Backstory of the Bassmaster Classic-Winning Technique

Jeff Gustafson & the legendary Lindners chronicle deepwater bass ‘moping’ breakthroughs

Thirteen hundred miles north of the Tennessee River; twenty years before Jeff Gustafson won the recent Bassmaster Classic— long before live sonar screens rewrote the rules of angling engagement— hanging a minnow was already boating tournament-winning bass in a big way.

Until then, Gussy’s Classic winning presentation was widely viewed as a niche technique—something that only worked up north for suspended or deepwater smallmouth bass. Perhaps most anglers still view moping—vertically hover-jigging with buoyant Jerk ShadZ superplastics—as super specialized, similar to the way anglers once regarded offshore bass patterns, in general.

Interestingly, a week after Gussy won the 2023 Classic, Aric Szambelan of Missouri State University finished just 3 ounces shy of winning the Bassmaster College Series qualifier at Cherokee Lake, Tennessee—you guessed it, moping a ¼-ounce jig and Scented Jerk ShadZ.

“The truth is, I caught fish with this same bait and method in at least half of last year’s Bassmaster Elite tournaments,” divulges Gustafson, who also tapped the technique to win the 2021 Bassmaster Elite event at the Tennessee River. The Keewatin, Ontario bass pro says he’s now earned over half a million dollars with a jig and Z-Man® Scented Jerk ShadZ— the prized presentation he calls his best bait of all time. He’s won or nearly won numerous other derbies on Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods, Ontario, all the way to Lake Champlain, New York, dating back almost two decades.

Even at an early age, Jeff Gustafson was competing alongside anglers like the legednary Ron Lindner.

“Back in the early 2000s, Hall of Fame anglers Jimmy and Bill Lindner won back-to-back Fort Francis Canadian Bass Championships, targeting suspended Rainy Lake smallmouths,” recalls Gustafson. Unquestionably, the Lindners pioneered the original moping technique, discovering untouched populations of suspended smallmouths in the process.  

“At this point, given the success I’ve had moping on Canadian lakes all the way to Georgia and even Texas, I’d have to say it probably works in more places than it doesn’t,” he suggests. “Late spring, summer and fall . . . anytime you’ve got largemouths, smallmouths or spotted bass feeding on suspended smelt, ciscoes, alewives, shad or herring, or using structure in 15 to 30 feet, moping can unlock some crazy bites. In fact, many times, moping a jig and Jerk ShadZ is way more effective than a dropshot.”

In other words, anyone who calls Gussy’s method a niche pattern might first want to try it on their local lake.

History of ‘Hanging a Minnow’
As Gustafson submits, the original moping method emerged in the early 2000s, inspired by ultra-competitive Canadian contests like the Fort Francis Canadian Bass Championship. Gussy, who won the event in 2013 and 2014, says the Canadian Bass Championship, alongside the Kenora Bass International on Lake of the Woods, comprise two of the more competitive, coveted bass trophies in North America. Each event swiftly fills 130-boat fields, attracting a collection of exceptional angling talent from across the continent.

“The year Jim and Bill Lindner won the first of their back-to-back Championships, we heard a lot of buzz about this new technique, fishing for suspended postspawn smallmouths,” suggests Gustafson, referring to the 2003 and 2004 Rainy Lake bass derbies.

Z-Man 4-inch Scented Jerk ShadZ with Finesse EyeZ Jighead.

“Around that same time, we knew Alex Keszler was fishing vertically over deepwater in his tiller boat, catching big smallmouths, late spring through fall. But back at the dock, because everyone was super secretive, and hid their rods in storage, you didn’t know what baits these guys were packing.

“Eventually, word got out that the Lindners and others were using fluke style softbaits rigged on 3/8-ounce jigheads with 90-degree eyelets,” recollects Gussy. “The 90-degree angle deal is key because it helps position the jighook and bait’s tail nice and horizontal, not vertical or tilted down. (More on the horizontal advantage, momentarily.)

“At first, we were using any type of 3- to 5-inch fluke style bait we could find.” But it wasn’t long before Keszler and other anglers discovered a new style of buoyant superplastic that hovered horizontal in the water, matching the natural swimming posture of suspended baitfish.

“Eventually, we found out guys like Keszler and Ted Stewner were actually sewing their ElaZtech® baits to jigheads to create a permanent lure, preventing the bait from being pulled down the hook. Now, of course, a drop of Loctite Gel Control accomplishes the same advantage.

“Early on, Z-Man was making the baits for another company, which were exceptionally soft and just crazy durable. Like, you could fish all day with one bait—catching up to 100 bass— if you wanted. A few years later, Z-Man started making the Scented Jerk ShadZ under their own label, which quickly became the de facto moping bait among most of the serious tournament anglers.”

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About ElaZtech®
Z-Man’s proprietary ElaZtech material is remarkably soft, pliable, and 10X tougher than traditional soft plastics. ElaZtech resists nicks, cuts, and tears better than other softbaits and boasts one of the highest fish-per-bait ratings in the industry, resulting in anglers avoiding wasted time searching for a new bait when the fish are biting. This unique material is naturally buoyant, creating a more visible, lifelike, and attractive target to gamefish. Unlike most other soft plastic baits, ElaZtech contains no PVC, plastisol or phthalates, and is non-toxic. All ElaZtech softbaits are manufactured at Z-Man headquarters in South Carolina, USA.

About Z-Man® Fishing Products
A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for nearly three decades. Creator of the Original ChatterBait®, Z-Man is also the renowned innovators of 10X Tough ElaZtech softbaits, fast becoming the most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest-growing lure brands worldwide.