Martens, Klein, Horton, Lane On Weather, Bite And More

One day of official Bassmaster Classic practice is already in the bag, and that means at least a few solid bites of information have emerged.

For one, the water's cold at Alabama's Lay Lake – unseasonably so. It's in the upper-40s right now, as opposed to the lower-50s which is more typical for this time of year. But the water does have a nice color to it – anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 feet of visibility.

And anglers are getting plenty of bites, although they're not sure about size, because they're not sticking a lot of them.

It seems a safe bet to assume that someone could win in the river, where Jay Yelas won in 2002, since the fish there appear to be residents. That said, there's limited room up there, so it's sort of a gamble, since the fish might not last. Also, the water-release schedule tends to be more unpredictable during the winter, and those tailrace fish need current.

Conventional wisdom right now says, if you're going to fish the tailrace, you'd better have at least one backup in case the water shuts off completely.

A lot of anglers also believe dam fish can win. But the pattern's a lot different than at past Classics here, which were all held in the summer. Those years, the fish were schooling and boat traffic murdered them. This time of year, the fish aren't breaking the surface, and the cold temperatures should keep spectator traffic down. That combination has many thinking that deep fish, or dam fish – along with a few kicker largemouths – might be the way to go.

Creek fish are another option, and there's plenty. But notable is that some creeks are a lot like the tailrace, with mud banks that'll blow out with boat traffic. So if an angler does find the winning fish in one of the smaller creeks, it could all head south on day 3 if a flotilla follows him.

In terms of baits and patterns, things seem to be all over the map right now. Spinnerbaits will play in the river, as well as down-lake, and jigs will factor. Spinner-heads and shakey-worms could also play heavily – especially as limit techniques for spotted bass. Flipping for largemouths is a distinct possibility, and crankbaits or deadstick jerkbaits are hanging out there somewhere along the fringes.

In fact, one of the biggest questions right now isn't so much where to fish, but what to throw to get a kicker largemouth to go. That winnowing-down process is made more difficult by the weather. Lay largemouths like warm weather, which should arrive as the Classic begins next week. But that doesn't help the field right now, which faced snow and sleet this morning amid sub-freezing temperatures.

But note that yesterday they did get a brief warm window, before the front moved in, so anybody who started on kicker largemouths yesterday might have a slight advantage if day-1 conditions are similar.

Overall, these factors have emerged as the most significant right now:

> Weather – what will it do, and how will it affect the largemouth bite?
> Deep or shallow – Few seem committed to one over the other, but that should change as practice winds down.
> Current – The bite at Lay, even for largemouths, is heavily influenced by current. That said, if the current dries up, that would give largemouth fisherman at least a slight advantage.
> The tailrace – It's a huge wildcard right now. Could be crowded, there may or may not be current, and conditions will probably change every day.

With all that in mind, and more, BassFan spoke with four anglers about their day-1 practice. Here's what they had to say on a number of topics.

Gary Klein

> Insight – Has fished 24 Classics without a win. Finished 32nd at Lay in 1996, and 44th in 2002. Likes winter conditions.

> On time of year – "I'm really looking forward to fishing it this time of year. This is really the first wintertime Classic that we've ever had. And I enjoy fishing this time of year. The fish are healthy – they're toads – and they're going to stay healthy. The bite's going to be a decent bite.

"We don't have the water-skiers and jet-skiers – the recreational traffic's off the lake – which just makes it a little quieter. The water's cold, which has got the fish thinking about moving up shallow and spawning. They're a ways away from that right now, but I know where they're coming from and I know where they're going. I just have to figure out how to catch them."

> On the importance of a good start – "For your patterns, you've got to have your ducks in a row. You have to execute flawlessly from the first morning of the event – you can't have an early stumble. The competitors are too good today, and you don't want to leave the door open. I feel that on a lake like this, we're going to see some big bags – some 20-pound-plus bags."

> On whether someone could win again on Yelas' spot – "Jay won fishing a stretch. The special thing was that he had current. Without that current, he wouldn't have won. Those fish are just conditioned that time of year to current, and when it's turned on, they push against the bank and feed. Jay was smart enough to figure that out and he stayed. I look for a couple of Top 10 stringers to come out of there."

> On the water releases so far during practice – "I have no idea. I could care less. I haven't been paying attention. This is the one time of year when current's probably the least critical."

> On whether it'll be won deep or shallow – "I think it'll be won shallow – in less than 15 feet of water – after what I saw (yesterday). I fished deep, and saw lots of fish suspended. What species they are, I have no idea. I couldn't get them to react to anything I was throwing down there."

> On whether he likes the new practice format, with 3 days to practice so close to the tournament – "I really like having these practice days. It's a great thing. I feel like I'm a little more in tune with current conditions. I don't really expect any tremendous changes next week. Probably any differences (next week) will just depend on how much rain some of these creeks get. If we get a lot of rain, they'll flush and put too much color in the lake."

> On how he feels about what he's found so far – "I don't think I've found the type of fish I could win with. I could make a showing, but I hope I don't have to end up fishing for these types of fish. I've really just been breaking the lake down – starting to get in tune with it a little bit. Now I know what I'm looking for."

Tim Horton

> Insight – Lives in Alabama and has strong experience on Lay. Also fished a Classic here (2002) and finished 18th.

> On the condition of the bite – "It's about what I thought it was going to be. The water's pretty cold – anywhere from 49 to 53 degrees, depending on where you are. And the water clarity's pretty good. The fishing's so-so, but I think it'll get better if we get warmer weather next week."

> On whether he'll fish deep or shallow – "A couple of my deeper places I really haven't tried yet. I'm hoping they're still there. I think some of the offshore places are going to be limit-places. But I think you'll have to catch some single fish, largemouths, doing other things to have a chance to win."

> On whether someone could win again on Yelas' spot – "It's going to be factor. The biggest factor is how many people fish up there. Alabama tailraces are notoriously better in wintertime, so it really depends on whether it equals up to that pressure. Some guys in the Top 5 will be up below the dam, and there's a good chance it'll be won there.

"This rain we got (yesterday) will definitely help the river bite, because the more current, the better it is up there. If we get another rain (next week) like we did (last night), the river will for sure become the main factor. If that happens, even though everybody will be up there, it'll still be won there.

"I'm going to have to look at it 1 day at least to see what it looks like. The lower end was so crowded (yesterday), it couldn't have been crowded up there."

> On whether it'll be won deep or shallow – "I think it'll actually be a combination. That's not skirting the question. I think a guy will have to catch them both ways. I really do."

> On his current state of mind – "The Classic's always a special event, and I'm really looking forward to it. Of course, I've felt like that at every Classic, but if you get in a groove and get going, anything can happen. I'm excited about it. I really am."

Aaron Martens

> Insight – Finished 2nd in three consecutive Classics he fished, one of which was at Lay in 2002. He fished just downriver from Yelas at that one, and got hurt by boat traffic, which muddied his water. Lives in Alabama and fishes the Coosa chain heavily.

> On the condition of the bite – "It's pretty much what I expected. It's still a pretty good lake, and there'll be some nice fish caught. I don't think it's quite as good as it was in summer. It may get better – it might just be the weather."

> On whether he's checked his spots from the 2002 Classic – "No, I'm not going to any of my spots. I don't need to until the tournament. I did go up (to the tailrace), and didn't see too many guys. It wasn't like I thought it would be. (Traffic) wasn't bad at all."

> On whether he thinks the field will wind up on top of each other – "It's definitely going to be more spread out than last time – that's what I'm thinking. It won't be like it was 4 years ago."

> On whether it'll be won on one spot – "It could be, but I think you'll probably need to do a few things – multitask, both deep and shallow. You'll have to fish hard, that's for sure. You're going to have to go get it. It's not going to come to you."

> On spectator traffic, and which bite is most vulnerable to it – "The water's low this year, so the river could do the same thing again (muddy up with spectator boats). It depends on how many boats run where. Deep water is more protected than other places. There are some creeks that'll get muddy – some have real muddy banks, which could hurt that bite a little bit.

"I thought the water would be high, but it's actually a foot or two low – as low as it was in pre-practice. That's very low for this time of year."

> On the role and state of current – "They only generated for about 3 hours (yesterday). Rain will definitely change that, and probably make it a bit better. I thought there would be current for half a day. That's the way I want it.

"The current definitely improves the bite. They bite about 80% better (in current)."

> On whether current is the most important factor – "It's definitely going to be a big part of it, and making the right moves during that time. But largemouths aren't quite as affected as spots by the current. The spots are trickier. If there's no current, you maybe able to stay (on the largemouths) better. I'm fishing both.

"I spent time in pre-practice trying to figure out what to do when the current stops, because I want to change strategies when the current changes or stops. You can't hardly tell when that happens, though. They might be letting water out of Lay Lake's dam, but you don't see current – only water falling.

"So there are a bunch of variables, and you have to constantly watch the shoreline. It changes all the time."

> On whether it'll be won on a single bait – "I was hoping there was going to be one bait to win it – that it was going to be that type of tournament. In the fall, it might have been different, but now, I think there's going to be four or five key baits. It's kind of like junk-fishing, but not.

"This is one of my favorite times of year, but it's tricky. I caught them pretty good (yesterday), but I'll be open-minded going into the first day. I'll keep my head open, and if I have to change, I won't hesitate. I will not get stuck on a pattern, that's for sure. I'll try to fly by the wire and stay loose. I'll go by my instincts. It's worked for me in the past."

Russ Lane

> Insight – A local and a monster on Lay. Has won a number of boats on the lake against strong local sticks, but no angler has ever won a Classic in his home state, so that jinx is looming out there large.

> On the condition of the bite – "It's a little bit different than it usually is this time of year. The water temperature's in the mid- to upper-40s, and it's usually in the mid- to low-50s. So it's fishing a little slower than usual.

"We're 9 days away, and I think the tournament will land right about the third day of a warming trend, so it might improve. Warm rains usually get the water temperature up too, but we haven't had a lot of that yet.

"I still had plenty of bites, and the fishing's still pretty good. It's just not fishing exactly like it usually does this time of year for me."

> On whether he'll check his best stuff before competition – "I'll do a little – check some of the spots. But there are a few places that I know fish get on under certain conditions. I don't have to check those places. I probably covered 15 miles of the river (yesterday)."

> On whether someone could win again on Yelas' spot – "I think there's three or four ways the tournament can be won. The (tailrace) is definitely one of them. I didn't go up there (yesterday), but I'm going to go up before practice is over with. I have a feeling there were several boats up there, because I didn't see a whole lot of boats in the mid-lake.

"The (tailrace) fish should be a little bit deeper than they were in the summertime Classic. Then, the fish were kind of schooling and tight to the bank. Since they should be deeper now, I don't think the boat traffic will hurt them as bad."

> On whether boat traffic will affect deep fish – "I think the fish will be deep enough that it's just not going to matter. There's a lot of color in the water, and I don't think boat traffic's as big a deal right now as it is in summertime tournaments.

"Plus, we may have a lot of people following guys, but we could have temperatures in the 30s at blast-off. So you have to think that'll keep some people off the water."

> On whether, as the hometown favorite, he's concerned about a flotilla following him – "You know, I haven't been in that situation, so I don't really know what to expect. I'm kind of hyped up about having some fans around.

"The only thing I hope for is that, if people follow me, I hope we have a good time and I catch some fish for them, but I hope they stay back and just give me the room I need to do my job."

Notable

> Official practice continues today and tomorrow. Anglers will be given a final day of practice next Wednesday. They then take a day away from the water, and begin competition on Friday.

> Nine Texans qualified for this Classic, which ties the state with Alabama for the largest contingent. Derek Remitz recently relocated from Hemphill, Texas to Madison, Ala., which created the tie.