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.
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