Whole New Smith Could Deliver Big Sight Bite

When the Bassmaster Tour visited Smith Lake, Ala. in Feb. 2004, conditions were beyond brutal. Intense

February cold, pounding rains and howling winds created one of the most difficult tournaments in recent memory. Pros still look back at that event as one of the toughest in their careers.

Tomorrow marks BASS's return to Smith, but not for a Tour event. This time it's for the first of four Elite 50s. On the line is not only a big payout for the 50-angler field ($400,000 total purse), but qualifications for the 2005 and 2006 Bassmaster Classics too.

So what's the scoop on Smith, version 2005? The bad news is, 16-inch fish are still tough to catch. The good news is, the lake is back to full pool, the weather is good and there's the potential for some sizable bags – especially on day 1.

Before getting into further details, here's more about the lake itself.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake name: Smith
> Type of water: Highland reservoir
> Surface acres: 21,200
> Primary structure/cover: Rock, ledges, stumps, sawed-off trees
> Primary forage: Shad, minnows, crawfish
> Average depth: 100 feet
> Species: Big spots, largemouths
> Minimum length: 16 inches (both)
> Reputation: Plenty of spotted bass, but few over 16 inches
> Weather: Sunny and hot, temperatures to drop Friday or Saturday
> Water temp: mid- to high-60s
> Water visibility/color: Anywhere from very stained to very clear
> Water level: Full pool
> Fish in: 1 to 30 feet
> Fish phase: pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn
> Primary patterns: Sight-fishing, dropshots, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs/worms, Carolina rigs, crankbaits
> Winning weight: 27 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 12): 27 pounds
> Check weight: N/A (all places paid)
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for Smith
> Biggest factors: Sight-fishing, the 6-hole course
> Biggest decision: Deep or shallow, and which water clarity to fish
> Wildcard: Big bed-fish or a pod of deep keeper spots

Lake Breakdown

Smith Lake is comprised of three major arms. It's a deep, relatively clear reservoir famous for its spotted bass – a previous world record was caught here. But it's also an unforgiving tournament lake. The 16-inch minimum length on both spots and largemouths could leave at least half the field struggling for a limit.

Water clarity runs from stained to extremely clear in some areas. Given the healthy spot population, the winning pattern could in anywhere from 1 foot to 30 or even 40 feet of water. And it could be anywhere in the lake – from the dam on up to the very backs of the pockets.

Overall, it fishes well as a pattern lake. Plastics – especially jigworms and shaking heads – generally get the nod for numbers. Traditional jigs and hardbaits will likely produce a better average.

California's Charlie Weyer won the 2004 Tour event with a shakey head/worm combination. His 4-day total was 11 fish for 32-10 (a 3-pound average), but that tournament is virtually meaningless in gauging this year's event, since conditions were so different.

The big wildcard this year is the bed bite. Fish are moving in with the warm temperatures, and the sight-fishing bite could be wide-open.

Course Fishing

The other notable factor in how the tournament will develop is the 6-hole course for days 3 and 4. The field cuts to 12 anglers after day 2, then to six after day 3. Weights are zeroed after day 2 and on each of the final 2 days, the anglers will fish through a six-hole "course."

Anglers spend 70 minutes in each hole, then move to the next one. For the final hour, they can fish anywhere within the course. Traditionally, BASS has reserved the best water for the courses, so weights could differ substantially from days 1 and 2, especially if there's unmolested bed-fish waiting within the courses.

Wolak Out Deep

Dave Wolak, who received his E50 berth after winning the BASS Rookie of the Year award, has never fished Smith before, but he likes the lake. He's from Pennsylvania, and the depths suit his style – although he'd like the water to be a little colder.

"It's going all right and I'm catching a few fish," he said. "I'm mostly targeting spotted bass and fishing a little deeper. It's tough to get one above the 16-inch size limit though.

"A lot of the (deep) fish are post-spawn, and no doubt, catching those 16-inchers is hard. That's usually the case in all these lakes with a size limit. It's like at Table Rock (Mo.), where it's a 15-inch minimum, and everything you catch is 14 1/2.

"I'll just stick with my patterns and hopefully get a few keepers mixed in."

He spent each of his practice days in a different arm of the lake, and said each fishes a little differently. "They're about the same, but the water clarity's different in each one. So it's a matter of choosing what type of water clarity you prefer.

"The jig flippers will probably go to the stained water. I don't like it extremely stained, or exceptionally clear. I like a little color, so if any there's any sight-fishing, you can pick up on it as it occurs."

He thinks the cut will be about 12 pounds a day.

Thliveros Sees Cruisers

Peter Thliveros said the lake is fishing much better than last year, and he's seen a lot of shallow fish. "It's a lot better (than last year). There's lots of fish to catch, and a lot of fish up shallow. There's not a lot of spawners, but there's a lot of cruisers. Catching a limit will be pretty tough.

"You can find all the water conditions you want – there's clear, stained and even dirty, depending on boat traffic. The patterns are pretty consistent all over, so you basically have to pick the area you want to fish and go fishing.

"I think 10 to 12 pounds a day will be close to the cut."

Reynolds Predicts Sight Bite

Mike Reynolds will fish his first E50 event tomorrow. But he fished the Tour event at Smith last year. Like Thliveros, he's seen a lot of shallow activity.

"The fish are really coming up on the beds right now," he said. "The sight-fishermen will probably dominate. I'm having a hard time catching 16-inch fish. I'm not seeing any spots on beds, but I know they spawn deeper. I'm sure some guys have found them."

He said he hasn't seen much fry, which makes him think the major spawn wave has yet to arrive at the bank. He also noted the topwater bite might be a no-go. "There's tons of bait in the water. It's everywhere. I'd love to throw a topwater, but we don't start until 10:00.

"I think that really favors the sight-fishermen. Some cloud cover could change that, but the sun's still pretty high when we come in so I don't there there'll be a topwater bite."

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers launch daily at 10:00 am from Lewis Smith Lake Dam (Smith Dam Hydro Electric Plant, 640 Powerhouse Road, Jasper, Ala.). Weigh-ins are at 7:00 daily at Old Walker County Airport (North Airport Road, Jasper, Ala.).

Weather Forecast

Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the Tournament days.

Wed., April 20 – Sunny – 80°/55°
> Wind: From the S/SW at 6 mph

Thurs., April 21 – PM T-Storms – 81°/57°
> Wind: From the W at 6 mph

Fri., April 22 – Scattered T-Storms – 76°/50°
> Wind: From the W at 5 mph

Sat., April 23 – Partly Cloudy – 67°/36°
> Wind: From the NW at 10 mph

Notable

> Of those who made the Top 6 cut at the 2004 Smith Lake Bassmaster, only two are fishing tomorrow: Edwin Evers and Gerald Swindle.

> Bass recently restructured its E50 payout schedule. Each event now pays $100,000 for first place. Last year, the big payout came at the end of the four events in a lump sum.

> At the conclusion of the four E50 events, the Top 10 anglers in the points will receive a berth in the 2005 and 2006 Bassmaster Classics.