Laker's Triumph: How the Livingston Lures Walking Boss Secured the Win at Wheeler
In a masterful display of skill and strategy, Laker Howell captured a commanding victory at the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier on Wheeler Lake. What makes this win even more remarkable is that he relied exclusively on the Livingston Lures Walking Boss in the Bone Cracker color. Howell’s triumph not only highlights his exceptional angling ability but also underscores the unmatched effectiveness of the Livingston Lures Walking Boss.
The Bait That Never Fails: Livingston Lures Walking Boss
Laker’s loyalty to the Livingston Lures Walking Boss is no secret among his fishing circle. “Man, that is my favorite one. I’ve been throwing that since I was a kid,” Laker enthused. “All my friends, my parents, we all were talking about stories about how much I’ve thrown the same bait. I never swapped topwater baits because I have so much faith in that bait, and it finally paid off at this one.”
The win at Wheeler lake proved Laker’s confidence was well-placed. Every fish he weighed in was caught using the Walking Boss, a topwater lure that outperformed competitors’ baits by a staggering 21 pounds on the leaderboard. Laker shared an area with another skilled angler who was also using a topwater bait, but not a Livingston. The results spoke for themselves: “If that doesn’t have a testament itself right there to how good that bait is, I don’t know more proof you need.”
Mastering the Cadence
The key to Laker’s success wasn’t just the bait itself but how he worked it. Targeting big bass, which he described as “super lazy,” required a delicate balance in presentation. “The cadence is everything,” Laker explained. “You had to make it a cat-and-mouse game. They were still getting away from them, but it wasn’t too hard for them to get it.”
Laker employed a varied cadence, mixing it up to keep the fish engaged. “Slower the better typically, but you couldn’t work it too slow because then they wouldn’t commit to it,” he noted. His technique involved a half-second interval between twitches, using a slack line and snapping his wrist hard to create dramatic, side-to-side walks. This approach, paired with the Walking Boss’s unique design, allowed Laker to manipulate the bait flawlessly. “The way it’s designed and weighted, you can walk that thing any way you want, and it works,” he said.
The Power of EBS Technology
A standout feature of the Livingston Walking Boss is its Electronic Baitfish Sound ™ (EBS) technology, which Laker credits for drawing fish in. Drone footage from the final day of the tournament revealed the bait’s impact. “A four-pounder came up under it four separate times, never boiled, and I never knew I had a fish under it,” Laker recalled. “If it was any other topwater bait, I’m convinced that fish would not have committed. That EBS ™ technology just called him up and talked him into it.”
The EBS ™ sound, combined with the bait’s knocker and cup lip design, created an irresistible package. “It’s letting that EBS ™ do its job, play that sound out,” Laker said. By walking the bait in place with hard, 90-degree turns, he allowed the sound to travel and attract fish, often holding casts for three to four minutes to maximize its effect.
Casting Distance and Hook Sets
The Walking Boss’s heavier weight compared to other topwater baits gave Laker a significant advantage in casting distance. “You pair that up with the right reel and line size, and dude, you can send that thing to the moon,” he said. This allowed him to reach neutral or negative fish that were farther out, with some blowups occurring at the very end of his casts. “You could only hear them to catch them; you couldn’t even see them when they blew it up,” he added.
Setting the hook on these long-distance strikes required quick thinking. “The further out you are, the quicker response time you can have,” Laker explained, noting the extra give in the line at longer distances allowed for a faster, harder hook set. However, many of his strikes came closer to the boat, where fish followed the bait over long distances. “They were following it that far,” he said, describing how he slowed the cadence near the boat to provoke a strike. For close-range hook sets, Laker emphasized patience, calculating the timing in a split second to avoid losing fish.
A Victory for Skill and Strategy and the Power of Livingston Lures
Laker’s victory was a masterclass in understanding fish behavior, leveraging the right equipment, and executing precise techniques. The Livingston Lures Walking Boss, with its EBS ™ technology, superior design, and casting distance, proved to be the ultimate tool in his arsenal. “It’s just the whole package in one topwater bait,” Laker said. “There’s nothing better that you can throw for topwater.”
For anglers looking to up their game, Laker’s story is a powerful reminder that the right bait, paired with skill and persistence, can make all the difference. His triumph at the tournament isn’t just a personal milestone, it’s a ringing endorsement of the Livingston Walking Boss as the ultimate bass topwater fishing.
Get the Gear : Livingston Lures Walking Boss in Bone Cracker
LivingstonLures.com
