02.12.2007 —
Berkley Pros and veteran redfish captains Greg and Bryan Watts captured their first tournament victory since 2003 by winning the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup All-Star Ice-Breaker in Clearwater, Fla., over the weekend with a final-day weight of 13.26 pounds.
The Watts brothers credited patience with their victory. A cold front made the fish picky and the brothers had to their bait slowly into holes in the flats and wait for the fish to strike. During the tournament, the Watts brothers focused their efforts on areas within 1-2 miles of the boat launch. Fishing in 2-3 feet of water of the bars, they used Berkley Gulp! 4-inch Sinking Minnows (watermelon red glitter) and Saltwater Gulp! 3-inch Shrimp (new penny), keeping the bait close to the bottom with technique called “tickling the bottom.” This slow, methodical presentation that allows the Gulp! scent to fill the areas was countered by “dead sticking,” where the Watts brother would let the bait sit on the bottom in the shallow water.
“You can’t pressure them,” Greg Watts said. “You just have to wait until they’re happy, and then they do their thing.”
Waters around our state have cooled even more since this tournament, just five days ago. This doesn't mean that you can't catch fish! Two things will increase your chances of hooking something this weekend. Find warmer water at power plant outflows or on the sunny side of canals, like Larry Mastry told us yesterday, and slow down your presentation, like the Watts brothers are saying in this article. So lets get out and fish!!
