Last year was great for Alabama pro Jesse Wiggins, getting his first Bass Pro Tour win and finishing 7th in the year-end points. His momentum continued into 2023 with a solid 8th-place finish to start the year on Florida's Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. He's catching them everywhere and will try to continue that hot streak at REDCREST on Lake Norman in North Carolina.
He's been to the lake before, but it's been quite a while, but it fits his style perfectly as someone who loves to throw a crankbait and shakyhead: two techniques that should shine on Norman.
Wiggins likes what the lake offers
It has been nearly a decade since Wiggins fished Lake Norman, but he still has fond memories of it and likes how it looks.
"That was years ago and it was in October, so the fishing should be even better this time," he said. "I really liked the lake and remember catching tons of fish, but not a lot that were over 2 pounds. I hear it's been much better recently, which should be good. I feel pretty good about the lake, honestly."
The March timing has the fish itching to spawn, but Wiggins says they should still be firmly in their prespawn patterns.
"You should be able to do whatever you want to catch them," he said. "If I had my way, it would be crankbaits, jigs, and a shaky head. I think all those should be good with all the docks there. I'll add a jerkbait as something that should catch some fish in the tournament."
Cranking
Wiggins believes shallow cranking with flat-sided baits like the Jackall Bling 55 should be good choices, as well as 1.5-sized squarebills.
"I'll be looking for those little knobs and points going into bays that the fish use to spawn," he said. "That's how we catch prespawn spots back home on Smith Lake (Alabama), and I'll also fish the deepest water in the pockets going into spawning areas. It's typical prespawn stuff where you will catch spotted bass and some bonus largemouth, which will help give you a better chance to win."
When fishing these crankbaits, he alternates between two different rods. For the light flat-sided baits, he likes the St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Casting Rod 7-foot, 2-inch medium heavy "Carbon Cranker" paired with a Quantum Smoke S3 in the 6.1:1 gear ratio spooled with 12-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon.
"That rod does a great job casting light baits and is so sensitive that you can feel those tight vibrations of your bait much better," he said. "That's a big deal for detecting those light bites."
For squarebills, he likes a 6-foot, 10-inch medium heavy Legend glass cranking rod. He uses the same reel and line for cranking but will also mix in Seaguar Red Label if he changes his line daily after cranking around a lot of shallow cover like rocks.
"That's my rod for all of my squarebills, but it also does a good job for some other popular baits like a Rapala DT-10," said Wiggins.
Shakey Heads and Jigs
The shakey head is one of Wiggins' go-to techniques and was what helped him win the Bass Pro Tour stop on Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, last year. He believes it will play again in this event.
"I'll be fishing it around all of the docks and any brush I can find," he shared. "I fish mine on a 7-foot, 1-inch medium heavy St. Croix Legend Elite spinning rod," he said. "It's a very sensitive rod and has power throughout to land those fish. I like to fish them with a Quantum Smoke 30 reel spooled with 30-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and a leader of 12-pound Tatsu fluorocarbon."
For jigs, Wiggins plans to fish many of the same places as he will with a shaky head, focusing on docks and brush.
His rod of choice is a 7-foot, 4-inch St. Croix Legend Xtreme paired with a Quantum Smoke S3 in the 7.3:1 gear ratio. He'll have it spooled up with 17-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line.
Can't forget jerkbaits
One more technique that will likely catch some Norman bass is a jerkbait. Wiggins says he will have one tied on at all times.
"Pretty much any lake with spotted bass in it, they'll eat a jerkbait," he said. "I'll fish the Jackall Rerange in pro blue on a 6-foot, 8-inch St. Croix Legend Tournament. It has the right length and also won't wear you out if you are working that jerkbait all day. I fish it on the same 7.3:1 Smoke reel and will use 12-pound Tatsu for them."
As REDCREST begins, many are expecting Wiggins to do well. His success on a similar Smith Lake will serve him well as he knows the intricacies of fishing for spotted bass around docks as well as just about anyone else in the field. His string of recent good finishes should give him an added boost of confidence and he should be considered one of the favorites to win the tournament.
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