GREENVILLE, S.C. — Early prespawn largemouth. Schools of spotted bass in deeper water. An offshore herring bite. Shoreline habitat inundated by a nearly full lake. More fishing options than ever before. Shallow, deep, in between. Take your pick.
That setup describes the bass fishing conditions in play on 56,000 acres of Lake Hartwell. Practice ended today and on Friday it’s game on for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Football and baseball coaches manage their game plans by watching the play clock. As it ticks away the play calling must be adjusted to maximize the chances of winning, catching up or just staying in that game. Pro bass fishermen play by the same rules.
In all cases the first play from scrimmage, controlling the tipoff and where to make the first cast. All can influence the remainder of the game.
On Wednesday, the final practice day, many pros set out with one goal in mind. That was deciding which place to go first. Making that decision is not random. Like anything else in pattern fishing there is a process.
Here is how some of the top pros decide where to begin the most important day of the year.
Alton Jones
The already high stakes of the Classic influence how the 2008 Classic champion on Hartwell begins every Day 1 of a given tournament, and even more so this week.
“A rule I live by in tournament fishing is to always start where I’m catching my biggest bass,” explained Jones. “A lot of times big bass bite early, it’s just that simple.”
The possibility of another angler beating him to the spot is another influencer. Jones leaves nothing to chance, especially at the Classic.
“On Hartwell I’ve got several areas where I can catch a limit, but one has potential to produce a 5-pounder,” he explained. “It’s 10 minutes out of the way, but that one little spot might be a game changer for the day.”
That leaves no doubt where Jones will begin on Friday.
Greg Hackney
The key influencer is prevailing weather on the given tournament morning for Greg Hackney. That is an ideal strategy considering the climbing temperatures coming up following a chilly practice session.
“My process of where to begin always revolves around the weather,” explained Hackney. “Here I’ve got fish producing places scattered over large parts of the lake.”
Weather covers a lot of factors including wind, rain, sunshine and temperature. Hackney hangs his decision based on which factor most influences his bite. The Friday forecast calls for a southwesterly shift in the wind with warmer temperatures. He will begin the day where the best wind is blowing on his most productive area.
Mike McClelland
“I’m a weather geek and most of the time have The Weather Channel on TV,” said McClelland. “We as anglers can’t control the bite but the weather can.”
McClelland is following the wind in determining where he will begin, just like Hackney.
“Here during practice I chose to fish the windblown bite because it’s been such a factor,” explained McClelland.
Practice began with McClelland fishing the eastern shore during a westerly wind. Baitfish pushed to that side of the lake was the reason. The shifting winds leave open the option to chose which area is best.
McClelland will be tuned into his favorite channel and make his decision based on which direction the wind blows on Friday.
Michael Iaconelli
Sometimes weather is upended by the food source unique to a lake in deciding the best place to begin. Such is the case for Michael Iaconelli at Lake Hartwell.
“This is a herring lake and on every single lake like it that I’ve ever fished those fish go into pockets and drains at night,” explained Iaconelli. “It’s a fact and my key influencer in where I will begin on Friday.”
Coincidentally, herring were factors in the wins of both previous Classic winners at Hartwell.
“I call it the weapon bite because it can be so lethal, so good for getting started off really well,” added Iaconelli.
“Just today I found four such places in the first couple hours and two of those are loaded,” he admitted.
Hank Cherry
Is the process of deciding where to begin a science, just like pattern fishing? The answer in most cases is yes. For Hank Cherry the answer is no.
“I never decide ahead of time,” he said. “I normally start somewhere that I haven’t fished so my expectations aren’t crushed if I don’t catch anything on my first spot.”
Getting the juices flowing is his no pressure, limber-up way of starting the day. Sometimes that has paid off with Cherry catching bass where he never intended to be. And as a result, he gained a new pattern that produced well enough to be part of his game plan.