Murray Scouting Report/Watch List
Crowds Will Gather Around Murray's Schooled-Up Fish

Photo: ESPN Outdoors A victory at Murray would be a major milestone in the career of South Carolinian Davy Hite.

A substantial cold front blew through the area over the weekend, but a warming trend has since taken hold and water temperatures have climbed back into the low 70s in many places – numbers that should produce a lot of strong post-spawn bags. And if the weather forecasters are correct, clouds and stiff breezes are on the way, and those should give the bite a big boost.

What the 109 anglers are looking at as competition gets under way today is a setup similar to the Clarks Hill event 2 weeks ago. But even though Murray is a couple of feet above full pool and a lot of shoreline vegetation has been brought into play, it'll fish a bit smaller than Clarks – it always does.

Fish in the 2-pound class can be caught just about anywhere on the lake, using almost any technique the angler chooses. But 4-pounders are a different story, and those are what'll be needed to gain a berth in the Top 12 for the weekend.

The bigger fish have emerged from the creek channels and coves, where they participated in the reproductive process, and are bunched up in specific areas along the flats, keying on the spawning blueback herring. By now, it's a sure bet that at least a handful of anglers knows of each and every one of those spots, and competition to get on them will be stiff.

Before getting into more about the bite, here's some more on the lake itself.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Murray
> Type of water: A deep, old, Saluda river impoundment that's clearer than average
> Surface acres: 50,000-plus
> Primary structure/cover: Stumps, clay banks, flats, ledges, brushpiles
> Primary forage: Blueback herring and threadfin shad
> Average depth: Not available, but average fishing depth is 15 feet
> Species: Largemouths only
> Minimum length: 12 inches
> Reputation: A sometimes-overlooked lake that's up there with the best in the Southeast. A heavy average with some 8-pound-plus brutes, but can be feast-or-famine
> Weather: Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast for the first 2 days of the tournament, followed by mostly sunny conditions for the weekend
> Water temp: Mid 60s to low 70s
> Water visibility/color: Varies from clear to stained, depending upon location
> Water level: 2 feet above full pool
> Fish in: 1 to 35 feet
> Fish phase: post-spawn
> Primary patterns: Topwater, jigs, shallow crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs, worms
> Winning weight: 75 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 12): 32 pounds
> Check weight: 24 pounds (Top 50)
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for Murray
> Biggest factors: Weather
> Biggest decision: Deep or shallow
> Wildcard: An incidental huge big bite

Get 'Em While you Can

With a lot of the best fish congregated in a limited number of locales, arriving at those places early will be critical. In that regard, this event could be more similar to Falcon than Clarks Hill.

Boat-draw position is of great importance, since most of the schooling action occurs early.

"Right now it seems like the bite is a lot better from first thing in the morning until about 11:00," said native South Carolinian Marty Robinson, who's looking to cash his second straight check (he was 43rd at Clarks Hill) after finishing outside the Top 50 in the season's first four events. "It gets really tough around lunchtime."

Aaron Martens, the angler who might've been most affected by the crowded conditions at Falcon, agreed.

"They school early and then they're done," he said. "You'd think they'd come up all day, but Sunday we had that front come through that brought a ton of rain, and the wind blew 40-plus (mph) all night.

"Maybe that did something to them because the schooling action is nothing like I expected."

Those who don't figure out ways to be in the right places at the right times – or get elbowed out – could be in for a long couple of days.

"It's been pretty tough for me," admitted Brent Chapman. "There's something about the blueback herring – I guess I just don't have enough experience with them at this time of year.

"At Clarks Hill I fished by the seat of my pants and got fortunate, and that's kind of what I'm doing here. I've found a couple of points that I feel pretty good about, but just like at Clarks Hill, every point's got at least two or three boats on it."

Photo: BassFan Aaron Martens has struggled in the last two events, but hinted that he got some good bites in practice.

This was expected to be a topwater-dominated tournament, and that could still materialize if the clouds and breezes show up as expected.

"I'm excited," said North Carolina's Britt Myers. "We're supposed to get some wind, and that should make them bite a little bit better. But we'd better be careful what we ask for, because there is such a thing as too much wind."

Added Robinson: "If it's overcast and windy, the bite should be fairly decent. The more, the better, all the way up to about a 25-mph wind. With the way the lake's laid out, with creek arms on both sides going up the lake, you can get out of the heavy winds, and a lot of times you can catch them in those conditions."

But no matter what the weather does, timing will be the most critical factor.

"Being able to get on the fish you want is always one of the most important things here," said reigning Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones, who won a Megabucks tournament at Murray in 2000. "It's not the Murray of old, where you can catch good fish doing lots of things in lots of places.

"There are some different options, but I still think it's going to get crowded in a few spots.

Notes from the Field

What follows are practice notes from several pros in the field.

Brent Chapman

"I'm catching some fish, but it's not like I can just go out there and call the shots or anything like that. I haven't found the quality like I know is in here, so maybe I'm just saving it for the tournament. We'll have to wait and see."

Alton Jones

"I'm cautiously optimistic about the event. There will certainly be some fish caught, but for Murray, it's a little bit tougher than average. I'm pretty solid with how I'm going to fish and I've got five or six places that I'm comfortable with, but I'd like to have a few more."

Todd Auten

"I've fished here a bunch in the fall, but not so much in the spring and with the water so high like it is, it's kind of like a new lake. But I do know some rocks and stumps that should give me at least somewhat of an advantage. It's very much a timing deal, but if you can get yourself in the right situation, you can bust a good bag."

Aaron Martens

"It's going to be a lot of work catching them – it's nothing like it should've been. I've been throwing different baits and I've gotten some to bite, but I haven't gotten a lot of bites out of the bigger fish. If I can get seven or eight a day, I think I can catch 18 to 20 pounds. You can go out there and catch a lot of little guys, but they're not going to do you any good."

Britt Myers

"I've had a decent practice and I've caught fish doing several different things. A lot of guys should do well with different patterns. The water's higher than it's been at this time of year in probably 20 years, and opens up the shoreline grass. I'm sure some people will catch them in there."

Cliff Pace

"I've gotten bit a lot of different ways, but it's hard to tell how you're doing on these lakes because the fish are there one day and gone the next. A lot of it will depend on the weather, and if the wind blows, that'll allow more fish to be caught."

Marty Robinson

"I've found five or six places a day that have 10 or so fish on them. I wouldn't say it's wide open, but the fish are starting to group up pretty good. The key is to find schools of 4-pounders, because then you might catch a 5 or a 6. If you find the herring, you'll find the bigger fish. The threadfin shad will generally bring up some smaller fish."

Photo: ESPN Outdoors When you're talking post-spawn conditions, Mark Davis has few peers.

"This lake has a lot of big fish, but because they're post-spawn, they're a little bit tougher to catch, The pre-spawn bite here is one of the best in the country. I've been able to catch fish a lot of different ways, but I haven't found anything that's completely solid."

Top 10 to Watch

Here's BassFan's recommendation for the Top 10 to watch in this tournament.

1. Kevin VanDam – The No. 1 angler in the BassFan World Rankings presented by Tru-Tungsten recovered from his two lackluster outings in Texas with a 4th at Clarks Hill. There's no reason for the good mojo to go away here.

2. Davy Hite – He lived on this lake for many years and a win here would be a big feather in his cap. He's turned his season around after a horrible start, and his runner-up finish at Clarks Hill laid the foundation for his homecoming.

3. Casey Ashley – Another hometown favorite. He's young (24), but has already proven he can handle just about any sort of pressure. If he's in contention, it'll add a big jolt of electricity to the weigh-ins.

4. Todd Faircloth – The Angler of the Year (AOY) leader just keeps turning in one high finish after another. Another Top 12 would give him four in six events this season.

5. Skeet Reese – The defending AOY has fared no worse than 22nd this year. He's excellent during the post-spawn, so another high finish is a strong probability.

6. Mark Davis – Arguably the best there is once the spawn is completed. He didn't figure things out at Clarks Hill, but is unlikely to be mystified twice in a row under these conditions.

7. Mike McClelland – He's as likely as anybody to find some deeper, less-pressured fish. If that happens, his fourth Elite Series win (and second this year) isn't out of the question.

8, Kenyon Hill –He's coming off a win at Clarks Hill and has three Top 12s this season. Conditions are similar to what they were 2 weeks ago, so his momentum shouldn't be underestimated.

9. Aaron Martens – He's tanked twice in a row since his near-miss at Falcon and has fallen to 31st in the points. Time to make a move in the other direction.

10. Zell Rowland – The Texas veteran was 105th at Clarks Hill – the second time this year he's ended up in triple digits. But he bounced back with a 14th after the last major bomb, and a good topwater bite would play right into this hands.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. each day from the Lake Murray Marina & Yacht Club (1600 Marina Road in Irmo, S.C.). Weigh-ins will get under way at 3 p.m. each day at the marina.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the tournament days. For more weather information, including satellite and radar imagery, visit OutdoorsFanWeather.com.

> Thur., May 15 - Few Showers - 79°/65°
- Wind: From the S at 13 mph

> Fri., May 16 - Few Showers/Wind - 85°/57°
- Wind: From the W/SW at 22 mph

> Sat., May 17 - Sunny - 82°/59°
- Wind: From the W at 10 mph

> Sun., May 18 - Partly Cloudy - 83°/60°
- Wind: From the W at 13 mph

Notable

> BassFan Big Stick John Murray needs a good finish – he hasn't cashed a check this year and is mired in 95th place in the points. To read his practice report, click here.