Stetson Blaylock [Late Winter]
Date: Feb. 28, 2019
Venue: Lake T, a small flatland reservoir
Water: 49 degrees, murky
Weather: 39 degrees, fog, rain, severe cold front
Pro: Stetson Blaylock, 31, Benton, Ark. A seasoned tournament veteran, he’s fished the Elite Series for three years and previously fished FLW for seven seasons. Blaylock won the 2019 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay.
Boat: Nitro Z21 with a 250-horsepower Mercury Pro XS 4-stroke outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics in Bass Boat Technologies mounts and twin Power-Pole shallow-water anchors
THE WINTER OF 2019 will go down as arguably the most suckworthy in recent memory. Much of America suffered through massive flooding, mudslides, sub-zero temperatures, blizzards — it even snowed in Phoenix and Los Angeles — and constant, oppressive cloud cover that cast gloom across the land. Yet now the calendar says spring is on the way, meaning bass should be getting active. When you finally venture forth to cast a line, will the fish cooperate? For some late-winter wisdom, join Bassmaster pro Stetson Blaylock as he strives to “get bit” on a brutally nasty late winter day.
It’s foggy and misting rain when Blaylock and I arrive at Lake T’s launch area. He unloads an arsenal of 13 Fishing rods and reels from storage. “This could be a real challenge today,” Blaylock says as he arranges his tackle. “This region has had near-record rainfall this winter, making for muddy water conditions, and to add to the
