GEORGETOWN, S.C. — Throughout their young careers, Hayden Scott and Griffin Fernandes have prided themselves on their ability to junk fish and manufacture bites in a tough tournament. That mindset and skill will be vital this week if they want to win the Strike King Bassmaster National Championship at Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops and repeat as champions.
After winning the 2021 National Championship on the St. Lawrence River in New York with 63 pounds, 10 ounces and competing in the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket, making it back to the bracket has been the number one goal for the Adrian College duo.
“Getting back to the Bracket has been our goal since we got there the first time,” Fernandes said. “As soon as we started this season that is the target we’ve been trying to hit. If we were to repeat this tournament, I don’t know how to put that into words. It would mean the world to us to achieve that goal we have set for ourselves.”
Since it was announced at the National Championship venue, Scott and Fernandes have been following tournament reports and were impressed with what they saw. They so far, however, haven’t been able to recreate what they have seen from the locals.
“I’ve been following the tournament reports and there are big ones in here,” Fernandes said. “I’ve heard of guys catching 10-pounders out here. It has been fishing tough though, no one is going to tell you they are on them.”
One thing is obvious: Winyah Bay is a vastly different fishery from the St. Lawrence River. This week already, Fernandes and Scott have seen alligators and dolphins occupying the same section of river on the tidal system and fiddler crabs line the banks. Not to mention there won’t be any smallmouth to catch, only largemouth.
The amount of diversity was a shock at first, but they quickly refocused on bass fishing.
“After we got past that the first day of practice, we figured out a little something we are going to try and run in the morning. The tide gets right, they eat and we get the right bites. Just getting bites is one thing, but size is going to be really crucial this week. If we can get to the 12- to 14-pound mark, and do it on Day 1 to be in position on Day 2, that will be huge.”
While they go to school in Michigan, both anglers have experienced tidal fishing before at the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Fernandes also fished the BFL Buckeye Division, which featured multiple trips to the notoriously difficult Ohio River. Both of those aspects have helped this week.
“This is a river system so we kind of have an understanding of how it sets up,” Scott explained. “We are junk fishermen. That is how we have made our careers so far. Anytime we get a grinder derby and we are looking for five bites, those are the tournaments we are looking forward to. All you have to do is stay mentally strong and hope for those five bites. The tide is going to be crucial this week. I have fished Chesapeake and Potomac a couple times and so has Griffin. So we have an understanding of what fish do at certain tides and levels.”
But none of those venues featured quite the tide swing they have experienced this week on Winyah Bay.
“The farther you go away, it’s a foot and a half (tide swing) and the closer you get to the ramp it is close to 4 feet,” Fernadnes said. “Each river has its own schedule, the Santee being a little further away is a little behind than the other ones. The Lowrance graphs we’ve been running have tide charts and that has been super helpful for us.”
If Scott and Fernandes feel that if they can find a consistent bite and one or two big bass, they will be able to land in the top three and clinch a spot in the Bracket.
“As far a top three goes, if you have between 12 and 12 1/4 a day that will be the cut right there. If you can do that all three days or even have one really big day, I think you will be at the cusp of making the Bracket.”
Follow all the action on Bassmaster.com, including the live weigh-in that will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.
