Mornings May Decide Things At Murray, May Not

The way things are shaping up at Lake Murray in South Carolina, conditions couldn't be worse – high, sunny skies and little to no wind. The golfers love it, but the fishermen hate it. It's a combo that all but kills any afternoon bite at clear-water, blueback-herring lakes.

Which means that this week's Murray Bassmaster Elite Series might be decided in the very first hour of each day. The field should catch the tail end

of the nightly blueback and shad spawn, when the topwater and swimbait bite is fast and furious.

After that, it's a guessing game because the bite's been downright poor. The fish aren't eating long after daybreak, they're spooky in the clear water, and because they're relating to bait, not cover, they're difficult to pinpoint and nearly impossible to trigger.

Difficult as the afternoon bite may be, an oddball pattern can win at Murray. Fred Roumbanis proved that when the Elite Series stopped at Murray this very same week in 2008. He threw a frog and wakebait up the Little Saluda River and won.

So perhaps it's more correct to say that the mornings will decide who'll ultimately compete, but it'll be the angler who can upgrade in the afternoons (not just fill a limit) who wins.

Before some practice reports from the field, here's more about the fishery 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: Points, 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 because of the bluebacks
> Weather: Light to no winds with the possibility of thunderstorms
> Water temp: High-70s to low-80s
> Water visibility/color: Varies from clear to stained, depending upon location. Some clearer areas offer 5 feet of visibility
> Water level: A few feet high, so shoreline brush is flooded
> Fish in: 1 to 35 feet
> Fish phase: Post-spawn with some remnant spawn
> Primary patterns: Topwaters, swimbaits, jigs
> Winning weight: 68 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 12): 42 pounds
> Check weight: 24 pounds (Top 50)
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for Murray
> Biggest factors: The afternoon bite: Who can catch 'em after morning? Also, boat draw for the morning bite. And of course weather: Wind is key
> Biggest decision: Up the rivers or down the lake?
> Wildcard: Remnant spawners

Field Reports

Bradley Hallman
"I've only been here once and it's not like the last time I was here. They don't seem to be schooled up as tight – the schools aren't as big on the points as they were last time. And they're definitely not biting all day long.

"I've been on the lake first thing every morning trying to get the blueback and shad spawn going, then I've been going to the bank in the afternoons. To be honest, I think the big ones will come in the morning, then you'll have to go fish for your limit on the banks. And if you end up in the second flight or later the first day, you're going to run the risk of not getting on spots. There's not many of them and they don't bite there for very long. After that, it really gets tough out there."

Randy Howell
"It's been just like summertime – it's crazy how hot it is – and I definitely think the morning bite's key. If you don't catch some good weight by 9:30 in the morning, you're going to have to work really hard the rest of the day to get it. If the wind would blow, I think the bite would pick up a little bit, but the worst conditions you can have is what we had in practice – bluebird and slick calm.

"I've really been working hard all day trying to find something else to go along with the morning bite, but it's been difficult to get bit during the day. You can see a lot of fish swimming around, but they don't act like normal bass. All they think about is the bluebacks, and it seems they only eat those in the mornings.

"There are still some fish spawning and guarding fry, and there's thousands of acres of shoreline it seems, so a guy who hunts and pecks and finds five or 10 of those fish could have a good bag too."

John Crews
"I haven't done all that great, but I feel like I can do all right. It's hunting and searching and clawing like it always is here, and I thought I was going to have it a little better dialed in coming into it. But I figured out a couple of little things. I'm just trying to find as many fish as possible, because I think that's the name of the game here. It just gets a lot of pressure this time of year.

"There's not a lot of spawning stuff going on that I saw. I think it's mostly done. All the bigger fish seem to be keyed in on the bluebacks now.

"Hopefully if we get some of the expected clouds or maybe some wind, it might extend the morning bite. It's been nice golfing weather this week, but definitely not good fishing weather for a clear lake like this."

Anthony Gagliardi
(Editor's note: Gagliardi's an FLW Tour pro and hence not fishing this week, but Murray's his home water and he won an FLW Tour stop here in February 2006.)

"This time of year it's the morning bite, then very difficult after that. A lot of it's weather-related. Right now, if you can get an overcast day with maybe some wind, the bite's a lot better. But when it's sunny with no wind, the morning bite's real critical because it gets ultra-tough up in the day.

"If I were fishing this event, I'd be working real hard to try to find some other type of pattern. You've got that morning herring bite that everybody's looking for, but I'd look for something else to get bit up in the day – maybe fishing the shoreline gator grass or docks. You could maybe catch some fish dragging, but I've not done a lot of that on Murray. Seldom have I caught them dragging out deep this time of year. There'll definitely be some fish around the banks – spawning here and there, or guarding fry – and that's probably what I'd be looking at for a backup pattern.

"In the morning, topwaters and swimbaits and Flukes are popular, but you can catch them on just about anything. The fish come up breaking and will eat whatever you throw. But there'll be a lot of guys battling over the same places, so that morning bite could come down to boat draw, which always leads to a lot of frustration."

Top 10 To Watch

1. Andy Montgomery – Montgomery's somewhat under the radar at this event, maybe because he's better known as a Wylie/Norman guy, but don't let that fool you. He just missed the cut here at the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup and is easily a favorite for the Top 12.

2. Davy Hite – It's his house and he knows it well. A good boat draw will help him, but he should be able to mop up a good limit each day.

3. Steve Kennedy – Back-to-back victories are extremely rare, but this is Kennedy's stomping ground and he's a killer with the swimbait.

4. Kevin VanDam – VanDam loves fishing fast with baits like a Strike King King Shad. While the afternoons might try his patience, his patented ability to trigger reaction bites from neutral or negative fish could be the deciding factor this week.

5. Fred Roumbanis – He figured it out in 2008 and although more folks will be looking for the same bedding-bream bite he rode to victory, it's his bread and butter. If it's there again, he should be a lock for a Top 12.

6. Alton Jones – He leads the Toyota Trucks B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race and shows no signs of letting up. He's done very well at Clarks and checked here in 2008. Desperately needs a Top 12 to stay in command of the race.

7. Terry Scroggins – Scroggins is currently 2nd in the AOY race and this is definitely his trap tournament. He's never done much at Clarks or Murray and needs a much better showing to hang with Jones, KVD, et. al. down the stretch.

8. Casey Ashley – He's a ringer at Clarks – three consecutive Top 10s – and finished 23rd at Murray in '08. He just thrives on the blueback bite.

9. Marty Robinson – Definitely under the radar, but Robinson, a semi-local, just missed the cut here in '08 and needs a Top 12 to move within smelling distance of the Classic.

10. Dave Wolak – Made the cut here last time, but is a gut pick more or less. And like Robinson, this is a do-or-die event if Wolak wants to make the Classic.

Launch/Weigh-In Information

Anglers launch daily at 6:45 am ET from Dreher Island State Park (3677 State Park Rd., Prosperity, S.C.). Daily weigh-ins start at 3:15 pm ET at the same location.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., May 12 - PM T-Storms - 83°/66°
- Wind: From the SE at 6 mph

> Fri., May 13 - Scattered T-Storms - 85°/67°
- Wind: From the SE at 7 mph

> Sat., May 14 - Scattered T-Storms - 83°/54°
- Wind: From the S/SW at 8 mph

> Sun., May 15 - Isolated T-Storms - 80°/62°
- Wind: From the SW at 7 mph

Notable

> Brent Chapman faced the familiar struggle to find an afternoon bite. For his full practice report, click here to go On Tour With the BassFan Big Sticks.