COUNCE, Tenn. — Brandon Lester hasn’t seen a tournament like this on the Elite Series in a while. The 34-year-old Tennessee native is comfortable fishing the offshore ledges of any Tennessee River impoundment. The four-day Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake that begins Thursday has him excited.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that this one is going to be won offshore,” Lester said at the conclusion of the three-day practice period Wednesday. “I think it’s going to be the most offshore tournament we’ve had on the Elite Series in the last seven or eight years. It’s been a while since we’ve had a straight-up ledge derby.”
This marks the second year in a row the Elite Series has come to 43,000-acre Pickwick Lake. Last year Bill Lowen won with 83 pounds, 5 ounces, under vastly different conditions. The tournament was held in March, flooding forced a delay in the tournament’s start and it was headquartered in Florence, Ala., located near Wilson Dam. This year water surface temperatures are in the 80s, the lake is at a near-normal level with heavy current being pulled through it and the headquarters is at Counce, Tenn., near Pickwick Dam. Interestingly, several anglers predict it will take about what it did last year to win.
“I think it will take 82 to 83 pounds,” Lester said. “I think somebody will catch 24 or 25 pounds one day, but it’s going to be hard to do that consistently.”
He noted there’s a lot of strategy involved in an offshore event like this, where so many competitors will be doing the same thing. “It’s about making good decisions,” Lester said. “It’s real easy to get spun out and start chasing your tail.”
There will be some fish caught shallow, especially early in the day. But consistency over four days in shallow water is unlikely, Lester said.
“I think we’re all going to be on top of each other,” said Brandon Palaniuk, who comes into this tournament as the Progressive Insurance Angler of the Year points leader. “I tried to find some sneaky stuff all week, but I didn’t find anything.”
Like Lester, Palaniuk thinks it will take over 80 pounds to win. His specific guess was 84 ½ pounds. However, Palaniuk isn’t likely to be here when the winner is determined. His wife Tiffanie is home in Rathdrum, Idaho, expecting the birth of their first child any day. The predicted due date was May 30th. Palaniuk plans to be there, whenever it is.
“I think I’ll be able to fish all day (Thursday),” he said. “We’re now two days past the due date, so I’m flirting with danger.”
He’s got options to fly commercially out of Memphis, Birmingham and Nashville – in a hurry – when the time comes, whichever one has the quickest route. His destination will be Spokane, Wash., which is about a 35-minute drive from Rathdrum, he said.
Not everybody is as confident as Palaniuk and Lester that it will take over 80 pounds to win. Joseph Webster, 47, is a rookie on the Elite Series, but he grew up fishing Pickwick Lake and finished 5th in the Bassmaster Central Open here last April 29-May 1.
“It’s fishing tougher than I’ve ever seen it,” said Webster, who is second in the Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year standings and 33rd in the AOY race. “You’re going to have to baby these little schools of eight to 10 fish. I’ve never seen it where you can’t hardly get a bite.
“I think 12 pounds a day isn’t going to be that bad, and I think a lot of guys are going to fish shallow to do it. They’re going to say, ‘If I’m going to catch five keepers, I might as well catch ‘em the way I like to catch ‘em.”
Webster estimated 72 pounds will win this week.
