{"id":1391051,"date":"2026-02-11T10:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/?post_type=photo-gallery&p=1391051"},"modified":"2026-02-27T10:48:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:48:39","slug":"cherrys-old-school-grub-attack-on-guntersville","status":"publish","type":"photo-gallery","link":"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/elite\/slideshow\/cherrys-old-school-grub-attack-on-guntersville\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherry\u2019s old-school grub attack on Guntersville"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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That changed this month at Guntersville, when he gifted himself a true birthday treat as he turned 52. And he did it with a lure that was popular in his childhood, one that might have been known to some of his younger colleagues: a simple chartreuse curly tailed grub.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He said it was \u201cthe oldest bait in the field for one of the oldest guys.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It was a savvy choice from one of the tour\u2019s most workmanlike and versatile technicians. When he won the 2021 Classic on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas, he used a jerkbait, a bladed jig and several soft plastics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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During his first Guntersville win \u2013 in the 2020 Classic \u2013 he used a jerkbait, a jig and a bladed jig. Given that power-fishing history, the former baseball player\u2019s finesse changeup was a thing of beauty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It was necessitated by the frigid temperatures that preceded the tournament and lasted longer than expected. There was ice in the backs of many pockets and around the shorelines, which causes a shad die-off.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He found the bass suspended in 6 to 12 feet of water, \u201caround or under schools of bait,\u201d so while the grub played the primary role, he supplemented it with a jerkbait.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He said that the fish were relating to irregularities in the vegetation. \u201cYou treat the grass points on the grass lines just like they were a clay point in North Carolina,\u201d he explained. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He\u2019d go over the fish, see them on his down scan and then double back after about 50 or 60 yards and find them holding in the same spots.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It required specific tackle to get the job done: a 6-foot, 10-inch medium-light, extra fast Level baitcasting rod, paired with a Seviin 8:1 reel and 10-pound test Xhing fluorocarbon.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The fast reel enabled him to take up slack to prevent the lure from falling too far as he shook it. The bites often came on the drops, but it had to be a controlled fall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u00a0
He primarily used a 1\/8-ounce jighead, and it required substantial effort to make the long casts necessary to tempt finicky, pressured and chilly bass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cherry fished in gloves to keep his hands warm.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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With such light line he had to fight the large Guntersville bass carefully.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Generally, he\u2019d take his time and lip land or scoop the fish into the boat to avoid losing them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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But occasionally he\u2019d boat flip one. Fortunately, it didn\u2019t cost him the win.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Generally, when the bass were in a feeding mood they\u2019d be hooked in the roof of the mouth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Occasionally, the fish would bite tentatively. Indeed, Cherry said that \u201cnine times out of 10, when you take up the slack is when you feel the little tap.\u201d That meant that a few times the grub fell out of their mouth once he\u2019d landed the fish. He also straightened out several of the light wire hooks, but attributed that to the cost of doing business.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cherry found himself in a dismal 64th\u00a0place after Day 1 with 16 pounds, 3 ounces, but he was only about a pound out of the 50 cut. He moved up each day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In a tournament where there was the potential for ounces to matter, careful culling mattered. There was also the matter of bass spitting up shad in the livewell, so fish care was at a premium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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On the final day, Cherry caught the biggest bag of the tournament, 27 pounds, 11 ounces of Guntersville largemouth. He culled early and often, getting rid of some fish that his competitors could only dream of catching.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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By the time the weigh-in rolled around, it was a done deal. Through the magic of Bassmaster LIVE and Bassmaster.com, the fans knew the winning bait.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cherry claimed his first Elite Series trophy, adding to his overflowing mantel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The two-time Classic champ didn\u2019t require a $200 swimbait or a special JDM lure to do it, either. He got the job done with a simple grub that most anglers used for bank fishing to jumpstart their lifelong passion for the sport.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hank Cherry has had a storied career at B.A.S.S., highlighted by back-to-back Bassmaster Classic victories in 2021. He\u2019d also won an Open in 2012, and a postseason All-Star event in 2013. But despite 15 top ten finishes, he\u2019d never challenged for a regular season Elite win. The closest he\u2019d come was a 4th place finish at Georgia\u2019s West Point Lake in 2013. He hadn\u2019t cracked the top five since 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26949,"featured_media":1391077,"template":"","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":64007,"post_id":65949}}]},"bassmaster_plugin_short_title":"","bassmaster_plugin_photo_attribution":[{"id":26376,"title":"Shane Durrance"},{"id":57365,"title":"Andy Crawford"}],"bassmaster_plugin_caption_attribution":[],"bassmaster_dfp":[],"bassmaster_ad_refresh_interval_bool":false,"bassmaster_ad_refresh_interval_length":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100026,2527],"sponsors":[],"people":[37908],"tournaments":[114802],"tournament-series":[1267],"byline":[64007],"class_list":["post-1391051","photo-gallery","type-photo-gallery","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elite","category-how-to","people-hank-cherry","tournaments-2026-bassmaster-elite-at-lake-guntersville","tournament-series-elite"],"yoast_head":"\nCherry\u2019s old-school grub attack on Guntersville - Bassmaster<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bassmaster.com\/elite\/slideshow\/cherrys-old-school-grub-attack-on-guntersville\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cherry\u2019s old-school grub attack on Guntersville - Bassmaster\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hank Cherry has had a storied career at B.A.S.S., highlighted by back-to-back Bassmaster Classic victories in 2021. 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