Bassmaster LIVE is a beautiful thing. We get to look through an unfiltered lens as some of the greatest anglers in the world do what they do, fish. But it’s not just about watching, you can learn a lot by listening too. Pat Schlapper has caught a near-20-pound bag this morning faster than any angler this week. He’s targeting bass with a jerkbait and watching them eat it on his forward-facing sonar. That’s what you can see.
But if you listen closely, you can learn something else. Listen for the click as Schlapper fights these fish in. He’s again using a jerkbait, which has three small treble hooks on it. These fish are fired up and ferocious. This combination often leads to bass pulling off. Even the greatest drag systems in the world can’t keep up with these fish at times when they go on a run. So, anglers like Schlapper and the majority of the Elite Series field will actually press the thumb bar on their reels to disengage the spool.
This is something Schlapper does subconsciously at this point, as he chooses to ride the spool with his thumb as opposed to letting his drag setting determine how much tension is needed to pull line off his reel. Schlapper will do this repeatedly during a fight, turning his handle to re-engage his reel, and then pressing the thumbar once more when the fish makes a run. You can tell an angler is doing this by listening for a click during the fight. It’s these minuscule details that make these the best of the best.
