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Man, I cannot tell you how good I feel heading into the next Bassmaster Elite event on Santee Cooper Lakes. I’m carrying a ton of positive energy into this one, and I can’t wait to get after it.
For starters, I’m very pleased to have notched two top 20 finishes in the first two Elites Series events of 2022. I placed 14th at the St. Johns River and 18th at the Harris Chain. To come out of Florida with two really strong finishes is going to help throughout the year.
I don’t have a ton of experience in Florida, but if you look at my history, it’s not bad — with the exception of a bomb last year at St. Johns. Florida has been pretty good to me, but it can be fickle, so to get out of there with two really strong finishes is something I’ll be able to keep in my back pocket and lean on throughout the season.
Going into the next Elite, Santee Cooper Lakes is another fishery where I don’t have a lot of experience, but it definitely sets up the way I like to fish. By that, I mean this time of year is 100% shallow water, visual fishing.
And I’m not just talking about sight fishing; I’m talking about what we’re fishing. It could be scattered grass, there’s cypress trees galore and I believe boat docks will play as well. Dude, it’s throwing at whatever you can see and hopefully there’s one next to it.
I’m going to gear up for some power fishing and some finesse fishing with my wacky rig as well. I’m really looking forward to this one because, even if it’s a tough event, I’m going to get to fish the way I like to fish.
With this fishery including two lakes, Marion and Moultrie, I believe both will be in play. Obviously, the upper lake (Marion) gets more attention for good reason — it has a ton of fish and a ton of cover in its upper end and “The Swamp.”
The lower lake has a lot of good cover, as well, so it also shines in the spring. I think the man who can get away from some of his competition — wherever that may be — and find a wad of fish is going to be the one that wins.
What’s great about Santee Cooper Lakes is that some of these spawning areas are so big that a single area could hold a bunch of fish. It’s not going to be what we saw on the Harris Chain where 20 to 30 guys were fishing one grass bed. There may be a certain part of the lake that’s better, but there’s plenty of water to fish.
As I make my final preparations for Santee Cooper, I think about how it felt to watch this year’s Bassmaster Classic as a spectator. It was especially tough watching guys on Hartwell fish how I would have approached the event and seeing how many fish were caught on boat docks and secondary points.
I hated watching this Classic, honestly. But with B.A.S.S. already announcing that next year’s Classic will be on the Tennessee River, where I had a really good event last year, it lit a fire under me. I’m going to do all I can to get back to it.
Lastly, the weekend before the Classic, my wife and I found out we’re expecting our first child. We’re not due until September, but you can bet this joy will be a strong inspiration for me this season.
My wife and I are very excited, but at the same time, I look at what the good Lord has done for me and what he’s continuing to do for me. I wouldn’t be in this position without Him.
I am ecstatic with where I am in my career and what’s going on in my life. I gotta say, life if good for Jake Whitaker.