The official record of last week’s Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Guntersville shows Temple, TX pro Frank Talley posting a total weight of 64 pounds, 3 ounces to earn his first Bassmaster victory and take home $100,000 for his efforts.
While those stats are impressive, they do not represent the complete picture.
Talley won by catching the majority of his 64 pounds on a 1/2-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket vibrating jig tipped with a pair of trailers, a 3.75-inch green pumpkin pearl Rage Swimmer and a green pumpkin Blade Minnow when the current levels increased. He also generated a few bites with a topwater frog. He initially tried adding a rotating, plopping tail to one hook of his Strike King KVD Sexy Frog, however, it would not ride upright, so he opted for a different model. The bulk of his winning catch would come courtesy of the Thunder Cricket.
He tossed his Thunder Cricket on a 7’3” medium-heavy fast action, Lew’s Custom Pro “Magnum Hammer” rod, matched with a 6.8:1 gear ratio Lew’s Custom Pro reel filled with 17-pound-test Strike King Tour Grade Fluorocarbon line.
