Montgomery flying under the radar

The local pressure's on Casey Ashley - and that's just how Andy Montgomery likes it.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – As members of print, internet and broadcast media converged upon the TD Convention Center in Greenville Thursday, local favorite Casey Ashley received a disproportionate share of attention from the press.

There’s good reason for that – the young South Carolina pro has proven himself to be a formidable competitor on just about every body of water he fishes, but he’s probably scraped a crankbait off of every rock and log on Lake Hartwell, with big checks to show for it.

As far as Andy Montgomery is concerned, the attention on Ashley is not only merited, but also just fine with him. The laconic Montgomery has not been mentioned as a favorite by many pundits, and while Ashley will likely have a huge number of spectator boats no matter how cold it is on Friday, Montgomery may be able to ply his trade alone, out of the limelight.

“I don’t think anyone realizes how good he is,” said close friend Ott DeFoe. “And he’s a quiet guy. He’s not going to ask for it.

Montgomery only lives 60 miles away from Hartwell, and while his name is more closely associated with Charlotte-area fisheries like Norman and Wylie, he too has put in his time on this week’s venue.

“The biggest benefit is that living so close has allowed me to spend a lot of time on the lake since I qualified,” he said. “I probably spent 20 days out here up until it went off limits.” Of course, that was December, before this severe cold front dropped the water temperature. “The shallow fish are not as hungry now as they were then,” he added.

Montgomery is reveling in his relative anonymity. “Casey doesn’t show his nerves,” he said, “But there’s a lot of attention on him for sure. That’s good.”

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Montgomery, fishing his second Classic, said that he has settled into a groove in his career that has seen improved results, including a win in last year’s final Northern Open on Lake Norman. So while this tournament is certainly a big deal, it’s not quite as nerve-wracking for him as it might’ve been a few years ago.

“The Classic is the mecca,” he said. “But I’ve competed on the FLW Tour and in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. I’ve competed against these same guys for eight years now.” Despite the maturation of his fishing skills, he still recoils when he thinks of past opportunities that slipped away, in particular the 2009 TTBC on Lake Conroe, where he finished second by 4 ounces.

“I feel like I should’ve won it, hands down,” he said “It still hurts. I wasn’t dirt-poor growing up, but we were a very middle class family and the chance to win $250,000 was mind-blowing to me at the time.”

His chances of winning this week’s $300,000 top prize are enhanced by his partnership with fellow Classic contender DeFoe. During the course of the Elite Series season they share all information, even specific waypoints. DeFoe’s help at the AOY Championship in Escanaba, Mich., last year propelled Montgomery inside the Classic cut.

“It’s a unique relationship,” Montgomery said. “Not many guys on tour have anything like it. At the St. Lawrence River, I had a horrible practice and ended up fishing right beside Ott, on a place I never made a cast in practice. We both finished in the thirties, and we both got $10,000. Then at St. Clair, he had a horrible practice. He started right next to me and again we both finished in the thirties and we both earned $10,000.”

“We’ll still talk, but we won’t share exact locations like normal,” DeFoe said. “This tournament is all about winning, not finishing in the top 20.”