Hartwell Fishing Great

Jason Christie brought 20 pounds, 14 ounces of Lake Hartwell bass to the scales to take the lead on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Classic. Bassmaster photo by Seigo Siato.

A very simple conclusion after one day of competition at the Bassmaster Classic is that Lake Hartwell is in good condition and producing well. The top of the board certainly shows that, with Jason Christie's 20-pound, 14 ounce sack and seven 16-pound-plus limits. Looking farther down, 32 anglers from a field of 52 weighed at least 12 1/2 pounds of bass, which is a solid 2 1/2-pound average for a five-fish limit, and 51 of 52 anglers brought a limit to the scales.

That shouldn't be a surprise, I suppose. The lake is fairly full, which hasn't been the case very often for the past couple of years, newly flooded grass is providing a lot of shallow cover along the edges, the fish are in a solid pre-spawn mode, and the weather has been warm and fairly stable. All very good things.

I will be interesting to see how things change as leaders have to contend with increasing numbers of spectator boats and anglers fishing "spots" or fairly small areas continue to target the same fish. One interesting thing this morning is that yesterday's leaders were among the first to fill their limits, so it really seems they are on to some specific things that the others might not be seeing.

We''ll keep watching!

10 Years?!

Alton Jones at Falcon Lake in Texas, a couple of months prior to winning the 2008 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell.

Ten years. Could it have really have been that long? I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that it has been a decade since I stood close to the stage and watched Alton Jones hoist the Bassmaster Classic trophy. It's the only time I've had to wipe away tears during a tournament weigh-in. Just thinking about it almost has the same effect.

The winning moment is always special because it's such a life-changing event for a professional angler and a culmination of lifelong dreams, but '08 was different for me because Alton is a good friend. We first met at writer's event two decades ago. He and I were the only pro/writer pair to go out on an absolute duck hunters' sort of a January day at the end of the event, and we've shared many days on the water since that day. He was among the first to call and pray with me over the phone when I had a 6-month-old in ICU at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and he is someone I know I could count on in any situation.

Alton had actually predicted his '08 win. He'd said it in a jesting tone, speaking to me and Bassmaster Senior Writer Steve Price as we enjoyed an epic YUM Dinger bite on Texas' Falcon Lake a couple of months prior to the '08 Classic. I knew he really believed it, though, and I trusted his confidence. Enough so that my own confidence in him soared as the tournament unfolded.

Alton missed qualifying for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell, and everyone who spends any time around the sport knows how difficult that was for him. He is back this year, and you know he is mighty eager to get things started tomorrow morning. While I can't believe it has been 10 years since he held up that champion's trophy, I'm guessing it feels more like 20 years to him!

Watch Micah Frazier in Hartwell Classic

I read with interest Bassmaster.com's article that put odds on each Bassmaster Classic competitor's chances of winning this year's world championship (read for yourself). It was well put together, and for the most part, I agreed with the general placement of anglers. We all have our opinions, though, and the one place I disagree with the odds-making crew is in the placement of Elite Series pro Micah Frazier.

Frazier was dubbed a "longshot" -- the article's extreme outer circle -- and was one of only two Elite Series qualifiers in that category. I understand that Frazier lacks the pedigree of many in the field and wouldn't earn the shortest of odds, but to me he has too much in his favor in this Classic to be given such extreme long odds.

For starters, he's no novice. Although he's still quite young, Frazier is in his fourth year fishing the Elites, following a five-year pro stint with FLW, and he finished 31st in this year's AOY points race. He's used to the road, tournament prep, strategizing and the big stage. This will also be his second Bassmaster Classic.

Frazier is also from Newnan, Georgia, which is just south of Atlanta. When folks talk about home state anglers at Hartwell the conversation is always about South Carolina, which hosts Classic events. The lake is half in Georgia, though, so Georgia anglers are just as much home-state anglers as are South Carolina anglers. Hartwell is by no means home water for Frazier, but you don't pave your way into the tournament bass world from a Middle Georgia home without logging some time on the Savannah River lakes.

Newnan has highland lakes to the north and flatland lakes to the South, so Frazier grew up fishing a lot of variety, and one of his main lakes, experience wise, is Lake Lanier. And while Lanier is truly a unique animal, it has some undeniable common traits with Hartwell, with its deep clear main body and more fertile river arms, largemouth/spotted bass mix and a blueback herring heavy forage base.

And one final thing that makes me see Frazier much more as a dark horse to watch than complete longshot. He finished second on an FLW Tour event on Hartwell, and it was held in mid-March!

Classic Warm-Up

The Anderson, S.C. forecast calls for a high of 70 degrees on Friday, the first morning of the 2018 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell. That's quite a contrast from the most recent Hartwell Classic, three years ago, when the first morning's takeoff had to be delayed because boats were frozen to trailers. It was the coldest takeoff in Bassmaster Classic history, and while temps moderated through the weekend, the entire event had a definite winter feel.

It's chilly this morning in North Georgia and the South Carolina Upcountry (Hartwell straddles the border), with temps hanging right around freezing. However, it's supposed to be sunny with highs in the mid-50s today and tomorrow, 60s on Thursday and warmer still on Friday. Typical of early spring, it'll be a bit of a yo-yo, with forecast highs of 70, 54 and 67 for the three competition days (Friday through Sunday) and a mix conditions to include wind, calm, sunshine, clouds and probably some rain.

The important thing is that the trend is toward warmth, and given the amount of mild weather the region has already had this year, the Classic should fish as a spring event, much more so than a late-winter event, with shallow fish and aggressive patterns potentially coming into play. The water is also notably higher than during past Hartwell Classics, which means more cover is available to fish moving shallow.

The anglers have gotten to practice, so they have an idea what is happening and how fish are likely to respond to this week's weather. I'm pretty eager to see how it all unfolds!

The Ice Edge Pattern

Given yesterday's low of 9, a current temperature of 18 and more of the same forecast for the rest of this week, I can't help thinking back on a crazy cold day of fishing in the South Carolina Upcountry and wondering if the "ice edge" pattern has developed on any local streams.

It was a little less than the three years ago on the same morning that the Bassmaster Classic launch was delayed on Lake Hartwell because boats were frozen to trailers, and I was fishing the delayed harvest section of Chauga River with Bruce Stanton, who was visiting from Arkansas for some Classic-related business.

We both saw more ice than we'd ever before seen on a trout stream in the Deep South on that day, and that ice actually turned out to be the key to the day's pattern. Over time, Bruce and I figured out that the trout were sitting under the edge of the ice, right on the bottom, and feeding in the adjacent current. Once we solved the pattern, we did surprisingly well that day by casting Watsit Grubs and Fuzz-E Grubs upstream and close to the ice and drifting or hopping them along the bottom, parallel to the edge of the ice. The water was clear enough that we saw several trout come out from under the ice to grab out lures.

One added challenge that day was keeping ice off our lures. I've often dealt with ice in rod eyes and even on reels, but the air was cold enough that lures were icing up between casts, especially if we moved a bit between casts. The ice hampered the appearance and action of our lures, but even more importantly, it sometimes covered hooking points! I'm almost certain that both of us missed a couple of fish that day because of iced over hooking points.

I am admittedly curious what kinds of ice lines have formed on local streams this week and whether fish are using them, but I might not be quite curious enough to go find out first hand. Next week I supposed to be warmer!

Classic Action Begins This Morning

Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

Hardly a newsflash that the Bassmaster Classic begins this morning, I know. If you're a bass fishing fan at all, your social media news feeds are likely full of posts from outdoor media sorts, companies and anglers who are in Tulsa right, and that might even include posts from Classic competitors, who are only a few hours from blasting off on day one!

I mention the Classic not in an attempt to deliver news but simply because it's on my mind this morning. I often attend the Classic in some media capacity, and if I was in Tulsa I'd likely be getting ready to drive out to the launch or even on the way. Many of my friends are there this week, either covering the event for some media outlet or working the show for some company. I've been in the boat with about 40 percent of the competitors at some point, so that familiarity certainly adds interest.

I'm content to not be there. Tulsa is a long ways from here, and I travel plenty. Also, while I certainly am a fan of professional bass fishing and enjoy being in the middle of a big event, given the choice, I'd rather spend my days away from home fishing than covering tournaments. Nevertheless, there are aspects I miss, and you can be that I'll be peeking at blogs and will track the results, and while I'll be driving to Florida on Sunday, I may end ups stopping somewhere with internet along the way to watch the final weigh-in on the computer.

If you want to track the action, visit bassmaster.com and you'll find a host of options for following everything going on. Or you could make a last-minute call and drive to Tulsa this weekend!

Carolina Favorite Prevails Again

Casey Ashley, 2015Bassmaster Classic Champion

Yesterday seemed familiar. As local favorite Casey Ashley hoisted the 2015 Bassmaster Classic trophy, I couldn't help but think about a similar scene, seven months ago, when Anthony Gagliardi won the Forrest Wood Cup on his home waters of Lake Murray. The sport's two championship events, both held on South Carolina waters, were both won not only by in-state anglers but by legitimate local anglers.

If you follow pro bass fishing at all, you already know all about Ashley's win, and you likely know the details of his pattern and quite a bit about his road to victory. Having gotten to watch it unfold and to be close to all that was happening, though, I have to offer a few impressions.

One of the coolest aspects, in my mind, is the fact that Ashley's preparation for this event has been going on since 2008. In a way it goes back even further, because he has fished tournaments with his dad since he was 8 years old and he can't even remember the first time he ever fished Lake Hartwell. However, in 2008, when the Bassmaster Classic was first held on Lake Hartwell, Ashley took note of the event's enormous success and became convinced it would return to Hartwell at some point. Since that time, he has been a student of the lake, and he was quick to point out that he's learned an enormous amount about it from many top local anglers over the past several years.

Ashley also talked about learning so much from his dad, who began handing over boat control and decisions for team tournaments when Ashley was in his early teens and who would question decisions to force Ashley to think about them and to learn. Ashley's dad also put also put together the locally popular spinner heads Ashley used to win the Classic.

I also enjoyed seeing Ashley's calm confidence and his patience in answering the same questions again and again throughout the tournament. It seemed everyone wanted him to feel the weight of being the local favorite, but he didn't allow that. He wanted to win and did all he could to prepare himself to win, but he never accepted the weighty notion that he was supposed to win. He said that it was only after he put his boat on the trailer on day three, when everything was taken out of his hands, that he got nervous.

Going back to those similarities with Anthony Gagliardi, Casey Ashley will be an outstanding champion who will represent the sport exceptionally well.

Upcountry Embraces Classic

I'm no more a fan of sitting in a traffic line waiting to park than is anyone else. That said, I like what it tells me about bass fishing fans in the South Carolina Upcountry, and it illustrates one of the reasons the Bassmaster Classic was back to Greenville and Lake Hartwell this year. I got within a mile of the TD Convention Center about five minutes before the expo was supposed to begin this morning, and traffic was lined onto the road. Some lots were already filled and others were filling quickly. By the time I got in the expo, at a little after 10:00 a.m., it looked like the show had been going full stream for half a day, with every aisle packed and all the booths hopping.

Every industry friend I've spoken with in the expo has been thrilled by the crowds. And not just by numbers. The South Carolina Upcountry crowd visits booths to talk fishing, check out stuff and buy stuff. They are fishermen and fishing fans.

In 2008, the only other time the Classic has been in this area, the Expo was similarly full (in fact, I'm pretty sure the fire marshal had to close entry for a while on Saturday), and the crowd excitement in the arena was some of the best I've witnessed at a Classic. I expect the same level of tonight. In fact, it might be more, with South Carolina's own Casey Ashley in legitimate contention. If he wins, they'll blow the roof off the place!

5 Who Should Win

It ought to be fun tomorrow.

With one day remaining in the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, the top five anglers in the standings are separated by less than 2 pounds. Making things even more interesting, every angler in the top 5 is someone who you could say "should win" and make an excellent case for that assertion.

Leader Takahiro Omori is a past Classic champion, and his 2004 Classic victory came in the Carolinas (Lake Wylie, which straddles the NC/SC border). He likes to crank shallow, so the warmer temps and rain in tomorrow's forecast seem like they should play into his hand.

Dean Rojas, only 2 ounces back, hasn't won a Classic, but he has four B.A.S.S. wins and has proven repeatedly that he can get it done. He brought in a huge bag on day one and backed it with a limit today, but failed to get the same quality. Interestingly, his best previous Classic was fourth place in 2004 at Lake Wylie.

Mike Iaconelli has eight B.AS.S. wins, including victory in the 2003 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta, and when he's on something, he is tough to stop. He's brought in two good bags, with toady's a little larger than yesterday's.

Randy Howell is the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion, so the sweet taste of victory is fresh, and of the three former Classic champs in the top five, he's the only one who won a February event. And apparently some live footage of him fishing shows that he's spending at least part of the time cranking bridges, which was how he won last year at Lake Guntersville.

Rounding out the Top 5 is Casey Ashley of Donalds, South Carolina, which is only about 1/2 hour from Lake Hartwell. Ashley was virtually everyone's pick going into the event, so it would be hard to discount him when he's less then two pounds out going into the final day.

Making things even more exciting, the super close weights don't end with the fifth spot. Bret Hite is only 7 ounces behind Ashley, and Coby Carden is only 7 ounces behind Hite. In fact, Skeet Reece, who is in 10th place, is only 4 1/2 pounds off the lead.

So what does all that say? You'd better be watching tomorrow when they bring the fish to the scales because pretty much anything could happen!

Changed Weigh-In Dynamic

Tournament weigh-ins have changed dramatically in character over the past several years. Between fans and media Tweeting and posting on-water observations on social media, on-water tracking of estimated weights and now even live cameras on some anglers during the day, much of the story gets told before the weigh-in begins.

If you chose to pay attention and are watching the Day 2 weigh-in at the Bassmaster Classic, which is going on as I write this, you probably kind of know who caught them, and you may even know specific stories about big fish caught and big ones that go away.

The BASStrakk weights are estimates, so some anglers always have more or less than everyone expects, and many stories from the day don't get told till the anglers are onstage. I've also yet to see the winner known for sure going into the weigh-in of a Classic or a Forrest Wood Cup. Still total surprises are largely gone. That's not necessarily bad. The live element is fun to track. I could save the surprise, but I never do. I just find it kind of interesting how things continue to change.

The Classic's Local Flavor

Casey Ashley had a crowd around him almost constantly during
Media Day for the Bassmaster Classic.

"My sponsors love it," Casey Ashley said with his typical relaxed smile in answer to what he thought about having so much focus on him going into the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.



Casey Ashley

Ashley, one of two South Carolina anglers in the Classic field, is getting as much attention as the "favorite" to win the Classic as any angler I remember. Beyond living in Donalds, S.C., a half hour or so from the lake, Ashley showed his understanding of Hartwell bass about this time last year when he won an FLW Tour event on the lake with a similarly cold snap that had a lot of pros baffled.

Ashley, of course, discounts the hype. "You can't predict who is going to win a fishing tournament."

He doesn't deny that he knows the lake very well and that his chances of figuring out the right things are as good as anyone's He's fished tournaments in South Carolina since he was 10 years old, and he can't even remember the first time he fished Lake Hartwell. He's also paid extra close attention to Hartwell since 2008, the first time the Classic was held on this big impoundment of the Savannah River. That Classic was so well received that he was certain it would be back.

Ashley's contention is simply that fish are still fish.

"Any of these guys would tell you that you can't make the fish bite. If you're not in the right place or doing the right thing, it doesn't matter how much you know.

Andy Montgomery

Andy Montgomery, the other South Carolina pro in the field, has been able to fly a least a little under Blacksburg is a couple of hours away, and he considers Lake Wylie his home waters. Montgomery hasn't spent an enormous amount of time fishing Hartwell over the years, but he still knows the lake and South Carolina bass very well, and he believes he is well prepared for the competition, which begins tomorrow.
the radar. His hometown of

Ironically, Montgomery when to school at Clemson, which looks over Lake Hartwell, but he spent most of his play days fishing nearby Lake Keowee while he was in school. "Now I kind of wishh I'd spent more time fishing Lake Hartwell," he laughed.

Montgomery is thrilled about the opportunity to compete in the Classic on Lake Hartwell. He's also excited to help represent his home state of South Carolina.

Montgomery expects Hartwell to impress a lot of people, despite the doom and gloom talk related to the cold. He anticipates seeing a lot of big spotted bass and largemouths brought to the scales.

Ashley agrees. "Hartwell is a great lake, and it is the best it has been for a long time. It offers so much. You can fish deep in clear water or shallow in dirty water. I'm guessing there will be at least four completely different patterns in the top 10."

Classic Weather Coaster

B.A.S.S. photo by Seigo Saito.

Nothing brings on wacky weather quite like Bassmaster Classic week. After a winter with minimal cold weather and more than a few days in the 60s, this week suddenly turned cold in the area around Lake Hartwell. Competitors donned the layers during practice and tried to figure out how the fish would adjust as early daffodils got covered with snow. With an up-and-down forecast that features more downs than ups and an outlook that probably will change again in the next few days, that's a very good question. The forecast includes single-digit lows between now and Friday, when the competition begins, and a mix of rain and frozen precipitation.

Every angler faces the same conditions, but for Casey Ashley of Donalds, South Carolina and other anglers who feel like they understand the way Lake Hartwell's bass will react to tough conditions, a bad forecast is good news. Warm stable weather and active bass all over the banks sort of make it anyone's game and probably add a bigger element of chance. Tough conditions tend to favor local knowledge.

In another few days we'll all begin learning how the fish have moved and exactly which anglers have figured out those moves. Watch here for plenty of updates.

A Splendid Champion

2014 Bassmaster Classic champion Randy Howell. B.A.S.S.
photo by James Overstreet.

Fishing plans pulled me from the Bassmaster Classic soon after the final press conference and carried me out of phone and Internet range for two days. I returned to a backload of work and no immediate opportunity to report Classic perceptions. In truth, I know folks don't (and shouldn't) turn to here for the most timely and complete news coverage. BASS, FLW and other sites do that well. Still, to fail to convey any impressions somehow would leave me feeling like I hadn't completed the blogging part of my mission at the Classic.

You've likely read about Randy Howell's lures, including the Livingston Lures prototype crankbait he tied on for the first time on the final day of the Classic, and about his last-minute decision to turn his boat around and switch starting spots on the final day. All great stuff.

The things that impressed the most, though, were Randy's honest and unfiltered emotions, his clear testimony about God's love and direction; his obvious desire to give God all the glory; the shared joy of everyone in the crowd about the huge group from King's Home that Randy had arranged special seating for and that all got to see the Bassmaster Classic won by the angler who works hard to raise money and awareness for them; and of course the unified delight of the entire Howell family.

As a fellow homeschool dad, I enjoy seeing the dynamics of families who travel together, sharing experiences and learning on the road. It was fun learning of his son's Sunday School prayer request for "Dad to win the Bassmaster Classic" and for his wife's encouraging idea of hanging that prayer request on the bathroom mirror, so Randy would see it every day -- and her foresight to have someone retrieve that piece of paper from their home on the final day and bring it to the weigh-in.

I haven't had the opportunity to work with Randy Howell, but I've always been impressed by the way he comes across on stage and the personal way that he interacts with fans through social media outlets. I'm seeing that this week, more than ever, from the new Bassmaster Classic champion, and I am convinced that B.A.S.S. has gained a splendid champion.

First Piece of History

Right after Paul Mueller weighed his tremendous second day limit of 32 pounds, 3 ounces, Ken Duke announced to press in the Media Room that we'd just witnessed the Bassmaster Classic single-day record for the five-fish era. Making Mueller's catch even more amazing, it's only a pound or so shy of the all-time single-day record, which includes catches with a 10-pound limit.

Based on the firs two days' results, it's possible that the three-day record (five-fish era and all-time) could also fall before this Classic ends (which has been the speculation ever since Guntersville was announced as the site of this year's Classic). It's also possible that Mueller's brand new record could fall. I'll keep watching and will keep you posted.

Guntersville: A Fishing Town, A Fishing Lake

Apparently, Guntersville schools took an in-service day yesterday. Administrators knew that everyone (including themselves) would want to be at the Bassmaster Classic launch and then to follow the action through the day, so they called it a day off. They also used the local high school for remote parking and the school buses as shuttles. And the crowd that showed up to watch the launch at first light, which included the mayor of Guntersville, may have been a Day 1 record, from what I heard. I didn't make it out there this morning, but I'll be the crowd was even bigger!

Many lakes offer good bass fishing -- even great bass fishing -- but many are what I would consider recreational lakes that offer great fishing. I like Guntersville because it is a fishing lake first that also offers opportunities for other recreation. When folks think of Lake Guntersville, they think about fishing, and fishing also forms the center of the culture in the town of Guntersville.

Right now, there are signs on business all over town, saying, "Welcome Fishermen," "Welcome BASS," "Welcome to the Bassmaster Classic" and such. You'd think with an event of such magnitude, you'd always see that, but you don't. Guntersville folks are fishermen, and they appreciate the fishermen who visit their town and their lake, whether for the Bassmaster Classic or for a regular weekend fishing trip. I've sensed the same welcome from the folks around town and heard the same story from the anglers and other media.

Of course, when you look at the fish coming across the stage, you can see why Guntersville has developed as such a great fishing town. And most pros seem to think the best weights are yet to come. I'm eager to see that, and for the moment, I'm just glad the Classic is being held at Lake Guntersville and that I'm here to enjoy it.

Awaiting the Weigh-in

Nathaniel and I visited with Ckassic contenders yesterday, watched them launch this morning and have been peeking at estimated weights on BassTrac. Now I'm in the arena, waiting for the first fish to be weighed. I'm eager to hear weights, but also eager to hear the stories about what happened on the stage.  I'll try to share the stories that I think you'd like to hear.

See You in Birmingham?

Bassmaster Classic competition begins Friday morning. Final practice day for the pros begins about now. If you're even sort of semi-close to Birmingham, Ala. and a fishing fan and have any room in your travel plans, it's not too late to plan a road trip. The Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo and the weigh-ins are free, and no tickets are involved, so you really can make a last-minute decision to make the trip. I don't know what the hotel situation is like at this point, but B'ham's a big enough metro area that I'm pretty sure you could still find something.

The Classic as a whole is a mighty cool event to attend, and this year's Guntersville venue promises some big bags and exciting weigh-ins. The Outdoors Expo, which goes on all three days (beginning mid-day on Friday) fills the conventions center with trucks, boats and booths filled with lures, rods, reels and more and all sorts of cool interactive stuff to do. Several companies always release new products for the first time at the Bassmaster Classic, and many of the expo booths offer special hands-on opportunities for young fishing fans.

Of course, if you can handle the super early wake-up and the hour and a half ride to the lake, morning take-offs are loaded with excitement and really fun to watch. Be sure to arrive really early. Parking is off-site, so you need time to catch a shuttle -- and it will get pretty crowded out there.

If you do plan to attend or are thinking hard about it, check out the attend page on bassmaster.com. Loads of valuable information about hours, locations, access, parking, opportunities and more.

If you can't make it in person, the bassmaster.com Classic Live Blog provides a really good flow of information from various venues and perspectives. Of course, if I don't see you in B'ham, I hope you'll also stay tuned right here and on my facebook fishing page and Twitter feed. I'm Alabama bound early tomorrow morning and will get to spend a few hours with the competitors, talking about expectations, strategies and more.

Anticipating Classic Adjustments

How will Guntersville bass adjust to major changes
in the weather? That question certainly weighs heavily
on the minds of Georgia's Patrick Bone and 54 other
Bassmaster Classic competitors.

Bassmaster Classic competitors are off the water today and tomorrow, but you can bet their minds are on the lake and its famous bass. Specifically, most are probably trying to anticipate adjustments they'll need to make based on the big warming trend that's occurring right now and the slight moderation that will take place around game time.

Friday, the first day of practice, was seriously cold, and the general word I heard suggested that while some big bass were caught, the bite was somewhat tough. Saturday was a bit warmer. Yesterday warmed way up, and the fish got more active. The next few days will bring some of the warmest temperatures of this year, with a peak high of 68 on Wednesday. Tournament highs are forecast to be in the low 60s and high 50s with a slight cooling trend through the weekend.

All that amounts to a pretty major shift from one of the coldest winters on record, and consequently fish positioning and behavior are likely to change substantially from what the pros have found already. Wednesday's short practice day will be critical for making adjustments, gauging the effectiveness of those adjustments and creating a tournament plan. Fish found over the weekend might still win the Classic, but they most likely won't be in the same places or eating the same lures next weekend they were a week earlier.

For now, all the pros can do is ponder all this stuff, and all we can do as fans is wait to see who makes the right adjustments.

Guntersville Classic Warm-Up?

You can trust that 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion Alton
 Jones is prepared for whatever the weather delivers for this year's
Classic, which begins one week from today.

32 Degrees.

That's the current temperature at Guntersville, Ala., with the first day of Bassmaster Classic pre-practice only hours away. It's supposed to rain later today, adding snow-melt to already cold water, and then drop into the mid-20s overnight.

The immediate forecast and the conditions the pros will find today and tomorrow line up well with this winter, which has been among the coldest most folks in the South can remember and has brought a couple of major snow and ice storms. Looking at the rest of the week, though, a substantial warm-up is supposedly on the way. Forecast highs Saturday, Sunday and Monday are 41, 54 and 63 respectively, with a peak high of 70 and a low of 53 on Thursday, the day before the Bassmaster Classic begins. The current forecast calls for highs in the 60s all three competition days.

So is that good because a warm-up opens more option for patterns and should trigger a better bite, or is it bad because what the pros find today may have little in common with what is happening a week from now, when the competition begins? I suppose the answer would vary considerably from one pro to the next. And I don't suppose good or bad really matters. The pros simply have to figure out what to do with the conditions they are served.

Of course, the week's forecast and the weather that actually occurs aren't always one in the same. Neither big snowfall was in most local forecasts more than a couple of days out and outlooks change in a hurry this time of year. We'll just have to keep watching!

Back to Back Classics for Lee Brothers

Matt and Jordan Lee. B.A.S.S. photo by Seigo Saito.

In truth, I probably can't add much that hasn't already been said about Jordan Lee once again making it all the way to the Carhartt College Series Bassmaster Classic Bracket finals and this time winning it. Still, I wanted to offer my congratulations and a few thoughts.

A year ago brothers, teammates and lifelong fishing buddies Matt and Jordan Lee stood side by side on a weigh-in stage in Arkansas, knowing that one would fulfill the dream of competing in the Bassmaster Classic and the other would not. Matt, the older of the two brothers won the Classic bid. Yesterday in Muskegon, Michigan, Jordan stepped up to the same situation, this time standing beside his longtime best friend and another Auburn teammate, Shane Powell, again as the last two standing with a Classic bid on the line. This time Jordan prevailed, and soon after brother Matt joined him on stage to congratulate him and hand over his keys to represent the Auburn University wrapped Toyota Tacoma and  Yamaha 250-powered Skeeter FX20 bass boat that Jordan will drive and fish from for the next year.

It's kind of hard for me to wrap my mind about just what an accomplishment it was for Jordan to make his way all the way back to the bracket finals and win, but a couple of things mentioned on stage yesterday add some perspective. The Auburn fishing team was one of 143 programs in the Carhartt College Series last season, and Jordan was one of more than 600 anglers on those teams.

After a full season of fishing and the series championship on Lake Chatuge, only members of the top four teams from the championship made the Classic Bracket. Those anglers fished head to head in a bracket-style competition, with eight fishing on Friday, four on Saturday and the two that remained on Sunday. For the past two years, the final two standing have been Jordan Lee and an Auburn teammate.

Mighty impressive.

Making the opportunity to fish the Bassmaster Classic even more exciting for Jordan -- if that's possible -- it will be held on Alabama's Lake Guntersville, which is where he and Matt have learned the most about bass fishing and the lake  they consider "home waters."

Jordan said that his primary bait yesterday was a BOOYAH spinnerbait. On Day 1, he brought in the tournament's biggest catch and caught most of his fish on a BOOYAH Poppin' Pad Crasher. He caught the bulk of his fish around docks.