CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Stubbornness and a willingness to change might sound contradictory, but combining the two traits lead Cole Huskins to a razor-thin victory in the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Norman presented by Battery Tender.
Tallying a three-day total of 47 pounds, 14 ounces, the pro from Gastonia, N.C., edged Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series phenom Kyoya Fujita by 2 ounces.
“That’s water,” Huskins said of his close margin of victory. “Today was a special day and I just made the right decisions.
“I made a late-day decision to change up the lure I was using and switched to a Neko-rigged worm and hit a place that I had already hit three times today and I caught a 4 1/2-pounder. It was just meant for me to catch that fish.”
Hoskins caught his day-maker on the deep end of a main lake dock pier near the State Highway 150 Bridge in Norman’s upper end. That spot, he said, offers a convenient postspawn resting spot close to deep water.
“That was special — catching that big fish,” Hoskins said. “I had 14 pounds with a 1 1/2-pounder and I caught that big fish with a bait that I hadn’t made a cast with all day.
“I was almost done fishing the pier and I said, ‘I’m gonna fire up there one more time.’ As soon as it bit, I thought it was just a keeper, but then I saw it flash and I was like, ‘It’s a giant one.’ That was the fish that won it for me.”
After a warm, stable first day, the next two brought a mix of sun and clouds, with more wind and cooler temperatures. More impactful than those meteorological changes was Lake Norman’s water level, which stood about 3 feet low.
“It was really challenging, because we usually don’t have the water level like it is this time of the year,” Huskins said. “A lot of the guys were going to the backs of the pockets and I concentrated closer to the main lake.”
While Huskins caught most of his fish on the dock piers, he found his Day 2 fish cruising between the structures.
“On sunny days, these big fish love to cruise on sunny days and they’ll get so shallow that nobody fishes for them,” Huskins said. “I was catching them on the Hideup Coike Fullcast.
“Those are the hardest fish in the lake to catch, but the deal was getting it in front of them.”
When the third day brought cooler, overcast conditions, switching to the deeper dock sections proved advantageous.
Turning in a Day 1 limit of 14-10 left Huskins tied for 16th place, but he’d rise to seventh with a second-round bag that went 15-7. Saving the best for last, Huskins weighed a Championship Saturday limit that went 17-13.
For his efforts, Huskins won $41,402. Because he is not fishing a complete division, this event’s Classic berth goes to the Bassmaster Elite Series field.
“God was looking after me today, He made me make the right decisions,” Huskins said. “He provides the opportunities for me. I give Him all the glory.”
Hailing from Yamanishi, Japan, Fujita placed second with 47-12. Keeping himself in the hunt from Day 1, Fujita started with a first-round limit of 16-5, which put him in fifth place. Adding 17-9 on Day 2 moved him up to second and his final limit of 13-14 kept him in that position.
Getting away from the main lake crowds, Fujita ran up the Catawba River and targeted a nearly mile-long stretch with clean water. Bouncing back and forth between a handful of specific spots was his strategy.
“I caught all my fish on swimbaits,” Fujita said. “I used the Jackall Dead Stroller and the Jackall Vividus. I designed both of them.”
Carson Orellana of Mooresville, N.C., finished third with 45-1. His daily weights were 14-15, 15-5 and 14-13.
“If you had told me I was gonna make the Top 10 a few days ago, I’d tell you you’re a liar, but it just worked out this week,” Orellana said of his better-than-expected performance.
Orellana said he used the Hideup Coike Fullcast like many of his competitors, but he did most of his work with a 1/2-ounce True South Custom Lures jig and a Zoom Twin Tail trailer and a 1/2-ounce War Eagle jigging spoon.
“It’s all about location here; you have to pick the right 7- or 8-mile stretch if you really want to do well,” Orellana said. “I fished up the lake this week because they were so far passed the spawn (down lake), I figured there would be a little more going on up there.”
Ryan Broughman of Corapeake, N.C., won the $500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 5-12.
Cody Stahl of Barnsville, Ga., leads the Division 1 standings with 557 points. Bryson Osteen of Live Oak, Fla., is second with 552, followed by Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, N.C., with 544, Connor Jacob of Guntersville, Ala., with 538 and David Williams of Maiden, N.C., with 533.
Dillon Falardeau of Hixson, Tenn., leads the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops standings with 885 points. Brock Bila of Republic, Mo., is in second with 884, followed by Darold Gleason of Leesville, La., with 835, Wyatt Burkhalter of Coker, Ala., with 788 and Chase Clark or Virginia Beach, Va., with 781.
Visit Lake Norman hosted this event.