2018 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 1: Mid-Morning Report.

Morning blitz shorter than expected

By Luigi De Rose

Elam fishing almost by himself in a creek and in the lead.
(Photo: BASS)

Anglers are using a variety of techniques on the first morning of the 2018 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell. Many tried for the herring bite in the low light of the early morning but few really hammered the magnum spotted bass. 

A few to watch are: Edwin Evers, James Elam, Kevin Van Dam and Ike.

Evers

Evers caught bass after bass about an hour ago and jumped up the leader board. It is speculated that he caught several limits all from one place without moving. Not just one location but one spot with his poles down. 

Elam 

Is way up a creek and fishing for largemouths and doing well. If the weather continues to warm up, the worry for many spotted bass anglers is that the largemouth might becoming shallower and more likely to bite. Locals will tell you the spots are the real player but a few big largemouth go a very long way. 

KVD

He is deep cranking and catching big largemouth. He is working on larger bass than numbers of bass. He is fishing the mid-to-lower section of the lake which is historically a very good place to fish. It is better know for spotted bass but if KVD can catch big green bass with several good spots he will be a killer. 

IKE

He has a cove loaded with spotted bass. He did well in the morning and got a good limit quickly. Now he is targeting brush and specific spots and catching individual bass but they are fairly large.   

2013 Top Bass Classic Pre-tournament Report and Interviews

By Luigi De Rose

Gerard Cocks and Jarrod Dean hope to add another
Classic Win to their name.
(Photo: Lures and Tours)

Rice Lake, Bewdley, Ontario, will be host to the Top Bass Classic. Seventy-five of the best will fight on September 7 and 8 to claim the Classic crown. This year, Top Bass was the hottest ticket in town and had larger than average fields. Culling through so many anglers, only the top will be able to fish for cash and prizes this weekend.

Rice Lake holds historical significance with so many tournament circuits and anglers. Part of the famed Trent Severn system, Rice Lake has a bounty of structure and cover appealing to all anglers. Home to potbellied smallmouth and largemouth, this lake allows anglers to play to their strengths. September can be fickle. Cool nights mixed with hot, humid afternoons can be tricky for anglers to juggle.

With heaps of trophies and several Classic wins to their name, the team of Gerard Cocks and Jarrod Dean make IBASSIN's list as a potential Classic winners. Currently, they dominated as Team of the Year with an approximate 37-pound lead but Rice Lake has not been overly kind to them in 2013. Regardless, this team knows Rice Lake intimately.   

IBASSIN: How has your practice been going?

Cocks: It has been OK. I'm worried about the cold front that came through on Thursday. We have a lot more fishing to do before we can make any serious decisions.

Dean: This year we have not done well. No big bags for us!

IBASSIN:  What is your biggest tournament bag here?

Dean: My best was 24.90lb but that was some time ago.

IBASSIN:  So, will smallmouth or largemouth be the key?

Dean: Definitely, smallmouth will win this Classic. Time of year and the lack of weed in large sections of the lake make it difficult to dominate with largemouth. Gerard is unconvinced that largemouth will not play a key role in victory. He feels a few key largemouth will vault them to victory.

IBASSIN:  Will the rivers play any part in producing a winning creel?

Dean: I doubt it. The rivers have not done much for us in years. The main lake is where we will focus our efforts.

IBASSIN:  Winning baits?

Dean:  Tube, jerkbait and jigs. The jerkbait has not been great for me this year but it works. A lot of good bass will come on it.

Spiro is after two titles this year
AOY & the Classic

Spiro Agouros, Peterborough, Ontario, is another heavy hitter.  With over 20 years experience plus several years as a co-angler on the FLW circuit in the States, Spiro is well groomed. The 2011 Top Bass Angler of the Year will be fishing with Peter Worosz and hoping to capture another Angler of the Year Title plus the Classic.

IBASSIN: How will the cold front affect the bass?

Agouros: The weather is going to be a big factor. Water temp was 76 F last weekend and I figure it will fall to about 67 F by Sunday. This might kill the shallow water largemouth bite. But, it is not cold enough to group up the smallmouth.

There has been some good largemouth deep if you can find the correct weed. The guys who are good dunkers (off-shore pitching) will do well like they always do.

IBASSIN: Smallmouth or largemouth?

Agouros: I think it will be a mixed bag. A few good largemouth will be caught on Saturday but then taper off by Sunday.  Smallmouth should do well and be more consistent.

IBASSIN: Winning Weight?

Agouros: 38lb or 39lbs. This is lower than past years but the whole year (weather wise) has been this way. The weather patterns don’t last more than a few days and the fishing has been up and down. Some one will have a 20lb bag and then follow up with a day 2 catch of 18 or 19lbs.

The Goo Bug from Trigger-X should be Spiro's ace. 

IBASSIN: Will the rivers play a role?

Agouros: Yeah, the rivers will be good. I find there are more smallmouth in the river than usual. It isn’t cold enough for schools of smallmouth to pack up but there are a lot of scattered bass out there. If the river current is moving, the smallmouth bite should get better. One thing I noticed this year is that the largemouth size is smaller than past years. Not as many big largemouth in the river this year or even last year as in the past.

IBASSIN: 3 Top Lures

Agouros: The three best should be:

Jerkbaits

Flipping Jig

Texas Rig soft plastic like a Trigger X Goo Bug.

There you have it from three-esteemed anglers who know Rice Lake well enough to be hoisting the Classic Crown over their heads Sunday afternoon.

Come back for daily reports and the Classic Champion interview.

2012 Classic Champions Report: How Garnier and Lafleur Won it. PART 2

This is the continuation of the 2012 CSFL Classic.

Rob Lafleur and Pete Garnier proudly display their Day 3 catch!

Day 2

Horrific wind, rain and lighting greeted the anglers at dawn. After weather delayed the launch, Rob and Pete bee lined it to their best spot.  Surprisingly the bait remained locked on the spot and no competition boats from Friday pestered them. Immediately, Rob connected with smallmouth in the 3 pound class.

Being a team tournament, the focus is to do what’s best for the team. Pete explained how they worked co-operatively to hammer out their best day of the Classic.

Pete explains, “The wind was up a bit but nothing to be too concerned about so I positioned the boat to allow Rob to pick apart the area. Rob went to town on them. I allowed the boat to slip in to try and get in on the action but the wind had picked up as the rain was intensifying. We chose to keep Rob in a position where he could fish comfortable rather than risk blowing(the boat)  in on it and spooking the baitfish. Rob locked up with another good fish which tipped the scales at 5.35, and after a short fist bump and mini-celebration we knew we had a shot at a good bag.”

Working together was essential. With winds close to 50kms throughout the morning and early afternoon; Rob and Pete worked a tag team approach that was critical to their success.  

“The swirling winds and gusts made reading the GPS difficult. Because I was controlling the boat it was easier for me to keep track of the sweet spots were and I help guide Rob by telling him which side of the boat to focus on.” Explains Garnier.

2012 Classic Champions Report: How Garnier and Lafleur Won it.

2012 CSFL Classic Champs!
Pete Garnier, Andy from CSFL and Rob LaFleur

The 2012 CSFL Classic is in the books. Pete Garnier and Rob Lefleur caught 53.35 pounds of smallmouth on famed Rice Lake to claim the championship. Battling for three days of competition is a culmination of a strong practice, team work, good decision making and maybe a little bit of luck. IBASSIN tracked down Pete and Rob to obtain the full story of their impressive win.

Well first of all, congratulations on the terrific win! Having been fishing for decades, a win of this calibre must be rewarding. “It’s a great feeling! Certainly something I am proud of and one I won’t soon forget. The onslaught of texts, emails, and phone calls has been really been humbling.” Reflects Pete. “Makes you feel like the years of hard work and determination have all been worthwhile for sure.”

Working through the entire week leading up to the tournament, Pete and Rob put in hours of pre-fishing. Rob had to miss the first few days but Pete spent it hunting for largemouth. The mindset was to wait for Rob to arrive before they targeted smallmouth.

“If you look back over the years, smallmouth bass have always played a significant role on Rice, maybe even more so in the last 10-years. In our minds, it is easier to catch four to six pound smallies on Rice than it is to largemouth.” Declares Rob and Pete.

Practice

Having a clear practice game plan, Pete focused his efforts on largemouths. “Typically at this time of year, Rice lake produces a phenomenal algae bloom which forms a thick 4” to 6” layer of “green-pea” looking slick on the surface. When this occurs largemouth and smallmouth can be had on fast moving horizontal baits like spinnerbaits and shallow running crankbaits. I totally anticipated to find these conditions and looked forward to that style of fishing and was shocked that the lake had not setup like that when I arrived on the Sunday prior to the tournament for my first day of practice.” Explains Garnier.

2012 Top Bass Classic Pre-Tournament Report and Interviews with Jarrod Dean, Gerard Cocks and Steve Hashimoto

The 2012 Top Bass Classic anglers are commencing for battle this weekend. The top 75 teams will try to out duel each for the victory on Balsam Lake. 

Balsam is a deep, clear lake situated in the heart of the Trent-Severn waterway. With the highest attitude, water flows from Balsam east and west, feeding the entire system. 

Anglers can expect a wide range of techniques to work. With health largemouth and smallmouth populations, anglers have many options. Typically, the shoreline is sandy with several coves having lush, marshy grass.  Overall, shoreline cover is minimal. Luxurious homes encompass most of the shoreline decreasing the ability to find suitable cover. Another negative is homeowners have a reputation of being overly vocal towards anglers fishing docks.  Many find the mid-depths more productive than beating the bank.

This lake is best known for it’s expansive weed beds in the 6 to 15 foot range.  A popular technique is pitching soft plastics or jigs into weed patches. It can be a painstaking process but rewarding if a sizeable school is located.

Smallmouth are always critical here.  Traditional techniques of drop shotting, topwaters and jerkbaits work well.   A bonus slab smallmouth will go a long way in any tournament on Balsam and if a school can be located, victory is almost a sure thing. 

IBASSIN tracked down two dominate teams for their inside knowledge and expertise on Balsam.

Jarrod Dean and Gerard Cocks

One of the most feared fishing duos ever; Jarrod and Gerard have countless titles and accolades. This team is the 2011 and 2010 Top Bass Classic Champions. Both are eager to make it three Classics in a row.

Past Classic Champs Gerard and Jarrod
Photos: Lures and Tours

Lake Conditions

“The wind just started to kick up (Thursday afternoon) and that should make it worse! It’s been a challenge.”  Lamented Jarrod. “We’ve been on the water since Tuesday and fishing has been up and down.”  Balsam Lake is very suited to this pair’s love for jig fishing.  Jarrod is owner of Punisher Jigs and masterfully ties jigs for most Ontario tournament anglers.  Even though they haven’t had the success here as they have had on other Kawartha Lakes, they are experts at addressing and adjusting to current fishing conditions.  “We have been fishing from 6” to 16 feet of water.” Laughs Jarrod. “The lake looks fine but it has been tough fishing.”

Strategy

“We are going after smallmouth and largemouth. I think you have to be competitive.” Advises Gerard Cocks. “We have been catching largemouth here and there but we did find a pod of smallmouth… they were all over 4 pounds.”

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 3 Mid Day Report

By Luigi De Rose

According to the stats on www.bassmaster.com it looks like fishing has been a bit slow. Saturday is a strange day on lakes that have water generation. Electricity demands from industry decrease so water movement through the turbines decreases. For anglers wishing for the current to jump start the bass activity, they might be out of luck. How many hours can you wait on a good spot waiting for it to turn on? Many leave with the hope of better fishing only to miss the peak activity on the place they just left. 

Tournament fishing is a game of decisions and this one is a dicey game.
Here are the unofficial stats from bass at 10am.

 

Place	Angler	Fish	Day Three	Total
1	Kevin VanDam	5	17-00	48-02
2	Ott Defoe	5	12-13	45-10
3	David Walker	3	7-03	42-06
4	Greg Hackney	4	7-04	41-09
5	Kelly Jordon	5	12-13	39-10
6	Timmy Horton	3	6-12	37-11
7	Skeet Reese	2	4-00	37-02
8	Randy Howell	5	9-14	35-13
9	Russ Lane	5	9-02	35-11
10	Keith Combs	4	8-08	34-06
11	Bradley Roy	2	1-06	34-01
12	Brent Chapman	5	9-06	34-00
13	Casey Ashley	5	9-11	33-13
14	Travis Manson	4	5-11	33-00
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