GREENVILLE, S.C. — Bass fishing’s next world champion will be determined after just two more days of fishing on Lake Hartwell. That leaves little room for error when the world’s 52 best bass anglers are competing for the same trophy at the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Flawless execution is rare in a sport with so many variables in play at once. Here are quotes from some of the anglers on what went really well, and how they plan to change on Saturday, when the field is cut to 25 anglers.
Jordan Lee (18-10, 3rd place)
“Today I got one big bite and that will be hard to duplicate here. Tomorrow the weather conditions are going to change everything. I planned my bite around that today and it worked. So tomorrow I will do something different and hope to build on that like I did today.”
Brent Ehrler (17-8, 4th place)
“I caught a big one late in the day that was a big deal for me. It helped me figure out some things for tomorrow. So all I need to do is fine tune some things and I should be in good shape.”
Ott DeFoe (16-8, 5th place)
“My morning was terrible so tomorrow I’m not going to start like that again. It was 11:30 before I caught a keeper and then I ended up catching 16 or 17 pounds.
I’m doing two separate things, in the morning and afternoon. When I ran out of morning spots it was easy to make the change. I quickly caught nine really good fish after I made the change. So tomorrow that’s how I’m going to start and adjust from there.”
James Elam (16-7, 6th place)
“I got settled in and started where I wanted to and got on some good fish early in the day. I ran around a lot and there were a few places I didn’t go today where I caught some in practice. I went to some of the other key areas, and some of the other guys caught good ones there. I just got there a little late. So I feel good about tomorrow.”
Jacob Wheeler (16-1, 7th place)
“Today was a good day, good enough that tomorrow I will narrow down the pattern. Here there are techniques and patterns where you can go catch 12 or 13 pounds, but that’s not going to win the Classic.
Yet those filler fish are very important. Those fish allow you to fish for the 5- or 6-pound bites. My whole game plan is catching a few better than average 2 3/4-pound fish and then go looking for the bigger fish. Normally when you are fishing for those big ones you aren’t getting many big bites.
This tournament is going to be a competition of consistency. You’re going to have to have 15-16 pounds a day for sure. For me tomorrow it’s going to be about starting off with a few filler fish and going for the bigger bites.”
Mark Daniels Jr. (15-14, 8th place; 6-11 big bass)
“Today was a good day. Late this afternoon I caught a really good quality bite that opened my eyes to something new. I hope to continue expanding on that tomorrow. It’s something completely different that I didn’t even do in practice, which makes it even better. It’s a good enough pattern that if it works then I’m gong to run some new water tomorrow.”
Matt Lee (14-1, 18th place)
“Overall I’m pleased with today. I targeted spotted bass and thought I was going to cull through a lot but didn’t have too. I actually got to spend more time on it than I thought. I was hoping after doing that for several hours then I’d have a shot at two or three big ones. With this kind of bite you are one or two away from either 12 or 17 pounds.
Tomorrow I’m going spotted bass fishing again. Once I can’t cull up quick I might go fish something completely different. I think you have to do that in this tournament, be willing to change and stay flexible.”
Michael Iaconelli (12-2, 34th place)
“Today my timing and rhythm were really off, so I need to get better at timing. I will switch the order and hit things at different times, move a little quicker, pick up the pace to cover more water.”
Bobby Lane (10-2, 48th place)
“Today really confused me and I do this for a living. I’ve been confused before, but today really threw me for a loop. I had on the quality fish, caught them in practice and know where they live. I even had on some today.
I fished some new and old water and the pattern didn’t click. Tomorrow I’m going to do the same thing, run some of the same water. I just know they are there and might just mix it up some. It’s just a matter of getting them to bite.”