2018 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 2: Mid-Morning Report.

Change is good for leaders

By Luigi De Rose

Evers working a typical Grand Lake Pre-spawn pattern.
(Photo: BASS)

Sometimes you get what you wished for. That is the case for many of the top anglers in the 2018 Bassmaster Classic on Day 2 who prayed for an overcast morning but it doesn’t seem to have helped.  They wanted a darker, misty morning to prolong the bite unfortunately, it has hindered the fish catches instead of accelerated it.  The deep-water spotted bass have been smaller than yesterday and many of the anglers do not have a 5-bass limit as of 10:45am. 

One key pattern has emerged over the last day and a half; capitalizing on largemouth moving shallow. Even though Lake Hartwell is spotted bass heaven, big largemouth are critical to winning any spring tournament.

Largemouth are making a move toward the back of pockets, coves and flat banks to start the spawning ritual. Christie, Evers, Elam, DeFoe and a few others are fishing grass, rocks, wood but the docks seem to be the best at holding the larger females. Largemouth will migrate to the truly shallow water if the conditions change, and they’re changing. The corners and especially the back corners, closest to the bank are the best. Much of the Top 10 caught their larger bass yesterday after 11am as it became warmer. If it continues to warm up, anglers on this pattern will be waiting for them.

The vibrating jig, jigs and even spinnerbaits are key baits today and yesterday to the largest bass being caught. If it gets super sunny, rising the water temperature, it might produce a strong bite that could launch an angler back in the Top 15 into the lead just like what happened to Jordan Lee when he won the 2016 Classic on Lake Conroe.

Top 10

1. Edwin Evers  32-3
2. Jason Christie 29-12
3. Jordan Lee 29-6
4. James Elam 29-05
5. Jacob Wheeler 27-13
6. Brent Ehrler 27-12
7. Casey Ashley 24-0
8. Jacob Powroznik 23-14
9. Aaron Martens 23-8
10. Dustin Connell 23-9

Aaron Martens Wins BASS Elite Lake Havasu Tournament with 68-09lbs!

With 13 Second Place Finishes Martens Finally Wins. 

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – Aaron Martens heard the chuckles from the crowd when he explained the primary pattern he used during the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Havasu presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels.

But as crazy as it sounded, he was serious.

Martens made a short run up the Colorado River each day and fished thick patches of shoreline vegetation where big largemouth bass were feeding on blackbirds. Flipping a bait designed to mimic their prey, he caught enough bass the first three days to enter Sunday’s championship round in fourth place.

Then during the championship round, he caught five bass that weighed 19-5 and took home the $100,000 first-place prize with a four-day total of 68-9.

Winning on Mother's Day overcame series of second places.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

He used a drop-shot rig some during the week, too. But after the final weigh-in, the buzz was about the birds.

“I do that all the time,” said Martens, who earned the victory on Mother’s Day with his own mother, Carol, in the crowd. “I don’t know why people don’t believe me when I say it. The birds fall out of the nest, and the bass eat them. Birds are definitely part of their diet.”

Martens used a 1/2- or 3/4-ounce weight and a 4/0 Heavy-Cover Gamakatsu hook rigged with a green pumpkin punch skirt and one of two plastic trailers. His choice of trailer was determined by which weight he was using – it was a large Rage Craw for the 1/2-ounce rig and a Speed Craw for the 3/4-ounce setup.

He paid special attention to areas where lots of blackbirds were nesting.

“I probably shouldn’t even be talking about it, because I’ve known about it for 25 years,” said Martens, who said several fish spit up black feathers in his livewell during the tournament. “I’ve caught them in California and had them spit up full-grown blackbirds.