In his third season on the Bass Pro Tour, Arkansas pro Dylan Hays will be fishing his first REDCREST. It's not his first taste of championship-level events, as he qualified for the TITLE while fishing the Pro Circuit before qualifying for Major League Fishing's top tour. He's excited to take on Alabama's Lay Lake for REDCREST, even though he's only been to the lake once. He plans to take things as they come and fish the moment when he arrives for practice.
No Pre-Conceived Notions For Fishing Lay Lake
While many anglers spend time before the lake goes off-limits for a tournament, Hays didn't make a trip before this event. Part of it was scheduling, but he also thinks it can hurt more than it helps at times.
"Everything is so weather-related this time of year, and sometimes, it can be pointless to go there a month before and idle around," he said. "Lay Lake isn't hard to get around, and I should be able to see all of it in our practice time. I've only been there once, as a co-angler years ago, so I don't remember much about it, but I'm excited to get there."
Hays also thinks the weather this year should have the fish getting closer and closer to spawning, so there should be plenty of tactics in play.
"I'm guessing it will be a solid prespawn bite with an outside chance of some early spawners," he said. "The biggest thing will be the rain leading up to the event and how it changes the water clarity and current in the lake. My first thought is that it's going to be a lot of moving baits that do well, but it should be pretty wide open as far as techniques go."
With a mix of largemouth and spotted bass swimming in Lay, anglers will surely catch plenty of both species. Hays says he'll catch "whatever bites" but believes spotted bass will be the most significant player. "I think spots will win it, for sure, but there will be some big largemouth caught, too," he said.
Moving Baits and Going Old-School At Redcrest
Much of the tournament world is dominated by forward-facing sonar and a jighead minnow. Hays says that should still be a factor but expects a broader range of techniques.
"I'm thinking the lipless and jerkbait bite should be really strong since it's going to be prespawn," he said. "I also think you can catch them with a ChatterBait or go old-school and throw a spinnerbait. There should be plenty of baits working."
When fishing his lipless crankbaits and jerkbaits, Hays will swap out his stock treble hooks with Mustad versions. He decides which ones to use based on how the fish are biting his lure.
"A lot of times when the water is cold, the fish are short-striking your bait, especially a jerkbait," he said. "That's when I like the Mustad KVD Elite Series Round Bend," he said. "If they are choking the bait, whether it's a lipless or something like a squarebill crankbait, the Triple Grip style is what I use because I feel that it gets them pinned better."
Hays Will Try Both Finesse to Flipping For the Bass Championship
Hays also thinks soft plastics will play a role in this event, especially with the every fish counts format and the abundance of spotted bass in Lay Lake. One thing he will surely have rigged up is a drop-shot rig.
"I'll use it primarily for fishing brushpiles," he said. "That could be a player in this event. I like to use a 1/O Mustad Tactical Bass Alpha Grip Finesse Hook with a Mustad Tungsten TitanX Skinny Drop Shot Weight."
Depending on the weather, Hays could also see a wacky rig come into play. "If we get some warm days, I could see a big push of fish coming shallow and around the docks," he said. "That's where I will pick up the wacky-rig on a 1/O Mustad TitanX Weedless Wacky/Neko hook. That hook has a fluorocarbon weedguard to keep it weedless and it's super sharp. I use those all year long
Another possibility is flipping shallow cover and Hays will give it a shot if he sees the right water clarity. "If it gets dirty from some rain, I could see flipping being a great way to get a big bite," he said. "I like the 4/O Mustad Denny Brauer Grip-Pin Max Flippin' Hook because it holds the bait well. Depending on the depth, I'll use anywhere between a ¼ and ½ ounce weight."
Going into his first REDCREST, Hays is excited about the chance to compete for such a big title. He's planning on a mix of proven prespawn techniques to shine in this event and will have them all rigged up when practice begins.
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