Charlie Hartley Takes the Day One Lead with 21 Pound Limit

 Story by Dan O'Sullivan - Photo by Mark Jeffreys 

Greenville, SC.  – In a field that boasts some of the biggest names in the sport it would be easy to understand if a rookie would crumble under the pressure. However, Charlie Hartley absorbed the pressure of the sports biggest stage and came out on top.

Hartley, the 43–year-old Elite Series pro, is exactly the type of angler to be in this type of position. Hartley is the owner of a sign manufacturing company in his home city of Grove City, Ohio, and is one of the more affable personalities on tour.

Despite the drastic weather that brought cold temperatures, rain and periodic sleet to the surface of Lake Hartwell, Hartley was able to stick with the pattern he discovered in practice. His confidence in his pattern allowed him to put together his 21-pound, 1-ounce limit, and grab the title of ‘King for a Day.’

Hot on the heels of the Ohio sign man is a list of anglers that reads something like a future Bass Fishing Hall of Fame ballot. 

Little Rock, Ark. pro Scott Rook, who won the 2006 Bassmaster Legends on the Arkansas River, employed a shallow water pattern to post a 20-pound, 13-ounce limit to finish day one in the runner up position. 

In third place after the day one weigh-in at Greenville’s Bi-Lo Center is two time Bassmaster Classic Champion Kevin VanDam. Van Dam brought in a five fish limit of 20 pounds, 3 ounces to put him in third position, in striking distance of his third Classic victory.

Palatka, Florida’s Terry Scroggins changed with the icy conditions and brought 19 pounds, 3 ounces to the scales to position himself in 4th place.

Meanwhile, Casey Ashley form nearby Donalds, S.C. rode the strength of his local knowledge to a tie for fifth place with Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss; both anglers caught 18 pounds, 10 ounces of Lake Hartwell bass.

Charlie in the Dream Factory
Hartley left the stage leading the Bassmaster Classic and the enthusiasm was pouring out of him backstage. “I’, leading the Bassmaster Classic, and I couldn’t be happier,” he told The BASS ZONE. “I just love fishing so much, and I had to catch a couple of fish early to calm my nerves a little.”

Hartley said that he spent the day running the pattern he discovered in practice, “I have areas that are producing in both shallow and deep water,” however, he has not burned all of his water. “I caught most of my fish fairly early and went scouting after that.” His scouting proved to be successful; in fact, he was able to cull off of new water.

Hartley said that he is unsure as to whether the expected high skies tomorrow would affect his ability to catch the type of quality he had today, but whatever happens, he will have fun with it. “I am so happy to be here that leading the thing is really a bonus,” Hartley said. “I have been competing against these guys for a long time, and to be leading them is an honor.”

Rook Going Against the Flow
Scott Rook said that he is doing something that he hasn’t seen any of his competitors doing, and that his results today were slightly better than he expected. “I had a goal to get between 14 to 18 pounds today, and I bettered that by a couple of pounds, so I am pretty pleased.”

Even though he exceeded his expectations today, Rook said that he has expanded his pattern as the result of an adjustment. “I had been catching them in 50 to 56 degree water and this cold front dropped the water temps,” Rook told The BASS ZONE. “I wasn’t getting bit, so I looked for the warmest water I could find, and 48 was the magic number.”

“Once I found that the fish were relating to that temperature, I looked to expand on my areas,” Rook said. “Once I did, I was able to put it together, and the sun coming out tomorrow should only help me.”

VanDam went Big; Could’ve Been Better
VanDam said that Hartwell fits his style very well, but his day one wait was actually a little bit disappointing, despite his high placement. “I caught 10 keepers today, but lost some fish that could have made things a lot better,” VanDam said. “I had to move around a lot today, I couldn’t catch more than one fish on a spot.”

Despite his disappointment, Van Dam said that the lake is setting up well for him, even with the expected weather change. “I will be changing what I am doing tomorrow after the morning bite,” he revealed. “But this is a great lake with a lot of fish in it; I feel very confident about the way things are going.”

Scroggins Flying by the Seat of his Pants
Scroggins said that he had a tough practice session, and that things got worse once the tournament started. However, being the professional he is; a change in approach made a difference. 

“I had to make a change after things were slow early,” said Scroggins. “I am fishing in 40 to 50 feet, and being from Florida, you know that’s tough for me, but I caught fish all afternoon, and the sun should make it better tomorrow.”

Ashley hasn’t Touched His Good Stuff
When the weather took a turn for the worse, Casey Ashley didn’t even bother going to his best pattern; because the conditions weren’t right. “I need sun for my primary pattern to work, and I didn’t want to get discouraged by not getting bit there; so I did other things,” he told The BASS ZONE. “I will do some more of the same tomorrow until the afternoon sun gets high, and then I will run my best stuff.”

Cliff Keeping Pace
Cliff Pace was one of the most consistent anglers on the Elite Series last year, and he put on a show on the first morning to keep Pace with the leaders. “I caught a fish every cast for 30 minutes this morning on a spot I found this morning,” Pace said. “The cold rain runoff pushed my fish out and they all gathered on one spot, but that could all change tomorrow.”

The BASS ZONE’s on location coverage of the 2008 Bassmaster Classic continues tomorrow with on the water Live Chats and Video Updates with Mark Jeffreys and ‘The Legend,’ Harold Allen. The BZ Live Chat will open at 9:00 AM EST and the first video update will air at 10:00 AM EST… Stay Tuned!

DAY ONE STANDINGS