Boyd Duckett: The Man Who Won the 2007 Bassmaster
Classic and How He Did It
Duckett’s Classic-Winning Pattern
 Editor’s
Note: Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Alabama, the 46-year-old
owner of a tank trailer leasing and repair company and
avid bass fisherman, never attended a Bassmasters Classic
until the one he won in February, 2007 at Alabama’s
Lay Lake near Birmingham. “I made a decision when
I started professional bass fishing that I wouldn’t
attend a Classic until I could fish in it,” explains
Duckett. How did Duckett win the 2007 Bassmaster Classic,
and what can we learn from Duckett? We saw other tournament
pros use this same tactic that Duckett did – not
fish for ghost bass. That’s why Duckett didn’t
practice on Lay Lake. Then he wouldn’t try to
catch bass in the same places where he’d caught
them when and if he pre-fished the lake. Actually Duckett
probably spent less time on Lay Lake this year than
any other tournament pro who fished in the 2007 Classic.
But rather than telling Duckett’s story, let’s
let him tell you how, why and where he won with 48 pounds,
10 ounces and took home $500,000, beating out second-place
Skeet Reese, who had 48 pounds, 4 ounces an d
won $45,000 and third-place Kevin VanDam, who won $40,000
with his 45 pounds, 4 ounces.
Phillips: Boyd, how did you get to the Classic?
Duckett: I’ve been fishing different bass tournament
trails since about 1970. Then about two years ago, I
set as my goal to compete for the Angler-of-the-Year
title on the B.A.S.S. circuit. Now I’ve won the
Bassmasters Classic. I think that’s pretty cool.
I love bass fishing – both the sport and the competition.
I fished both sides of the tour this past year and qualified
for the Classic through the Southern Division. I feel
really lucky that I made it to the Classic and that
it was taking place here in Alabama. Having fished team
events all over the state, of course I know Lay Lake,
but I don’t consider Lay Lake one of my best lakes.
Russ Lane of Prattville, Alabama, picked by many to
win this Classic because of his experience with Lay
Lake, beat me s ome
of the time when we fished team events at Lay Lake.
But I was able to put a good pattern together this time
and luckily it held up for three days.
Phillips: What pattern did you put together?
Duckett: I had originally found bass in 8 or 9 feet
of water using a crankbait, but those bass left that
area after practice. So, I told my brother that I was
moving every day, and I was going to fish each day as
if it was the first day I had ever fished Lay Lake.
But I found the bass that were in deep water had moved
up to secondary points out of that deep water. They
were on a good lipless crankbait pattern, and I was
fishing with an orange-and-brown Rat-L-Trap. I was able
to catch bass on a lot of places around the lake, although
I spent very-little time fishing this way. I felt I
could catch 13 to 14 pounds a day using this tactic,
but on the first morning of the tournament, I caught
my limit quickly on the Rat-L-Trap. Next I started flipping
with the Berkley Chigger Craw to try and cull to get
a bigg er
limit. In practice, I only got two or three big-bass
bites flipping. And in the tournament, I was getting
only two or three big-bass bites flipping. But those
flipping fish are what won the tournament for me. I’d
get a limit of bass early with a Rat-L-Trap. Then I’d
flip the rest of the day to try and get the big bass
to anchor my string. I really felt I had to get one
or two big bass every day using the flipping tactic
if I wanted to have a chance to win. I had two really-big
bites on Day 2 of the Classic, even though I only weighed
in 10 pounds, 11 ounces. I missed the two big bass I
really needed on the second day. But that’s the
pattern I stayed with throughout the tournament. I’d
get a limit of bass on the Rat-L-Trap and then try to
catch the big bass on the Chigger Craw.
Tomorrow: What Duckett Accomplished
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