He's only been there once, but Jesse Wiggins jives with Grand Lake in Oklahoma. The Alabama pro has qualified for his first REDCREST and he's happy that the tournament venue of this year's event is one that he likes. He believes he understands the lake pretty well and is anxious to get there and start searching for the winning bass.
Grand Lake Feels Like Home
Wiggins lives near Smith Lake in Alabama and he's one of the best on that pond, winning two Bassmaster Opens there as well as countless local events. Although Grand Lake is a few states away in Oklahoma, he feels right at home.
"I've only been to Grand Lake once, but I love it because it looks a lot like Smith Lake," he said. "I know Grand can get tough, but I had a phenomenal practice and had a good event when I was there. That was a little later in the year, and I was catching them cranking before they went on beds."
He believes that a slightly earlier time on the calendar this time around might play into how he wants to fish.
"The fish should all be pre-spawn, I hope anyways," he said. "That would make a great crankbait and spinnerbait bite for us. I also think a jig or tube could be a player on the shallow stuff."
Cranking and Spinnerbaits
Jesse Wiggins has a nickname of "crank" and not for his love of crankbaits, but it fits now. As a child, he stepped on a crankbait's treble hooks and the nickname stuck with him all these years and now he's a huge fan of fishing crankbaits. That's something that he plans to do at REDCREST this year while also mixing in a spinnerbait.
On Grand Lake, he'll be searching for prime pre-spawn areas where he can fish those two lure types.
"I'll be focusing on those creek channels that lead into pockets and places like that that are close to flats," he said. "I'll also target those channel swing banks. That's for the crankbait, but also the spinnerbait, as long as the water is dirty."
For both lure types, he's a big fan of a fiberglass rod. The St. Croix Legend Glass Crankbait is his choice for many reasons.
"For treble hooks, I feel like the bass have a chance to get the bait better without you pulling it from them," he said. "I use fiberglass for all my treble hook baits besides a jerkbait. My favorite is a 6'10" medium heavy for crankbaits and it works great for spinnerbaits, too."
Flipping and Pitching
Fishing a moving bait would be Wiggins' preferred way to catch fish in this event, but he'll keep his options open if that's not working out for him.
"I'm hoping to have enough pre-spawn fish with the cranking and spinnerbait, but if that's not working in practice, I'll switch it up," he said. "I'll pull out a tube and a jig if I need to."
He prefers a 7'3" St. Croix Victory for casting jigs and a 7'6" heavy when flipping and pitching. This lineup is not the highest priced from the rod maker, but Wiggins appreciates how well they perform for him.
"They are really sensitive rods and comfortable," he said. "The 7'6" heavy is a powerful rod light enough to fish all day."
Predictions and REDCREST Thoughts
This will be Wiggins' first appearance at the most significant event on the Bass Pro Tour and he's excited since he's comfortable with the lake. Most of it how it unfolds will be weather dependent and he's closely watching the weather patterns as it gets closer.
"I'm really excited to fish my first REDCREST after watching them the last two years," he said. "Grand Lake is definitely up there on my favorite lakes list and it should be a good event if the weather cooperates."
He's hoping for decent weather as that will show off the true potential of the lake. Wiggins has also been following tournament results over the past year, which has him excited.
"They whacked them there this fall and the lake is full of good fish," he said. "If the weather is halfway decent, or if we have a nice warming trend, I think you will see a bunch of really good fish caught. I'm thinking a good day of fishing, in our format, will be 20 to 30-pounds a day, and I believe that's what you'll need to do well."
Alabama pro Jesse Wiggins is ready for his first REDCREST experience and the lake sets up just like home for him. He's anticipating a reaction bite with crankbaits and spinnerbaits and both play right into his wheelhouse. If that comes to fruition, he'll be one to watch as the event gets started.
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