Jesse Wiggins is going up against one of the best smallmouth anglers on the tour, who could make a huge statement later this year (more on that later).
Last September viewers of Bassmaster LIVE witnessed first hand the smallmouth catching skills of Seth Feider, winner of the AOY championship on Mille Lacs in Minnesota. Fish after fish, we heard him say, “big ‘un dude” and he wasn’t joking.
Now he’s taken that game to Cherokee Lake. All week the focus has been on Jesse Wiggins, and rightfully so. But in the background, slowly moving up the leaderboard, was Feider. Now he’s on top.
What’s key to all this is timing of the bites. I just analyzed the data log from BASSTrak on Day 2, and Feider’s best catch window ran from 11 a.m.-3:01 p.m. Of the 8 smallmouth entered into the log there were 5 caught after 11 a.m. Do the numbers and Feider’s best bite, thus far, is during the afternoon.
Now, he’s striking early, making Feider a solid contender to win. Not all is going 100 percent in his favor like it did at Mille Lacs. After his area went cold Feider went on the lookout for another area. Diving, feeding birds led him to a spot that saved the day.
Thinking long term he could also be a contender later in the year when the AOY title gets determined. The reason is strength of his smallmouth skills versus the schedule. The final four events of the season all will be held on smallmouth lakes. Could be a wild season ahead for the wild-haired kid from Minnesota.