Top Baits: "TallaBassee" Florida

By Marty Hughes

The Kayak Adventure Series allows anglers to choose from a wide variety of waters including lakes, rivers, ponds, anywhere within the declared boundaries as was the case with the “Tallabassee” in Florida last week.  With all of these potential big bass fisheries anglers need to dial in the perfect bait for catching those big bass.  Here are some of the top baits used in this action packed kayak fishing adventure. 

Richard White of Florida finished in first place with 103 inches including two monster bass over 22 inches long. He used a 6th Sense Judo glide bait on a medium heavy Shimano X Pride rod with a Lews 8.0:1 Lew's Speed Spool reel. His alternate presentation was a 6th Sense Shindo on a heavy action Summit fishing rod with a Shimano Stella spinning reel. 

Richard White with his two set ups equipped with a 6th Sense Judo glide bait and 6th Sense Shindo.

 White used this 6th Sense Judo glide bait to win the “TallaBassee” event.

The 6th Sense Shindo provided White with some key bites during the Kayak Adventure Series event.

Richard White III, also from Florida, finished in second place with 102.75” just a quarter inch shy of his father’s 103” five bass total in the two day event. He used an Oracle Segment on an Owner Shakyhead hook with a 12 lb fluorocarbon leader. The Oracle worm he used is one that he personally designed and offers on his website at www.oraclefishing.com. He even designs and cuts his own molds. His business started in 2024 and offers a variety of fishing products. 

Richard White III used an Oracle Segment on an Owner Shakyhead hook.

Brandon Turek of Florida finished third with 100.75 inches including a pair of 22 inch bass and another over 21 inches.  He used a SPRO Essential Series Flappin’ Frog 65 in red ear color on a Dobyns Maverick Series 7' 3 " Mag heavy fast paired with a Bass Pro Shops Extreme 6.8:1 baitcast reel. Turek also threw a Gambler 4.25” Gambler Swimbait Swimmer in lane toad on a Gambler ⅛ oz.Big EZ weighted swimbait 6/0 hook. The rod for this setup was a St. Croix Bass X casting 7’1” medium fast rod. 

Turek caught his bass running the EZ along sparse pads and the lane of Central Miccosukee. He threw the frog in the more dense pad sections with long distance casts in and around the structure. He mainly looked for anything that looked different. He said, “Miccosukee is a lof the same, so just small variables in depth, an opening in the pads or where the lanes opened up lightly generated good bites. He caught his two biggest bass on the SPRO frog and another 30 or so bass on the Gambler swimbait with the EZ weighted hook despite the brisk wind on Day 2. Turek made a quick run to Walmart and purchased a small dumbbell to use as a makeshift anchor to hold onto his spots.

Turek with the two setups that brought him success in the KAS “TallaBassee” event in Florida. 

The SPRO Essential Series Flappin’ Frog 65 in red ear color caught Turek’s biggest bass in the tournament. 

Turek threw the Gambler 4.25” Gambler Swimbait Swimmer in lane toad on a Gambler ⅛ oz.Big EZ weighted swimbait 6/0 hook to catch good numbers of bass. 

Zech Fullard of Pennsylvania finished in fourth with 100.25 inches in his first trip to the sunshine state. He said, “It was a fantastic introduction to Florida.” Fullard looked for water and situations that he knew how to fish. These situations included water in the three to six depth range with grass and Cypress trees. 

In the submerged grass he threw a Brazalo Custom Lures Wee-Wacker Buzzbait with a Tactical Fishing TacToad as a trailer. That trailer in his custom color of Dark Horse, was an incredible boost of confidence for Fullard. He said, “The water was gin clear so casting distance was very important.”  That is the reason he threw this bait combination on an Icon 7’2” medium light/fast BFS rod with an 8.5:1 Daiwa Gekkabijin reel and 20 lb Sunline Siglon PEx8 line. Fullard went on to say, “I know it sounds crazy but, I can cast it so far I’m not sure the fish even know I’m on the lake and I’ve been able to haul in feisty river smallies and tank largies with this setup.”

If the grass was emergent, he threw the Sacpig Bait Co. (BRAND NEW) SwimFrat in black. He mentioned that the type of hook you use is crucial. The SwimFrat was built around the 8/0 BKK Titandiver+ hook and that’s what he rigged it on. Fullard went on to say, “It has an amazing system for adding a belly weight to the hook allowing for topwater or subsurface fishing. As much as I love topwater fishing, subsurface was the right call in the conditions on the lake that Saturday.” He fished it about two feet down nice and slow while making sure to pinball the SwimFrat off any cover he could find. This technique allowed Fullard to cull twice up in the final hour. The 8/0 Titandiver+ is a GAFF so he opted to fish it on his GLooomis 7’0” heavy/fast MBR rod with a 7.3:1 Daiwa Tatula SV TW 103 with 40 lb braid. All the baits he used are available at Darkhorsetackle.com. “Afterall, WE FISH!” 

Fullard with his SwimFrat in black on an 8/0 BKK Titandiver+ hook.

A closer look at the SwimFrat in black on an 8/0 BKK Titandiver+ hook and Brazalo Custom Lures Wee-Wacker Buzzbait with a Tactical Fishing TacToad as a trailer that Fullard used in his fourth place finish. 

Chris Anderson of Ohio finished in 5th with 93.75 inches in the Florida event.  He said, “Before we get into any fishing I need to thank Drew and the KAS crew for putting on another great tournament.  The format keeps everyone engaged until lines out!  Also need to thank my wife Ann Marie and daughter Avery for their support and willingness to be dadless for a couple days.” 

Anderson went on to say, “Friday afternoon was a disaster.”  H found fish in practice at Merrits Mill Pond but didn’t think bluebird skies in a gin clear lake was a recipe for success so he called an Audible and headed to the Ochlockonee River hoping for a couple decent fish to carry into day two.  He lost two jackhammers, a spinnerbait cut off due to a giant hornets nest, broken rod boat flipping a big pickerel and two small but scoreable Suwannee bass later, his spirits were down.  The bass he caught were picked up on a white/chartreuse Megabass SV3 spinnerbait on a Megabass Levante Diablo Spec R and Shimano Metanium combo, he was sitting in 38th place after the Friday afternoon/evening session of fishing.

Saturday, Anderson’s plan was to head back to Merritts and battle the winds.  He picked up  two 19.25’s in the first hour and a half while bomb casting June bug senkos at cypress trees and docks with things turning around for him.  With the lack of clouds, casts had to be long and he doubled up on weightless hooks as the docks would be risky and prone to break off stone leaders.  The spinning setups were Megabass Orochi’s one a Jade Python and the other a Medusa paired with a Shimano 2500 Vanaford and Stradic Ci4’s.  The Medusa is a shaking minnow rod with a stinger tip but filled in better than he expected.  He filled the bag with a 17.75 and culled with a 17.50 and 16.75 at about noon.  Anderson had jumped 30 spots sitting on the back end of a three way tiebreaker.

Anderson went on to Lose a difference maker on a cypress stump under a dock with about an hour left and felt stuck. About 15 minutes later he changed out one of the Senkos with an OSP 4.5 Dolive stick neko rigged with a 1/16 nail weight trimmed down to 1/32 oz and “slipped it under a dock and got thumped.  Pulled her out and noticed she was being followed by a pack of three big fish.  The fish measured right at 20 and I jumped to fifth.”

He said, “none of this would have been possible without the help and world class service from the Tacy’s at Strictly Sail and Kayak in Cincinnati.  They take better care of me than I deserve.” Anderson also thanked Ben Fessell and the boys at Hamilton Bait and Tackle as every bait, rod and reel that was used was purchased there.  “For a local shop in Hamilton, Ohio the Megabass and JDM selection rivals anyone’s.”

Anderson with his two combos that gave him success in the “TallaBassee” event in Florida featuring the OSP 4.5 Dolive sticks.

The key to Anderson’s success was the OSP 4.5 Dolive sticks and Megabass SV3 spinnerbait.

Matt Vogt of Florida used a hollow body frog, a stick bait, and swim worm for his 6th place finish.

Vogt with his complete lineup of baits used at the “TallaBassee” event in Florida.

Matt Vogt with his stick bait. 

Vogt also used a speed style worm for his catches. 

A hollow body frog always comes in handy in these Florida waters as Vogt shows us here. 

Ryan Parker of Ohio put up 92 inches for a 7th place finish with his top top two producers being the (left to right) Magnum Baits, Punch Beef in the Blue Craw color paired with a 4/0 BKK heavy flipping hook and a 1/2oz Wicked Weights tungsten flipping weight. He fished these on a TFO Professional series 7’ with a Heavy mod-fast rod 30lb braided line. 

He also used a Black Label Tackle 4.5” Player Worm in the Green Pumpkin Dawn Color, rigged weedless on a #1 BKK dropshot hook and a 3/16oz Wicked Weights tungsten free weight fished on a TFO Option series 7’ Medium Fast with 20lb braid to a 12lb fluorocarbon leader. 

All the baits that he used, hooks and weights are available in the bait shop at darkhorsetackle.com

Parker with his main two setups using a Black Label Tackle 4.5” Player Worm in the Green Pumpkin Dawn Color on a drop shot rig and a Magnum Baits, Punch Beef in the Blue Craw color.

A closer look at Parker’s baits, Magnum Baits, Punch Beef in the Blue Craw color and a Black Label Tackle 4.5” Player Worm in the Green Pumpkin Dawn Color on a drop shot rig.

Brandon Hewlett of Florida finished in 8th place with 90.5 inches. He caught most of his fish on a Boogerma ⅜ oz HD Buzzbait with a Zoom ZCraw trailer and a Gambler Big EZ rigged on an Owner 6/0 screw lock hook. He added a nice upgrade late in the day on a ZMan Jackhammer with a Missile Baits Spunk Shad trailer. All of his fish were landed on custom built Rainshadow blanks built by Garage Rods out of North Carolina. 

Hewlett with his three setups that brought him to a Top 10 finish. Boogerma ⅜ oz HD Buzzbait with a Zoom ZCraw trailer, a Gambler Big EZ rigged on an Owner 6/0 screw lock hook and the ZMan Jackhammer with a Missile Baits Spunk Shad trailer.

Hewlett’s top baits included Boogerma ⅜ oz HD Buzzbait with a Zoom ZCraw trailer, a Gambler Big EZ rigged on an Owner 6/0 screw lock hook and the ZMan Jackhammer with a Missile Baits Spunk Shad trailer.

Rounding out the Top 10 was Jeffrey Nierson all the way from Minnesota. Nierson decided to try Lake Lamonia, one he hadn’t fished before, on Day 2, after struggling in practice and on Day 1 on other bodies of water. All five of his 10th place limit were caught between 8 and 9:30 A.M. He caught them on a sparser edge of a pad field in 4-5 feet of water. The first three were caught on a ¾ oz. Berkeley Power Blade compact double willow spinnerbait in “Pretty One” color with chartreuse blades. The final two bass were caught on a ⅜ oz. Texas rigged Zoom Magnum Speed Worm in junebug red. 

Nierson with his top two setups using the The first three were caught on a ¾ oz. Berkeley Power Blade compact double willow spinnerbait in “Pretty One” color with chartreuse blades. The final two bass were caught on a ⅜ oz. Texas rigged Zoom Magnum Speed Worm in junebug red. 

A closeup view of Nierson’s on a ¾ oz. Berkeley Power Blade compact double willow spinnerbait in “Pretty One” color with chartreuse blades. The final two bass were caught on a ⅜ oz. Texas rigged Zoom Magnum Speed Worm in junebug red.