Event: 2017 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Conroe
Scenario: Recalling an unseasonably warm spring, Lee said the late-March tournament presented challenging conditions. With practice confirming his lean suspicions, Lee found himself heading into his third Classic with a less-than-optimistic outlook.
‘It was an interesting Classic, because it was in March and, in Texas, you think spawn,” Lee said. “But that year the water was really warm; it was in the 80s. The fish were progressing quickly, and they were all over the place.
“Conroe at that time didn’t have any grass, so it was a challenge, to say the least. It was tough to get bit. There was a shad spawn; there were still fish on the bed. I knew if I was gonna have a chance to do well in the tournament, finding some type of offshore spot was gonna be my best bet.”
Pursuing that strategy, Lee found a point with hard bottom right above the Highway FM 1097 Bridge. As he recalled, he actually found that spot while looking for isolated offshore cover.
“I fished some deep brush in practice and didn’t catch them, so I just eased up to that point and caught a couple nice ones,” Lee said. “It was just probably a spot that they get on seasonally. There was a big creek nearby, and I think those fish just funnel out there.
“That one point was the magical spot. I told my brother, ‘I have one spot and, if it turns on, I think I can catch them, but if it doesn’t, it’s gonna be a struggle.”
Recapping the final tally: Lee only caught three fish for 8 pounds, 6 ounces on Day 1 and placed 37th. In the second round, he missed his limit again by one fish, but caught four that weighed 21 pounds and rose to 15th. Championship Sunday saw him put it all together and catch the event’s biggest bag — 27-4 — and rocket up the standings for an incredible come-from-behind victory.
With strong south winds pounding his point in the opening round of competition, Lee was unable to effectively fish the spot. Nevertheless, he knew the fish were there, and his persistence would ultimately be rewarded.
“The wind was affecting the offshore bite, but it was helping the guys that were doing the shad spawn,” he said. “That’s how the tournament started off — the leaders were doing the shad spawn.”
The Decision: Looking back on his first of two Classic wins (also Lake Hartwell the following year), Lee described the dominant theme as trusting that his spot would get better.
Doing most of his Classic work with a football jig, a crankbait and a big shaky head, Lee abandoned his point on Day 1 and junk fished his way to a small opening bag.
The next day, another slow start prompted Lee to again leave his point, but he returned midday. His first cast with a crankbait yielded a 7 1/2-pounder. That fish brought a school of quality bass to the boat, so Lee slowed down and added a pair of 6s on the jig.
“On Day 1, I gave it a fair shot and then I just ran around and found a few bites,” Lee said. “The second day, I caught about 19 off the point. When I was running in that day, I had a couple minutes, so I stopped on another point and caught a 2-pounder that got me up to 15th.
“The Classic is all about winning. I knew that, based on what I found in practice, that was the best place for me. I was all-in all week and banking on that spot to produce, and it eventually did.”
Game changer: Day 3 dawned with Lee resigned to a do-your-best mentality, but making matters worse, he experienced a motor issue that left him hamstrung.
“I just tried to limp to my point, and once I got there, I knew I was gonna fish there all day regardless of whether I was catching any or not,” he said. “Based on the previous two days, it didn’t look good, but I had no other choice.”
Simple as it sounds, that was truly the difference. Conditions were calmer than Day 1, but Lee said his full-day commitment simply tilted the odds in his favor.
“The difference on Day 3 was that I didn’t move,” he said. “It wasn’t a fast-and-furious bite. It seemed like fish were coming there all day, there were just isolated fish that were pulling up and I’d catch one. I think there was a school there, but you couldn’t just catch them one after another.”
Mechanical issues on the final day of a Bassmaster Classic usually precede a heartbreak tale. For Lee, it literally glued him to the winning spot and forced him to meticulously dissect his key point.
“The key was just sitting there and not moving the boat. Fishermen want to run around after not getting bit, but I didn’t have a choice.”
Takeaway: Lee’s equipment challenge was so severe that he had to ask a spectator for a ride back to the check-in. All the way back and all the way through weigh-ins, the coming achievement did not even seem like a distant possibility.
That setup, however, positioned the young pro to experience the sport’s highest achievement in the most dramatic fashion.
“It was probably the coolest way to win a tournament,” Lee said. “To come from behind, being that far back was a dream scenario. I never thought I was gonna win that tournament. It was really a special moment for me.”
Lee admits that there was a moment on Day 3 when a sudden increase in media and spectator boats told him he was moving higher in the standings. Even then, holding the trophy amid a confetti blast just seemed out of reach.
“There was no part of me that thought I was gonna win; I really didn’t think it was possible,” he said. “I was doing the math in my head, and I knew the leaders didn’t need much. I just never expected them to struggle that much.
“But to catch the biggest bag of the event, the stars aligned for me that day.”
