Double Dose of Douglas

The PAA season opener began yesterday morning, and bright sunshine and warming water caused the lake to produce very well for many anglers. PAA photo.

East Tennessee's Douglas Lake is spending two weeks in the national tournament spotlight, hosting the the PAA season opener right now and a Bassmaster Southern Open next weekend. Quite a few pros will fish both events, so it will be interesting to see how much the two tournaments have in common in terms of the patterns that dominate and the names that top of the leaderboard.

One significant difference in rules that could affect that very question is that BASS does not allow multi-rigs such as an Alabama Rig, and those are apt to play a big role with the water still cold in a steep, clear lake. It's also spring, and conditions are changing quickly, so the fish are apt to be moving and changing behavior almost daily. The PAA pros practiced in snow and very cold temperatures, but yesterday was sunny and fairly warm and the next week or so is supposed to include highs ranging form the high 50s to the 70s.

Douglas produced well yesterday. Day 1 leader Timmy Horton brought an impressive 28.04 pounds to the scales, and Brian Snowden and Ott Defoe are close behind, each with 27 and change. The top 12 all weighed in more than 20 pounds on Day 1. Stories I read this morning suggest that the leaders are moving a lot, running patterns, not fishing key spots.

Douglas, which remains low from winter drawdowns, is a deep, clear lake with steep rocky banks that sits at the edge of the Smoky Mountains. It's water is fairly fertile for a mountain lake, and it supports a great bass population. Largemouths predominate, but a strong population of smallmouths make a heavy showing during the cooler months. That said, lake regulations only allow one smallmouth with an 18-inch minimum in a daily bass bag, so the smallies add kickers but cannot be primary targets.

Smaller Boat Brings Big Success to Steve Kennedy

Photo courtesy of the PAA

Forsaking fiberglass and the slick rides normally associated with professional bass fishing, Steve Kennedy chose his aluminum flatbottom to fish the final event of the Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series presented by Carrot Styx. That boat allowed him to snake his way to the extreme head of Neely Henry's Canoe Creek, where he spent all three days of the tournament.

Kennedy, who lives in Auburn, Alabama, only a couple of hours away, threw a variety of baits to coax enough fish from a fairly small area, with the bite growing tougher each day. His most productive lure on the final two days was an old floating Smithwick Rogue, a lure he's long liked to throw in creeks and small rivers during the dog days.

Kennedy's three-day total of 38.12 allowed him to survive a final-day charge by fellow Alabama pro Greg Vinson and to win the event by only a couple of ounces. Vinson brought 17.92 pounds to the scales on the final day by flipping in super shallow water.

South Carolina pro Todd Auten wrapped up the PAA Angler-of-the-Year title with a fourth place finish at Neely Henry.

Paul Marks Wins Lanier

Paul Marks of Cumming, GA took top honors in the PAA Tournament Series opener on Lake Lanier this weekend. Marks, who has a lot of history on Lake Lanier, used a Classic Lanier approach, fishing a Fish Head Spin matched with a Fluke, plus a Lucky Craft jerkbait, to catch suspended bass. Marks' three-day weight of 44.44 pounds was a little more than 2 pounds heavier than that of second place Derk Remitz.

Spring Roller Coaster for PAA Pros

Pro anglers from all over the nation are getting a big dose of Georgia spring and the ups and downs this season can bring as they take on the sprawling waters of Lake Lanier in the season opener of the PAA Tournament Series presented by Carrot Styx.

Until about a week ago, warm weather had prevailed in North Georgia. Lanier's waters had been warming, and its largemouth and spotted bass had been moving shallower -- all good thing for exciting fishing and big weights. A couple of fronts have changed everything, though, pushing a lot of fish back and causing them to either not feed or to bite tentatively.

Tales of lost-fish woes have abounded as the anglers have paraded to the scales for the first two days' weigh-ins. Another common theme has been constant change. Report after report has told of fish acting different every day throughout practice and the tournament, most likely in response to ongoing changes in weather conditions. Only the top 20 anglers are fishing today, and while the morning started cool, the sun is shining brightly and the day is warming quickly. That will mean more change, but this change might be good, with the fish probably moving up again and feeding more aggressively.

Most anglers either have been targeting pre-spawn spotted bass with jerkbaits and shaky-heads over points in the lake's main body or going way up the rivers and fishing for largemouths in more stained waters. That too is changing, though, as the stain from big rains a few days ago is settling out, leaving the rivers clearer.

One note of interest is that three of the top five anglers, leader Paul Marks, and Troy Morrow and Tom Mann, Jr. (fourth and fifth, respectively) are from North Georgia and are veterans on Lake Lanier. The second and third place spots are held by North Carolina's David Hendrick and Arizona's John Murray.

The top 20 pros will weigh in this afternoon at Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville. It will be interesting to see what the day brings.