Matt Ells Wins Oak Outdoors Tournament (August 26-27, 2023)

Matt Ells Wins Oak Outdoors Tournament using Jewel Jigs and Virtus/Jewel Rods

Matt Ells of Shell Knob, MO wins the two day Oak Outdoors Tournament on Bull Shoals Lake with a two day total of 28.73, taking home the $10,000 first place prize. Ells caught all of his fish on a Jewel 3/4oz Football Jig in the Peanut Butter Smoke color as well as Watermelon Candy. Bull Shoals lake is known for being an ideal lake for fishing a football jig on, however it was what Ells was doing differently with a football jig that set him apart from the rest of the pack. 

Ells chose to fish the lower half of Bull Shoals Lake keying in on the crystal clear water. Ells described the water as “bath water” not only in visibility but also in temp (90-92 degrees). The deep clear hot water caused the fish to setup offshore and suspend about 3-8 feet off the bottom. Ells would focus on steep channel swing banks and major bank bluffs to find his fish. There had to be rock present, anywhere he went with gravel he couldn’t find the same quality of fish he was catching off of rock. He spent the whole entire tournament targeting smallmouth. Ells' key pattern was fishing a 3/4oz football jig, however instead of dragging it Ells was swimming it in order to catch suspended smallmouth. “I figured out with those smallmouth suspended off the bottom that I could cast a football jig about 10 feet past them and watch it fall on my livescope. Once the jig hit the bottom I would pick it up off the bottom and I would swim it about 10-12 feet off the bottom until I got it right over their heads. Then they would either come up and hit it or I would let it fall right through them and it would trigger a strike, and if for some reason they still wouldn’t bite it then I could usually make them mad and talk them into biting it if I would pump that jig like a jigging spoon, but most of the time they would bite it when I was swimming it over the top of them” Ells said. The fish were keying in on bluegill and bream and by swimming that jig over the top of those suspended fish it imitated the forge they were feeding on perfectly.

Ells equipment of choice for swimming a jig is a 3/4oz Jewel Heavy Cover Football Jig with a Rage Craw trailer, and he would fish it on 20lb test fluorocarbon line because fishing around those rocks his line could get nicked very easily. And his rod of choice was the Virtus/Jewel Red Diamond Series Titan. “I absolutely love all of my Virtus/Jewel Rods, but the Titan might very well be my favorite because I can do just about anything with it. I can flip/pitch with it, skip docks, fish a football jig, and so many other techniques. Virtus/Jewel Rods have made me a better fisherman, I am feeling things I have never felt before” said Ells. Over the last year Jewel Jigs and Virtus/Jewel Rods have helped Ells to win over $25,000 in tournament winnings. Ells hopes that his Jewel Jigs and Virtus/Jewel Rods can help him repeat in September as the BFL Super Tournament Champion on Lake of the Ozarks.

Virtus/Jewel Rods and Jewel Jigs are available for purchase at jewelbait.com