COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina angler Casey Ashley summed it best as he came across the stage late in the Day One weigh-in of the Carolina Clash presented by Evan Williams.
"Nobody's fishing alone," said Ashley, who sits in 34th place with 13 pounds, 5 ounces. "There's about 50 good points out here and we've got about 100 guys constantly running them."
Matt Sphar, who is in third with 18-4, was one of the last anglers to leave Thursday morning and, after his first four points were taken, he just waited around for one to open up."I watched them leave, and I just pulled in right behind them," he said.Sphar and leader Grant Goldbeck, who was the only angler to break 20 pounds on Day One (20-4), said they both tried doing something a little different to give the bass a new look.
Sphar said he was finesse fishing while everyone else was power fishing. He caught an early limit on one spot with a worm, but he's nervous the big fish will start reacting to the power baits on Day Two.
"But if they start biting like that, I'll just use a bigger worm," he said. "I think my pattern should hold up."Goldbeck wasn't interested in talking about his tweak to the chase, but he did admit — like everyone else — that he's keying in on Lake Murray's baitfish, the blueback herring.
Visit Bassmaster.com for full coverage of the Elite Series Carolina Clash, May 15–18, 2008. Thursday through Saturday, daily weigh-ins with live streaming video and real-time leaderboards start at 3:00 p.m. ET. On Sunday, "Hooked Up" will air at noon and 2:45 p.m. ET, with the final weigh-in and live streaming video to start at 3:15 p.m. ET.