Berkley Baits That Could Play a Factor at Kentucky Lake in the Fall
SAN ANTONIO, TX (9/12/2024) – The Association of Collegiate Anglers is set to begin its 20th season in just a few short days. The 2024-25 campaign for the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series will kick off at Kentucky Lake in Henry County and Paris, TN on September 21-22. Hundreds of anglers nationwide will be on-hand to compete in the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley, which will award over $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, berths in the National Championship, as well as double points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
The playing field for this no-entry-fee, nationally televised, major college fishing event, featuring expansive media coverage and exposure, is Kentucky Lake. This Tennessee River fishery boasts an array of diverse habitat and cover for fish to set up in. It is because of the vast, diverse setting which Kentucky Lake provides that anglers will be able to find success with an extensive lineup of baits.
During the second day of tournament competition, anglers will be permitted to use only Berkley baits. In this feature article, we will take a look at several baits and soft plastics from Berkley that anglers should have tied on during tournament competition.
The first bait we take a look at is the Berkley Choppo. Over the years, when this event has been contested during the fall, this is a bait that anglers have had great success with. The Berkley Choppo is ideal for casting out over bars along the river, or burning down the bank in the back of a creek. It is because of the versatility of this bait, and the fact that fish are keyed in on shad, that the Choppo is expected to be a player again this year at Kentucky Lake.
During the fall of the year, bass tend to still be lingering around their summer haunts or can even suspend in the water column as they chase bait.
When this happens, anglers will turn focus to their electronics to help them locate and catch feeding bass. Berkley recently introduced a lineup of hardbaits designed for use with LiveScope and forward-facing sonar. One of those particular baits is the Berkley Krej. The Krej is a revolutionary hard bait that defies conventional jerkbaiting, by working its way upwards in the water column, only to fall backwards towards its target. This bait allows the angler to take advantage of being able to see how the fish reacts and work the bait up and away from the fish better imitating a natural fleeing motion, or back towards the fish to trigger reaction strikes.
For anglers wanting to use soft plastics when targeting baitfish balls using their electronics, Berkley offers an extensive lineup of soft plastic baits that excel in these scenarios. Two great options would be the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm, and PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow.
Sticking with soft plastics, a simple shaky head or drop shot rig worked along tapering points and near offshore structure is also a key tactic on Kentucky Lake during the fall of the year. Pairing a lightweight jig head with a Berkley PowerBait The General is a good choice here. If conditions were to get hot and sunny with minimal clouds, this finesse tactic has the potential to produce bites at a steady rate.
Lastly, since this is a big bass format tournament, the name of the game will be to bring the biggest bass possible to the scales. For this, some anglers may commit to throwing a large profile bait throughout the entire competition, with the sole goal of landing one bite…the winning fish. Chunking and winding a large swimbait like the Berkley PowerBait Nessie Swimbait is the go-to option for anglers in this scenario. The swimbait is available in three different sizes; 5”, 7”, and 9”.
To view a complete lineup of Berkley products at Bass Pro Shops, click here.
