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.
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