By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
Bill Lowen’s deer and duck hunting trips are all done for now. His self-imposed fishing hiatus is over. He is ready to tangle with some bass again.
He’s been racking up hours organizing tackle and tinkering with baits that he may or not use in a few weeks when the bass fishing world converges on Lake Hartwell along the South Carolina-Georgia border for the Bassmaster Classic.
This will be Lowen’s fifth straight and seventh career Classic appearance. It is, without question, the most important tournament of the year and that alone has him amped up for the competition. Add in the fact that he will not have fished on a regular basis for several months leading up to it and he’ll be chomping at the bit to start casting and flipping.
“One of the biggest things for me is I take a break from fishing (after the season),” he said. “I love to hunt so I do a lot of bow hunting and waterfowl hunting. I take like a two-month break from fishing altogether. What that does for me is when it’s time to get started, it gives me that drive that I really want to go. You start missing it.”
Going to The Circus
There’s very little in the bass tournament world that can prepare a Classic newcomer for the atmosphere that accompanies the event. Between the media coverage and arena weigh-ins and tackle expo and finding time to sleep, it’s a veritable zoo.
Lowen remembers the circus-like feel of his first Classic – and that’s about it.
“I don’t even remember where it was,” he said. “It was like a whirlwind. My next two after that, I was so worried about coming to the stage with fish. I just wanted to catch fish, and it didn’t matter what size they were.”
The ancillary things that come with the Classic have become more manageable the more he’s qualified for the event. That makes it easier to focus on the task at hand.
“I’m at the point now, it doesn’t matter if you come in with a limit of small fish,” he added. “It’s all about winning.”
Heading into last year’s Classic at Lake Guntersville, he thought he had a shot to contend had the water remained clear.
“I was on a good deal, but then those storms came through and ruined the area I was in,” he said.
It was so frustrating that on his way out of town the Monday after the tournament – he finished 30th – he stopped and launched his boat and checked the area he had originally wanted to fish.
“We were going to stop for breakfast or something and I just said, ‘I’m not leaving yet,’” he recalled. “I had to know what would’ve happened had it not gotten muddy. I went in there and the water was clear. I caught two 5-pounders and a 10! It was bittersweet.
“That being said, I’ve changed my tune about worrying about keepers. I’m to the point where I know if you don’t catch big ones, you’re not going to win.”
Liked What He Saw
Having missed out on qualifying for the 2008 Classic at Hartwell, Lowen’s first time seeing the massive impoundment was in December prior to it going off limits. At first, he was taken aback by the sheer size of the lake.
He said it’s going to force some competitors to make savvy decisions on how to break down the lake when they return for practice later this month.
“You have to decide if you’re going to fish the main lake or run up the river,” he said. “It’s no secret I’ll end up in the river. I’ve written off the whole main lake pretty much.”
During his pre-practice trip, he tried to figure out where the off-colored water would be in the event a considerable amount of rain falls in the days preceding the tournament. He thinks water temperatures in the 50s would suit him fine and possibly activate the fish in certain stretches of the river.
“It’s going to be so weather-dependent,” he said. “We’re going to be fishing either stained cold water or clear cold water.
“In my opinion, those river fish will have a tendency to not roam as much as the main lake fish will, especially with all the blueback herring that are there. I just like putting myself in as a high-percentage of an area as I can so they don’t roam around on me.”
He’s aware that some of the buzz to this point is that the tournament is likely to be won deep, but he’s not convinced. He does believe that Hartwell is capable of giving up a 60-pound total to the winner.
“It’s got enough quality fish in it that could easily be done,” he added.
Now that he’s had a little while to process all that he saw and how he thinks the fishing will ultimately be, he’s pretty anxious to get back to South Carolina.
“My confidence level is the highest it’s ever been before I get there for practice,” he said, “just because of what I found and I liked what I saw. If all the stars line up, it could be good.”
