It's not the same Guntersville said most of the pros who began competition today at the Guntersville Bassmaster in Alabama. Heavy winter cloud cover has kept back the weedgrowth, and many areas that
were last year lush with greenery are now barren, dead-grass flats.
And the fishing's tough. Yeah, it's always "tough" during practice, but a lot of pros are truly scratching their heads. They report sporadic bites in varying depths, and no single bait seems to be hot. That said, there are some predictable patterns that should emerge today.
George Cochran won last year on a jerkbait, and each of the Top 6 anglers threw a hardbait. This year seems about the same, and the big decision rests on whether to throw a jerkbait, rattlebait or deep-diving crank, and how deep to throw it.
Past Grass
"The lake's a lot tougher than it was last year," Cochran said. "It's nothing like it was last year. In my old area, where I won last year, there's no grass. I went through the whole area without a bite. Last year the grass was matted up on top and went way out into the bay. It was green. Now it's old and dead, so I've really struggled."
He thinks that might force a deeper bite. "Last year, there was just a lot of grass and fish were up in the grass and staying shallow, no matter what the water temperature was. The water temperature's basically the same this year, but the fish aren't up there yet. That means you have to fish a lot deeper."
Despite a frustrating practice, he caught one today that weighed between 11 and 12 pounds.
Can Swimbaits Work?
Along with jerkbaits, crankbaits and rattlebaits, Ish Monroe thinks the swimbait could be a factor. "It's tough," he said. "One day you catch them, one day you don't. I've been throwing jerkbaits, but I've actually been throwing a (California Custom Worms) Baby 'E' swimbait, because I think that bite could be there too. It's a smaller swimbait.
Skeet Reese plans to work a single area for everything it'll give up.
"This lake reminds me of Clear Lake (Calif.). During this time of year, I can usually get the swimbait going there. The fish get on the shad and the baby 'E' is the same size as the shad, so I've been throwing that and trying to get it going."
He said the main lake is the place to be. "It's always been a main-lake bite here. Even Cochran's spot last year was on the main lake."
The One Spot Factor
Last year the fish were grouped up, and that behavior appears to be even more pronounced this year. The trick is to find a good group of fish, then work them. In other words, the tournament could easily be won on a single spot. Skeet Reese, who's currently No 1. in the State Farm-BassFan World Rankings, relied on past knowledge during practice to whittle down his choice of spots.
"I really haven't got on much at all," he said. "The first day I caught five or six fish, but only two keepers. Tuesday, I had one bite. Yesterday, I had one bite."
But he saw some quality in those bites. "On the first day, one was about a 6 or a 7. It was in the same general vicinity I normally fish here. Today my plan is to just go back in there and grind it out. Where I caught the big one, another boat caught one about 6 pounds. So it's a possibility there's a concentration of big ones there.
Stacey King finished 2nd here last year.
"At least I have confidence it that spot. I know they live there. The question is, will turn on?"
He said he's also been throwing hardbaits: "Lucky Craft LV 100s and 500s, and a Pointer 100."
Top 10 To Watch
Here's 10 anglers BassFan chose to watch as competition begins today. In no particular order, they are:
1) George Cochran – A no-brainer choice, he nearly caught 100 pounds last year and waxed the rest of the field. And he's coming off a 33rd at Toho and 7th at the Harris Chain. Look for him to leave behind the word war from the crowded canal.
2) David Walker – The current Bassmaster points leader is fishing strong, but needs a good showing here at the season's midpoint. He was good here last year (9th) but a disaster in 2002 (127th).
3) Skeet Reese – Ranked No. 1 in the world right now, Guntersville plays right to his strength, which is to commit to a spot and strain it for every last bass. Hasn't been great on Guntersville (58th and 112th), but has been eyeing this tournament for a while.
4) Stacey King – The veteran was 2nd last year and 82nd in 2002. He's strong with the crankbait, which should play big here, and needs a big finish after a slow start to the year.
5) Takahiro Omori – He's great with a rattlebait – he used it to win Toho – and feels like this is the peak of his career. A definite Top 10 threat.
6) Kelly Jordon – The 2002 winner, but that was during post-spawn. He's fishing well though, and won the FLW opener on Okeechobee. Also finished 13th at the Toho Bassmaster. It'll be a hardbait bite here, which suits him perfectly, and he needs another strong finish to push for No. 1 in the world (he's currently 7th).
7) Mike Iaconelli – The pressure's on for Mike, who bombed the season opener on Toho with his 180th. His Guntersville record is solid: 5th last year and 14th in 2002. But if they're sluggish, can he show the discipline to slow down?
8) Ish Monroe – A longshot, but quietly climbing his way up the ladder. The Western factor plays big here, and G-Ville fishes a lot like his native Clear Lake (Calif.). Can the swimbait work in Alabama?
9) Kevin VanDam – Not much to say here. He finished 3rd last year, but recently fell from No. 1 in the world. He's the master. Can he master Guntersville this year?
He's hot, but can Guy Eaker rake 'em up like he did at the Harris Chain?
10) Guy Eaker – He keeps going, and going and going. Eaker proves you're never too old to compete and he's 6th in the Bassmaster points right now after a 31st at Toho and 4th at the Harris Chain. Wow.
Others To Watch
> Greg Hackney – The Hack Attack was mediocre in Florida. If he wants to return to form, it must begin here.
> Scott Rook – He's hot, and has a good record on Guntersville: 17th last year and 12th in 2002.
> Andre Moore – Another hot one, had a solid Florida swing and Western experience is a big factor.
> Gerald Swindle – Reigning Angler of the Year started with a Top 6 at Toho, but a 62nd at Harris Chain. Needs a good finish here for a chance to move up from No. 6 in the world.
> Mike Reynolds – Sits at 14th in the points and is another Westerner ready for a breakout year.
> Chad Brauer – Slow start this year, but finished 4th at Guntersville last year.
Notable
> BassFan Big Stick John Murray had a few quality bites in practice. Jarrett Edwards has filed his practice report too. For the inside word, click here to go On Tour With the BassFan Big Sticks.
> Guntersville is a TVA lake on the Tennessee River. It's adjacent to Wheeler Lake, but anglers are not permitted to lock through to any adjoining lakes. Of course, why would anybody want to?
> Guntersville produced the largest bass ever caught in a Classic: Ricky Green's 8-09 in 1976.
> The minimum size limit for the tournament is 15 inches.
Weather Forecast
Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the tournament days. Note the big overnight drop in temperature tomorrow.
> Thurs, Feb 24 – Afternoon Showers – 59°/46°
- Wind: From the N 10 mph
> Fri, Feb 25 – mostly Cloudy – 54°/35°
- Wind: From the N/NE at 8 mph
> Sat, Feb 26 – Partly Cloudy – 59°/40°
- Wind: From the NE at 8 mph
> Sun, Feb 27 – Rain – 59°/44°
- Wind: From the ESE at 9 mph
