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Top lures at Leech Lake Open

Check out the baits that dominated at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN.

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Photography by
Grant Moxley
Captions by
Christopher Decker
Many anglers didn’t know what to expect when they arrived in Walker, Minn., for the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN. What they discovered was a lake with world-class smallmouth and dynamite largemouth fishing. Over 20 bags of smallmouth weighing 20 pounds or better were brought to the stage during the two-day, weather-shortened tournament.
Easton Fothergill of Grand Rapids, Minn., executed a perfect smallmouth game plan on his home lake, landing bags of 26-10 and 23-3 to achieve his second Opens win of the season with a total of 49-13. He is the first angler since Randall Tharp in 2008 to win multiple Opens in a season.
To make things even better, Fothergill hoisted the trophy in front of his friends and family in Walker, Minn., located only 30 minutes from his hometown.
Options are aplenty when bass fishing in the north country. Whether you are targeting largemouth, smallmouth or both, Bass Pro Shops has everything you need for a successful trip, including the baits and terminal tackle used during the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN.
Jamie Bruce (10th place, 39-6): The Canadian claimed yet another Top 10 on an American smallmouth fishery using three baits.
He triggered reaction bites with a 3/4-ounce homemade hair jig with a Do It Molds teardrop head and a 6/0 VMC hook.
A 3/8-ounce BT Smeltinator jighead with a Canadian exclusive Rapala The Jerk minnow produced several key kites for Bruce.
Bruce also built a Ned rig with a 3/8-ounce BT Crusher Jig and a CrushCity Ned BLT.
Matt Pangrac (9th place, 40-1): Two baits helped Pangrac catch a big Day 2 bag and jump into the Top 10.
Pangrac threw a drop shot with an unreleased 3.25-inch Great Lakes Finesse Drop Minnow, a No. 1 Gamakatsu drop-shot/split shot hook and a 3/8-ounce Denali Covert tungsten weight.
He also rigged a 5-inch Deps Sakamata Shad in a baitfish color on a 3/16-ounce Gamakatsu Horizon Head.
Jack Dice (8th place, 40-6): Dice earned his first Top 10 of the season by catching smallmouth with one key presentation.
Dice threw a 4-inch Yamamoto Senko wacky style on a 3/8-ounce drop shot and a No. 4 drop-shot hook.
Emil Wagner (7th place, 40-15): Two baits helped Wagner moved up in the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Opens EQ points at Leech Lake.
Most of the tournament, Wagner targeted smallmouth with a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm rigged on a 3/8-ounce drop shot with a 1/0 rebarb hook.
Late on Day 2, Wagner pivoted to largemouth and pitched a Berkley Pit Boss rigged on a 1.5-ounce tungsten weight and a 4/0 flipping hook.
Tristan McCormick (6th place, 41-2): Two finesse presentations helped McCormick achieve his first Top 10 of the season.
A Strike King Baby Z Too in the Arkansas shiner color rigged on a 1/4-ounce ball head jig was his best bait of the week.
McCormick also used a drop shot with a Strike King Half Shell, a 1/2-ounce Strike King tungsten teardrop weight and a No. 2 Gamakatsu G-Finesse drop-shot hook.
Visit Basspro.com to find your favorite smallmouth and largemouth baits.
Brett Cannon (5th place, 41-8): Cannon notched his second straight Top 10 using these two baits.
While he didn’t catch many bass using it, Cannon used the new 5-inch Bass Mafia Daingerous swimbait in a perch color as a search tool. He would reel it over boulders and see how many smallies followed the bait.
Once he figured out which boulders held the most bass, he tossed a 7-inch Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ rigged on a 3/16-ounce Owner Range Roller.
Cody Meyer (4th place, 42-0): Meyer continued his impressive EQ campaign with a top five finish at Leech Lake. Two key baits helped him get the job done.
For shallow smallmouth, Meyer winded a 1/2-ounce Z-Man Evergreen JackHammer paired with a Yamamoto Zako trailer around rocks in less than 3 feet of water.
For deeper smallies, Meyer tossed a Yamamoto Covert Craw rigged on a 3/16-ounce Owner Block Head.
Chase Clarke (3rd place, 42-12): Clarke notched his first career Top 10 using two primary presentations for smallmouth.
Clarke caught smallies by dragging a 1/5-ounce Ned rig paired with a Big Bite Baits Limit Maker in the easy money color.
A Deps Sakamata Shad rigged on a 3/16-ounce Greenfish Tackle jighead also produced big bites.
Jay Przekurat (2nd place, 43-8): One bait helped achieve his runner-up finish at Leech Lake.
Przekurat built a drop shot using this green pumpkin purple Strike King Half Shell, a No. 2 Gamakatsu G-Finesse drop-shot hook and a 1/4-ounce Woo Tungsten weight.
Easton Fothergill (1st place, 49-13): Fothergill landed several quality smallmouth using one key bait.
Fothergill tossed a OSP Saikoro Dice Rubber Max Salt Soft Bait. He rigged the Japanese finesse bait on a No. 2 Ryugi Talisman hook and weighted it with a 1/32-ounce nail weight.

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