COLUMBIA, S.C. – Jordan Lee took home the MLF Heavy Hitters Belt wrenching fish out of thick grass mats, the same way he grew up bass fishing at his home lake on Lake Guntersville. Lee breezed through the qualifying rounds posting weights of 63 pounds, 4 ounces and 19 pounds, 6 ounces while preparing to manage his area fish to sustain his pattern into the championship round.
Throughout the event Lee stuck to an area he located in practice on the south end of Lake Toho throwing a Berkley Swamp Lord over matted hydrilla. Lee stuck to his guns all week and rotated between different sections of the mats as fishing pressure and boat traffic shifted where the concentration of fish were.
“It was such a surreal experience being able to win this tournament on a frog, I grew up doing this exact same thing on Lake Guntersville and won my first tournament when I was 17 fishing mats with a frog. To be able to have all of that transfer to a tour level victory at one of the biggest events in the sport is just so special.”
Lee relied on two primary setups to claim the Heavy Hitters title; a 7-foot 6-inch Heavy Abu Garcia Signature Series Jordan Lee casting rod paired with a 8.1:1 Abu Garcia Revo STX low profile baitcast reel, as well as a 7-foot 9-inch Heavy Abu Garcia Signature Series Jordan Lee casting rod paired with a 8.1:1 Abu Garcia Revo STX low profile baitcast reel for the thickest mats he found. Each rod-and-reel was spooled with 50-pound Berkley X5 braid to winch bass out of the heaviest cover.
“Those two setups quite literally carried me the entire week, my signature series rod is super affordable and as I proved this week they are incredibly strong and durable,” said Lee. “The hydrilla I was fishing was so thick I had to do everything I could to keep those fish on top of the mat when I hooked them, and winch them out of there. It was such a key aspect for me all week, being a rod that is built to withstand everything I throw at it, and it was special getting it done with a rod I helped design.”
This win is the cherry on top for Lee who is currently sitting in second in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race on the Bassmaster Elite Series. With the season just about halfway over Lee is focused on staying consistent and securing his second Angler of the Year title of his career.
To learn more about Abu Garcia, click here.https://www.abugarcia.com/
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