OCALA, Fla. — Orange Lake proved to be a perfect venue for Kubota Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops, with massive bass caught every day of the event. Several different approaches produced bass amid the ample vegetation, with frogs, punching, vibrating jigs, and other Florida staples like swimming worms all playing a role in the outcome.
Here’s a closer look at how the top finishers caught ’em at Heavy Hitters.
1. Dave Lefebre – 31-3 (7)
Fishing what may be the last professional-level event of his career, Pennsylvania’s Dave Lefebre went out with style. He took home the overall win and doubled his earnings with a 9-pound, 3-ounce bass during the Championship Round to earn an additional $100,000. All week long, he stayed in two key stretches and caught nearly every one of his fish on a vibrating jig.
“I found these places in practice and feel like they were the two best spots on the lake, but I just didn’t catch them the first day. I screwed up,” he said. “The area was right outside of the takeoff area where the lake opened up out of the boat channel, and there was a little ditch where the water was 3 feet deep and 2 and a half feet on the sides. They were just little straight stretches of hydrilla and the perfect place for all of those fish coming out of the bays. Just a perfect scenario for a place to reload.”…