Smook wins at Bartlett
31 solo anglers went out to Bartlett Lake on Saturday for the third event of the Cashion Cup Solo Series. It was the 2nd biggest turn out since the circuit started. Fishing at Bartlett has been pretty good lately, with lots of numbers. This past year we have seen some very low water levels at Bartlett, but the water levels have come up a bit putting a lot of vegetation in the water. This new vegetation and rising water is giving anglers some different options on how to catch these bass. The solo series has been gaining some positive traction for anglers looking to take a break from the team tournaments and go after a win on their own terms.
Out of the 31 anglers that competed, 29 came in with a limit and for most of them it seemed like a typical Bartlett day. Guys were catching lots of fish but you really needed some kickers to stand out from the rest. As I mentioned in our previous post the Smook’s are on fire. It’s no surprise that Mason Smook took home the win, once again, on one of his favorite lakes. Smook and 2nd place finisher John Fuqua were the only two teams with a limit over 10lbs. We spoke to the top 5 finishers for some of their feedback on how their day was and what they did to catch their fish.
Mason Smook – 1st place
“Conditions were a little off from when I was at Bartlett last. There was a high pressure system but I still knew I could catch em on a fast moving topwater. I kept that thing in my hand all day long and went to work. It was calm for a bit then got windy but it didn’t really change the bite. I had about 11 and change around noon and culled 3 times throughout the day. By 1:30 I had my final weight and I lost 2 big ones. One of them was a 5-6lber at my first spot in the morning and lost a 3-4lber around 1pm. I had about 25 fish total on the day”. Mason had just under 13lbs with 12.96 and went home with $2400 in prize money
John Fuqua – 2nd place
“I started in the river which didn’t produce much for me. I only ended up with 1 2lb fish while I was up there. I bailed out around 10am and just went and fished around the main lake. I deep cranked any point or 45 degree bank at the main lake. I scratched out a limit by 11:30 including a 3.37lb kicker. I slowly upgraded throughout the day. With about 25 minutes left to weigh in I caught another 3 plus and with 10 minutes to go I landed a solid 2”. John weighed in 11.68 and walked away with $1390
Isaiah Perez – 3rd place
“I started the morning by covering water, close to the bank with the trolling motor on 5. I was threw around a Model A Bomber to get an idea of what was happening. I decided to slow down and pick apart every point, casting at different angles. When they hit, it was fairly quick and close to the bank. I had my limit in about 45 minutes. Majority of my fish were caught or protected side of the small points with river rock and quick access to deeper water. I decided to move spots and repeat what I was doing on different types of shore line, but it didn’t produce. After moving around a few more time I slowed down with a texas rig, drop shot, and a jig. I caught a few doing that but nothing crazy. I then went back to the shore I was catching them on in the morning but instead of reaction baits I slowed down and the bass were chewing again. Once I figured that out I was catching them and culling until the final 15 minutes of the tournament.” Isaiah Perez took home $900 for his 3rd place win!
Daniel Elias – 4th Place
“I started the morning throwing a buzzbait and managed one decent fish before the sun cleared the mountains. After the sun came up we had no wind and I could see the bass roaming in the backs of the pockets. Only problem was they were extremely spooked and hard to catch. I ended up tying on a 6lb monofilament leader to a spinning rod and catching some on a very small finesse topwater bait. In the afternoon I decided to fish deep and was able to land a 3lber and make a few key culls on a texas rigged Berkley Powerbait Shape 108”. Daniel Elias took home $640 for 4th place!
Cory Sautter – 5th place
“I started the day with top water and only got small fish. I moved to a cranking spot and got my two decent ones. The rest were just random moving baits and I had small upgrades all day. I never fished the bottom and went junk fishing since all of my shallow fish had moved out”. Cory weighed in 9.36lbs good for $340
The Cashion Cup Solo Series has one event left and that will be on November 5th at Lake Pleasant where they will crown the AOY. Pleasant should be prime time that week! It’s also the week after our 4th Annual Lifted Trucks Charity Derby. If you haven’t fished that event, don’t miss out! It is a great event with tons of cash and prizes and most importantly it raises money for the kids of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley. If any of you are new to fishing and are wanting to get into the sport, take a look at our guided fishing trips in Arizona. We would love to take you out to any of our Arizona lakes and then hopefully get you in your first fishing tournament to compete with these hammers. Below is a youtube video from 3rd place finisher Isaiah Perez and his day on the water.
