Ashley Not Only Contender With A Hartwell Win

By BassFan Staff

(Part 1 of a 3-part series.)

As the 45th Bassmaster Classic draws nearer and Lake Hartwell’s second turn in the Classic spotlight becomes a reality, the conversation will begin to shift to who among the competitors has the best shot at hoisting the iconic trophy and claiming the $300,000 grand prize.

Yes, this will be the first Classic contested since 1990 without a man named Kevin VanDam in the field. It’s still a bit of a shock, but rest assured there are plenty of storylines to chew on as the tournament gets closer and begins to unfold across the third weekend of the month along the South Carolina-Georgia border. Will another first-time winner emerge or will one of the eight past champs in the field join VanDam, Rick Clunn, George Cochran, Hank Parker and Bobby Murray in the exclusive multi-time winners club? Randy Howell, last year’s champ, has a shot to join VanDam and Clunn as a back-to-back winner.

What’s unique about Hartwell is it’s not been a regular on the B.A.S.S. circuits, so (with the exception of the 2008 Classic) whatever tournament history those in the field have there has been accumulated either through local trails or FLW events. The sprawling reservoir has long been known as a solid largemouth fishery, but the spotted bass have established a foothold there as well and some expect them to be a player in this Classic.

Before last year’s Classic at Lake Guntersville, a lot of attention was focused on whether the Classic winning weight record (five-fish limit era) would fall. This year, there’s no talk of potential record-breaking catches – Alton Jones won with 49-07 in '08 – but it could take a different tactic or technique each day to capture the win.

As has been the case in virtually every Classic since it was moved to this timeframe on the calendar, the weather will dominate the pre-tournament chatter. The long-range forecasts indicate there could be some rain in between the 3 practice days (Feb. 13-15) and the start of competition on Feb. 20, but that could all change.

Here's a brief look at each angler (they're listed alphabetically).

Casey Ashley – Donalds, S.C.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 5
> Best Classic finish: 11th (Lake Guntersville – 2014)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: Win (2014 FLW Tour), 17th (2008 Classic)
> Current world rank: 11
> Insight: Ashley was a Classic rookie the first time Hartwell hosted the event, but he’ll be playing the role of favorite this time. His experience and knowledge base on Hartwell are probably unrivaled by anyone in the field. He won the FLW Tour event at Hartwell last March fishing deep brush piles (Lord knows how many he has marked, let alone planted) and was 4th at the Forrest Wood Cup down the road at Lake Murray last August. If he’s not in the hunt on the final day, file a missing person report.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Stephen Browning – Hot Springs, Ark.
> Qualified through: Red River Central Open win
> Classics fished: 9
> Best Classic finish: 7th (Logan Martin Lake – 1997)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 37th (2008 Classic)
> Current world rank: 130
> Insight: His last two Classic berths have come as a direct result of Open victories on the Red River. A noted shallow-water tactician, he’d love to mark his 10th career Classic with a strong finish. Perhaps that would set the tone for the season ahead. He’s likely not on many BassFans’ radar as a favorite this year, but there’s a case to be made that shallow fish will play a role if the conditions line up.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Coby Carden – Shelby, Ala.
> Qualified through: B.A.S.S. Nation (South)
> Classics fished: 1
> Best Classic finish: 24th (Lake Guntersville – 2014)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: N/A
> Insight: The fact that he’s qualified through the B.A.S.S. Nation in back-to-back years speaks to his talents as an angler. He knows how to handle the pressure, too. A former Open winner (2002 at Lake Martin), Carden is a stud on the trails in and around his home state. How his skills and experience line up with Hartwell remains to be seen, but if Paul Mueller taught us anything at last year’s Classic, it’s to never write anyone off before the first cast.

Jason Christie – Park Hill, Okla.
> Qualified through: Lake Dardanelle Elite Series win/Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 2
> Best Classic finish: 7th (Grand Lake – 2013)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 31st (2014 FLW Tour), 25th (2012 FLW Tour), Win (2011 FLW Tour)
> Current world rank: 1
> Insight: The reigning top-ranked pro in the world gets to take another stab at the Classic on a lake that means a lot to him. Hartwell was the site of his first tour-level win as a pro four years ago and while that was a late-March derby, he still has a fair bit of experience there in the early spring. He’s proven he can win consistently during the season, but his next hurdle is delivering on the biggest of stages. He’s good with a jerkbait, but something tells us he’ll be chasing the off-colored water.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Keith Combs – Huntington, Texas
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 3
> Best Classic finish: 16th (Red River – 2012)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: 10
> Insight: Combs has made a habit of winning one-off, big-money headline events (he’s won three Toyota Texas Bass Classics), but a Classic victory would probably trump them all. He’s yet to crack the top 15 in three previous Classics, but he’s become a steady performer over the last two seasons on the Elite Series and seems destined to break through at some point, crankbait bite or not.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

John Crews – Salem, Va.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 8
> Best Classic finish: 16th (Lake Hartwell – 2008)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 16th (2008 Classic)
> Current world rank: 19
> Insight: Could Crews be this year’s Randy Howell – the veteran pro who’s had a solid career, but lacks a signature win, and then has lightning strike at the right time? Granted, Crews won at the California Delta a few years ago, but he seems to always be on the fringe at the Classic. A noted cranker, it’s hard to put a sleeper label on an eight-time Classic qualifier, but keep Crews in mind as a darkhorse.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Cliff Crochet – Pierre Part, La.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 2
> Best Classic finish: 13 (Lay Lake – 2010)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: 47
> Insight: The always cheery Crochet will be fishing his first Classic as a newlywed on a lake he’d not seen prior to a scouting trip in December. His talents as a shallow-water flipper are well known, but he’s started to evolve into a well-balanced angler and that should serve him well at Hartwell.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Mark Davis – Mount Ida, Ark.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 17
> Best Classic finish: 1st (High Rock Lake – 1995)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: 33
> Insight: After a dazzling and reinvigorating 2014 Elite Series season, Davis is back for his 18th Classic. He hasn’t cracked the top-10 in a Classic since 1996, the year after his victory at High Rock Lake. One of eight past champs in this year’s field, Davis is as good in open water as he is up tight to the bank so Hartwell could be to his liking.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Ott DeFoe – Knoxville, Tenn.
> Qualified through: Douglas Lake Northern Open win/Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 3
> Best Classic finish: 4th (Lake Guntersville – 2014)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: 43
> Insight: In his brief Elite Series career, DeFoe has compiled a pretty impressive Classic résumé with three top-11 showings, including a pair of top-5s. He’s as well-rounded as anyone in the field as evidenced by his collection of top-10 finishes between the FLW Tour and Elite Series – from spring to fall, south to north, he always seems to be a threat.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Troy Diede – Sioux Falls, S.D.
> Qualified through: B.A.S.S. Nation (Northern Division)
> Classics fished: 0
> Best Classic finish: N/A
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: N/A
> Insight: The 30-year-old Diede is just the second South Dakota angler to qualify for the Classic (former Elite Series pro Jami Fralick is the other). It’s hard to fathom he’s fished or spent any significant amount of time on any fishery resembling Hartwell so it’s hard to peg him as anything but a longshot. Still, if he’s able to tap into a developing pattern and doesn’t let the moment overwhelm him, he could surprise a lot of people.

Paul Elias – Laurel, Miss.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 15
> Best Classic finish: 1st (Alabama River – 1982)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: 82
> Insight: Elias’ last Classic was in 2011 at the Louisiana Delta. Before that, it was 2004 at Lake Wylie. He’s coming off a superb 2014 season, but the oldest competitor in the field (63) has said it’s getting harder to put in the long hours it takes to compete. It’s the Classic, though, so we expect he’ll dig deep (crankbait, anyone?) as he has a chance to become the oldest Classic winner ever.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Edwin Evers – Talala, Okla.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 13
> Best Classic finish: 3rd (Lake Guntersville – 2014)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 11th (2008 Classic)
> Current world rank: 14
> Insight: He was in the mix near the top of the leaderboard all three days at last year’s Classic, but ultimately gave way to Howell and Paul Mueller. As versatile as they come, he’s bound to break through at some point and claim the title that’s eluded him in 13 previous tries.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Todd Faircloth – Jasper, Texas
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 12
> Best Classic finish: 3rd (Lay Lake – 2010)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 25th (2008 Classic)
> Current world rank: 8
> Insight: It’s not that Faircloth has been snake-bitten in the sport’s biggest event, but his five straight top-10s probably have him feeling that way. Arguably the best Elite Series pro to have not won an AOY or Classic title, smart money – and just plain old smarts – says he’ll be in the mix on the final day yet again.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Shinichi Fukae – Palestine, Texas
> Qualified through: Lake Champlain Northern Open win
> Classics fished: 0
> Best Classic finish: N/A
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 45th (2014 FLW Tour), 21st (2012 FLW Tour), 58th (2011 FLW Tour)
> Current world rank: 42
> Insight: The FLW Tour pro found his way into his first Classic via a win up north last summer. His advantage on the field is that he’s fished Hartwell in three big-money tournaments before, all roughly around this time of year. Known mainly for his finesse skills, he could be a major factor at the Classic where electronics figure to play a big role.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Brandon Gray – Bullock, N.C.
> Qualified through: Bassmaster Team Championship winner
> Classics fished: 0
> Best Classic finish: N/A
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: N/A
> Insight: The last man into the Classic field figures to be a long shot for several reasons. For starters, three-day tournaments aren’t the norm for weekend sticks. Secondly, the big stage isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. What we do know about him is that he’s pretty adept at cranking (that’s how he won the team championship) and that certainly could be a factor at Hartwell.

Greg Hackney – Gonzales, La.
> Qualified through: Cayuga Lake Elite Series win/Elite Series Angler of the Year
> Classics fished: 11
> Best Classic finish: 5th (Lake Hartwell – 2008)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 58th (2014 FLW Tour), 5th (2008 Classic)
> Current world rank: 7
> Insight: The man who will leave the dock first on day 1 would love to be the last man standing on the final day. A win at Hartwell would give Hackney the career Grand Slam (FLW and B.A.S.S Angler of the Year titles, Forrest Wood Cup win, Classic win) and cement his status as the hottest angler going right now. He scored a top-5 at Hartwell seven years ago and that remains his best Classic showing to date. Whether he finds ‘em deep or shallow, expect him to be in the mix.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Matt Herren – Trussville, Ala.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 4
> Best Classic finish: 7th (Lay Lake – 2010)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 86th (2014 FLW Tour)
> Current world rank: 34
> Insight: Coming off a strong 2014 campaign that saw him score a top-10 finish at the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray, Herren is another pro who’s seeking to top off his résumé with a marquee victory. Deep, clear water isn’t his forte so we expect him to be in or near shallow water throwing at Hartwell’s numerous targets.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Brett Hite – Phoenix, Ariz.
> Qualified through: Lake Seminole Elite Series win/Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 2
> Best Classic finish: 14th (Lake Michigan – 2000)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: 6th (2014 FLW Tour), 10th (2012 FLW Tour), 23rd (2011 FLW Tour)
> Current world rank: 9
> Insight: Hite is certainly one to watch at the Classic, which will be his first since 2004. Aside from his pair of top-10s at Hartwell from the FLW Tour, he also has a keen understanding of the deeper, open-water fish. He’s been in quite a groove, too, winning twice a year ago. Imagine the hero’s welcome he’d get at the Lake Havasu Elite Series if he brought a Classic title home to the desert.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

Randy Howell – Springville, Ala.
> Qualified through: 2014 Classic winner/Elite Series points
> Classics fished: 12
> Best Classic finish: 1st (Lake Guntersville – 2014)
> Tour-level finishes at Hartwell: N/A
> Current world rank: 56
> Insight: Don’t be surprised if you see Howell throwing a medium-running crankbait around some rip-rap causeways in a couple weeks, if for nothing more than to stoke a memory or two from the final day of last year’s Classic. His year as the champ kept him busy (not that he minded it one bit) and it’ll be interesting to see if he’s able to pull off a similar performance at Hartwell and all that goes with being the defending champ.
> View his BassFan Angler Profile here.

End Part 1 (of 3)