Photo - James Overstreet - OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Ish Monroe of Hughson, Calif., had one of those magical days all pros dream about: hauling aboard lunker after lunker after lunker. The five best ones added up to 34 pounds, 5 ounces, and the first-day lead in the Power-Pole Slam on Lake Okeechobee by 8 pounds, 12 ounces, over Davy Hite.

So good was his day, Monroe was able to cull a 6-plus-pounder, trading it in for what turned out to be his largest of the day, a 7-11.

He said he caught every fish flipping a creature bait called the D-Bomb — made by Missile Baits, a company owned by one of his fellow Bassmaster Elite Series pros, John Crews. Monroe rigged it for a large profile, “and those big ones just seemed to hit it,” he said. Read More