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Karl’s Pro Kyle Welcher Takes Second At The Bassmaster Classic

Karl’s Pro Kyle Welcher Takes Second At The Bassmaster Classic

Photo Credit: Kyle Welcher via Bassmaster

Karl's Bait & Tackle is proud to sponsor Elite Series Pro Kyle Welcher. This is Kyle’s second year on the Elite Series and only his second time appearing in the Bassmaster Classic. Kyle finished in 2nd place at the 53rd annual “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing” held on South Carolina's Lake Hartwell. The difference between Kyle's three-day, 15 bass limit and the winner Jason Christies' three-day total was a mere 5 ounces. Kyle caught them consistently throughout the weekend while battling adversity after losing a few key fish. In-game adjustments on the final day led Kyle roaring back with a finish that was almost enough for the cup.

Over the three days, Kyle relied on classic prespawn finesse tactics like casting small swimbaits on ball-head jigs to target suspended bass or skipping wacky worms beneath docks to catch bass staging in the shallows. However, one unusual or unorthodox approach came when Kyle picked up a large swimbait and targeted suspended fish, actively feeding on an upsized meal. As a second-year angler, our guy made an impressive run at bass fishing history by combing those three approaches. Congrats to Karl's very own Kyle Welcher on his incredible finish and also to Jason Christie, who won his first Bassmaster classic after suffering two come-from-behind defeats in previous years.

In Celebration of Kyle’s incredible finish, here are two tips breaking down the prespawn tactics that worked for him.


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Updated March 15th, 2022 at 9:29 AM CT