Strike King and Lew’s Pro Dakota Ebare brought a little drama to the weigh-in stage at renowned fishery Clarks Hill Lake as he needed 15 lbs. 14 oz. to overtake Travis Harriman who turned in the biggest bag of the tournament with 23 lbs. 14 oz. When dust settled, Dakota’s 16 lbs. 7 oz. bag put him in first by 10 oz. and landed him his second win in 2023. Dakota’s first win came at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in the first Toyota Series back in January.
Dakota did most of the damage throwing a 3/16 oz. Strike King Tour Grade Round Jig Head with a KVD Magic 5” Ocho, working the bait shakey head style. He also had a few key fish coming on a very light jig head with a Blue Glimmer Baby Z-Too. He started off shallow trying to power fish but when that bite didn’t fire, he went and started running the lake. Dakota’s bag was a mix of two big largemouth and three 2 lbs. 5oz. spots. Dakota knew he needed around 16-17 lbs. to have a chance to win and at 2:45pm, he landed the fish that put him over the top. He landed a 4 lbs. 4 oz. largemouth which gave him a 2 lbs. 4 oz. upgrade to seal the deal. Dakota said, “It truly feels great to finally get that big win. It’s a blessing from God and He gets all the glory. I’ve worked my butt off for so long to get here and things finally worked out.”
The team back at Strike King and Lew’s are accustomed to seeing their Pro Staff win championships as they have been winning trophies for over 50 years. Dakota is one of the young guns on staff, but he is performing like a seasoned veteran. Strike King and Lew’s Senior Marketing Manager Tom Brewbaker offered, “Dakota is showing why he is a threat in every tournament he fishes. He is able to think on his feet and adapt to any situation on the water. Not only is Dakota a great promoter of our brands, but we are really proud to have him as part of this team.”
