In his first year on the Bass Pro Tour, Jeremy Lawyer made a big statement, finishing in 14th place in the points and qualifying for REDCREST in his first attempt. The Missouri pro has championship experience, having fished five FLW Forrest Wood Cups and five BFL All-American tournaments. He won the All-American in 2016 and will also be fishing it again this year. But, first, he's focused on REDCREST on Lake Norman.
Approaching Lake Norman
Many anglers in the REDCREST field have some experience on Lake Norman from past tournaments or live close enough that they made a pre-practice trip to scout the lake. Lawyer has never been and didn't make it before the lake went off-limits, but he doesn't seem too worried about it.
"I have zero experience there; I've never seen it besides watching the old tournament coverage," he said. "My schedule didn't allow me to get out there to pre-practice, but springtime events are all about fishing the moment. A trip out there would have been nice, but mostly to see stuff and maybe pick out a creek that I like best. So much will depend on the weather and the fronts we get in that window when we are there."
Fishing Your Strengths
When he arrives for REDCREST, Lawyer plans to spend all his practice time looking for things that fit his strengths. For him, that will be fishing docks and trying for big prespawn bass with jigs and spinnerbaits.
"I'm sure guys like Cody Meyer and other finesse guys that are good with a drop-shot, little swimbait, and Neko Rig will be able to find something that suits them," he said. "It will probably not be in their best interest to flip a jig or swing a big spinnerbait around, but that's what I'll be doing. I am not confident enough to have six spinning rods on deck."
While the lake has a nice mix of largemouth and spotted bass, Lawyer believes largemouth will be the way to win the event.
"Those spots will be good filler fish if you need to get a limit to go with some largemouth," he said. "I'm sure we'll see guys do well with all spotted bass, but I'm planning to grind it out and try for the largemouth since they'll be bigger on average."
Targeting Docks
Docks and jigs go together nicely, no matter where you live, and Lawyer will be using them around the many docks on Lake Norman. One of his favorites for prespawn bass is the Freedom Tackle FT Structure Jig, a beefy jig with an oversized weedguard and stout hook.
"I love flipping that heavier jig around docks early in the year because it has a nice, big profile that the big fish like," he said. "I fish the ½-ounce and 5/8-ounce sizes and add a big chunk on the back to give it that full look. The hook and weight are balanced perfectly on that jig to help it fall better."
Another way that Lawyer plans to fish the docks is with a spinnerbait, the Freedom Speed Freak LM. It has a willow blade and a unique kilter blade that allows the bait to be fished very quickly without blowing out.
"I guarantee that that spinnerbait will come into play and it's a good one because it has a very different vibration," he shared. "Lake Norman gets a lot of fishing pressure and it's something different they don't see as much. It has a different vibration, look, and flash, and I feel like it gives me an upper hand with those fish on docks."
Besides the spinnerbait and big jig, Lawyer believes a finesse jig and squarebill should also come into play.
"There's no doubt a shallow crankbait will be a good bait around those docks, especially if there is some color to the water," said Lawyer. "In the Ozarks, we use a lot of finesse jigs, and I will have that smaller 3/8-ounce Freedom Tackle Structure Jig ready if the water is a little clearer. I can see that coming into play more if it's clean than if the water is stained."
With so many docks to choose from, Lawyer believes the shallower docks offer a great opportunity.
"Those warmer docks with the sandy and clay banks they have on Norman will warm up faster on those flats," he said. "It gives them more sun penetration and they warm up that much faster. I feel like that will be my best chance at catching the fish it will take to win REDCREST."
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