Battling Heavy Winds, Timber and Big Bass: Lake Fork Elite Strategies
Taking home the Bassmaster Elite Series title with 113lbs and 11oz of East Texas largemouth was Minn Kota® and Humminbird® Pro and hometown favorite, Lee Livesay. Not only did Livesay defend his own dirt, but he also did it for the second time in two years while locking down back-to-back century belts in that time—an absolutely incredible feat.
Now the main question is, how did he do it? We sat down with Livesay and the other top contenders from the event to get the details.
The Winning Strategy on Lake Fork
Days one and two called for heavy winds which tested all of the angler's patience, boat control, and fishing techniques. The key for Livesay and most of the other contending anglers was targeting very specific hard spots, shell beds, and the vast timber that litter Lake Fork—something that Livesay excelled at in route to a day one total of 32lbs and day two total of 28lbs 10oz, good enough to lead going into the third day of the tournament.
The giant largemouth bass of Lake Fork can be stingy fish to locate, target, and catch due to their age and the amount of pressure the lake receives. But, there were a few tools that were essential to putting the perfect baits on the perfect spots.
“Humminbird MEGA 360 and Spot-Lock™ were clutch for me this past week on Lake Fork. Dealing with the high winds the first couple days, I would position my boat upwind of the fish I had found on MEGA Side and Down Imaging.” said Livesay.
“I would hit Spot-Lock on my Minn Kota Ultrex® trolling motor and lockdown on a quality area for hours. The first few days especially, it was key to make long casts with the wind off the back of the boat." said Livesay.
This allowed me to bomb my crankbait, hair jig, Texas-rigged worm, and jigs to the fish. I would set my MEGA 360 Imaging to look at the cover and fish behind the boat, allowing me to make efficient, pinpoint casts to them.”
“It was important for me to make accurate casts on the shell beds and timber lanes while also being able to time them perfectly because I was able to see the fish moving through the area on MEGA 360.” added Livesay.
Brandon Palaniuk's Approach to Lake Fork
Fellow Minn Kota and Humminbird pro, Brandon Palaniuk was right behind Livesay for most of the tournament, leading to a second-place finish and 102lbs and 2oz. Palaniuk was often seen calling his shots on Bassmaster Live while looking down at his MEGA 360 throughout the four days of tournament competition.
Similar to Livesay, Palaniuk would position himself in his area with his Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor, hit Spot-Lock, line up his cast using MEGA 360, and make hyper-precise casts. He was even seen lining up his rod on his Humminbird SOLIX and pointing the rod in the direction of his desired cast.
This system of efficiency earned him his second-place finish and his first Century Belt of his career with 102lbs and 2oz.
“MEGA 360 played a major role at Lake Fork, allowing me to identify the subtle pieces of structure that were the “sweet spots” where fish would group up. Having a thorough understanding of those areas was absolutely key because the fish were constantly moving and it allowed me to be efficient and time my casts perfectly.” said Palaniuk.
Now leading the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, Palaniuk carries some solid momentum into a Pickwick Lake event, the northern swing, and ultimately a race to an AOY championship.
Top 10 Contenders
Like the first and second-place finishers, Humminbird and Minn Kota Pros, Josh Stracner and Bill Lowen, who finished 7th and 8th place respectively, also relied heavily on the same tools for their top 10 finishes.
“With how much pressure Lake Fork gets, these fish are constantly on the move. A lot of times it’s more efficient just to put my Ultrex down and find them versus trying to idle through the timber. While my Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging is a wicked tool, I could relocate my school of fish much faster by getting on my trolling motor and find the school using MEGA 360.” said Josh Stracner.
Shallow Timber Lockdown
Bill Lowen took a slightly different approach to Livesay and Palaniuk. Instead of targeting fish in deeper timber (8-14ft), he focused on shallower timber.
“The combination of MEGA 360 and my Minn Kota Raptor® Shallow Water Anchors really helped me fish shallow efficiently this past week during the high winds. I caught most my fish flipping a jig up shallow on isolated stumps." said Lowen.
"I would put the wind to my back and once I saw an isolated stump on my 360 Imaging, I would drop my Raptors and make a precise flip to that stump. It really made my week and helped me get in the top ten.” added Lowen.
Regardless of weather conditions, MEGA 360 remains consistent in its ability to show anglers a detailed image of what is surrounding their boat, providing a notable advantage for anglers during harsh conditions where it can be difficult to remain steady on their trolling motor while utilizing live forward-facing sonar alone—and the ability to use Spot-Lock to hold in the wind at the same time is crucial in situations like the anglers experienced on Lake Fork.
“MEGA 360 Imaging continues to prove why so many anglers feel that they have a distinct advantage when they have this product as part of the arsenal on their boat. Unlike other sonar technologies, MEGA 360 gives anglers the ability to see all around their boat in crystal-clear detail, while still allowing full use of the Ultrex trolling motor and Spot-Lock," said Humminbird Brand Manager, Matt Cook.
"When your equipment works together as a cohesive system, like Humminbird MEGA 360 and a Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor, it makes it easier to find, stay on, and catch more fish.” added Cook.