Burning spinnerbaits along the shoreline. Dragging Carolina rigs offshore. Shaky head rigs fished around docks.
All the above tactics and baits are in play at the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. What makes that newsworthy is the spectrum of patterns in use by the anglers.
Time of year and location is the reason why. Not since 2005 has a Classic happened outside winter. Combine late March and a powerhouse lake in southeast Texas and the perfect storm exists for success on a variety of patterns.
Emptying the tacklebox comes with the time and place.
“Never before have I had 45 rods in the box and used them all by 11 o’clock.”
Dave Lefebre summed up his day by adding there was no other choice. In so many words he added the bite is a combination of spring and summer wrapped into one. Tomorrow, though, he will do different.
After emptying the rod box he eliminated the baits likely to be unproductive for the next two days.
“I’m down to just two rods and will stick with those for the rest of the week,” he said. “There are too many choices so I had to cut back to what I can manage.”
Lefebre caught a limit weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces to land in 6th place.
Same lake, different day
Weather conditions and the spawn are synonymous anywhere and the spotlight is on that factor at Lake Conroe. Tomorrow’s forecast has a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms with a high of 82. Winds swing around from south to west at 10 mph.
What that means is a different day of fishing is ahead.
“Conroe is a diverse lake with a lot of fish in it,” said Kevin VanDam. “The hardest thing here is being consistent from day to day.”
VanDam, fishing his 26th Classic, described this as his most difficult Classic yet. Being consistent, like he said, is the reason.
“The fishing is going to change every day,” he added. “The guys that can adapt to the changing conditions, every day, are going to do well.”
That means fishing in the moment, something VanDam can do very well.
Jones’ learning pattern
Alton Jones caught 19 pounds, 13 ounces to land in 8th place after Day 1. Repeating that feat is no guarantee, he said. The good news is he sees opportunity ahead.
“Tomorrow will show who is getting lucky and which guys are truly on the fish,” he added.
Jones hopes that he is in that group.
“My goal is learning from every fish I catch,” he said. “If I must start over tomorrow, and the conditions will be that way, I can do well.”
No limits
Lake Conroe showed it’s polar opposite based on the limits caught when compared to size of individual bass. Of the 52 anglers, 17 failed to weigh a 5-bass limit. On that list is Keith Combs, a semi-local favorite who brought three keepers to the scales.
First pitch
Minute Maid Park makes Classic history as the first weigh-in venue inside a Major League Baseball stadium. More history was made prior to the first catch getting weighed on the stage near third base.
Davy Hite tossed a ceremonial first pitch from the mound. Behind home plate to catch it was Chris Lane. He won the 2012 Classic and Hite earned the crown in 1999.
No lead is safe, few out of it
Jason Christie thought he might be in this position. During Thursday’s media day, Christie said, “Here’s the good thing about this place. After the first day, if you’ve got 12 pounds, you’re not out of it.
Christie did better than that, catching 15-3, which put him in 22nd place.
“I think 60 pounds is going to win this thing, maybe 58,” Christie said after Friday’s weigh-in. “I’ve just got to get to 60. I’ve got to have two good days. A lot of us are fishing shallow, and it’s a big timing thing. You can get right first thing in the morning if you pull up on the right stretch.
“But if you don’t catch a couple of good ones early, it seems like from 9:30 until about 1:30 or 2:00, it’s hard to catch one. The shad spawn is over, and they’re just hard to catch. These fish are feeding a lot at night right now. It seems like they lay up for awhile after that, until it’s time to feed again.”
Steve Kennedy caught one of those bass that decided to feed again, and it made his day, especially after he missed several bites early.
“I caught a 6-10 in the last 30 minutes,” said Kennedy, who has 17-7 and is in 15th place.
That’s just one more reason why this tournament will likely go down to the wire.
Herren surprised by the spawn
Matt Herren is sitting in a good spot after Day 1 with 19-7 in 10th place. He had two five-pounds-plus bass. Both were females that hadn’t spawned.
“There are a lot of fish in this lake that haven’t spawned,” Herren said. “That blows me away. I was convinced they were spawned out. It’s really weird. These fish should be post-spawn.
“If you did a poll of everybody here before we came to this lake, I bet 90% would have told you this tournament would be won offshore on post-spawn fish. These fish are all over the place.”
Monroe not surprised by the spawn
Ish Monroe, who is just three ounces behind Herren in 11th place, is not surprised by all the spawning bass in Lake Conroe.
“It’s March. I don’t care how warm the winter was, it’s still March,” he said. “Everything is mating right now. You can go everywhere in the country, except up north where there’s still snow on the ground, and there are bass spawning. There are bass spawning at Lake Okeechobee right now.
“I think the biggest wave is showing up right now. I went to areas where there were no beds (Wednesday) and there were beds everywhere. I barely went 20 yards and caught four keepers off beds.
“I’m excited about tomorrow. I’m going to get sunlight and less wind. Let’s go fishing.”