There’s an early-morning shad spawn happening in Neely Henry Lake now, and Elite Series rookie Pat Schlapper of Eleva, Wis., took advantage of it first thing today with this 1-pound, 6-ounce bass 20 minutes after takeoff. Every bite is going to be big this week in the tough, high-water conditions on this Coosa River impoundment.
Schaper enters this tournament 4th in the Rookie of the Year standings and 39th in the Angler of the Year race, just inside the Bassmaster Classic cut line.