Posted  May 1st, 2008  6:45 pm CST

Brauer Leads the Field After Day One at Clarks Hill

Story by Brent Conway - Photos by Mark Jeffreys

Augusta, GA – What would happen if you put 108 of the best bass fishermen in the world on a legendary Georgia reservoir? You would get a reflection of this week’s Pride of Georgia at Clarks Hill Reservoir in Augusta. 

The lake is lower – by around seven feet - than it has been in any of the previous four years that the Bassmasters have been here, but there are still some 20-pound stringers to be pulled from the famed waters at Clarks.

Early in the week, the bite was red hot and the temperatures were what one would expect for this part of the country at this time of the year. However, a strong cold-front pushed through Tuesday forcing the air-temps down into the low 40s. In fact, anglers were sporting their Gortex suits at launch on the first day to fend off the morning’s chill.

By late afternoon though, the chilly morning had given way to a beautiful 70-degree day, and the field took full advantage, but the scattered fish – and stingy big-bite – were still apparent. 

Anglers prior to the tournament’s start reported that bites were coming at all increments of the water column, and that the fish were in all phases of the spawn – due largely to the late spring the area has experienced. Add to that the fact that the Blue Back Herring – a true difference-maker at Clarks – were also between cycles and weren’t in their usual haunts. 

At the conclusion of the first day’s weigh-in, it seemed that the reports were accurate – if you found the herring, you found the fish. On the first day, it all came down to location. You either knew where the big fish lived, or you were still trying to find neighborhood.

Denny Brauer, who obviously had the right house, crossed the stage Thursday with a limit weighing 22-0, out classing the rest of the field right out of the gate. Davy Hite, a former winner at Clarks, was next in line with five bass weighing 18-15, and Elite Series rookie David Sherrer ended his first day in third with 18-8 on the day.

Ending the first day in fourth was David Smith, who tanked 17-4 Thursday, which was enough for a four--ounce lead over fellow Oklahoman Kenyon Hill, who had 17-0 and ended the day in the fifth-place spot.

In a tie to round out the Super Six were Dean Rojas and Dustin Wilks who brought 16-13 to the scales the first day.

Denny Does Well Despite the Loss
Denny Brauer is living proof that you just can’t keep a good man down, or in his case, one of the best the sport has ever seen. Still, to maintain that label you have to catch them…and on the first day he did just that – despite losing one that will hopefully not haunt him later.“It was a pretty good day overall,” the living legend said. “I had one little train wreck with a big fish that came off.” 

“Everyone loses fish, but when you have your hands on one it’s pretty damn frustrating,” Denny added. “That’s pretty much how the day started off, so I feel real lucky to have survived.”

Flipping a StrikeKing jig tipped with a Rage craw, Denny is fishing water that he thought would hold a few fish…but wasn’t really sure why. “I’m just running several little areas,” he said. “None of the areas really have a bunch of fish. In fact, my partner today sort of described it best saying that I had a horseshoe stuck where the sun doesn’t shine. I don’t really know what to think about that.”

“The morning bite is pretty good,” Denny added. “As the day wears on, the bite just disappears, but then picks up late in the day. The guys in the late flights should really have an advantage tomorrow.”

Denny commented that based on the practice he had, where bites were easy to come by, the opening day wasn’t quite what he’d expected. Despite that, he’s confident that the weatherman’s promise of warmer nights will increase feeding all week. “I feel like the bite was actually a little off today,” he said. 

“With the weather warming, the fishing should improve. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and I’m telling myself that I’m in the right type of area where I should do well. Now, if I can repeat it again tomorrow – I have no clue.”

Hite Going for the Win
Davy Hite knows a thing or two about Clarks Hill, so when he says that he’s on ‘em and going for the win…look out. “It was a good day,” he said. “I had some quality fish, but the big fish really helped me out. I won here year before last, and it would be really great to be able to do it again.”

Hite explained that he only had eight bites all day – which is about what he’d expected. “I’m fishing for big fish,” he said. “I know how to do that here, but a lot of times people see me down in the standings and ask me what happened.

Sherrer Was Done by Lunch
Elite Series rookie David Sherrer was able to call it a day in time to order pizza for lunch. Not that he actually ordered pizza…but he could have. “I had everything I brought to the scales by 11:30 this morning,” he said. “I looked around a bunch this afternoon, but never picked anything else up.”

Fishing fairly shallow, the Louisiana pro likes what he’s doing and is confident that his fish will hold out. “I think they’ll replenish themselves overnight,” he said. “I found these fish yesterday, and they held up today, so hopefully they’ll be there again tomorrow. I don’t think I hurt them at all.”

Like most bass in Clarks Hill, Sherrer’s are relating to herring. The problem is, he’s not the only one who’s found the herring (and the bass). “There are a lot of people in there with me, and we’re all pretty much doing the same thing,” he said. “I think the whole deal is that you have to be in the right place at the right time. You’ll see the herring skitter by, and bass aren’t too far behind them.”

Smith on His Back-up Plan
David Smith has been at this game long enough to recognize a slump when he sees it, and pointed out that he’s clearly been in one. However, thanks to friend and fellow pro Kelly Jordon, he seems brighter days ahead. “I’ve been in a rut for the last four or five tournaments and just haven’t fished well,” he said. 

Hill Holds What He’s Got
Kenyon Hill, it would seem, can do no wrong so far this season. Having been in the thick of it all at the start of nearly each of the previous four tournaments, he’s off to another solid start. “I had a pretty good day, but I believe it’s all about timing right now,” Hill explained. 

Dean Was on Target
Dean Rojas is about as methodical as they come, and you have to admire someone who has a plan and it all comes to fruition by the day’s end. “Today went about the way I had planned for it to,” Rojas explained. “I caught about what I thought I would catch, and didn’t really have any misfires. All in all, it was a pretty consistent day.”

McClelland Has a Slow Start
Mike McClelland, as last year’s winner at Clarks, is carrying some intense pressure to pull a repeat. Add to that the pressure from a slower-than-planned start, and he’s a pressure cooker right now. “The day really started off pretty rough,” he said. “I don’t think I caught my first keeper until after 10:00. I just couldn’t get anything going.”

Flailing through a variety of baits and depths, McClelland was able to calm himself and go back to dance with the one who brung him (or so to speak). “I finally decided that I was just going to have to slow down and do what I did last year,” he explained. 

“You’d go through these little flurries of activity, but then it would just go slack after that, so you had to keep moving around to stay with the fish.”

Thanks to a key bait with less than 10 minutes left in his day, McClelland was able to salvage what could have been a disappointing first day. “I was finally able to cull one out late in the day that really helped me out,” he said. 

“It’s really not what I expected though, to be honest. I told you guys yesterday that I thought it would just get better and better all week, but based on what I’m hearing, it sounds like they were eating better in practice than they did today.”

“Now, you give this thing another day of warm weather so that the shad get to moving around, and it might get stupid,” McClelland added.

While he would certainly like to duplicate last year’s win, McClelland reasons that the late spring has the fish in a funk. Still, he’s confident in what he’s doing, and where he’s doing it at. “Due to the fact that the weather has kept the fish held back a little bit, it’s different than last year,” he said. 

“I’ve still got a lot of confidence in what I’m doing, and know that I’m fishing the right way and with the right baits. I’m comfortable fishing for five bites tomorrow, and feel pretty good about what they’ll weigh if the Lord blesses me with five bites.”

NOTES: There will not be any BZ Live Chat on the water on Friday due to the lack of cell service in the area.  The Legend, Harold Allen, and Mark will be making a long run on Friday and filming a Mid-day video report around noon CST. What can be better than more Legend during the day.  If there is a signal in the area, Mark will crank up the Live Chat for the viewers.  We apologize for the lack of cell service but it is totally out of our control. 

DAY 1 STANDINGS

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