By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
Alton Jones Jr. caught 19 scorable bass (3-pound minimum) during the Championship Round of the recent Heavy Hitters all-star event at Bussey Brake in Louisiana. The other nine final-day qualifiers combined to catch 21.
That kind of complete, utter dominance is a rare occurrence in professional bass fishing, especially considering that the remainder of the field was comprised of several major title-winners and at least a few future Hall-of-Famers.
"It was just one of those magical days," said Jones, who joined his father Alton Sr. on the short list of competitors who've won Heavy Hitters. "I made a couple of right decisions, but I had a lot of good fortune and a lot of blessings."
Jones' 81-15 total for the day left him exactly 59 pounds clear of runner-up Dakota Ebare, who's performance since last summer stacks up favorably with any competitor in the game. It was his second Bass Pro Tour victory – his first came in a regular-season event at Lake Fork in February 2022.
His fish were all enticed by a white 3.8-inch Geecrack Bellows Shad – employed either as a spinnerbait trailer or flipped on a 5/16-ounce weight. As the other anglers struggled to get a bite of any sort, his rod was bent frequently.
"What was so crazy was with the 3-pound minimum, I threw back at least 20 that were between 2 and 3 pounds," he said. "With that many bites, I was blown away that I didn't catch anything bigger than 7-10."
The first five days of the event were contested at Caney Creek Reservoir. Bussey Brake, a 2,200-acre impoundment that's home to a substantial population of oversized fish, was reserved for the finals.
"I spent a little time practicing at Bussey because I'd never been on it before," Jones said. "It's got some super-thick, nasty willows and just all kinds of cover."
Shad were spawning around some of the heaviest vegetation when he arrived, but it was too congested for a bladed jig or a topwater offering. He said the fish were using the woody cover almost like a mat and the white Bellows Shad did an excellent job of imitating the shad.
A spinnerbait with a Geecrack Bellows Shad trailer produced an extraordinary number of quality bites for Alton Jones Jr.
"I got some bites doing that and then the sun got high and I started flipping black and blue and green-pumpkin baits and I was struggling," he said. "Then I went back to the white one and all of a sudden I started getting bit again.
"Even though the shad were no longer spawning, that's still what they were wanting and in that heavy cover I could get a reaction bite. I was almost out of the white ones and I had to call (Geecrack) and get them to send me 20 more bags of them."
The Championship Round opened under calm, prefrontal conditions, but a stiff wind kicked up within about 45 minutes.
"When that happens, those green willows start shaking bad and the fish don't position on them well," he said. "They weren't aggressive; it's like they don't like the leaves touching them."
Toward the end of the first 2 1/2-hour period he relocated to a line of cypress trees where he'd gotten five bites along a 200-yard stretch in practice. When the second period got under way, he started roll-casting the spinnerbait with the Bellows Shad trailer and before long the game was over.
"It was phenomenal," he said. "Those trees are on kind of a shallow berm and the wind blowing across it was creating current. It was a great ambush point."
He said the buoyancy that the trailer provided was a key factor.
"I could fish it slow and high at the same time," he said. "A high percentage of the bites were visible – I could see them come and get it.
"I made multiple pitches and casts from different angles to the same trees. Sometimes on the third or fourth cast it would be bam! – here comes another 4 1/2-pounder.
"I'd say it was the best tournament day I've had in my pro career," he concluded. "I had a few days in team tournaments that equaled it, but not at this level."
> Spinnerbait gear: 7'3" heavy action Kistler Alton Jones Jr. Signature Series Chungus rod, Kistler Chromium casting reel (7:1 ratio), 20-pound Gamma fluorocarbon line, unnamed 1/2-ounce spinnerbait (silver willow-leaf and gold Colorado blades with white skirt), 3.8-inch Geecrack Bellows Shad trailer.
> The last 18 inches of the rod is made of fiberglass, which he says allows for a soft, slow load.
> He said he broke his three best spinnerbaits catching those heavy fish from the gnarly cover. "After I broke the first one I stopped boat-flipping them. I wanted to keep the wire as strong as possible."
