisher Anaya: 87-1
Top Lures: Prototype 3/8-ounce Rapala jig with a CrushCity Cleanup Craw and a CrushCity Freeloader on a 1/8-ounce jig head.
The Strategy: After a tough Day 1, Anaya rallied hard by targeting isolated stumps sitting well off the bank in the Chowan River. He was able to find some late spawners and lock in a second place finish.
Shop the Rapala Crush City Cleanup Craw at Tackle Warehouse – $7.49
1. Jason Christie: 92-7
Top Lures: YUM Mother Bug and an unnamed urchin-style bait.
The Strategy: Christie locked down his 10th Bassmaster win by milking one particular boat dock that produced 28 pounds over the final two days. He flipped the YUM Mother Bug on a 5/0 Eagle Claw TK130 Flippin’ Hook with a 3/8-ounce tungsten weight. His main player, however, was an urchin bait rigged on a 2/0 Eagle Claw Trokar TK250 Double Frog Hook with a drop-shot weight to keep the hooks up and the bait down. He says he got it at Scheel’s but can’t remember who makes it… spoken like a wily veteran.
Shop the YUM Mother Bug at Tackle Warehouse – $3.99
And for a detailed bait recommendation, specific to your exact location and waterbody, check out the Bass Forecast Bait Advisor. Just input your ZIP code or share your location, and Bass Forecast will give you 5 bait recommendations, a bite rating, and suggestions for peak feeding times.
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