By BassFan Staff

Conditions appeared ripe for Mike McClelland to excel on day 1 of the 2015 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. That notion was spurred by the brutally cold conditions – many thought they were perfectly suited for his jerkbaiting skills.

The Arkansas had a decent day, compiling a 12-02 stringer, but he was 9 pounds off the pace set by leader Dean Rojas.

"It was a little disappointing because I was on much better quality for most of the week," he said. "I tried fishing my largemouth areas the first thing this morning because I thought they might bite with the slight cloud and wind cover we had, but it didn't happen. I didn't get my first bite until nearly 11 o'clock.

"When things started thawing out I could fish more effectively. I caught seven or eight keepers and the opportunity was definitely there to make a run at this thing. I was catching 17 or 18 pounds a day in practice, but today I didn't have any that weighed over 2 3/4."

He caught some on his Spro McStick jerkbait and two on a Big Bite Baits swimbait on a spinner head.

"The swimbait was kind of a key deal. It allowed me to put two keepers in the well that gave me a limit, and once I had a limit I could put the stickbait back in my hand and fish the way I need to fish to have a chance to win."

Following are some notes from additional anglers not featured in BassFan's main day-1 story:

23rd: Davis had to Move Up

> Day 1: 5, 9-06

Former Classic champion Mark Davis said his offshore fish had disappeared on him.

"My plan didn't work," he said. "Normally deep fish don't move (due to cold weather), but mine were gone. I never got a bite where those fish were."

He was forced to move shallow and catch a pedestrian limit from boat docks.

"I'll go back (to the deeper water) and try them again tomorrow. That's where you can win."

25th: Powroznik Missed Early Bite

> Day 1: 4, 9-02

Jacob Powroznik wasn't pleased by B.A.S.S.' decision to postpone the launch time.

"Getting delayed 2 hours really hurts on this lake at this time of year," he said. "The first part of the morning is so crucial.

"I probably got 20 bites, but they bit funny in this cold weather. There's still plenty of fish out there so we'll see what happens."

26th: No Big Ones for Swindle

> Day 1: 5, 8-13

Gerald Swindle caught a limit and culled a few times, but never connected with any quality.

"I needed a little more than that to give myself a chance," he said. "I just never got a big bite – I'd been getting a 4-pounder every day in practice, but I didn't get one today. Maybe I'll get two or three (on day 2)."

He said he spent the entire day in water that was 10 feet or shallower. He threw two different crankbaits and a jig.

27th: Four for Niggemeyer

> Day 1: 4, 8-10

James Niggemeyer's stringer was one fish shy of a limit, which kept his weight from climbing into double digits.

"I had the fifth one on twice – I got six bites but only boated four," he said. "I loaded up on them and got a couple of cranks (of the reel handle), but it was over before I had a chance.

"I was running two patterns, but one of them never materialized. It was weird because that one was a better-quality deal in practice."

29th: Short not Happy

> Day 1: 5, 8-04

Kevin Short was extremely disappointed with his 8 1/2-pound haul.

"I thought I had a little deal going where I could catch 12 to 15 pounds in about 30 minutes," he said. "The first little ditch I wheeled into, where there'd been huge balls of bait, the bait was just gone.

"I could still see the fish (on his graph), but I'll be damned if I could get them to bite. Today I got all the way down to Plan F, and tomorrow I might just start at Z and work my way backward."

30th: Learning Experience for Lucas

> Day 1: 3, 8-04

Justin Lucas said he was unable to make the proper adjustments after the onset of the extremely cold weather.

"I'd never experienced conditions like that, so it was a learning experience," he said. "Some of my fish were gone and the three I weighed were all from the same spot. I caught them early and I thought I could run around and catch some more, but I never did.

"I'm obviously going to go back to the spot where I caught the three and I've got a couple things I'll try."

31st: Just 4 Bites for Herren

> Day 1: 4, 8-01

Matt Herren landed every bite he got, but that number was one short of a limit.

"I got on the wrong rotation and didn't have anything to myself," he said. "I'm a shallow-water guy and I had an exceptional practice at 30 to 50 feet, but for some reason they scattered on me."

33rd: Martens had Issues

> Day 1: 3, 7-09

Martens found out the evening before the event that his father had died following a long illness. Then his day on the water was hindered by equipment issues.

"I probably lost 2 1/2 hours of fishing time," he said. "That's too much for a short day when it's tough fishing.

He got seven keeper bites, but lost four of them.

"At one point I wanted to pull my hair out, but I stayed cool," he said. "I just did the best I could with what I was doing."

33rd: Delay Hurt Pipkens

> Day 1: 3, 7-09

The 2-hour launch delay due to icy conditions was extremely unfavorable for Chad Pipkens.

"I'd been catching all my good fish (during practice) before 9 o'clock, so not leaving the dock until 9:15 didn't help," he said. "I caught those three early and after that I didn't get a bite."

33rd: It was Slow for Jones

> Day 1: 3, 7-09

B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier Teb Jones caught the only three bites he hooked up on.

"It was much, much slower than practice," he said. "I'm still confident because of the quality I'd been catching. I really think 16 to 18 pounds can be done what I'm doing."

37th: Christie One Short

> Day 1: 4, 7-06

Jason Christie said the shallow fish he'd been catching up the Tugaloo River were turned off by the chilly conditions.

"They got knocked in the head," he said. "I thought I could grind it out through the day and eventually get a few bigger bites. I got four bites all day and unfortunately, I lost one. It's nobody's fault but my own.

"There's a couple way I thought would give me a chance to make a run at this thing, but it all involves shallow stuff. I actually didn't go to my best area because of the short day (the take-off was delayed 2 hours due to icy conditions at the launch ramp), but I'll go up there tomorrow and soak a jig all day and see what I come up with."

39th: Small Limit for Fukae

> Day 1: 5, 6-14

Shin Fukae brought five fish to the scale, but none had any size to them. He said he missed numerous bites.

"I don't know why they'd only eat the tail," he said. "In practice they ate (the entire bait."

He's finesse-fishing in a lot of different places, often making only three or four casts in each.

41st: Rook Lost Good One

> Day 1: 3, 4-13

Scott Rook said he lost a fish that would've weighed as much or as the three be brought to the scale combined.

"At about noon I had a 4 1/2- or 5-pounder that pulled off," he said. "That was the only good bite I had.

"There was one deep place where I thought I could catch them and I could see them on the graph, but they wouldn't bite at all. I'll go try them again tomorrow but I'm not going to spend as much time there."

42nd: Forgettable Day for Tharp

> Day 1: 2, 4-08

Randall Tharp was the leader after day 2 of last year's Classic, but he won't be a contender in 2015.

"I had a day I'd like to try to forget," he said. "Nothing went right from the minute I woke up and there was a solid sheet of ice over the entire cove I was going to spend the morning in.

"I got on a deal late and lost a couple of really good fish – the kind of fish you need to win the tournament. I'll go back out tomorrow and try to catch a good bag."

43rd: Pace's Program Eradicated

> Day 1: 2, 4-05

Cliff Pace's hopes of a second Classic victory were extinguished early.

"It was good to be back fishing, but it was very frustrating from a fishing standpoint," he said. "The weather just eradicated what I was doing. When that happens there's always something else you can do, but you've got to have time to figure it out."

44th: Prince Befuddled

> Day 1: 2, 3-09

Cliff Prince had a solid practice fishing up Twenty and Six Creek, but the place wasn't kind to him on day 1.

"I felt really good about it," he said. "I caught them good the first two practice days, then they kind of drifted away on the third day. But (Wednesday) I went up there and caught four in an hour.

"It was just one of those things that didn't work. (On day 2) I'll do something I did in pre-practice in different areas down the lake and see what happens."

49th: Crochet was Amped

> Day 1: 1, 2-12

Cliff Crochet said he allowed himself to get a bit too excited on day 1.

"It was so much that I was running around a lot, but I was fishing fast – I was going for the win," he said. "I'll have to really catch them (on day 2) to get back in the game, but I've done it before and I can do it again."