Wise bass fall for swimbaits – al.com

Sunday, September 07, 2008 MIKE BOLTONNews staff writer

It took just one catch from Auburn’s Steve Kennedy last year to turn a simple, seldom-used fishing lure into a bass fishing legend.

It was no ordinary catch and the ramifications are still being felt all the way from California to the East Coast.

Kennedy used a swimbait, a soft-plastic baitfish replica, to catch 122 pounds, 14 ounces of bass over four days while fishing at California’s Clear Lake last year. The catch not only gave Kennedy his first Elite Series win, it was good enough to shatter the all-time Bassmaster catch record for a four-day tournament.

The palm-sized bait Kennedy used in that tournament last year produced an incredible 32 pounds, 10 ounces of bass on the final day and allowed him to overtake third-day leader Greg Gutierrez of California.

As several of the pros began using swimbaits and winning other tournaments last year, it was only natural that the bait found its way into the tackle boxes of weekend bass fishermen in Alabama.

The swimbait is, of course, not new. Sassy Shads and the once Alabama-made Prissy Shad were staples in Alabama tackle boxes 20 years ago. Anglers who fish for striped bass and hybrid bass below Alabama dams have never quit using them. Full Story

Wise bass fall for swimbaits – al.com.