Benton says it was “nuts” up and down Murray’s intermittent rip-rap banks.
“There were giant balls of shad everywhere. But some areas were better than others. Anywhere I found shade, I found bass using it as ambush locations to gobble up bait. In particular, I found three points that had trees casting shadows on the water where bass were active. After each time I boated a fish, a new fish would slide up into the same place I casted,” divulges Benton.
“In terms of working the Pro Sunny B,” offers Benton, “I was winding the bait as fast as I possibly could without it blowing out. And we’re talking super-fast since I was using an 8:1 reel loaded with 15-pound fluorocarbon on a 7’ medium-power rod. That’s how you had to work it, or the bass would just slap it. Once I figured out the shade and speed thing, it all came together.”
After a couple big fish—each caught without any aid of forward-facing sonar—Benton motored back to the creeks that had done him right sight-fishing on days 1 and 2.
“Leaving the rip-rap shad spawn bite, I had a little under 20 pounds, and then caught three more off beds, culling up to 27 pounds, which was a pound over my goal of 25 or 26 for the final day.”
