![Iâm writing this as 2020, the worst year many of us have ever experienced, winds down and the dreary onset of another cold, damp winter looms large. But thankfully, Iâm feeling refreshingly upbeat, having just spent a âDay On The Lakeâ with Harvey Horne, an Elite Series pro who looks like a roughneck biker but is as good-natured, friendly and upbeat a fellow as youâll ever meet. âItâs a dream come true fishing the Elite Series!â Horne blurted spontaneously as we drove to the mystery lake before sunup. âWow, how long have you written for Bassmaster?â he wondered. âIâve read your articles since I was a little kid!â Many pro anglers strive to project a serious air highlighting their intense focus and fierce competitiveness. Horne? Thankfully, not so much. Instead, he warmed an otherwise cold, nasty winter day with cheery, enthusiastic quips concerning his Elite Series career, such as, âI never dreamed Iâd ever even meet Rick Clunn, let alone actually fish tournaments with him!â âHow about that 2021 Elite schedule? It looks so incredibly awesome, I canât wait to fish it!â And, âMy sponsors are like family! Theyâre the absolute best!â Are you in dire need of a shot of positivity along with some lessons in cold-weather bassinâ? Then put on your long johns and climb aboard Horneâs boat (âThis Xpress rig is fan-freakinâ-tastic!â) as he takes on Lake N on a blustery winter day.<br><br>
<b>6:51 a.m.</b> Itâs breaking daylight and 32 degrees when we pull into Lake Nâs deserted launch area. Horne secures his electronics units and pulls several Cashion rods equipped with Daiwa reels from storage. What bass pattern does he anticipate will be operative today? âEarly December is typically a great time to fish in this region. Many bass havenât yet transitioned to their typical deep-winter pattern and should be catchable with fairly shallow presentations. Iâll start out targeting docks, points and wood and rock cover with crankbaits, jerkbaits and jigs and see how the day unfolds.â Pro and Bassmaster correspondent both don cold-weather gear. âItâs not going to warm up much today, and that north wind can be brutal. I layer up in warm, breathable AFTCO clothing for winter fishing. You canât have fun fishing if youâre freezing out there!â
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<b>SEVEN HOURS LEFT</b><br>
<b>7:15 a.m.</b> Horneâs boat hits the water. He checks the surface temp: 50 degrees. Whatâs his first move? âIâll start out at the dam and crank riprap because rock is always a good bet in winter â itâs perfect crawfish habitat. In tournaments, Iâm the guy who likes to get as far away from other anglers as I can, but that shouldnât be a problem here this morning â most of the locals are probably either sipping coffee by a warm fireplace or sitting in a deer stand.â <br>
<b>7:19 a.m.</b> Horne makes a short run to Lake Nâs dam and makes his first casts of the day with a phantom brown Spro RkCrawler crankbait. âThis is one of my go-to lures for fishing riprap; it resembles a crawfish and deflects beautifully off rocks.â <br>
<b>7:26 a.m.</b> Horne is slowly proceeding down the dam while cranking parallel to the structure. His crankbait hooks into a snarl of old fishing line; he retrieves the line and stashes it in his boatâs cooler. <br>
<b>7:37 a.m.</b> Upon reaching the end of the dam, Horne bags his first keeper of the day, a 1-pound, 1-ounce largemouth, on the RkCrawler. âHooray, Iâm not skunked! That fish was about 6 feet deep.â <br>
<b>7:46 a.m.</b> Horne moves to a nearby seawall and continues cranking the RkCrawler. His boat is in 14 feet of water. âVertical structures â seawalls, rock bluffs, channel drops â are good bets in winter; bass can hold tight to them and then escape into deep water quickly.â <br>
<b>7:55 a.m.</b> Horne hangs the crankbait in a deep brushpile, breaks it off and ties on an identical plug.](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/07-19_-_dotl_horne1.jpg)
SEVEN HOURS LEFT7:15 a.m. Horneâs boat hits the water. He checks the surface temp: 50 degrees. Whatâs his first move? âIâll start out at the dam and crank riprap because rock is always a good bet in winter â itâs perfect crawfish habitat. In tournaments, Iâm the guy who likes to get as far away from other anglers as I can, but that shouldnât be a problem here this morning â most of the locals are probably either sipping coffee by a warm fireplace or sitting in a deer stand.â 7:19 a.m. Horne makes a short run to Lake Nâs dam and makes his first casts of the day with a phantom brown Spro RkCrawler crankbait. âThis is one of my go-to lures for fishing riprap; it resembles a crawfish and deflects beautifully off rocks.â 7:26 a.m. Horne is slowly proceeding down the dam while cranking parallel to the structure. His crankbait hooks into a snarl of old fishing line; he retrieves the line and stashes it in his boatâs cooler. 7:37 a.m. Upon reaching the end of the dam, Horne bags his first keeper of the day, a 1-pound, 1-ounce largemouth, on the RkCrawler. âHooray, Iâm not skunked! That fish was about 6 feet deep.â 7:46 a.m. Horne moves to a nearby seawall and continues cranking the RkCrawler. His boat is in 14 feet of water. âVertical structures â seawalls, rock bluffs, channel drops â are good bets in winter; bass can hold tight to them and then escape into deep water quickly.â 7:55 a.m. Horne hangs the crankbait in a deep brushpile, breaks it off and ties on an identical plug.
![<b>8:09 a.m.</b> He switches to a perch-colored Megabass 110 Plus suspending jerkbait and targets docks.
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<b>SIX HOURS LEFT</b><br>
<b>8:15 a.m.</b> Back to the RkCrawler. âThis looks like an awesome spawning cove, but itâs deep enough to attract winter bass as well.â <br>
<b>8:17 a.m.</b> A bass taps the crankbait but doesnât hook up. âThereâs a big tree on the bottom where I just threw. That felt like a good fish.â <br>
<b>8:18 a.m.</b> Horne hits the tree with a 3/4-ounce brown/purple (âpbjâ) Greenfish Tackle Crawball football jig with a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Twin Tail trailer, but apparently the bass has left the building. <br>
<b>8:22 a.m.</b> Horne ties on a Tennessee shad color Spro Little John crankbait and continues around the cove. <br>
<b>8:30 a.m.</b> Horne hits a deep brushpile in front of a boathouse with the jig, jerkbait and RkCrawler without success. <br>
<b>8:41 a.m.</b> Horne tries the jerkbait around a mud point at the entrance to the cove. No takers here, either. âFifty-degree water is perfect for jerkbaits! I do best on them on sunny days, however, and itâs clouding up now. But like Annie sings in that musical, âThe sun will come out ⦠tomorrow!ââ <br>
<b>8:53 a.m.</b> Horne exits the cove and blasts uplake to a steep channel bank with a deep seawall and several docks. He cranks the wall with the RkCrawler. <br>
<b>8:54 a.m.</b> Horneâs crankbait catches an 11-inch bass off the wall. <br>
<b>8:57 a.m.</b> A tiny bass attempts to eat (or maybe mate with?) the RkCrawler. âTheyâre getting smaller instead of bigger, but at least Iâm getting bites!â <br>
<b>9:01 a.m.</b> Horne switches to the perch jerkbait on the seawall.
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<b>FIVE HOURS LEFT</b><br>
<b>9:15 a.m.</b> Horne skips the jig under a dock and bags a short fish. âBack when I was fishing the Opens, I had trouble skipping jigs under docks until I went to a rod with a softer tip. That and plenty of practice really helped.â](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/08-04_-_dotl_horne3.jpg)
SIX HOURS LEFT8:15 a.m. Back to the RkCrawler. âThis looks like an awesome spawning cove, but itâs deep enough to attract winter bass as well.â 8:17 a.m. A bass taps the crankbait but doesnât hook up. âThereâs a big tree on the bottom where I just threw. That felt like a good fish.â 8:18 a.m. Horne hits the tree with a 3/4-ounce brown/purple (âpbjâ) Greenfish Tackle Crawball football jig with a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Twin Tail trailer, but apparently the bass has left the building. 8:22 a.m. Horne ties on a Tennessee shad color Spro Little John crankbait and continues around the cove. 8:30 a.m. Horne hits a deep brushpile in front of a boathouse with the jig, jerkbait and RkCrawler without success. 8:41 a.m. Horne tries the jerkbait around a mud point at the entrance to the cove. No takers here, either. âFifty-degree water is perfect for jerkbaits! I do best on them on sunny days, however, and itâs clouding up now. But like Annie sings in that musical, âThe sun will come out ⦠tomorrow!ââ 8:53 a.m. Horne exits the cove and blasts uplake to a steep channel bank with a deep seawall and several docks. He cranks the wall with the RkCrawler. 8:54 a.m. Horneâs crankbait catches an 11-inch bass off the wall. 8:57 a.m. A tiny bass attempts to eat (or maybe mate with?) the RkCrawler. âTheyâre getting smaller instead of bigger, but at least Iâm getting bites!â 9:01 a.m. Horne switches to the perch jerkbait on the seawall.
FIVE HOURS LEFT9:15 a.m. Horne skips the jig under a dock and bags a short fish. âBack when I was fishing the Opens, I had trouble skipping jigs under docks until I went to a rod with a softer tip. That and plenty of practice really helped.â
![<b>9:24 a.m.</b> Horne casts the jig to a private boat ramp, detects a pickup and slams back his rod. A big bass surges for deeper water; Horne waits for the opportune moment, then swings aboard his second keeper, a hulking 5-pound, 10-ounce largemouth!](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/09-24_-_dotl_horne5.jpg)
![<b>9:24 a.m.</b> âYes! That was so cool! This big girl was sitting on a little pile of loose rock at the end of that paved ramp. Never pass up a boat ramp, even a little Jet Ski launch like that one.â The lunker has torn up the jigâs skirt; Horne installs a fresh one and trims it a bit with scissors, âso itâs more compact, like a snack-sized craw.â <br>
<b>9:40 a.m.</b> The wind has picked up as Horne hits the point at the end of the channel bank with a Megabass 110 jerkbait in a discontinued color pattern Horne describes as âpurple-y pink.â<br>
<b>9:44 a.m.</b> Horne rounds the point and casts the jig to another seawall. <br>
<b>9:53 a.m.</b> Horne makes a short run downlake to a tributary arm. âThereâs a 7-foot ditch running parallel to shore here; thatâs a perfect transitional setup for early winter bass.â He casts the jig to the ditch. <br>
<b>10:07 a.m.</b> Horne catches keeper No. 3, 1 pound, 4 ounces, off the ditch on the jig. âThereâs some rock and a little brush down there; Iâm reeling the jig slowly along the bottom, pausing for a few seconds when I feel it contact some cover, then reeling again. That fish hit on the pause. Some guys have trouble believing that a bass will strike a lure thatâs not moving, but think about it: When confronted by a predator, live prey often âfreezesâ instead of fleeing, so âdeadstickingâ is actually a highly realistic presentation.â <br>
<b>10:10 a.m.</b> Horne sticks another bass in the ditch on the jig; this one comes unbuttoned.
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<b>4 HOURS LEFT</b><br>
<b>10:19 a.m.</b> Horne cranks the mud point at the end of the ditch bank with the RkCrawler.<br>
<b>10:32 a.m.</b> Horne has moved to the opposite side of the point and is alternating between the RkCrawler and jig. Whatâs his take on the day so far? âI donât have ideal conditions today, but the bite has been fairly good so far and Iâve managed to catch one big fish, so Iâm pumped! So far, dragging that jig has been my most successful presentation. Iâll probably spend my remaining time hitting main-lake cover and structure with some depth nearby.â <br>
<b>10:41 a.m.</b> Horne idles to another main-lake point and cranks the RkCrawler across the structure. He hangs the lure in a submerged stump and retrieves it. <br>
<b>11:03 a.m.</b> The north wind bites hard as Horne cranks a main-lake rockpile. <br>
<b>11:09 a.m.</b> He drags the jig across the rockpile and lets it free-fall down the side. âShouldâve been one there!â
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<b>3 HOURS LEFT</B><br>
<b>11:17 a.m.</b> Still hammering that rockpile. Horne finally lays down his jig rod and stows his trolling motor. âIâm sure some bass will eventually move up on this spot to feed, but I canât wait on âem all day. Letâs take a ride!â <br>
<b>11:23 a.m.</b> Horne has made a bone-chilling, high-speed run to the extreme upper end of Lake N. The sky is clearing as he fishes an inflowing ditch with the jig, RkCrawler and Little John. <br>
<b>11:27 a.m.</b> Horne hangs the RkCrawler in an unseen obstruction and breaks it off. <br>
<b>11:29 a.m.</b> Horne dredges up a gnarly wad of fishing line with the Little John. âMust be a lot of bank fishermen on this lake. Not everybody can afford a boat.â <br>
<b>11:36 a.m.</b> Horne ties on a firetiger Spro Little John MD crankbait. âThis lure runs a little deeper than the regular Little John, and you gotta love that old-school color!â](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/09-24_-_dotl_horne6.jpg)
4 HOURS LEFT10:19 a.m. Horne cranks the mud point at the end of the ditch bank with the RkCrawler.10:32 a.m. Horne has moved to the opposite side of the point and is alternating between the RkCrawler and jig. Whatâs his take on the day so far? âI donât have ideal conditions today, but the bite has been fairly good so far and Iâve managed to catch one big fish, so Iâm pumped! So far, dragging that jig has been my most successful presentation. Iâll probably spend my remaining time hitting main-lake cover and structure with some depth nearby.â 10:41 a.m. Horne idles to another main-lake point and cranks the RkCrawler across the structure. He hangs the lure in a submerged stump and retrieves it. 11:03 a.m. The north wind bites hard as Horne cranks a main-lake rockpile. 11:09 a.m. He drags the jig across the rockpile and lets it free-fall down the side. âShouldâve been one there!â
3 HOURS LEFT11:17 a.m. Still hammering that rockpile. Horne finally lays down his jig rod and stows his trolling motor. âIâm sure some bass will eventually move up on this spot to feed, but I canât wait on âem all day. Letâs take a ride!â 11:23 a.m. Horne has made a bone-chilling, high-speed run to the extreme upper end of Lake N. The sky is clearing as he fishes an inflowing ditch with the jig, RkCrawler and Little John. 11:27 a.m. Horne hangs the RkCrawler in an unseen obstruction and breaks it off. 11:29 a.m. Horne dredges up a gnarly wad of fishing line with the Little John. âMust be a lot of bank fishermen on this lake. Not everybody can afford a boat.â 11:36 a.m. Horne ties on a firetiger Spro Little John MD crankbait. âThis lure runs a little deeper than the regular Little John, and you gotta love that old-school color!â
![<b>11:43 a.m.</b> Horne idles downlake 100 yards to crank a main-lake flat adjoining an 8-foot channel. <br>
<b>Noon.</b> The flat fails to yield any fish, so Horne runs a half-mile to a steep bank lined with chunk rock, where he tries the MD crank and jig. <br>
<b>12:09 p.m.</b> A bass pecks the jig; Horne swings and misses. <br>
<b>12:10 p.m.</b> Another peck, swing and miss. âDang! Persistent little feller!â
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<b>TWO HOURS LEFT</b><br>
<b>12:15 p.m.</b> Horne switches to the firetiger crank on the rocky bank. âThe water up here has good clarity but itâs a couple degrees colder than downlake. This time of year, warmer is better.â <br>
<b>12:26 p.m.</b> Horne has fished the entire length of the chunk rock bank. He trolls to a nearby point and cranks the MD around some submerged stumps. <br>
<b>12:35 p.m.</b> Horne rounds the point and targets a cove containing a seawall and scattered brushpiles with the RkCrawler, MD and jig. âThis is a typical winter scenario; we had a âbite windowâ this morning, but that window has just about slammed shut.â
<b>12:37 p.m.</b> Horne casts the jig to a brushpile and catches his fourth keeper, <br>1 pound even. âApparently that fish was just small enough to slip through the window!â <br>
<b>12:45 p.m.</b> Horneâs electronics reveal a massive brushpile 50 yards offshore. He spends 30 minutes picking it apart with the jig but hauls water. âThis proves that bigger isnât necessarily better.â
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<b>ONE HOUR LEFT</b><br>â¨<b>1:15 p.m.</b> Horne races downlake to a short creek arm. He casts the jig to a nothing-looking bank and bags his fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 9 ounces.](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/11-43_-_dotl_horne8.jpg)
TWO HOURS LEFT12:15 p.m. Horne switches to the firetiger crank on the rocky bank. âThe water up here has good clarity but itâs a couple degrees colder than downlake. This time of year, warmer is better.â 12:26 p.m. Horne has fished the entire length of the chunk rock bank. He trolls to a nearby point and cranks the MD around some submerged stumps. 12:35 p.m. Horne rounds the point and targets a cove containing a seawall and scattered brushpiles with the RkCrawler, MD and jig. âThis is a typical winter scenario; we had a âbite windowâ this morning, but that window has just about slammed shut.â
12:37 p.m. Horne casts the jig to a brushpile and catches his fourth keeper, 1 pound even. âApparently that fish was just small enough to slip through the window!â 12:45 p.m. Horneâs electronics reveal a massive brushpile 50 yards offshore. He spends 30 minutes picking it apart with the jig but hauls water. âThis proves that bigger isnât necessarily better.â
ONE HOUR LEFTâ¨1:15 p.m. Horne races downlake to a short creek arm. He casts the jig to a nothing-looking bank and bags his fifth keeper, 2 pounds, 9 ounces.
![<b>1:17 p.m.</b> Horne catches his sixth keeper, 1 pound, 3 ounces, off the same spot; it culls the pounder he caught earlier. âThis bank looks featureless but thereâs some scattered rock down there. Anytime you find rock in winter, you need to fish it!â <br>
<b>1:29 p.m.</b> Horne exits the creek arm and races to a channel bank seawall he fished earlier. He tries the jig and RkCrawler here without success. <br>
<b>1:36 p.m.</b> Horne bumps the jig down the Jet Ski ramp where he caught his 5-10; no luck this time. <br>
<b>1:50 p.m.</b> Horne races farther downlake to an offshore rockpile he spotted earlier. âThis place is real close to the boat launch; it probably never gets fished because, you know, everybody canât wait to take off like a rocket after they launch!â He fishes it patiently from several angles with the jig. <br>
<b>2:08 p.m.</b> Horne spends his final minutes hitting a patch of riprap with the jig. <br>
<b>2:15 p.m.</b> Horneâs time is up. He ends his day on Lake N with six keeper bass; the five biggest weigh 11 pounds, 11 ounces.](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/13-17_-_dotl_horne16.jpg)
![<b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</B><BR>â¨âThis proved to be a pretty typical day of early winter fishing,â Horne told Bassmaster. âThe bites occurred in clusters; youâd catch two or three close together, and then youâd go an hour or so with nothing happening. None of my fish were deep and most were associated with some form of rock. That big fish really helped my weight total; winter is a great time of year to whack a lunker bass! If I were to fish here tomorrow, Iâd keep targeting main-lake rocks and brush with that football jig, and Iâd fully expect to tie into at least one or two big bass!â
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<b>WHERE AND WHEN HARVEY HORNE CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS</b><br>
1 pound, 1 ounce; phantom brown Spro RkCrawler crankbait; riprap on dam; 7:37 a.m. <br>
5 pounds, 10 ounces; 3/4-ounce brown/purple Greenfish Tackle Crawball jig with green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Twin Tail trailer; Jet Ski ramp; 9:24 a.m. <br>
1 pound, 4 ounces; same lure as No. 2; ditch with â¨scattered rock and brush; 10:07 a.m. <br>
2 pounds, 9 ounces; same lure as No. 2; tributary bank with scattered rock; 1:15 p.m. <br>
1 pound, 3 ounces; same lure as No. 2; same place as No. 4; 1:17 p.m. <br>
TOTAL: 11 POUNDS, 11 OUNCES](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14-00_-_dotl_horne10.jpg)
WHERE AND WHEN HARVEY HORNE CAUGHT HIS FIVE BIGGEST BASS
1 pound, 1 ounce; phantom brown Spro RkCrawler crankbait; riprap on dam; 7:37 a.m.
5 pounds, 10 ounces; 3/4-ounce brown/purple Greenfish Tackle Crawball jig with green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Twin Tail trailer; Jet Ski ramp; 9:24 a.m.
1 pound, 4 ounces; same lure as No. 2; ditch with â¨scattered rock and brush; 10:07 a.m.
2 pounds, 9 ounces; same lure as No. 2; tributary bank with scattered rock; 1:15 p.m.
1 pound, 3 ounces; same lure as No. 2; same place as No. 4; 1:17 p.m.
TOTAL: 11 POUNDS, 11 OUNCES