Category Archives: Bassmasters Classic

Casey Ashley Wins the 2015 Bassmasters Classic

Hometown Favorite Casey Ashley Wins Bassmaster Classic Title

GREENVILLE, S.C. — On Sunday evening at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Casey Ashley completed a journey that began more than three decades ago and seemed to drag on forever these past few weeks.

The 31-year-old South Carolina native, who has lived just a few miles from Lake Hartwell all his life, caught five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 3 ounces to cap a moving victory in the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on his home waters with a three-day total of 50-1.

The weight was enough to help Ashley pass Elite Series pro Bobby Lane of Florida, who finished second with 46-15, and Texas angler Takahiro Omori, who placed third with 44-3.

The end of the weigh-in meant Ashley could finally take a deep breath after seven weeks when the lake was mostly off-limits due to B.A.S.S. rules and when virtually everyone he saw wanted to talk about him being the favorite to win.

“I worked a show in Greenville at the TD Convention Center (in mid-January), and I bet I thought about the Classic 50,000 times while I was standing there,” said Ashley, who won the Classic on his sixth try. “My first Classic was here (in 2008), and ever since then I’ve been saying I’d like to have that one back.

“I wanted to win so bad here at home, and I had a long time to think about it. It was pretty rough.”

Once it began, Ashley made the most of his opportunity.

An accomplished singer, songwriter and musician in addition to his career as a pro angler, Ashley opened the event with a stirring rendition of the national anthem before Friday’s frigid opening-round takeoff at Green Pond Landing in Anderson, S.C.

Then he went out and steadily caught fish every day on a homemade fish-head spinner rigged with a Zoom Super Fluke Jr. in pearl white. His father, Danny, made him about 20 of the baits before the tournament began.

Ashley prefers to fish a jig — and he won an FLW Tour event last year on Hartwell doing just that. But the more he tried it this week, the more he realized it might sink him if he didn’t abandon the tactic and stick with the baits his dad made for him.

“I was going out and getting a good limit with that bait and then going and fishing brushpiles and structure looking for big fish with a jig,” Ashley said. “I burned a lot of time doing that the first two days.

“Then Saturday night, I was lying in bed and the (country music) song ‘Why Lady Why?’ kept going through my mind. So I asked myself ‘Why do I keep doing that?’”

With the conditions rainy and overcast on Sunday — just perfect for what he’d been doing with the homemade bait — Ashley stuck with the tactic that helped him catch 10 fish that weighed 29-14 on Friday and Saturday. It paid off as he steadily culled fish throughout the day Sunday.

He rose from fifth to first with his catch of 20-3.

“I knew I had to catch a big bag today, and the weather was textbook for me,” Ashley said. “It all came together, and I could just see it getting closer and closer and closer.”

Omori, the Day 2 leader, was the final angler to weigh in — and when his weight fell far short of what he needed to win, Ashley was overcome with emotion. He was named champion and handed the 45-pound Classic trophy with his own song, “Fisherman” blaring over the speakers and a capacity crowd on their feet inside the arena.

Ashley, who held the trophy above his head with the song still playing and confetti spraying around him, said he considered his Classic victory a “win for everyone.”

He was also proud to be one of the few anglers who has managed to win a Classic on his home waters despite all of the distractions and potential pitfalls that come with the scenario.

“I know everybody wanted to win this tournament, but they couldn’t have wanted to win more than I did,” Ashley said. “I broke that record — that nobody can win on their home lake. There have been a lot of guys who said they fished the Classic on their home waters through the years when it really wasn’t their home waters. It was just close to their home.

“But these are really my home waters. This is my back yard — and that’s special.” Only two other anglers in 45 years have won the Classic in their home state.

Behind Ashley, Lane and Omori, were Arizona pro Dean Rojas (43-13), Virginia pro Jacob Powroznik (43-1) and New Jersey pro Michael Iaconelli (42-6).

The GEICO Everyday Leader Award of $1,000 was presented to Rojas on Day 1; an additional $1,500 was awarded to Rojas for having a GEICO decal on his boat’s windshield. Omori earned the Day 2 GEICO Everyday Leader Award of $1,000, and the $1,500 GEICO decal bonus.

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., was awarded the GoPro Big Bass award of $2,500 for his Day 2 big bass of 6 pounds, 11 ounces.

The local host for the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro are VisitGreenvileSC, Visit Anderson, Greenville County, Anderson County and the state of South Carolina.

2015 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: GEICO

2015 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsors: GoPro

2015 Bassmaster Classic Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2015 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: Dick’s Sporting Goods

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

St Croix Rods At the Bassmasters Classic

Class of the Classic

Four top St. Croix Rod pros qualify for 2015 Bassmaster Classic
from St Croix Rods

Park Falls, WI (February 15, 2015) – To qualify is a big badge of honor. Winning? Well let’s just say the medals and commendations might require a caddy to carry and reinforcement of the fireplace mantle. The Classic trophy alone looks to exceed the maximum poundage for check-in luggage.

The Classic is a weighty matter, indeed. And there is a quartet of Elite anglers who will be throwing their weight and baits around under the flag of an all-American brand. Classic qualifiers James Niggemeyer, Stephen Browning, Scott Rook and Brian Snowden will have St. Croix Rod pinned to their chests and immaculately crafted rods in their hands.

South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell sets the battlefield for the 2015 campaign. The phrase “intimidating” might best describe the 56,000-acre reservoir and its 962 miles of shoreline. Rugged foothills and plummeting piedmont foretell what lies beneath the surface, as Hartwell’s waterscape is a pulmonary arrhythmia of structure.

True, for one, Niggemeyer is impressed by the scope and cragginess of Hartwell, but definitely not intimidated by the manmade lake. “Hartwell reminds me of some of the lakes I fished out west,” said the California native, now proud Texan. “Before Christmas, I went on a scouting trip to familiarize myself with the lake. I left feeling pretty comfortable.”

Pre-fishing is one thing, prognosticating another. Niggemeyer tested the waters in late December, but the dates of the Classic put him back on Hartwell in late February. So how does he expect the bite to play out?

“I predict that the bass will be in a late-winter pre-spawn mode, meaning both deep and shallow patterns will be in play,” said Niggemeyer, mentally preparing for basically everything. “I want to fish my strengths, and working a Strike King jig is one of them. It’s a powerful cold-water tool when fished around vertical structure and cover types both shallow and deep.”

Painting a waterscape with a precision jig necessitates the right brush, the perfect rod. “I’ll fish a St. Croix Legend Elite (LEC70MHF) 7-foot medium-heavy rod to get the job done. It’s extremely sensitive to soft bites from sluggish cold-water fish, but still has the action and backbone to maximize my potential to land each bite.”

Niggemeyer’s secondary approach involves raking crankbaits along fast-falling banks. “I have had a lot of success in late winter/early spring, fishing a variety of Strike King crankbaits to draw reaction strikes from fish that are otherwise reluctant to eat a slow-moving presentation.

“Pre-spawn bass tend to relate to 45-degree banks because they offer quick access to deep water. And using the right rod for crankbaiting is crucial, which is why I will reach for a 7-foot 4-inch St. Croix Mojo Bass Glass (MBGC74MM). The fiberglass rod gives me an edge anytime I fish crankbaits, but especially in this cold-water timeframe when fish have a tendency to swipe at baits, resulting in fish that are just barely hooked.”

Niggemeyer’s larger Classic prediction? “The tournament will most likely be won by the guy who consistently catches them day after day, as opposed to the one who has a monster day and hangs on for the win. With that in mind, a carefully thought out strategy with multiple options will be important.”

Similarity, not familiarity, is the battle cry echoed by St. Croix Rod pro and Bassmaster Classic qualifier, Brian Snowden. The Missourian is intimately acquainted with Table Rock Lake, which he says mimics South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. “I have never fished a tournament on Lake Hartwell, but I did have the opportunity to spend an entire week on the water prior to off-limits. It fishes very similar to my home lake, Table Rock.”

In Snowden’s academic opinion, the calendar and cold water will have bass in a pre-spawn frame of mind. “The fish should be in a late winter or early pre-spawn pattern. For fish staging deeper than 10 feet, I plan on using a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce football jig. For this technique, my all-time favorite rod is the 7-foot medium-heavy St. Croix Legend Elite. The rod is very light and phenomenally sensitivity. Plus, the Legend Elite has a fast tip allowing for accurate casts, but with plenty of strength through the lower section of the rod.”

Snowden, like Niggemeyer, already has his fingers on the seams of a follow-up pitch. “My second prediction is that bass will be in major creeks, on channel swings and secondary points. One of the best techniques for catching them is running a crankbait. My choice for throwing smaller, lightweight crankbaits is the 7-foot 2-inch St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass (TBC72MM).”

There is a hardened Lake Hartwell expert in St. Croix’s ranks as well. “I fished the 2008 Bassmaster Classic on Hartwell,” said Arkansan Stephen Browning. “I didn’t fare well, but I really like the lake. I did spend some time before cutoff trying to familiarize myself with some areas that I didn’t fish during the 2008 Classic.” Seems that a winning formula for Browning will involve hybridizing 2008 intel with knowledge gained from more recent pre-fishing efforts.

“I’m going to hope for stable weather patterns leading up to the Classic,” said Browning, metaphorically pounding the Farmer’s Almanac with this fist. “This will help me analyze the winning pattern, or patterns, during the Classic. Nothing would suit me better than if there was substantial rainfall about a week out. That would move bass shallower, which would set up nicely for some shallow cranking.”

Again, akin to Niggemeyer, Browning snares a crankbait-specific St. Croix Rod off the front platform. “I’ve put the Mojo Target Cranker to the test the last two years with wins on the Red River in Shreveport, LA, and would love the opportunity to do the same at the Classic.”

Browning’s Plan B considers dryer conditions. “If we don’t see the rain and the fish are relating to deeper structure, a football jig on the end of a Legend Tournament Bass Carolina Rig rod will play a big role. This is one of my favorite ways to catch fish during the late-winter season.

“If I can find fish using either of these techniques, I should do very well. Confidence is a major player, especially at the Classic, and I know that there are no better rods that fit my styles of fishing than those that carry the St. Croix logo.”

Rounding out St. Croix’s fearsome foursome is veteran B.A.S.S. angler Scott Rook. The Arkansan is maybe best known for his adaptability; able to drive crankbaits with a burly baitcaster and effortlessly drop it to the deck and come back up with a finesse spinning outfit.

Matching Browning’s history with Lake Hartwell, Rook laced ‘em up at the 2008 Bassmaster Classic. And this time around, as he stated in a recent story written by David A. Brown for Arkansas Wild magazine, Rooks said deciphering prevailing weather conditions will be the key to the kingdom.

“In late February, if we have a warming spell, it will be shallow-water fishing; if we have a cold spell between now and then it will be more deep-water fishing,” he said. “More than likely, it will be won deep, but if it continues to warm, you can continue to fish shallow.

“The weather is going to be the biggest factor in what you can do. And you might have to mix it up some.”

St. Croix Rod, like its water-warriors, wears a badge of honor. And the symbol stands as the company’s pride in both its pros and the premium rods they’ll be fishing.

Im Going To the Bassmasters Classic

I’m going to the BassMasters Classic in Greenville, South Carolina and Lake Hartwell this week – as a media observer. Way back in 1983 in almost qualified to fish the Classic through the federation and going as an observer is a far cry from fishing it, but I went last year and had fun.

The Classic is the biggest tournament in bass fishing each year. It is often called the Superbowl of bass fishing. Last year I was quoted in Sports Illustrated saying “the Suprebowl should be called the Basssmasters Classic of football!” It is that big, and the winner can expect to earn over one million dollars during the next year in sponsorships and endorsements.

On Wednesday I will ride with one of the pros during the final practice day. I am a little worried since the weather guessers say the high will be 37 with a chance of rain, but it gives me the chance to see first-hand how the pros try to find fish and figure out how to catch them.

Thursday is media day and I will have lunch with the pros – me and about 150 other media representatives. After lunch the pros will be at their boats to do interviews. Last year one question I asked was “What advice would you give to a young fisherman wanting to be a bass pro?” The results of those interviews are in an article I wrote in this month’s Georgia Outdoor News.

Friday is the first day of the tournament and while the pros are fishing there will be a huge outdoor show at the TD Convention Center in Greenville. There will be dozens of vendors there, ranging from boat companies to lure manufacturers. And many of them will have special discounts on their products. The show will run all three days, Friday through Sunday, and it is free.

The weigh-in each day will be at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and is also free. Live weigh-ins will be streamed on the internet so you can watch from home. And there will be a live blog each day of fishing from on-the-water observers as well as streaming video of the pros fishing, all at http://bassmasters.com.

The show and weigh-ins in Greenville are a little over three hours from Griffin. It would be a fun trip to go to the show and see some of the weigh-ins in person.

Bassmaster Classic Audience Expected To Grow This Year

The cameras used to film The Bassmasters on ESPN are now capable of also streaming live on-the-water video that will be accessible on Bassmaster.com during the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Photo by Bassmaster

Bassmaster Classic Audience Expected To Grow In 2015 Through Innovative New Media

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro next week on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, is expected to become the most widely watched and thoroughly covered fishing event in history, B.A.S.S. officials predict.

“It will certainly be covered in more different ways than previous Classics, which historically have reached more fishing fans than any other tournament,” said Jim Sexton, VP/Digital for B.A.S.S. “With new live coverage of fishing action on Bassmaster.com and advances in content for mobile devices, we’re hoping to surpass 1 million unique visitors on our website alone.”

The 2014 Classic on Lake Guntersville attracted 979,000 unique visitors to the site, and they generated a total of 33 million page views in February 2014, including 22 million during Classic Week.

In addition to web coverage, ESPN2 will air 12 hours of programming on the Classic, which is being held Feb. 20-22 on Lake Hartwell, with weigh-ins to be held in Greenville, S.C. The programs will be re-aired on ESPN2, ESPN Classic and on The Outdoor Channel. The 2014 Classic on Lake Guntersville attracted more than 1.3 million viewers, including approximately 880,000 on ESPN2 and 400,000 on The Outdoor Channel.

Bassmaster Magazine will cover the 45th Classic in its April issue, reaching 500,000 B.A.S.S. members and 3.7 million readers.

The “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing” also has attracted a record number of journalists representing independent media ranging from websites to magazines and newspapers to television networks. Approximately 275 media representatives have applied for credentials to cover the event.

Among the media contingent, a crew from The Weather Channel will be broadcasting live from the take-off site, Green Pond Landing in Anderson, S.C., Friday and Saturday mornings, Feb. 21-22.

Another form of live broadcast from the Classic will be “huge,” predicts Mike McKinnis, producer of the award-winning The Bassmasters TV show. Internet coverage of the Classic will feature live on-the-water video of anglers on Lake Hartwell.

Employing somewhat new technology built into the same cameras used for the television show, video is transmitted through cell service and streamed live on the website, McKinnis explained. “We do things that inspire us, and we know if we get excited, typically the fans can get excited about it,” he added. “I think the fans will be blown away.”

The video will be streamed in the “Bassmaster Classic Live presented by Lowrance” programs on Bassmaster.com each competition day, Feb. 20-22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET.

Classic television coverage on ESPN2 will premiere Saturday, March 7, with a three-hour block covering Day 1 and Day 2 of the competition, and the final round will be covered in a two-hour show Sunday, March 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on ESPN2. (See Bassmaster.com for complete listings.) The programs are videoed, edited and produced by the same team that’s responsible for The Bassmasters show on ESPN2 and the Outdoor Channel. That show recently received the prestigious Golden Moose award for “Best Fishing Show” — the third such award in the past four years for the program.

In addition to “Bassmaster Classic Live,” the Bassmaster.com website offers several other ways to keep up with the fishing competition in real time. BASSTrakk uses cellphone technology to record the location of each angler on a GPS map. Marshals assigned as observers for each of the anglers operate the BASSTrakk devices and send in updates immediately after each fish is caught and kept or released. That information is displayed in the Real Time Leaderboard, an unofficial ranking of each of the competitors, and is sent automatically to followers of @BASSTrakk on Twitter.

Teams of writers and photographers prowl the lake, following the leaders and filing reports and photos in the “Live Blog” feature on the website, which also publishes photos taken by marshals of the angler’s biggest bass. “Near-live” video interviews will be posted online in the BASSCam section, and select video from GoPro cameras installed on all 56 contender boats will be posted daily on the website.

Fans will be able to contribute to the Classic coverage as well through Twitter and/or Instagram. By using the hashtag #BassmasterClassic, their Tweets and photos will appear on video screens in the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on the big screen during weigh-ins at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and on Bassmaster.com.

Social media is expected to play a major role in telling the story of the event this year, according to Social Media Editor Tyler Wade. “More than 2,500 Instagram photos were posted with our hashtag during last year’s Classic, and we had barely established our Instagram presence then. With 25,000 fans on our Instagram account, @bass_nation, the number of posts will be much higher this year.”

Lake Hartwell Is So Big It Offers Bassmasters Classic Challenges

As one of the largest lakes in the Southeast, Lake Hartwell has 56,000 surface acres and 962 miles of shoreline. This lake will prove to be a challenge for the 56-angler field competing in the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

Massive Lake Hartwell Presents Challenges, Opportunities For Classic Anglers
from BASS

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When talking with one of the 56 anglers taking part in the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, Feb. 20-22 on Lake Hartwell, you can expect to hear the words “big” and “everything” a lot.

Serving as a border between Georgia and South Carolina, the lake has 56,000 surface acres and 962 miles of shoreline. That makes it one of the Southeast’s largest and most popular fishing destinations.

“It’s a lot bigger than I remember it being when we were there for the Classic that Alton Jones won (in 2008),” said Aaron Martens, who will be making his 16th career Classic appearance. “I don’t think I even saw half of the lake back then. It’s got a lot of acreage, and the amount of fishable water in that acreage is pretty large.”

The size of the lake combined with its diverse structure could make it hard for anglers to form a solid game plan that’s likely to withstand three days of the area’s often-erratic winter weather. The lake has everything from long, sloping points and underwater islands to standing timber, rocky banks, man-made brushpiles and deep underwater channels.

“There’s so much to look at – a little bit of everything, everywhere,” Martens said. “You can catch them shallow to deep. You have to be ready for it all, but that’s what we do. I think the fish will bite. But depending on the weather, it could be hard to present certain techniques to them.”

Along with diverse structure, Hartwell has two species of black bass that could both be helpful to anglers. First, there are the largemouth that have been the staple of most tournaments on Hartwell for decades. Then there’s the spotted bass that have steadily increased in size the past four or five years since making their way downstream from Lake Keowee, where they were introduced more than a decade ago.

Classic competitor Casey Ashley, who lives just 35 minutes from Lake Hartwell in Donalds, S.C., believes spots could play a major role in the outcome of the tournament.

“It could possibly be won off spots,” said Ashley, who won an FLW Tour event on Hartwell in March 2014. “The 3- to 5-pound spots are there, and there are a lot of them. I’ve just now gotten to where I’ll actually target spots. I wouldn’t in the past because for years, you just couldn’t win with spots. That’s just not the case anymore.”

Elite Series pro Stephen Browning of Arkansas, who will be appearing in his 10th Classic, isn’t sure the event can be won with spotted bass. But he believes they could make for an excellent “Plan B” if the largemouth prove too stubborn.

“Personally, with the exception of the Coosa River (in Alabama), I’ve never seen a lake where a guy can win a multiday tournament exclusively on spotted bass,” Browning said. “But mixing five or six of them in with largemouth may help you survive. I feel like if a guy gets to struggling, those will definitely be the fish to turn to.”

Those anglers and the rest of the field will be aiming to do more than survive — they’re gunning for the $300,000 winner’s prize and the almost instant fame and fortune that go with winning.

Weigh-ins will be held daily at the Bon Secours Wellness Center Arena in downtown Greenville, with the winner to be crowned there Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22.

Plenty of activities are available to fishing fans prior to the weigh-ins. For those willing to brave the morning chill, the Green Pond Landing at Anderson, S.C., provides a fan-friendly setting for watching the pros take off each morning. And one of the country’s largest consumer fishing shows, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, will be open all three competitions days. All three venues are free admission.

The local host for the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro are VisitGreenvileSC, Visit Anderson, Greenville County, Anderson County and the state of South Carolina.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.

Is Cliff Price Ready for the Classic?

Former Classic® Champion Pace Anxious for Competition to Begin
from The Fishing Wire

Cliff Price

After Missing 2014 Season Due to Injury, Cliff Pace is Ready to Fish Again

With the Bassmaster Classic® world championship now less than eight weeks away, it’s pretty safe to say none of the 56 anglers who will be competing are looking forward to the event as much as 2013 Classic® winner Cliff Pace. That’s because the Yamaha Pro has fully healed from a severe leg injury that forced him to miss the entire 2014 Elite Series season and 2014 Classic,® and also because this year’s event will be on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell, where Pace finished second in the 2008 championship.

“I don’t have any butterflies, yet,” smiled Pace, after returning from an early scouting trip to Hartwell. “I’m just glad to be fishing and getting involved again. Sitting out this past year was miserable for me. I missed the competition and being around my friends.

“It really doesn’t matter to me where the Classic® is being held, because I’m just thankful for the opportunity to compete again.”

A year ago, Pace broke both the fibula and tibula in his left leg when he fell 20 feet while climbing down from his tree stand while deer hunting. The accident also tore his ACL tendons. After being on crutches and unable to put any weight on his leg for three months, Pace literally had to learn to walk again.

Cliff Price Has Recovered

“I went to physical therapy every other day, pushing myself as hard as I could,” remembers the Yamaha Pro, “and the doctors say I probably shortened my recovery time by six months or more. All I can say about the experience is that I don’t want to go through it again.”

Before he was off his crutches, however, Pace actually began bass fishing again, although not the way the Mississippi angler is accustomed to doing. Friends literally lifted him into his bass boat while still in the parking lot, then launched and slowly trolled him around small lakes near his home as Pace cast from the back deck seat.

“I just simply had to get outside, if only for a few hours,” he says. “Before the accident, I was either fishing or on my way to go fishing, practically every day of the year.”

By October, the Yamaha Pro had recovered well enough to compete in the final Bassmaster® Southern Open of the year on Lake Norman. Although he struggled in rough water the final day of that event, he still managed a 10th place finish. Since then, Pace has continued to fish as often as possible, and in late December spent a week on Hartwell before the lake went off-limits to Classic® contenders.

“These kinds of pre-tournament practice trips are all about guessing where bass might be in two months, and it is just a guess because it all depends on the weather conditions we have between now and the Classic,®” he emphasizes. “I did very little actual fishing, and one day I don’t think I even picked up a rod at all. Instead, I rode around and became familiar with the lake again. In fact, I didn’t even re-visit the places I fished in 2008.

“The lake is probably 10 to 12 feet higher now than it was during that Classic,® and I remember catching my fish then a different way each day. Typically, Hartwell sets up more as a ‘pattern lake’, which is what I like, so I looked for different places in each section of the lake and tried to determine which patterns might prevail when we’re there.”

Cliff Pace Getting Ready for Hartwell

Still, the Yamaha Pro knows conditions are likely to be different during the Feb. 20-22 tournament, because during his visit the water temperature registered an almost-balmy 55 degrees, which is surprisingly warm this late in the winter.

“Hartwell also has a much higher spotted bass population today than it did in 2008, so I’m sure that will also play a role in the outcome of the Classic,®” he concludes. “Essentially, I think it will be a completely different type of event.

“All I can say is that I’m honored, and very, very glad, to be able to fish it again.”

Randy Howell Scouts Lake Hartwell for Bassmasters Classic

Defending the Classic crown: Randy Howell scouts Lake Hartwell in preparation for the Feb. 20-22 Bassmaster Classic

Today’s feature comes to us from 2014 Bassmaster Classic champion Randy Howell, offering a few thoughts on how he intends to fish in this year’s event.
from The Fishing Wire

I don’t really ever make resolutions for New Year’s – I prefer to set goals instead. Looking back at this same time last year, my number one competitive goal was to win the 2104 Bassmaster Classic.

“Check” on that one.

Randy Howell

Randy Howell hoists the Classic trophy high after his big win last year on Lake Guntersville.

My biggest competitive goal as I head into 2015 is a big one: to be a back-to-back Classic winner. In order to accomplish that goal, I also have “sub-goals” jotted down in my iPhone notes, and the first sub-goal is simply “Work hard in practice in preparation for the Bassmaster Classic.”

So far so good on that one.

I just got back from a week of scouting for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina, and I’m pretty encouraged by what I found there.

DECIPHERING LAKE HARTWELL

Right out of the gate, I knew I had some work to do, because I’d never fished Lake Hartwell before I scouted it just prior to New Year’s Day. The Classic was held there in 2008, but I didn’t qualify for that Classic, so I was pretty anxious to get on the water and start to break the fishery down a little.

My first impression of Hartwell is that I really didn’t realize how big it was. I looked at maps and knew that it had around 900 miles of shoreline, but once I got there and started scouting, I realized that Hartwell might be one of the most productive top-to-bottom fisheries I’ve ever seen. Typically, you can look at a reservoir that big and eliminate a lot of water that won’t be productive.

Not Hartwell.

It’s a lot like Lake Guntersville in that it has so much fishable, productive water with a lot of fish in all of it, from one end of the lake to the other. That really makes the Classic anybody’s ballgame, because there are several different patterns that could play big roles in winning that event.

Having a mixed bag of tricks and being versatile are going to be a big deal. If you’re able to fish multiple techniques well, it’ll really show out well at this Classic.

There are some fisheries where you just have to be hard-headed and stick with the jig or the swimbait and just grind on them for four days straight, but I think you’re going to have to mix it up with three of four different techniques to win at Hartwell.

THE CHAMP’S CHOICES: TOP FOUR BAITS

Crankbait Bass At Hartwell

Howell was able to find crankbait fish on Lake Hartwell during a scouting expedition to the site of this year’s Classic. If the crankbait bite is on by Classic time, his chances will be good.
To be honest, I probably only fished for four or five hours total while I scouted Hartwell – I spent most of my time just driving around, making myself familiar with the layout of the lake – but what I found leads me to believe that the following Team Livingston baits are going to be big parts of my gameplan come the Classic:

Howeller DMC: The same bait I won the Classic last year with is going to be HUGE for me this year. The little I fished during scouting, I caught big fish on the Howeller DMC. Hartwell really sets up well for that 6- to 10-foot zone in February, which is perfect for the Howeller, and I caught a 5-plus-pounder on literally my second cast on the second point I stopped on during scouting.

I’m going to have some custom paint jobs done that mimic the look of the blueback herring in the reservoir, but I’m pretty sure the Howeller is going to be a go-to bait.

School Master: I’m really excited about this bait in general – I’ve been fishing a homemade version of it for awhile – but the School Master with EBS MultiTouch Technology™ could be a really good option at Hartwell. It’s a slow-falling bait that you can let fall into those schools of fish that suspend over deep trees, and a bait where the MultiTouch™ sound technology will really shine. If that pattern and depth are firing during the Classic, the School Master’s slow-fall action and multiple-sound options could be big players.

Howell At Classic

Howell caught many of his winning fish at last year’s Classic on a Livingston Lures crankbait since named the “Howeller” in his honor.

Howeller DMC SQ: If it warms up the week of the Classic and fish get shallow, the Howeller DMC SQ could be a big one. That bait vibrates really hard, it darts and digs well, and has a really great, erratic action to it. That bait will probably be my go-to for shallow bank-beating, and I’ll likely throw it in Guntersville Craw. Hartwell has a lot of red clay and crawfish, and the Guntersville Craw color family really seems to be a favorite in February and March for local anglers.

Deep Impact 18: The major difference that people will see in this Classic versus the 2008 Classic held on Hartwell is the role the spotted bass will play in the tournament. Hartwell’s spotted bass have done really well in recent years, and you’re going to have to catch them to be competitive. From what I saw during my scouting, Hartwell’s spotted bass really like the Deep Impact 18.

This bait isn’t erratic and fast like the Howeller SQ: it has a really smooth action, and a subtle, tight wobble. The action alone makes it a good cold-water bait, but if fish are keying on that 15- to 20-foot depth, the Deep Impact’s EBS MultiTouch™ sound attraction range is going to make a huge difference.

I’m really looking forward to getting back to Hartwell during Classic week and sort of “dialing in” during our official practice days. I feel like I’ve accomplished one of my sub-goals in preparing hard for the Classic, and am ready to take the next step in accomplishing my big goal for 2015: to raise the Classic trophy again!

2015 BassMasters Classic On Lake Hartwell

The 2015 Bassmasters Classic will be fished on Lake Hartwell on February 20 – 22 with the weigh-in at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. There will be an Outdoor Show with lots of fishing gear and equipment on display and for sale at the Arena all three days.

I almost got to fish the Classic as a Federation representative way back in 1983 and this year I will attend with press credentials – nothing like fishing it but I will get to enjoy the excitement.

The 2014 Classic on Guntersville had some interesting information about how the pros approached it. Contenders have been planning on this tournament since it was announced and spent a lot of time practicing for it before the lake went off limits. Pros like Chris Lane, Aaron Martens, Alton Jones and others have high hopes and plans for the tournament. Many thought Skeet Reese had a good chance to win.

Last year’s competitors faced a variety of challenges, from ice storms on the trip to Guntersville to worries about spectator boat traffic. This year’s Classic will have its own challenges.

Cliff Pace, 2013 Classic winner, was injured in a hunting accident and was not be able to compete in 2014, but BASS deferred his automatic entry to next years Classic at Hartwell, where he finished second in the last Classic on that lake. He will be fishing at Hartwell this year.

Last year the Classic was won by Randy Howell fishing Livingston Lures. A lot of spectators were able to watch him the last day from the road since he was catching his fish on riprap. Who and what will win it this year?

Kevin VanDam had high hopes for winning last year. He didn’t win, and for the first time in many years he did not qualify for the 2015 Classic.

CastAway Rods BASS Elite Series Pro Staffers Todd Faircloth and Bill Lowen were confident heading into the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. And CastAway Rods Pro Russ Lane scores top 10 finishes at Toho, Okeechobee so he, too, was confident. Confidence is one of the most important qualities a pro can have.

A question many ask is how many bass will survive after being released. BASS has a good record on this.

BASS has a blog about the Classic that has more detailed information and will be updated often during the tournament.

Meet the 50 contenders in the 2015 Classic.

Bassmasters Classic Won On Livingstone Lures

Classic 2014: Livingston LARGE

by Russ Bassdozer
from The Fishing Wire

Randy Howell and Classic Trophy

Newly-crowned 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ Randy Howell had only 20 pounds on Day One and dropped to 18 pounds on Day Two but this Springville, Alabaman has seen so many huge stringers on Lake Guntersville in his life that he knew it was still possible to come from behind and win on Day Three. Indeed his third day catch of 29 pounds was the largest bag Howell’s ever weighed in his professional fishing career of 21 years. His was also the longest comeback ever in Classic history – from 11th place to 1st.

Most every Classic day, Howell caught a lot of fish on the Rapala DT-6 which is a great cold water bait made of wood. When a medium-runner is called for in cold water, the DT-6 is one lure that almost every bass pro uses (whether they are sponsored by Rapala or not). The DT-6 was in Ike’s Demon – a bright red crankbait color. He also caught a key 6-pounder on a Fizzle brand of bladed swim jig on Day Three.

History however will remember Randy Howell and Livingston Lures as the winners of the 2014 Classic.

On Day Three, Howell livewelled his first 20 lbs for the day on the Rapala DT-6 but as the day progressed, his fish moved deeper than could be reached with that crankbait. As the model number DT-6 implies, it dives to a maximum of 6 feet deep.

Howell had located the bass hanging around the riprap surrounding Guntersville’s Spring Creek bridge. He could see the arches of bass and tons of shad on his Lowrance SideScan about 15 feet deep hanging off and looking up at the 8 foot deep riprap rock line where he had been catching them earlier. He could see the streaks and noodles coming up and down from the deeper water to the rocks and back down.

Classic Winning LIvingstone Lures

Randy got out a box of Livingston Lures prototypes he had been given only a few days earlier. He was looking for a deeper-runner in a bright crawfish orange/red color that’s perennially popular on Guntersville. The prototypes had been in his boat all week unused. When he tied on the one deep-runner in the box, he flipped it in the water alongside the boat to see what it looked like. It vibrated really hard, wobbled and rattled his rod tip. In that muddy water, Howell knew it was going to catch them. The bass were everywhere on his graph in the last few hours of the tournament. He landed 30 or 40 bass on the Livingston medium-runner which dives about 8-10 feet deep. The bass just choked it, that hard vibration and that bright color with that red and orange combined in that dirty, muddy water was just perfect. Howell culled every bass he had caught earlier on the DT-6 except one, ratcheting up to his 29 pound Classic-winning weight with the Livingston prototype.

At Livingston, the company and pro staff are prototyping a lot of new lures right now. Howell estimates there are maybe six different models although they may be testing up to several different configurations of each in order to determine which is best. Overall, the Livingston Lures pros had received up to 30 prototypes on the day before the Classic, mostly different configurations to test and give feedback to the company.

Howell said he felt like he did what he needed to do for Livingston Lures by pulling that bait out, having never used it before. The 2014 Classic champ believes Livingston is a great company and a great family of people that are trying to love our sport and really promote our sport. To win on their lure like that was the best feeling in the world for Howell because he wanted to put Livingston Lures on the map.

He has such a love for the people at Livingston because of their commitment to our sport and to Randy Howell and his family personally that he wanted to use their prototypes as a part of this Classic and the results exceeded even Howell’s expectations. The prototype diver fit exactly what he needed to come from behind to win the 2014 Classic.

As we said, he started the morning with the Rapala DT-6. At this time of year in February when the water is cold, a subtle wood bait can be good, especially up shallow. Then when they move out deeper, you need a little more vibration and sound – and that’s where the Livingston came into play.

Howell is a strong proponent of sound. He had his boat’s HydroWave electronic sound attraction unit turned up loud all day on 30 second intervals emitting feeding stimulation sounds in that dirty water.

Likewise, Howell feels the sound unit embodied within Livingston Lures is a huge attraction to fish. The croaking sound emitted by a Livingston Lure is the same decibel level recording as a natural baitfish sound that’s given off, said Howell. He’s watched fish in seminar demonstration tanks come to Livingston Lures solely due to the sound they emit, so he knows they hear the recording and are attracted to it, and in muddy water like on Guntersville during the Classic, that electronic sound is especially good said Howell.

As a media observer during the Classic, I had the chance to eyewitness the Livingston Lures prototypes in action catching bass on Guntersville. I saw up close how the medium-runner like Howell used swims. Obviously its action is good; no, make that great enough to win the Bassmaster Classic. There’s no higher accolade than that. However, the action of the Livingston Lures shallow-running squarebill prototype looks even better. Hefting the prototypes in my hand, at first I couldn’t tell and didn’t believe the sound-emitting electronic units were inside because the crankbaits were so lightweight. I had to dip them in the lake (water activates the sound system) in order to prove to myself that the new, lightweight electronic sound-emitting units really were inside these baits. Clearly these new prototypes, once tested and finalized, will prove to be a huge breakthrough for Livingston Lures and for savvy bass anglers worldwide.

A few months before this Classic in a conversation I enjoyed with Basil, one of the two Battah brothers that head up Livingston, Basil said he hoped to have the sport’s top professional anglers begin to recognize Livingston Lures technology-enhanced baits as the wave of the future – that these lures are not just gimmicks. Certainly Randy Howell just accomplished that. The lure company and its techno-marvels are suddenly and emphatically Livingston LARGE for the entire world to see.

Livingston lures really do work and are not a gimmick. They’re the real deal. Randy Howell’s 2014 Classic win will change any preconceived notions of any anglers that don’t yet believe that Livingston Lures represent the cutting edge and future of our sport.

Watching the Bassmasters Classic Winner from the Road

Bassmasters Classic Draws Roadside Audience for Winning Catch

By Frank Sargeant
from The Fishing Wire

BIRMINGHAM. In one of the more amazing performances in recent Classic history, Randy Howell of Springville, Alabama, leaped from 11th place and a full nine pounds behind leader Edwin Evers on day two to the Classic championship and a $300,000 winner’s check on the final day.

In fact, Howell hardly needed more than the first hour after take-off to put the trophy and the title away.

He stopped at the Big Spring Creek bridge across U.S. 431 right in the midst of Guntersville, and there proceeded to haul in one lunker bass after another, often on consecutive casts, while a crowd that quickly assembled on the bridge right above his boat cheered him on. Howell put over 22 pounds in the live well in that insane flurry, later culling up to his total bag of 29-2. He released what he estimated at close to 30 pounds more.

Howell only stopped briefly during the performance to thank the horde of howling and cheering fans for their support.

“I’ve been fishing tournaments for 21 years and this was by far the best day of fishing I ever had, period,” said Howell. “I might have had some Divine Guidance on that first spot-I was going to run up the lake and something just told me to turn and go back to Spring Creek. A voice inside me said “do you want to be good or do you want to be great? I turned around and went to Spring Creek and that’s what did it.”

Most of his catches were made on a crawfish red Rapala DT6 and a prototype Livingston Lures medium-running crankbait, also in crawfish red.

B.A.S.S. statistician Ken Duke said Howell’s charge from 11th place to first was the greatest comeback in Classic history.

Howell said God truly blessed him to bring the win in front of his home crowd. He said his son had taped a prayer request on the bathroom mirror which said “My Dad to Win the Classic.” Apparently the prayers came true.

Connecticut angler Paul Mueller was second with 66 pounds, 8 ounces for the three-day competition, Edwin Evers of Oklahoma third with 65-11, Ott DeFoe of Tennessee fourth with 63-6 including the big bass of the day, an 8-4, and fifth was Randall Tharp, formerly of Gardendale and now of Port St. Joe, Fla., with 62-12. Jordon Lee of Auburn was sixth with 62-1.

Seven former Classic champions competed in this event-but none of them even made it to the final-day top-25 cutoff. Four-time winner and bassing superstar Kevin Van Dam came the closest, finishing 26th. The other ex-champions who came up short were Chris Lane (36th), Mark Davis (43rd), Alton Jones (45th), Mike Iaconelli (47th), Takahiro Omori (48th) and Skeet Reese (49th).

This Classic will be remembered as the first where personal video cameras delivered full view reports on many of the fish caught soon after the fact. Every Classic competitor had a tiny GoPro camera-from one of the title sponsors of the event–mounted on his boat, allowing viewers of www.bassmaster.com to see uploaded action throughout the day. The cameras also in some cases clearly show the location where the anglers fished, the lures they used and how they worked the baits-an unprecedented access to information for the viewing public.

Randy Howell was only the second angler ever to win a Bassmaster Classic in his home state. Boyd Duckett, now a Guntersville resident, was the first.

About Fishing

Welcome To About Fishing