COLUMBIA, S.C. — The last time Patrick Walters missed back-to-back top 50 cuts on the Bassmaster Elite Series was his rookie year – 2019, until this year. The 29-year-old South Carolina pro found himself suddenly in a slump after finishing 62nd at the Harris Chain of Lakes and 82nd at the St. Johns River.
Walters has resorted to his emergency good luck charm. You might, or you might not, have noticed the shadow on his upper lip at the Lake Murray Day 1 weigh-in Friday. Yes, the mustache has returned after an extended good-luck stint last season. It’s not pretty, but it’s pretty effective, apparently.
“I was in a hole. I had to bring it back!” said Walters, who took the Day 1 lead at the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 8 ounces.
It’s seemingly just a matter of time until Walters wins a Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. Over the past four seasons he’s finished third in 2023, fifth in 2022, fourth in 2021 and third in 2020. And 2024 appeared to be the year an AOY title was likely to happen when he opened with a second-place finish at Toledo Bend and 12th at Lake Fork.
Then came the uncharacteristic two-tournament slump. Walters had his game face on Friday, which, yes, included a little facial hair. He said he had his 25-8 bag by 11:30.
“I ran a lot of spots,” he said. “I don’t think you can catch 25 pounds a day. But the fish are here in this lake to produce big bags.”
Walters, who graduated from the University of South Carolina and spent many a college day on Lake Murray, finished fourth in the Elite Series event here last year.
Iaconelli loves Lake Murray
Mike Iaconelli tied Davy Hite for second place in an Elite Series tournament at Lake Murray in 2011. Iaconelli dropped to third officially with the tiebreaker rule for biggest one-day bag. When Iaconelli returned to the Elite Series last year his second-best finish of the season was here at Lake Murray when he placed 11th.
The 51-year-old Bass Fishing Hall of Fame member had another solid day here Friday with 19-5, which has him in 22nd place.
Why does Lake Murray seem to suit him so well?
“This lake is big and it’s versatile,” Iaconelli said. “Today, for example, I did three things. The blueback herring bite was the star. But I also caught fish on a wacky rig, going down the bank fishing for fry-guarders and fish that are spawning. And I also caught some that I consider bug-eaters. A couple of the big ones I caught weren’t chasers. I believe they were singles that were bug-eaters, cicada-eaters.”
The cicada emergence is in full bloom in this area. It’s a particular feast for birds, but many fish species are taking advantage of the abundant snacks as well.
It’s not the cicadas, however, where Iaconelli is focused. His mind is on the blueback herring spawn.
“I think there’s a lot of it left,” he said. “The bass are eating a lot of other stuff – bugs, bluegill, shad – their diet here is amazing. But the protein value they can get from a blueback? I think when the fish are post-spawn on these herring lakes, they go out of their way for that.
“I don’t think we’re at the height of the (herring spawn), but it’s not going away this week. I could be wrong, but I bet the top 20 guys today all utilized the blueback herring bite, at least in the morning.”
Lake Murray 2023 vs. 2024
This 48,000-acre lake produced some sparkling results last year when the Elite Series came back to Lake Murray for the first time since 2011. The April 20-23 timing seemed to be at the peak of the spawn. After practice this week, none of the anglers predicted similar totals again this year with the three-week later tournament dates.
However, as you can see from the numbers below, Day 1 here this year was practically a match for Day 1 last year:
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| Big bag | 25-8 | 25-8 |
| Big bass | 6-14 | 6-6 |
| Total fish weighed in | 506 | 492 |
| Anglers/limits | 104/97 | 102/94 |
| Total fish weighed in | 506 | 1,633-7 |
| Ave. per bass | 3.38 lbs. | 3.32 lbs. |
