Gear

Top lures at Tombigbee River Open 2025

See the Top Tackle that played at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River presented by SEVIIN.

Posted on
Photography by
Andy Crawford
Captions by
Craig Lamb
It ain’t over till it’s over. As the saying goes, it played out for Trey Schroeder at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River presented by SEVIIN. The 25-year-old angler from Missouri mounted a come-from-behind win with 14 bass totaling 42 pounds, 12 ounces, just enough to edge veteran angler Stephen Browning with 42-4. 
The former high school and college standout didn’t burn half a tank of gas all week, never venturing into the main river and instead fishing in Columbus Lake. The flipping and pitching techniques connected Schroeder with his catches. See his lures and those used by the Top 10 anglers for spawning cycle bass. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Cody Nichols (10th; 31-15)
Nichols alternated between a flipping rig and swim jig for wood and vegetation in shallow water. 
A primary bait was a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, rigged on a 5/0 Owner Beast Hook, with a 1.25-ounce weight, specifically chosen for punching through heavy cover. 
To cover water, Nichols used this 5/16-ounce Dirty Jigs Swim Jig with a NetBait Paca Slim. 
Russ Lane (9th; 35-1)
Lane keyed on isolated cover favored as transition areas for prespawn largemouth. 
A key lure was this 1/4-ounce Buckeye Buzzerk with a 3-inch Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper.
For slower presentations he used a Big Bite Baits Real Deal Swimjig, also with a 3-inch Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper. 
Cody Stahl (8th; 36-8)
Stahl flipped heavy cover and isolated mats of vegetation for prespawn largemouth on the move. 
His main setup was this Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Creature Hawg, rigged on a 4/0 hook with a 5/16-ounce tungsten weight.
For punching mats, he used this Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Creature Hawg, rigged on a 4/0 hook with a 1-ounce weight.  
For a finesse approach, Stahl used a 3/8-ounce Berkley Swim Jig with a Berkley MaxScent Stank-Bug.
Grae Buck (7th; 39-2)
Buck alternated between a flipping package, bladed jig and crankbait. 
His primary bait was this Z-Man Bang StickZ, rigged on a 4/0 Hayabusa FPP Straight Hook, with a 1/4-ounce Angler Tungsten Weight. 
To cover water, he used the new 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer Baby Jack, with a Z-Man ChatterShadZ for a trailer. 
For wood and rock, Buck relied on this Bill Lewis ATV 2.5 squarebill crankbait, switching out the stock hooks for Hayabusa TBL930 trebles. 
Matt Adams (6th; 39-10)
Adams used a three-prong approach with a flipping package, swim jig and frog. 
A primary bait for heavy cover was this 6th Sense Bongo 3.7 on a 3/0 Spearpoint Fury Flip Hook, with a 5/16-ounce weight. A noise clacker was added between the weight and hook for strike appeal in the muddy water.  
For suspended bass he used a 1/4-ounce Davis Baits Elite Swim Jig with a 6th Sense Stroker Craw 3.3 for a trailer. 
For topwater action in heavy vegetation he used a 6th Sense Vega Hush Frog, adding rattles to the body for strike appeal in the muddy water. 
John Duvall (5th; 39-12)
A pair of swim jigs were the payoff baits for Duvall. Sunshine to concentrate his prespawn bass tighter to cover was key. 
Duvall keyed on his fish with a 1/2-ounce Dirty Jig with Zoom Super Chunk. 
Alternatively, Duvall used a 1/2-ounce Dirty Jigs No-Jack Swim Jig with a Zoom Super Chunk.
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Byron Kenney Jr. (4th; 41-0)
Kenney focused on isolated cover by swimming a jig. 
His primary lure was this unnamed 1/2-ounce jig with a Missile Baits D Bomb.
Bo Thomas (3rd; 41-10)
Thomas focused early on a shad spawn before shifting to cover specific areas of isolated cover for staging prespawn largemouth. 
Leading off his lineup was this Zoom Original Speed Worm, rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG Offset Worm Hook with a 1/4-ounce sinker. 
A primary lure for enticing reaction strikes was this buzzbait with a Zoom Horny Toad for a trailer. 
Thomas also used the new Strike King Tumbleweed. 
Stephen Browning (2nd; 42-4)
Browning rotated between a bladed jig and squarebill crankbait. 
A favored bait was this 3/8-ounce Z-Man Tungsten ChatterBait Elite EVO with a Z-Man RaZor ShadZ for a trailer. 
Browning also used this Megabass S-Crank 1.5 for covering shallow water wood and rock. 
Trey Schroeder (1st; 42-12)
Schroeder set out to cover as much water as possible with a swim jig. He switched to a flipping rig after locating isolated areas with specific prespawn largemouth, 
His search bait was this 3/8-ounce 6th Sense Braid Swim Jig with a 6th Sense Stroker Craw for a trailer. 
Schroeder’s one-two punch included this 6th Sense Bongo, rigged on a 1/2-ounce 6th Sense Pitch Black Tungsten Weight, with a 5/0 6th Sense OX Flipping Hook. 

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