Texas Pro Leads Classic with Two-Day Total of 36 Pounds....Hartley a Close Second

 Story by Dan O'Sullivan - Photos by Mark Jeffreys & Dru Smith 

Greenville, SC. – Day two of the Bassmaster Classic was almost a complete flip flop of the first day. Day one saw a Classic rookie in Charlie Hartley of Grove City, Oh. jumped to the lead with a 21-pound, 1-ounce limit of Lake Hartwell largemouth bass. 

However, as bass fishing tournaments go, there is one hard and fast rule in the sport of bass fishing is that things will change. The day one conditions were cold, wet and miserable for the human, but the fish were more active. 

Change was so prevalent on the second day of the Classic that nearly half of the top 10 anglers from day one fell out of the top 10 after day two’s weigh in was complete. 

Behind Hartley was 2nd time Classic qualifier Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss. who scrambled to find his 14-pound, 11-ounce limit later in the day then he had finished his limit early on day one. Pace’s total weight of 33 pounds, 5 ounces was good for third place.

Behind Pace was two-time Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich. Who sat in second place after connecting with a 20-pound, 3 ounce limit on the first day, but had to scramble for a 14-pound, 11-ounce limit for a two day total of 32 pounds, 1-ounce; good for 4th place.

Rounding out the top five was Ardmore, Okla. pro Jeff Kriet who crushed an 18-pound, 12-ounce limit that moved him up from 23rd place in the standings with 31 pounds, 11-ounces. 

Behind Kriet in 6th-place is 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion who caught a 12-pound, 14-ounce limit to give him 31 pounds, 3 ounces. 

The 2008 edition of the Bassmaster Classic is shaping up to be a very tight affair as Jones and Hartley are only separated by little more than a pound as the day came to a close. 

Day three conditions look to change again as the forecasts are calling for more cloud cover and a slight chance of some showers that could once again create more change on the horizon for these anglers. Whatever happens on Sunday’s final day, someone is going home with $500,000 and the Bassmaster Classic trophy.

Jones reported that the number of fish he caught today were fewer than day one, but that his overall quality of bites was better. He declined to state exactly what his pattern entails but said that it is an extremely defined set of components that make up the whole approach, and that it is producing what he thinks will win the Classic.

“Hopefully I will get the opportunity to tell everyone about it tomorrow,” The YUM pro quipped.

Hartley Still Riding High
One would think that Hartley would have had some sort of a letdown after the euphoria of grabbing the lead after day one of his first Classic, but he was as jovial as ever.

“I am still riding my jig pattern, and I probably will al through the last day,” Hartley told the media as he came off stage on day two. “I didn’t catch the number of fish today that I did today, but if I would have landed the fish I lost; I would have been right around the same weight I had yesterday.”

The reason he is going to stick to the jig is that he feels it simplifies his day. “I’m still getting the right bites with it,” he said. “And it kind of makes the whole equation easier when you don’t have to worry about what kind of lure to use; I only have to think about finding the fish.”

Hartley has two distinct patterns he is using with his jig, one for when the fish are deep and one when they are in the shallows. “I’m just moving where I think they are, and am fishing as the conditions dictate,” said the 43-year-old pro. “The key is to put it in front of them.”

Hartley said that his jig is different from standard offerings. “I use a different color, and a smaller profile,” he revealed. “I like my jig to look like a small bug, so that they will eat it even if they are full. It’s kind of like a shrimp cocktail; everyone can eat another shrimp.”

Cliff Keeping Pace
The 27-year-old Pace got off to a quick start on the first day by catching a limit in the first 30 minutes, but day two brought no such circumstance.

“Things started slower for me today,” the Skeeter pro revealed. “I searched for that group of fish I found yesterday all over the area, and couldn’t find them; I looked for an hour and a half.” The scary part for Pace is that his morning bite had been very important to him.

“When I couldn’t find those fish, I went to a spot that I didn’t fish on day one; I saved it. “Pace said. “It is a spot that has both deep and shallow areas, and I needed to use the area to get my head straight. What he found was that his fish had moved deep in the sunlight. “That told me what I needed to do, so I started running deep stuff.”

He revealed that like the others in the top three, he too is using a jig, but he declined to reveal the specifics of the pattern, but said that he is fishing slowly and methodically.

While the jig is his primary approach, he is using a couple of other lures as well, and one of his sponsors worked very hard for him. Pace is sponsored by V&M Bait Company, and he said that they went the extra mile for him leading up to the tournament. 

“They shut their whole factory down for a day to make me a special blue back herring color of the Pork Shad,” he revealed. “How many other companies would shut down their production to make a special bait for one of their pro staffers; I am grateful to be working with them.”

Van Dam Made a Drastic Change
The two-time Classic champion spent the cloudy first day of the tournament around the Lake Hartwell Dam, but when he tried to do the same on a sunny day two, he found that things were not the same. The conditions prompted him to make a long run to his backup area.

VanDam said that spectator boats played a significant role in is moves today; at one point he had more than 50 different boats following him. “They are very courteous and respectful, but the traffic spooks clear water fish, and stirs up waters in the shallows making it hard to fish; I’ll just have to adjust.”

Kriet Made Huge Leap
Kriet spent much of the day fruitlessly pounding docks in the shallows, until he decided to make a change.

“I had a spot that I didn’t fish on the first day,” The Longhorn pro said. “I don’t know why I didn’t fish it, and it was stupid not to, because this is the Bassmaster Classic, and those are big fish over there.” He finally made the move after noon.

The result was that Kriet was able to fill all of his big limit in little more than an hour and he did so by employing two different approaches; a jig and a dropshot. But, unlike many of his competitors, Kriet said his jig approach is very subtle, and he only uses the drop shot when he sees a fish on his graph.

Ike Fishing Winter Technique
The 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion said that he came to Hartwell and felt at home. “I saw the same types of waters I used to fish at home in the winter a lot; so I approached it the same way.”

His program focuses on deep water river channel bends that have 45 degree sloping banks, and he is covering a lot of them in a day. “I’d like to take a look at the ESPN Bass Tracker stats on me, because I think I’m hitting 50 to 100 spots a day,” he said. “I’m spending 10 to 15 minutes per spot, and if I don’t get a bite, I move on.”

Ike said he is catching 90 percent of his fish on a one ounce Berkley Gripper Jig and the remaining fish have come on a modified California Swim babes Baby-E swimbait; “I add weight to it so I can fish it deeper,” he revealed.

His approach is yielding 7 to 10 bites a day, but he doesn’t mind because it’s not about how many fish he catches, it’s the size that matters, “I’m here to win, and this is what I need to do.”

The BASS ZONE’s on location coverage of the 2008 Bassmaster Classic from Lake Hartwell continues tomorrow as the final day commences. Check back for our Live Chat photos and video updates from Mark and ‘The Legend.’ Stay Tuned!
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DAY TWO STANDINGS