By BassFan Staff

South Carolina resident Andy Montgomery came into the 2015 Bassmaster Classic as one of the favorites to claim the top prize. He has vast experience on Lake Hartwell and spent all winter formulating a game plan that he hoped would allow him to take maximum advantage of his local knowledge.

It was all for naught, though. The frigid weather that moved in just before the event got under way dramatically changed the setup he'd hoped to exploit.

He sacked a lackluster 11-08 on day 1, then zeroed on day 2 to finish 43rd in the 56-angler field.

"It's unbelievably disappointing," he said. "I put in a lot of work for this tournament and if it wasn't for the cold, I would've busted their anus.

"It's just mind-blowing. I had a great practice, but it all changed. My hat's off to the guys who caught them."

Following are notes from other competitors who were not covered in BassFan's main day-2 story.

21st: Christie Made a Comeback

> Day 2: 5, 16-08 (8, 23-14)

Jason Christie more than doubled his weight from day 1 and made the cut with some room to spare.

"I got six bites and I was lucky to get a little better quality today," he said. "I got a good one off my starting spot and that got the day kicked off, and then I had what I caught by about noon. Tomorrow I'll probably do something totally different.

"For me to catch a giant bag, I'm going to have to go to the dirty water and that's the water that's the coldest. I'm just going to have to go and figure out how to catch one."

25th: Davis Winging It

> Day 2: 5, 12-13 (10, 22-03)

Mark Davis, the 1995 Classic champion, was the last man to survive the cut for day 3.

"I don't know if I've ever fished a Classic where I just totally winged it," he said. "I haven't fished anywhere I practiced."

He's cranking in creeks with a flat-sided Strike King 1.5 bait.

"I'm just covering water trying to get bites. Tomorrow I might do things a little different – I'll probably tie on a jig and go for broke."

30th: Bruiser for Martens

> Day 2: 5, 13-02 (8, 20-11)

Aaron Martens salvaged something from a difficult event by catching a 6-11 hawg that was the largest fish weighed over the first 2 days. He caught it on spinning gear and 8-pound line while fishing around a dock and it gave him an epic battle before it ended up in his livewell.

"I switched up in the last 2 hours and I went from one fish to five," he said. "I wish I would've spent most of my time in 15 feet of water or less and didn't even mess with 40 to 50 feet.

"I try to analyze things every time, but this time it got me."

31st: Herren Beat the Banks

> Day 2: 5, 11-09 (9, 19-10)

Matt Herren moved to the shallows an caught a decent bag, but it would've been better had he not broken off a 5-pounder for the second straight day.

"I just went fishing," he said. "I'd been staying really deep all week long, but for some reason the deep fish got squirrely."

36th: Better Day for Young

> Day 2: 5, 13-01 (7, 16-09)

Andy Young's sack was 9 1/2 pounds heaver than the one he caught the previous day.

"I did the same thing – they just bit today and not yesterday," he said.

Young, who'll fish the FLW Tour and all three Bassmaster Opens divisions this year, threw jerkbaits and crankbaits on chunk-rock points in 5 to 9 feet of water.

38th: One for Walker

> Day 2: 1, 2-12 (5, 14-15)

David Walker got two bites on day 2, but managed to land only one.

"The one I caught was on my second cast – I should've just come in right then," he joked. "I really don't have any regrets because I felt like I practiced right and fished the right types of areas.

"Maybe there were some lure choices I wasn't privvy to, but other than that I'm good with it."

39th: Rook Went Farther Back

> Day 2: 5, 9-15 (8, 14-12)

Rook ditched his deep-water pattern after a dismal day 1 and threw a Rapala Shad Rap in stained water in the backs of creeks.

"I didn't think it could be won shallow this time, so I spent a lot of time out deep," he said. "My problem was I couldn't get those fish to bite."

40th: Browning's Action Picked Up

> Day 2: 4, 11-04 (5, 14-02)

Stephen Browning quadrupled his keeper total from day 1.

"I was cranking little chunk-rock banks in 6 to 8 feet with a prototype LiveTarget bait, and that bite was better today," he said. "I had the fifth one on, but I don't know how bit it was."

42nd: Small Ones for Fukae

> Day 2: 3, 6-05 (8, 13-03)

Shin Fukae's finesse program is normally very effective, but it didn't work for this event.

"I fished the same deal (as on day 1), but I just didn't get many bites," he said. "I could've tried other stuff, like a jerkbait, but finesse is my style."

44th: Short Weighed Just 2

> Day 2: 5, 2-04 (7, 10-08)

Kevin Short just couldn't get his deep fish to cooperate.

"I could see them down there (on his graph) and I tried different worms, spoons, tail-spinners, you name it," he said. "I'd watch them move up with it, but the would not bite.

"If I had it to do over again, I'd get my (butt) up on the bank and sling a crankbait and I'd never put it down."

46th: Cold Hurt Crochet

> Day 2: 2, 7-02 (3, 9-14)

Cliff Crochet fished shallow water in the backs of pockets and found that pattern unproductive following the cool-off prior to the event.

"If I could do it again, I'd stay out of the far backs," he said.

49th: Elias Should've Cranked

> Day 2: 3, 8-08 (3, 8-08)

Elias said he was dependent upon early-morning schooling fish and that strategy was doomed from the start. The 2-hour launch delay due to ice killed it on day 1 and he simply couldn't catch them on day 2.

"I thought I could catch 17 or 18 pounds if they cooperated," he said. "They were busting all around me today and I only caught one, and I had to throw a little hair jig to catch it.

"I didn't do enough cranking here and its probably going to be won that way. I just never got on a bait that I had enough confidence in."

53rd: Palaniuk Befuddled

> Day 2: 2, 3-13 (3, 5-04)

The changes brought on by frigid temperatures completely stymied Brandon Palaniuk.

"I usually know what I should've done different (after a bad tournament), but this time I'm a little lost," he said. "I had a good practice and I felt like I could fish deep and catch 17 to 18 pounds.

"My fish seemed to be gone, mostly. The areas I found were little drains off the main spawning flats in 20 to 35 feet and I felt those places would load up in the cold weather, but they left for some reason."