Jackson's Enderle topped field last week

Special to the Southeast Missourian

Rodney Enderle of Jackson won the Bassbusters of SEMO bass fishing tournament last weekend at Lake Wappapello.

Winds of about 30 miles per hour last Sunday made boat control and fishing difficult. But Enderle kept his focus and brought an impressive 18.9 pounds of bass to the scales. He located his fish in the backs of creeks and pockets. It took up to 10 casts with his Kistler medium action rod on each target to get the spawning bass to strike. He used a white 1/4-ounce Foutz's spinnerbait to catch all his fish, including a five-pound fish which took Big Bass honors for the event.

John Ramey of Cape Girardeau finished second by working the same pattern in similar places. His fish all came from laydowns and stumps. He too used a small profile white Foutz's spinnerbait to catch his 15-pound-plus bag of bass. Once again, multiple casts to each piece of cover was the key.

Lake conditions were sunny and unseasonably warm with a high in the 80s with very strong winds from the southwest. The lake was at winter pool and the water was 64 to 68 degrees.