LEESBURG, Fla. — Here's a quick rundown of the Sunshine Showdown's leaders, and their setups.
Brian Snowden, leader, 54-0
Reaction Innovations 4.20 Sweet Beaver (black neon) and a Zoom Bait Co. Speed Craw (black), both soft plastic baits rigged Texas style to a 5/0 Gamakatsu Straight Shank Hook. Snowden is alternating between 3/8- and 5/16-ounce tungsten Bass Pro Shops weights depending upon the wind velocity and density of the cover. His tackle includes a Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Elite baitcast reel spooled with 20-pound Bass Pro Shops fluorocarbon line, and a 7-foot St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass rod. Technique: He's fishing the baits in isolated vegetation.
Mike McClelland, second place, 44-12
Zoom Trick Worm (black and junebug) rigged Texas style on a 4/0 Gamakatsu Offset Shank hook with 3/16- and 3/8-ounce lead weights. Tackle system features a 7-4 Falcon casting rod with a Quantum Tour Edition reels spooled with either 15-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon or 50-pound SpiderWire. Technique: Flipping and pitching subtle changes in vegetation.
Bobby Lane, third place, 42-10
3/8-ounce Gambler Ninja Spin (chartreuse/white) and a Gulp! Jerk Shad (bluegill). Tackle package features 7-foot Fenwick rods and Abu Garcia REVO reels, spooled with 50-pound SpiderWire or 17-pound Trilene Fluorocarbon. Technique: Fishing grass edges in the morning with the Ninja Spin, then switches to the Jerk Shad in the afternoon.
Dean Rojas, fourth place, 42-6
Northland Tackle Slurpies Jungle Hawg (watermelon/red) rigged on 4/0 Gamakatsu hook with a 1/6-ounce weight. Tackle package features a Quantum PT66 reel spooled with 10-pound Izorline and a Quantum PT spinning rod. Technique: Methodical presentations to isolated vegetation.
Chris Lane, fifth place, 41-3
3/8-ounce Gambler Swim Blade Jig, 3/8-ounce Gambler Ninja Spin and Gambler Crawdaddy. Tackle packages feature Quantum Tour Edition reels spooled with 30-pound SpiderWire and 7-6 2iG UltraStrike spinning rods. Technique: Fishing grass edges in the morning for the reaction bite and then slowing down with the Crawdaddy flip bite later in the day.
Mark Menendez, sixth place, 39-1
1/4-ounce white homemade jig tied to 65-pound braid and a Shakespeare President Reel with an All Star Rods Flipping Stick. Technique: Swimming the jig slowly through the vegetation.
Steve Kennedy, seventh place, 38-1
4-inch Kinami Baits Flash (watermelon seed) and a Reaction Innovations 4.20 Sweet Beaver, both fished with 1/4-ounce weight. Tackle for the Flash is a Shimano Stradic reel spooled with 6-pound fluorocarbon line and a 6-foot medium action Kistler Helium rod. For the Sweet Beaver his is duplicating the line and alternatively using a 7-foot Kistler Helium rod and a Shimano Chronarch reel. Technique: Fishing isolated pockets of vegetation.
Morizo Shimizu, eighth place, 37-3
BYS Craw 3.5 (watermelon) and a Key Stick fished on an Evergreen International Opus 1 Reel. Technique: flipping and pitching isolated vegetation.
Rick Ash, ninth place, 37-0
10-inch Power Worm (black/blue flake) and a 6-inch Yamamoto Baits Kuhuna Cut Tail Worm, fished on a 4/0 Gamakatsu Wide Gap Hooks and 3/8-ounce weights. Tackle systems include Abu Garcia REVO reels spooled with 20-pound Trilene Fluorocarbon and 65-pound Ultra Cast line. Rod of choice is a 7-6 Powell Rod. Technique: Working grass edges and flipping isolated vegetation.
Kenyon Hill, tenth place, 35-5
Zoom Super Hawg (watermelon) with Eagle Claw 2/0 Offset Hook and 3/8 ounce sinker. Using same terminal tackle with a Zoom Speed Craw (black/blue). Tackle system features Abu Garcia REVO reels, 7-6 American Rodsmith Rods and 20-pound Trilene fluorocarbon. Technique: Flipping vegetation.
Todd Faircloth, 11th place, 34-15
5-inch Yamamoto Baits Kuhuna Cut Tail Worm. Technique: Pitching Kissimmee grass and lily pads, concentrating in canals.
Brad Hallman, 12th place, 34-15
Power Bait Wacky Crawler and Power Bait Shaky Worm (junebug for both), using 1/8- and1/4-ounce weights. Tackle packages feature ABU Garcia REVO reels and 7-0 Fenwick Techna AV rods. Technique: flipping lily pads.
Visit Bassmaster.com for full coverage of the Elite Series Sunshine Showdown on the Harris Chain of Lakes, from Leesburg, Fla., March 6th–9th, 2008. Daily weigh-ins with live streaming video and real-time leaderboards start at 4 p.m. ET. "Hooked Up" will air Sunday at 10 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m. ET. And a reminder … Daylight Savings Time starts Sunday, so remember to set your clocks.
