CastAway Rods Pro Staffer Todd Faircloth Delivers a Top-10 Classic Performance
OutdoorHub 03.06.14
Finishing 7th when competing against 54 of the world’s best anglers in bass fishing’s most prestigious tournament is no small feat. That’s exactly what CastAway Rods BASS Elite Series Pro Todd Faircloth accomplished at the recent Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville. According to Faircloth, the performance of his tackle, especially his signature CastAway rods, helped him come within striking distance of winning the coveted trophy.
“I owe a lot of my success in the Classic to the superior actions of my CastAway Rods,” said Faircloth. “They allowed me to work my baits perfectly through the grass to get the reaction bites I was looking for and land some really nice fish. These ideal actions plus incredibly lightweight yet super strong construction put these rods in a class by themselves. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate the quality bass during the fist day, like I did on days two and three. If I had found that better grade of fish just a little earlier in the game, I think I might have walked away with the title.”
While Faircloth was able to put five keeper fish in the livewell on the first day of the Classic, that 16-pound, 6-ounce limit was much lighter than the healthy 21-3 and 23-8 bags of bass he produced on the second and third days, respectively. “On day one, I was using my 7’ 2” CastAway SKX-TFSC Big T Signature Shallow Cranking Rod to work a Strike King Red Eye Shad slowly along the outer edge of the grass in about 4 to 6 feet of water,” noted Faircloth. “I was getting the bites, but they were all bass in the 2 ½- to 3 ½-pound class – not the kind of quality fish I needed.”
The second day was another story for Faircloth. “I moved to a different location and started concentrating on the grass in shallower water about three feet deep,” he said. “I stuck with my Red Eye Shad, but I was throwing it on 30-pound braided line using a 7’ 6” CastAway Skeleton LLC 7-6 Launcher. That rod has a more limber, parabolic action than the signature model I used the first day. It allowed me to rip my bait through the grass with the kind of action the bass couldn’t resist, despite the cold conditions. I was able to land some nicer fish, including a couple of big bass late in the day.”
Day three was the best day of Classic for Faircloth. He used his 7’ 3” CastAway SKX-TFTT Big T’s Triple Threat Signature Rod most of the day, working a Strike King Pure Poison Bladed Jig in five- to seven feet of water to boat his heaviest bag of Guntersville bass. “Most bladed jigs have only one hook, so if you use a rod that’s not stiff enough, you won’t get positive hook-sets and you’ll end up losing fish,” Faircloth pointed out. “The action of my CastAway Triple Threat absorbs the shock perfectly when a bass bites and gives me the backbone I need to set the hook solidly and keep pressure on the fish all the way to the boat.”
Faircloth’s top-10 finish in the Classic has ramped up the veteran pro’s confidence as he prepares to fish the first event of the 2014 season – the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Seminole event, March 13-16, in Bainbridge, Ga. “I feel really good heading into the new season with a solid Classic performance under my belt, and I’m sure as heck looking forward to some warmer weather,” he said.
For more information on the complete lineup of tournament-quality CastAway rods, including the Todd Faircloth Signature Series, visit www.castawayrods.com.
