“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
– Ferris Bueller
Today the competition at Santee Cooper started off with a bang. Per BassTrakk, we had at least six bass over 6 pounds in the 8 o’clock hour. After waiting until Day Three last week at Lake Murray to finally see a 7-pounder, today Darold Gleason checked that box off with a 7 pound 8 ounce mule shortly after 9 a.m.
Gleason’s bass briefly established itself as the big fish of the day at day’s end, until Cliff Prince topped it with a 7-14 and then David Gaston beat them both with an 8-5.
Our weigh-in featured two types of anglers: Those who were surprised at what they caught and those who were surprised by what they failed to catch. Their combined bewilderment, when added to the exigency of an oncoming storm, made for a fast weigh-in. If they’d eliminated all uses of the word “grind” and its variations, we could’ve cut another half hour off of the festivities.
This event feels very different from last week’s tournament, and not just because of the lack of bluebacks. The primary thing that distinguishes them is that bites aren’t fast and furious this time around, but on any flip it’s possible to catch an 8 or a 9. That, coupled with a few of today’s leaders falling, could make for some major flipfloppery.
Here’s what I think I learned during a confusing day on a big pair of ponds:
2022 vs. 2023 – It’s somewhat unfair to compare two tournaments on the same body of water a year apart, even if many of the conditions are similar, but I’m going to do it anyway. Last year’s Elite Santee event was a month earlier in the calendar than this one, so that’s a major distinguishing feature. Nevertheless, a little food for thought: Last year, Drew Cook led on Day One with 31-13 and was the wire-to-wire winner. There were six bags over 26 pounds, and a total of 14 over 20. This year there were “only” two bags over 26 pounds, but there were 15 over 20. Last year’s Day One cut weight was 15-8. This year it is 14-7. Not too much of a fall-off for a day when most of the field seemed to be singing the blues.
Reverse Sabotage – For the second time in two weeks, Matt Robertson is leading after Day One. For the second time in two weeks, he had mechanical issues. In the past, we’ve heard of all manners of sabotage in local derbies to keep people from winning – everything from removing the drain plug to slashing tires, perhaps even the old banana in the tailpipe – but at this rate we can half expect to find people sneaking up to On ‘Em’s covered boat tonight trying to piece it back together in order to jinx him. The only thing that appears to be able to stop him is a perfectly-functioning machine.
Cut Weight – Seth Feider, the 50th place angler, brought 14-7 to the scales. Based on the historical formula of doubling the weight and adding a pound, we should expect the cut weight to Saturday to be in the range of 29-14.
Hero or Zero – Brandon Palaniuk (seventh place, 21-14) and Taku Ito (24th place, 18-01) both brought only four bass to the scales, each demonstrating how precarious the bite can be, and also how much potential is out there. “I knew that I was playing a risky game this week,” Palaniuk told Dave Mercer on stage. Will they keep up the pace with jumbos, or will a missed opportunity here or there doom them? It remains to be seen.
Cookie Cutters – Per BassTrakk, Robertson’s five keepers were 5-8, 5-0, 4-12, 5-0 and 5-4, all within 12 ounces of one another. Obviously, they ended up weighing slightly more cumulatively, but that level of consistency is an anomaly. Usually when someone has a giant bag there are one or two monsters in there and the rest of the limit is filled out with good-but-not-exceptional fish. If those five fish are not a false indicator of some sort, he’s on track for an amazing week. Limits of 5-pounders win all but the most exceptional echelon of tournaments.
Open and Shut Case – Last week at Lake Murray there was lots of talk of “windows,” brief periods when the bite opened and then slammed shut. We may have seen the same thing happen today and not have known it. Cliff Prince (23rd with 18-2) mentioned that he was having a mediocre day until he caught the 7-14 at 1:30. A few anglers later, Luke Palmer, who slapped a 7-8 of his own on the scales, stated that he had nothing at 1:30. Over the remainder of the day he filled out a 21-3 limit.
Random Thought on Creek Names – Just about every lake seems to have a Long Creek, Broad Creek and/or Mill Creek. Why aren’t there more Potato Creeks?
Lesson We’ve Learned in South Carolina – The spawn simply lasts longer on most fisheries than many of us give it credit for. It may not always be the dominant pattern throughout its run in a given year, but there are early and late bedders before and after the biggest waves. The best sight fishermen know this, and know where and how to look for those outliers.
Pump up the Volume – Pre-tournament favorite Patrick Walters did not land his first keeper until slightly after 2pm. He scraped together four bass for 8-7 to land in 86th, not out of it, but with a fair-sized hill to climb. He offered up the most dejected “Woo” of his career.
Cobb in His Element – There’s never been any doubt that Brandon Cobb could catch ‘em – he made four consecutive Forrest Wood Cups, finishing in the top nine each time, and has now made four straight Bassmaster Classics. He has two wins and a Century Belt, too – but what impressed me today more than anything was his comfort level using a spinning rod to corral big, mean fish. Remember, strikes are for show, but spares are for dough. This week, making sure you fill out a limit could be the key to winning (or not, see Palaniuk and Ito, above).
Jacob Powroznik (25th) – “It looked good on paper.”
Lee Livesay (96th) on his practice – “I kind of got catfished.”
Jamie Hartman (22nd and just 2 pounds 5 ounces out of the top 10) – “I’ve got fourteen 4-inch shad in my livewell.”
Greg Hackney (85th) – “I couldn’t have caught 24 pounds in three days.”
Time Keeps on Ticking – While there’s still a lot of casts to be made this year, and the opportunity to make up (or lose) substantial ground, two anglers whose performance remains a mystery are Hank Cherry and Jason Christie, the combined winners of three consecutive Classics from 2020 through 2022. They both entered the tournament in the mid-70s in the AOY standings, and sit in 83rd and 73rd place, respectively in the tournament. We haven’t had a Classic without one or both of them since 2012.
