Elite

A look at Lake Murray

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Captions by
Mike Suchan
It’s back-to-back years for Lake Murray. Last year, the Elites visited the South Carolina fishery for the first time in 12 years. A little more than a year after Drew Benton won that event, the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray is back for the fifth stop of the 2024 season. The 103 Elites compete from May 9-12.
Ranking fourth in the country and first in the southeast region of Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 100 Lakes last year, Lake Murray is a 48,000-acre reservoir of the Saluda River just west of Columbia. It was the world’s largest man-made reservoir when completed in 1930.
Lake Murray is 41 miles long with a maximum width of 14 miles. There are 640 miles of shoreline, and the average depth is 41 feet, with the deepest point 200 feet.
This will be the 11th pro level B.A.S.S. tournament on Lake Murray and the fourth Elite event. A dozen years before Benton won with 87 pounds, South Carolina’s Casey Ashley claimed the 2011 Elite title with 61-3. Fred Roumbanis won the first Elite there in 2008 with 66-13.  
Dreher Island State Park, 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity, S.C., is tournament central. Takeoffs are scheduled for 7 a.m. ET with weigh-ins set for 3 p.m. All B.A.S.S. activities are free. The Expo gets under way Saturday and Sunday at noon, with local country music artist Cody Webb performing Saturday from 1-2:45 p.m.
Brandon Cobb of Greenwood, S.C., said he expects anglers will hit shorelines early for bass gulping shad and blueback herring as they spawn.
“Murray is one of the most prevalent blueback lakes in our area,” Cobb said. “A lot of times, the shad and the herring will spawn in the same areas, so you may not know if you’re fishing for bass that are eating shad or herring.” Anglers should find success throwing  spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and swim jigs, and topwater baits could deliver great results.
Cobb believes the field will spread out while taking advantage of the spawns, then most will likely follow the bass to docks or the nearest cover after the early bite dies. “The way the fish are this time of year, you might get some big groups of fish, but it’s hard to get them to bite all day,” Cobb said. “You’re going to have to keep moving.”
Cobb isn’t counting out bed fishing, the tack Drew Benton took to win in 2023. Benton took the lead after two days, slipped on Day 3 then rallied with the big bag of the week (26-7) on Championship Sunday. But this event being several weeks later, Cobb thinks it’s unlikely bedding bass will play as big this time.
Last year, most of the Elites caught limits each day, with 16 bags topping 20 pounds each of the first two days. Nine of the Top 10 finished with more than 80 pounds. Cobb sees weights off just a bit this time. “I’m not going to say it’s going to be tough, but last time, it was pretty crazy,” he said. “I think this year, you’ll need about 18 pounds a day to make the Top 10, and I would say 21 to 22 a day to win.”
Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C., caught last year’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass at Murray, a 7-11 on Day 3. After being shut out of the honor, it was his second consecutive after he caught an 8-1 in the previous Elite on Lake Seminole.
Benton began Championship Sunday in 10th place, almost 5 pounds back of leader Kyoya Fujita. He built a solid bag with 4s and 5s by noon, when his sight fishing bite heated. Benton caught two big fish late, including a 6-4, that helped him win with the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the event at 26-7.
After a warm stretch, scattered storms forecast for Thursday’s first day of competition will bring in slightly cooler temperatures and stabilize the weather pattern.
Rookie Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., has held the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year lead since winning at Lake Fork, his second tournament on the circuit. Two-time Classic champ Jordan Lee stands five points back while Canadian Chris Johnston is third, 38 behind.
Mike Iaconelli, who has posted two good finishes on Murray, said the winning angler will more than likely need to have several patterns working. “To win a four-day event on one pattern, everything has to go perfectly,” Ike said. “With the size and diversity of this lake, the guy that has a couple things going will have the most consistency over four days.”
Bassmaster LIVE will stream on Bassmaster.com all four days, with FS1 coverage Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET and Sunday at 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.

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