COLUMBIA, S.C. — Fast-paced action, lots of fish catches and big weights, that’s the fan-friendly show that JT Thompkins expects for the Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray. The Elites’ last visit to this Saluda River reservoir in 2024 produced a highly entertaining contest and the South Carolina pro believes this year’s event will meet or exceed that benchmark.
Competition days will be May 7-10, with daily takeoffs from Dreher Island State Park
at 6:30 a.m. ET and weigh-ins each day at the park at 3 p.m.
“The fishery is really, really good; it’s on a big upturn and every year, the weights keep getting higher and higher,” said Thompkins, who finished third at that 2024 event. “We’re hitting it at a pretty good time, in terms of being entertaining. There’s gonna be a lot of topwater and a lot of schooling activity.”
Essential to that premise is the lake’s top-tier forage — the blueback herring. An anadromous species by nature, blueback herring typically spend most of their lives in the ocean and enter coastal rivers to spawn. Present in Murray for about 30 years, the herring likely reached tournament waters through “bait bucket” introduction, as striped bass anglers dumped their excess bait.
Prolific breeders, bluebacks quickly expanded their numbers and, over the decades, they’ve had a profound impact on Murray. Specifically, the resident largemouth bass have become so fixated on this fast-moving forage species that they have become much more pelagic than fisheries dominated by native shad and bluegill.
“The herring fishing is such a different thing,” Thompkins said. “When you go to a lake that has herring, it’s like you’re not even fishing for bass anymore. It’s like you’re fishing for tuna. But that’s what makes it fun.”
Seasonality, Thompkins said, will amplify the blueback herring focus. May typically finds these hefty baitfish spawning during the early morning hours and bass find this baitfish buffet simply irresistible.
“The majority of the herring will either be spawning or starting to move back offshore, so you’re going to have a really good mix of morning bite and then a consistent afternoon bite over cane piles, brush or suspending over points,” Thompkins said. “I don’t think you’re going to have the big mix of sight fishing this time like we’ve had the last few times.
“You’ll have some people catching some off stumps, fry guarders (male bass protecting recent hatchlings) and stuff like that, but I think it’s going to be really good this time because, usually when we go to Lake Murray, it’s 60% offshore and 40% up shallower. This time, it’s going to more like 80% offshore and 20% shallow, so there will be more fish to spread out the field.”
Minimal rain fall means Lake Murray’s water clarity should remain favorable. Looking at another meteorological variable, Thompkins points out how recent temperature fluctuation will likely work to the tournament’s benefit.
“We’ve had a little bit cooler conditions this week, which is going to postpone that herring spawn a little bit, so it should be firing up right when we get there,” Thompkins said, a week prior to the Elite event. “It should be full-swing herring spawn.
“These fish probably haven’t been feeding as good with the herring spawn lingering off with the colder weather, so we should be hitting it at a really good time where we have some big bags. I think it’s going to be a really good event.”
Thompkins described two main scenarios for when the bite is on. First is vertical structure such as rock, brush and cane piles, which bass use as ambush spots. The other is a long, tapering point where bass push the baitfish up shallow for easier feeding. Ultimately, Thompkins believes the ideal game plan will be multi-faceted.
“You’re gonna see a big mix,” he said. “I think the guy that wins is not gonna win it off of one spot. It’s too hard to win by sitting on a single place all day. You’re gonna see someone make the top-10 by sitting on the right point that has 5-pounders on it and waiting for them to school; but a lot of the people that are gonna be hard to beat will be running 30-40 spots a day, making one or two casts at each spot and rolling.
“You have to let the timing and the odds fall into your favor. If you run 30 to 40 spots, you get your timing right, and you get in a good rotation, you can have a giant bag. You can have 28 to 30 pounds easily, if it lands right.”
On this herring-heavy lake, topwaters and fluke-style baits will see a lot action, but Thompkins believes an angler that looks beyond these standards and develops a niche pattern with an atypical bait could separate himself from the pack. Ultimately, diversity and mobility will be the difference makers.
“From the rocks of the Saluda Dam, all the way past Dreher Island, every single pocket, cove, point, and ditch is gonna hold big’uns,” Thompkins said. “Especially with the grass coming into to play, you’re gonna see some people spread out and throw ChatterBaits or lipless baits through the grass, or a (Heddon) Spook over grass.”
Patrick Walters, of Eutawville, S.C., won the 2024 event with a four-day total of 93 pounds, 15 ounces. All but one of his daily limits broke 20 pounds (Day 2 was just 3 ounces short) and his two heaviest bags went 25-8 and 26-12.
Thompkins said he believes this year’s event will match or exceed Walters’ winning effort. He believes 17-18 pounds a day will earn a Top 10 spot, with 90 to 95 a very doable winning total.
“The key will be finding as many places with groups of fish,” Thompkins said. “If you can find areas with bigger groups of fish, the more competitive they are, the easier they are to catch.
“When you’re running 30 to 40 spots a day, you want to have a lot of high-percentage areas that have a ton of fish. You just play the numbers game until you run into size. If you keep putting 3-pounders in the boat, you’re gonna run into that 5-pounder.”
Bassmaster LIVE will be available all four days of the event, starting on Bassmaster.com and Roku Sports Channel May 7 and 8. FS1 will host the morning session on May 9 and 10 from 8-11:30 a.m. ET before heading to Bassmaster.com for afternoon coverage. All weigh-ins will be available live on Bassmaster.com starting at 3 p.m. ET.
This event is being hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country.
