May 09, 2016
By Ned Kehde
On May 6 we published a Midwest Finesse column that focused on how and where Brian Latimer of Belton, South Carolina, used a Midwest finesse bait during the practice sessions at the Walmart FLW Tour's tournament at Beaver Lake, Arkansas, on April 10 to April 12.
From May 1 to May 6, Latimer was at the Walmart FLW Tour's event at Pickwick Reservoir, Tennessee, and Wilson Reservoir, Alabama. Both reservoirs are part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. At this tournament, he expanded his Midwest finesse tactics by employing a Z-Man Fishing Product's Canada Craw Hula StickZ affixed to a green-pumpkin 1/10-ounce Z-Man's Finesse ShroomZ jig.
During the practice sessions, he caught untold numbers of black bass, as well as other species, on it. He described it as a fun way to fish, saying it has brought "a breath of fresh air" to the way he fishes. What's more, it has become a great tool for locating the black bass' whereabouts.
His five biggest bass each day of the practice sessions weighed between 12 and 15 pounds. But he mistakenly thought that he would need to catch five black bass each day of the torunament that weighed more than 16 pounds to fare well and garner a check. Therefore, he used power tactics more than his Hula StickZ rig, and those tactics did not pay the dividends that he hoped they would.
On the Finesse News Network on May 9, Latimer posted the following photograph of a handsome largemouth bass that he caught during one of the tournament practice sessions on his Hula StickZ rig.
In the months and years to come, we hope to publish more columns on how, when, and where Latimer and other tournament anglers employ Midwest finesse methods.
Endnotes
(1) Here is the link to the Midwest Finesse column about how and where Latimer fished at the Beaver Lake Walmart-FLW Tour event: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/brian-latimers-introduction-to-midwest-finesse/ .
(2) Here is the link to the Midwest Finesse column about how and where Jeff Gustafson used a Hula StickZ rig at the Beaver Lake tourney: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/jeff-gustafsons-introduction-to-midwest-finesse/ .
(3) In the near future, we will publish a Midwest Finesse column that features how and where Andrew Upshaw used a Midwest finesse tactic at the Beaver Lake tournament.
