Classic Baits with Caleb Sumrall

Classic Baits with Caleb Sumrall

This year's Bassmaster Classic has come and gone, and it was one for the books. We had a chance to sit down with Sportsman’s Outfitters pro, Caleb Sumrall, and get the low down on the tools he used to capture a 16th place finish on Lake Hartwell.

 

Spro Rock Crawler

The Rock Crawler is a Springtime go-to, and it was utilized a great deal during the Classic on Lake Hartwell. This is the bait Caleb used to target slightly deeper fish on points, secondary points, roadbeds, and anywhere that he needed to get the bait down and ticking the bottom to trigger bites. This bait paired perfectly with a Bruin ELS in a 6.2:1 gear ratio.

Z-Man Jackhammer

When driving deeper into the backs of pockets and running into dingier water, Caleb opted for a Z-Man Jackhammer fished around hard cover like docks and laydowns. While it wasn’t the primary pattern, it was a pattern that offered the chance at some bigger bites when they were much needed. Caleb paired the bladed jig with a Yamamoto Zako trailer and fished this setup with a Bruin ELS, also geared in a 6.2:1 gear ratio.

 

Small Swimbait

This was Caleb’s main deal and what helped him land a 16th place finish in the Bassmaster Classic. That is, utilizing a small swimbait while using Active Target technology to target schools of fish setting up on drains and brushpiles. Smaller swimbaits seemed to be the deal when mimicking smaller forage, and 3-4” sizes were a staple in the front of the boat. These swimbaits were threaded onto a 3/8 oz. swimbait, the perfect weight to get the bait down to suspended fish.

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.