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Top lures at Lake Martin Open 2024

See the top lures used at the season finale of the Opens, including a buzzbait used by winner Bobby Bakewell.

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Photography by
Dalton Tumblin
Photography by
Shane Durrance
Photography by
Grant Moxley
Photography by
Chase Sansom
Captions by
Craig Lamb
The final event of the 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN season concluded at Lake Martin, where the Top 9 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers were determined for the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series season. 
Floridian Bobby Bakewell was the tournament winner with a three-day weight of 35 pounds, 15 ounces anchored by a 4-10 largemouth, which earned Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament honors. The catch turned out to be the highlight of the Bassmaster LIVE coverage. 
For the win, Bakewell punched his ticket to the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic at Lake Ray Roberts in March. See his winning lure and those used by the top finishers to get any fall lure lineup in order. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Kyle Palmer (10th; 28-12)
Palmer’s strategy involved a topwater pattern with a spinnerbait burned through the strike zone. 
A key bait was this 1/2-ounce Nichols Spinnerbait with double willowleaf blades, those being key to maintain lure position on the fast retrieve. 
For topwater action, Palmer used this River2Sea Whopper Plopper. 
Byron Kenney Jr. (9th; 30-3)
Kenney rotated through a topwater and a duo of finesse rigs. 
Kenney made a drop shot with a 6-inch Roboworm rigged on a 1/0 Roboworm Rebarb hook, with a 3/8-ounce weight. 
He made a Neko rig with a Senko on a 1/0 wide gap hook with a nail weight. 
For topwater action he used a Berkley Choppo. 
Yui Aoki (8th; 30-6)
Aoki used swimbaits with two different jigheads as part of his offshore game plan. His strike zone was between 40 and 50 feet. 
He chose this Dystle Virola 2.8 on a Nishine Lure Works Smelthead Jig Head. 
Alternatively, he used a round head jig with the Dystyle Virola. 
Brady Vernon (7th; 30-13)
Vernon’s game plan involved targeting docks, among other strategies. 
A key bait for Vernon was this Berkley Bullet Pop Popper. 
He also used a Bass Pro Shops Stik-O Worm rigged weightless and wacky style with an Owner Jungle Wacky Hook. 
Alternatively, Vernon used a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader on a 1/8-ounce jighead. 
Paul Marks (6th; 31-11)
Marks focused his efforts with a jig. 
His primary bait was this 9/16-ounce Greenfish Tackle Chibi Jig, with a Zoom Z Craw Jr., fished on Seaguar 17-pound Tatsu Fluorocarbon. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Cody Meyer (5th; 32-4)
Meyer primarily focused on seawalls and older docks in the backs of pockets. A key bait was a soft plastic bait with a grub-style body and tube-style skirt rarely seen by the fish. 
That bait was this 4-inch Yamamoto Fat Ika rigged on a stout 5/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus Hook, and fished on 20-pound test line for fighting fish from docks. 
Alternatively, Meyer used this 5-inch Yamamoto Senko with an Owner Jungle Finesse Wacky Hook. 
Will Davis Jr. (4th; 32-11)
Davis focused primarily on shallow bars using a spinnerbait, and docks with a topwater and swim jig.
That latter choice for bigger bites was a 1/2-ounce Davis Bait Co. Davis Wood Jig, with a Big Bite Baits Chunk. 
For topwater action he used this hand-crafted Davis Bait Co. Kingpin Topwater Lure. 
For the shallow bars Davis used this 1/2-ounce Davis Bait Co. Davis Series Xwire Peacock CW Spinnerbait, featuring Colorado and willowleaf tandem blades. 
Dakota Ebare (3rd; 32-13)
Ebare alternated between shallow and deep patterns with baits to cover both strike zones. 
For shallow water, he used a Strike King Compact Tungsten Casting Jig, with a Strike King Rage Scounbug. 
For deeper water, Ebare used a Strike King Rage Swimmer 3.75 on a tungsten jighead. 
Alternatively, he used a Strike King 3X Z-Too Soft Jerkbait, also on a tungsten jighead. 
Josh Butler (2nd; 34-2)
Butler focused primarily on docks with a topwater and finesse jig.
That latter choice was a 3/8-ounce finesse jig with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver 4.2. in Dirty Wizard. 
Butler also used the same jig and trailer in Green Pumpkin Red.
For topwater action he used this River2Sea Whopper Plopper 110.  
Bobby Bakewell (1st; 35-12)
The champion’s primary lure was a buzzbait fished along shallow seawalls with visible rock in 3 feet of water or less. 
The winning lure was this 1/2-ounce Greenfish Tackle Toad Toter Buzzbait obtained from 44 Tackle. He used several different trailers, including a Bruiser Baits Crazy Craw and then a Zoom Horny Toad. 
Alternatively, Bakewell used a 1/2-ounce Bakewell Custom Jig.
Bakewell also used this Bruiser Baits Rad Shad.

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