If you were looking for fishing to get worse at Hartwell today, I generally have bad news for you.
Sure there was only one 20 pound bag, not two like yesterday, and only one 19 pound bag to accompany it. Down the roster, however, things stayed pretty sporty, with the 50th place cut weight being 28 pounds, 14 ounce. Indeed, things tightened up quite a bit in the midsection, as there were 12 anglers who weighed in between 28-14 and 29-14 and made the cut.
Those were the lucky ones, the ones who will be going home with a check in their pockets. Scott Canterbury (51st, 28-14), caught that same otherwise-qualifying weight, but was the odd man out. Three others made it to Saturday with 28-14 but he lost a tiebreaker and will head home. Five other anglers came within a pound of the cut and will likewise not add to their bank accounts.
It’s not like there’s much separation at the top, either. Luke Palmer is currently in 10th with 33-14, but Tucker Smith in 6th is only a pound ahead of him. Meanwhile, Matt Arey in 15th is only a pound behind Palmer. One decision, one lost fish, or one bad stop in an otherwise fine rotation will make a big difference tomorrow.
Unlike Kyle Welcher’s tour de force a couple of weeks back, this one is anything but a foregone conclusion.
Here’s what I saw and heard today, and what I think going into the weekend (and the second night of the NFL draft):
Pitching a Perfect Game – 102 anglers, two days, 204 limits. Only nine of those limits weighed less than 10 pounds. Jake Whitaker was the only angler to catch less than 10 pounds each day. “You could have put me on a stock pond and I think I would have messed it up this week,” Whitaker said onstage.
Big Bags – While 37 anglers have weighed in 30 pounds or more over the course of the first two days, no one has weighed two limits over 19 pounds apiece. Drew Cook (18-12 the first day and 19-9 today) came the closest. Eighteen anglers have weighed in at least 15 pounds each day. Bryan Schmitt (32nd, 30-14) is the lowest-ranked angler to hit that mark both Thursday and Friday.
Young Guns — The youth movement appears to be back, with six of eight rookies making the cut, led by Paul Marks (2nd, 36-11), one of three inside the Top 10. Likewise, last year’s crop of frosh find seven of their ten man roster inside the top 50, although Wesley Gore (7th, 34-6) is the only one in the Top 10. If rookies Tucker Smith, Paul Marks and Emil Wagner maintain or improve their position, this will be the first top Elite Series Top 10 for each of them.
Big Mover – Jacob Powroznik’s 20-6 limit moved him from 40th place up into 5th. He responded with a string of Zen Koans onstage: “Tis the season”; then “It’s all about a Senko”; and finally “I think good things are happening, good things are coming.” He’s yet to miss a check in Elite competition this year. He may be a perpetual Classic qualifier, but his last Elite Series Top 10 was at Santee Cooper in 2023. That same year he finished 9th in the Classic. Two years earlier he won an Open on Smith Lake.
Coalgate’s Own – If Luke Palmer maintains or improves his 10th place position, he’ll make his first Elite Top 10 since last year’s season-opener at Toledo Bend, where he finished 6th. Yesterday, he caught 18 pounds 15 ounces of spotted bass, which went against his instincts. “In Oklahoma, if you’re catching spots you’re in sad shape,” he said. Today he added a 14-15 bag and fell six places.
Carl Jocumsen – “I put my Minn Kota on 100 and I just went burning.” He caught 17-9 today and jumped from 70th to 30th.
Tight Margins and the Waiting Game – In these derbies where a few ounces can mean a difference of a few places in the standings, there’s always agony around the anglers near the cut as the weigh-in progresses. “We’ve always got to make it a nailbiter, right?” Ben Millken asked onstage. He snuck inside the cut by 10 ounces and currently sits in 46th.
Lurking – Anglers outside of the Top 10 who’ve caught 16 pounds or more both days: Trey McKinney (12th, 33-12); Shane LeHew (14th, 33-6).
Thirty Years – Mike Iaconelli recounted to Dave Mercer that he’d fished his first professional Bassmaster event on Hartwell in 1995. Five members of the current Top 10 were not born then. Both Drew Cook and Patrick Walters were born the year before.
Dakota Ebare – “I think I’ve missed all four cuts by less than half a pound” Indeed, the “veteran first-year pro” has finished 59th, 54th, 51st and 61st in his first four Elite events.
Long Time Coming — “I don’t remember what it’s like to fish on Saturday,” said Chad Pipkens (40th, 29-12). Indeed the six-time Classic qualifier has missed the 50 cut in his prior 14 Elite events. The last time he made the cut was the Sabine River in 2023, when he finished 10th.
Will Davis Jr. – “It looks good on paper but it’s not easy out there.” He entered the tournament as lead dog in the AOY race, was in 32nd place in the tournament after Day One and fell two spots today. Meanwhile, Jay Przekurat rose from 5th to 4th, and Lee Livesay likewise added some points, at least for the time being.
Movers and Shakers – Among yesterday’s Top 10, Drew Cook was the biggest gainer, going from 6th to 1st. Meanwhile, Kyota Fujita, Drew Benton, Austin Felix and Gerald Swindle all fell outside of the Top 10, despite making the 50 cut. Swindle fell the furthest, going from 10th to 36th.
Bernie Schultz (91st, 23-1) – “This place is a fish factory and I just didn’t find the assembly line.”
Palmetto Bugs – Patrick Walters (8th, 34-3) is the top-ranked South Carolina resident. JT Thompkins (18th, 32-9) and transplant Bryan New (49th, 28-14) will also fish on Saturday.
Justin Hamner – “I’ve never wanted to kick a fish….You talk about some following sonofaguns.” After weighing in 17-10 on Day One, he added 13-13 today, and fell from 15th to 25th, but he’s still only about 2 ½ pounds outside the Top 10.
Lee Livesay – “Good day to have a good day.” Indeed, he added 15-10 to his Day One catch of 17-2 and moved up from 19th to 16th…which in turn means it’s a bad day to be a Busch Light. It’s also a bad day to be an angler named Brandon – Card, Cobb, Lester and Palaniuk all missed the cut. The Kyles did slightly better – Patrick and Norsetter are both in the top 40, while Pasquotank world-beater Welcher finished 82nd.
Emil Wagner on Falling in the Lake – “It was pretty similar to the Kyle Patrick situation.” If the young anglers ever decide to start a Creed cover band, I think they should call it “The Kyle Patrick Situation.” Or perhaps “The Fruit Bat Fiasco.”
It’ll be fun to see how this one plays out. We may need to call in Mel Kiper Jr. for some analysis – I’m picking the best available athlete and planning all of my cliches like “tremendous upside” and “strong motor” and “good measurables.”
