COLUMBIA, S.C. — The last time the Bassmaster Elite Series came to Lake Murray was 2011. After Day 1 of the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray, you can expect a much quicker return.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever fished a place with as many bass as I saw here today,” said Jeff Gustafson, who won the Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., three weeks ago.
Gustafson’s all the way back in 75th place with 14-7 on a day when 16 limits of 20 pounds or more were weighed in. Matt Robertson leads with 25-8. The field of 104 anglers will be cut to the top 50 after Friday’s weigh-in. After Day 1, in 50th place was Luke Palmer with 17-5.
And you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, according to Greg Hackney, who is in 39th place with 18-4.
“Here’s the deal, they’re not biting,” Hackney said. “I’m just going to tell you, they’re not biting. When they do bite this week, it’s going to get a lot better. It’s crazy how good it is. I mean, they’re everywhere.
“In theory, Saturday should be the best day, when we get that weather. That’s my goal right now – just to get to Saturday. It’s crazy out there right now. It’s like being in an aquarium.”
That was the refrain – how many bass these anglers are seeing in this 50,000-acre lake.
“This place has got more fish than any place I’ve ever seen,” said Chad Pipkens, who is in 68th place with 15-5.
“I honestly can’t remember another place where I’ve seen as many fish as I’ve seen here this week,” said 32-year-old Elite Series rookie Bryant Smith from Roseville, Calif. He’s 56th with 16-12. “But seeing them doesn’t mean you can catch them.”
“This place is awesome,” said John Cox, who is 30th with 18-13. “I’m so glad we finally came here. This is the first time I’ve got to see it in the spring. This place is so full of fish. It’s got to have more fish than any place I’ve ever been to. They’re just really smart, really hard to catch.”
That’s what Hackney was alluding to – if the windy, cloudy weather comes as predicted on Saturday, the fish should get easier to catch. And that will really be a show.
