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Tackle Shack Report

Bill Mathews and Justin Hahaj - 1st Place
Bill Mathews and Justin Hahaj - 1st Place

Bill Mathews teamed up with substitute partner Justin Hahaj to win the Tackle Shack tournament on Gun Lake last weekend.

Their 15.87 pounds earned them $1,470 and they also caught the biggest bass, a 4.69-pound largemouth, for another $200.

Remarkably, neither one of the team members had pre-fished, Mathews had never been there and Hahaj hadn’t been there for 15 years. The Gun Lake win vaulted Bill and his s main partner Kris Iodice into first for Angler of the Year.

“We caught our fish on a variety of baits,” says Mathews. “Swim jig, finesse jig, wacky worm and the BAFA primal all played a role for us. We targeted docks and flats in 2-4 feet of water. We caught fish all day but the afternoon bite was better for size. That is, other than the big bass. We had 4 rats within the first 30 minutes or so and the big bass of the day was actually our fifth keeper.”

They made some small culls over the next hour or two, but most of the other 2.5-3 pound fish came after the sun got up.

Maynard Hochstetler and Steven Wickey - 2nd Place
Maynard Hochstetler and Steven Wickey - 2nd Place

Maynard Hochstetler and Steven Wickey were a distant second ($850) with 11.24 pounds.

Hochstetler said he and his partner fished drop shots in 15 to 25-feet early morning and fished docks in the afternoon.

“Pre-fishing did help us narrow down the better areas,” he adds.

Jonathon Brock and Christopher Martin - 3rd Place
Jonathon Brock and Christopher Martin - 3rd Place

Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits were keys for the third place ($250) team of Jonathon Brock and Christopher Martin, who had 11.24 pounds.

“We caught our two biggest on a spinnerbait and a Texas rig,” Martin explains. “We had a good bite all day; while we caught probably 35 keepers, we just couldn't find a kicker fish. All our fish came from 4-8 feet.”