KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – By the time I arrived at the launch site for Day 1 of the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota shortly after 5:30 a.m., there were already several hundred fans lining the rails, waiting to cheer on their heroes. That’s no different from most past Classics, but immediately I knew there was something that would set this one apart – the weather. Save for the pandemic-delayed Classic of 2021, at no time in recent memory have we seen so many fans and competitors wearing shorts and flip-flops on the dock.
That bodes well for the fishing. “You should have been here yesterday,” is beyond cliché at a fishing tournament, but for once the anglers seem unanimously excited that the best is yet to come. Here’s what I saw, learned and conjectured as they blasted off:
Where there’s a will – Elite Series rookie and first-time Classic qualifier Will Davis Jr. was the first man to the dock, joined in the boat by his marshal and his father, lure maker Will Davis. The pair first attended a Classic together in 2000, when they worked the Expo in Chicago and took in the sights. “Being so small, it all looked so big,” the younger Davis stated. He was 8 years old at that one. Now the big dreams of both father and son are coming to fruition on the biggest stage of all. Will Jr. said that the early arrival was not a function of Classic jitters, but rather simply his standard operating procedure. “Even at the Elite Series, me and Patrick Walters and David Williams are always the first ones there.”
Skinny water skittishness – Another father and son combination on the dock this morning consisted of competitor Scott Martin and his legendary father Roland, a 25-time Classic qualifier. The elder Martin recalled fishing this waterway decades ago. “When I competed here I was probably the only guy who ran a bass boat up into the rapids. I caught my fish up in the French Broad River where no one else would go.” Indeed, he had a reputation for making those hairy runs – one notable example involved a victory with a jet boat on the Connecticut River in 1994. He also had a record of keeping fiberglass repairmen in business. Because several of the key areas – especially for big smallmouth – are well-known, it’s almost certain that some anglers will try to access some hard-to-reach areas that they might have all to themselves. That makes the water level, which is lower than in past tournaments, critical. “You can see on the pilings here at the dock that it’s definitely down,” Bob Downey said. “Where I’m planning to go you have to weave in and out of the boulders to get in. I’m curious to see if I can even get there. I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for the possibly that I’ll need to start somewhere else instead.”
How many rods – Not surprisingly, Bryan New had the most rods out this morning – 30, by his estimate. Indeed, with the expectation that it may turn out to be a changing-by-the-minute junk fishing affair, numerous competitors had more than the typical tournament tool kit ready for action. Cory Johnston had 14 Daiwas on the deck – seven of their newest silver-handled Tatulas on one side, and seven cork-handled models on the other. Shallow water specialist John Cox was an outlier in that he regard. He’s all-in on largemouths (Interviewer: “Did you look for smallmouths in practice? Cox: [laughter] plans to have four rods on the deck – three Berkley Frittside Crankbaits and a jig.
Standard baits and outliers – Most competitors planning to fish at least part of the day for smallmouths had some spinning rods on the deck. Austin Felix took out seven of them before he went back to the box for his baitcasters. Still, power fishing is expected to rule the day, and just about every angler had a flatside, a squarebill, a vibrating jig and a flipping jig ready to go. But those weren’t the only tools in evidence. It was heartening for an old-timer like me to see that so many anglers had chartreuse and white spinnerbaits lined up for action – Guy Eaker, Jimmy Houston and Ricky Green would be proud. There were also a lot of soft swimbaits tied on. Chris Zaldain had one amazing day with a Megabass Magdraft here in 2019, and apparently others recalled that and bought them in droves. One subcategory of lures that may not make a showing, but which I’ve seen in a few rod lockers, are topwaters. Walking baits and buzzbaits may not produce a lot of bites right now, but the right cast at the right time with one could produce a difference-making kicker. Don’t forget about wake baits like a bone-colored Bomber Long A, either.
Run and Gun or Stay and Pray – While Jeff Gustafson won on a “spot” here in 2021, and could do so again, most of the anglers seem to feel that running and gunning will be the way to win. Not only is the fishing changing by the hour, but many of the best areas will get pounded and potentially suffer from the pressure. The best way to stay on top of things is to “treat today like a practice day,” Cox said. Brandon Lester said he intends to give his starting spot “a good 45 minutes,” but doesn’t expect his campaign to “be a one spot deal.” Like Cox, his goal is to pick up on some small nugget of information and then build upon it as the day goes on. It could be fish on the first dock in a pocket, or in the far back of pockets, or on a particular type of bank, but he does expect a pattern to emerge. That should keep not only the anglers on their toes, but the fans as well. If your favorite pro has an empty livewell at noon, it’s not unreasonable to expect him to get healthy in a hurry.
Daily fashion award – Matt Robertson ain’t got nothing on Austin Felix, who was nattily and distinctively dressed in an ensemble of flip flops, pajama pants, a black/camo jacket and an American flag hat.
A shot across the bow – No offense intended to my new Australian friends, but I’m pretty sure that the Canadian pros got the loudest cheers this morning. I suppose what matters most is who is left cheering Sunday afternoon.
Telling the story in 14 words – Scott Martin: “The water temperature has already risen 5 degrees since the last day of practice.”
