PARKS — Two Louisiana Bass Anglers members had bass right where they wanted them … around cypress trees.

Problem is there are more enticing cypress trees ringing scenic Lake Martin than you can shake a fishing rod at as Johnny Hester of Lafayette, who previously lived in Franklin, and Gerald Buck Jr. of Centerville found out in a bass club tournament May 15.

“Well, it’s a very beautiful lake. It really is. Just pick a tree you like,” Hester said the day after he and Buck won the Franklin-based bass club’s tournament with a five-bass limit weighing 15.09 pounds.

Easier said than done.

“The whole lake looks the same,” Hester said.

What separated the winners from the rest of the 19-boat field was that they concentrated on cypress trees in deeper water, which was 88 degrees early in the morning.

Four-foot depths around outer cypress trees harbored the bass they caught on spinnerbaits for approximately the first 4 1/2 hours that morning.

“We could see everyone working shallower water,” Hester said, relieved that pattern was no threat to him and his tournament partner, who fished together for the first time despite both being in the bass club since the late 2000s.

Their nearest challengers were Dicky Fitzgerald of Charenton and Raven Owens of New Iberia, whose five bass weighed 12.40 pounds for second place.

James Fredieu of rural St. Martin Parish, fishing alone, was third with five bass weighing 11.42 pounds.

Cody Pattillo of Loreauville, also fishing alone, finished fourth with a limit weighing 11.23 pounds, including the day’s biggest bass, a 4.30-pounder. Pattillo cashed in despite a malfunctioning trolling motor that forced him to paddle his high-performance bass boat around the lake.

Hester and Buck prefished the lake for a few hours Friday morning. The precious few bites they got were “around outside trees in deeper water,” according to Hester.

Most of the bites while prefishing were on a wacky worm Buck was throwing while Hester caught one on a spinnerbait.

“On the way over there Sunday morning, we talked about throwing spinnerbaits and buzz baits. I started throwing spinnerbaits and he was throwing a topwater and flippin,’” Hester said, noting they started on the south side of the lake. “Before 9 o’clock we had 13 pounds in the boat, and all on spinnerbaits. Around 10 o’clock, they just quit biting. We went to the north side.”

They started pitching soft plastic around cypress trees there in approximately 4-foot depths, he said.

“I finally pitched next to a tree and caught our biggest one. All of the fish were in deeper water. I’m not saying it was a good game plan but it worked for us,” he said.

Hester, 68, said he caught the bass that morning on a shad-colored Kajun Boss spinnerbait. Buck also switched to a spinnerbait.

They caught 10 keeper bass but had a hard time upgrading. Their smallest bass weighed 2 pounds, 9 ounces.

“I told Gerald that morning after we got a limit, I said, ‘If we’re catching that easy, everyone’s going to have a limit,’” Hester said.