Plattsburg, NY - After day one at Lake Champlain, it was a fact, the top twelve pros were targeting largemouth. Let’s just say they were breaking out the flippin’ sticks and getting after it. The BASS ZONE decided to follow one of the best flippers on tour, Todd Faircloth. Faircloth was in eleventh place after day one with over seventeen pounds. The BASS ZONE spent a day in the boat with Faircloth at the Classic in New Orleans and the day was nothing but a clinic on flippin’. July 14, 2006 was no different.
Faircloth made a 40 mile run on a muggy New York morning. Yes, the wind was blowing like it always does on Lake C, so the BASS ZONE met Faircloth in his area. The Texas pro was targeting flooded pencil grass, willow trees and matted grass. No surprise, Faircloth cut his teeth on grass and willow trees at Lake Sam Rayburn. “This is just like home,” Faircloth told the BZ. MotorGuide in the water and Todd went to work.
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| Todd started on a section of pencil grass located off the main bank in the huge bay. Pencil grass is a type of grass that is thin like a pencil that sticks out of the water up to about two feet. This is tough grass so Faircloth was using sixty pound braid with a heavy seven-foot flippin’ stick. He flipped the pencil grass with precision. His flips were all around the section of pencil grass, on the edge and right in the middle of the grass. With the wind blowing right into the area of grass, the bass should have been active. Active they were. Within ten minutes, Faircloth boated his first keeper, a two-pounder. This bass came with a gift, a chunck of pencil grass. This fish was buried in the pencil grass and that’s why Todd was using the heavy line and flippin’ stick. “That’s a start,” said Faircloth. |
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After working the pencil grass area for about thirty minutes, Todd made a move to the south side of the grass area. The pencil grass area was not the big. Probably about twenty square yards and it was in about two to four feet of water. Todd continued his dissection of the area. Without giving the details, let’s just say he was flippin’ a soft plastic lure with a heavy weight to penetrate the thick grass. A couple of flips after making the move, bam! Keeper number two, a three-pounder. Two fish, five pounds.
Did Faircloth continue to pound the small area? Yes, but with no success. One interesting fact about Faircloth’s flippin’ technique, he covered the area fast but, worked the flips slow. I know that may not make sense but, the strikes came with a slow presentation while covering as much of the area as quickly as possible. It was time to move.
As mentioned earlier, the pencil grass was located away from the bank. Guess what, it was time to go the bank. Filled with laydowns, willow trees and other timber, Todd went to work letting the wind push him down the bank. A distinct detail about the bank was it still had pencil grass right next to the bank line. Just as Todd began to reposition his boat, he flipped into the pencil grass next to a willow tree. Wham! Connection with a huge fish. This bass was the type of kicker fish that will be difference make when making a deposit on Monday. |
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This battle didn’t last long. With the help of Todd’s co-angler, the huge bass was going for a 40 mile boat ride this afternoon. “Yes, that’s is what I needed,” yelled an excited Faircloth. “It that doesn’t get you pumped up, nothing will.” The fish was estimated at six-pounds. Only one six-pounder was caught on day one by Mike Wurm so this bass could have a huge impact on Faircloth making a move on day two.
So, three bass, eleven pounds. Not a bad start before 8:00am. Now what, back to the pencil grass or keep going down the bank? Todd made the decision to progress down the bank about fifty yards. No takers. He turned around and made one more pass down the bank that he wacked the six-pounder. But, no takers on pass number two, back to the pencil grass.
After doing a loop around the area again, it was time to make a move. Faircloth told us that he was moving over to the next bay. I had an idea what was next but it was wait and see. My thought came from the fact that Faircloth loves to fish matted grass, taking a soft plastic bait and punching it through the mat and winching the green fish out of the shaded area. A five-minute move and my thought was correct. Faircloth eased his way into a bay that was loaded with matted grass. He look over at our boat and said, “You gotta love this Mark.”
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Now about 9:15am, Faircloth went to work punching the mats. We could see baitfish flipping in the area so we knew it was only a matter of time before the singing of braided line through the flippin’ stick’s eyes would be music to Faircloth’s ears. Within ten flips, a tug of war began with a three-pounder right in the middle of the mat. Winner, Faricloth, no doubt on this bass. Keeper number four good for fourteen pounds. Back to the mat. |
This area was loaded with mats. With a tremendous amount of time remaining in the day, Faircloth was pumped. New York, Texas it didn’t matter. This guy was on fire doing what he has done his entire angling career, punching and flippin’ mats. Another awesome looking mat was near by and Faircloth confidently went to work. One punch, two punches, three punches, bam! Connection number five on the day. This bass was deep in the grass and just like Todd has done for years, he wrestled the two-pound bass to the side of the boat and swung the bass onto the deck. There’s the limit. By 9:45, Faircloth had a limit of largemouth that weighed around sixteen-pounds. “It time to get the big bite now Mark,” said Faircloth. Plenty of time to hunt down another six-pounder.
Sure, everybody knows the great flippers, Biffle, Brauer and others. But on July 14, 2006, Todd Faircloth put on a clinic on how to fish grass. I can’t wait to see what he brings to the stage. He’s that good……..
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More Pics From Friday Morning
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| Flippin' Stick a Requirement |
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| Welcome to the Jungle |
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| Willows and Pencil Grass........A Great Combination |
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| Just Like Home........ |
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| The Mat Erupts......Game On |
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| Game Still On........ |
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| Game Over....... |
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