Elite

A look at Lake Murray

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Captions by
Mike Suchan
After a hiatus of almost two months, the top series in B.A.S.S. resumes with back-to-back events in South Carolina, starting with this week’s Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray. The 104 Elites reconvene in Columbia, S.C., for the four-day tournament, April 20-23.  
B.A.S.S. is coming off a record-setting Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota. Jeff Gustafson became the first Canadian to win the title, and the second Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., set viewership and attendance marks.
Lake Murray is a 50,000-square acre reservoir of the Saluda River just west of Columbia. When finished in 1930, Murray was the world’s largest man-made reservoir. Not far from the capital, the Saluda River converges with the Broad River to create the Congaree. That river flows southeast to help create Lakes Marion and Moultrie, site of next week’s AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes, April 27-30.
Lake Murray, impounded by the Dreher Shoals Dam created for hydroelectric power, has 640 miles of shoreline. Made of red clay and bedrock, the dam was quite the engineering feat at 1.5 miles long and 220 feet high.
Lake Murray is 41 miles long and 14 miles wide at its widest point. It has an average depth of 41 feet with a maximum of 200. The lake is a big source of recreation for the 136,000 residents of Columbia.
This will be the 10th pro level B.A.S.S. tournament on Lake Murray, the most recent in 2011. Murray ranked 20th in the Southeastern Division of Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes in 2022.
South Carolina’s Casey Ashley won the 2011 Elite in an early May event with 61 pounds, 3 ounces. The only other Elite event on Murray was won by Fred Roumbanis with 66-13 in 2008. David Wharton won the first two events on Murray in the early 1990s, and there also have been three Megabucks events held on Murray.
Dreher Island State Park, 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity, S.C., is tournament central. Takeoffs are scheduled for 7 a.m. ET with weigh-ins set for 3 p.m. All B.A.S.S. activities are free.
With limited parking on Dreher Island costing $3, B.A.S.S. will have shuttles for spectators. Visitors are asked to park at St. Peter Lutheran Church, 900 Dreher Island Road in Chapin and take the free shuttle.
Dreher Island State Park, which has 348 acres spread on three islands, hosts a number of bass tournaments annually.  It has plenty of room for an Elite Series tournament and Expo, which includes a 1 p.m. Saturday concert by Kristian Bush of Sugarland.
The rest of the island has various camping along Lake Murray. One can imagine an Elite casting for bass along shoreline laydowns and vegetation.
Brandon Cobb, who lives in nearby Greenwood and is among the tournament favorites, said he thinks Lake Murray might be the best fish-catching tournament all year.
“There might be a lot of 12- to 15-pound bags, but you’re going to be able to catch fish all day, and there’s going to be a thousand different things going on,” Cobb said. “It could very likely take 20 pounds a day.”
Bassmaster content producer Kyle Jessie visited Murray with his brother, Clay, and his boxer, Jax, and they landed several nice bass. While no expert, Kyle offered a quick scouting report.
Jessie said the majority of the lake is lined with homes and boat docks. “The backs of the pockets are home to laydowns and shore grass,” he said. “Junk fisherman will thrive with Texas rigs, swim jigs, buzzbaits and wacky worms. The main lake features long extended points, where the blueback herring will often roam. This is where topwaters, flukes and swimbaits will play.”
Elite pro Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., said while there is potential for 20-pound bags, the winner will have to be consistent. “It’s not like one creek turns on,” Walters said. “The whole lake will play … The cool thing about this lake is not everyone has to be doing the same thing to make the Top 10.”
The spring weather is stabilizing, but fronts, including one expected to hit Saturday night, could throw anglers a curve.
Follow all the action from the third Elite stop on Bassmaster.com. Bassmaster LIVE coverage begins Thursday morning at 8 a.m. ET, with weekend morning action on FS1.

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