Norman, OK - The 2010 PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series kicks off on Thursday at Cherokee Lake, located in Morristown, TN. The three-day tournament will feature the full field on the first two days of competition and will cut to the Top 30 for the final day of competition.
At just over 30,000 acres, the TVA fishery holds spotted, largemouth, and smallmouth bass. Spotted bass must measure 12-inches, largemouth 14-inches, and smallmouth 18-inches in order to keep.
With the lake level significantly rising between the 30 day off-limits period and the start of official practice, the general consensus among many of the anglers is that the fishing is tough.
Here’s what some of the competitors that The BASS ZONE spoke with had to say about their practice and what they expect for the tournament:
Harold Allen
“The lake has come up four to five feet during the 30 day off-limits period and the water temp has risen as well. This is a beautiful lake with great water clarity. There’s around six feet of clarity by the dam and there’s still good visibility up the river.
“Catching
a limit every day will be tough,
unless someone can figure out how to
catch the small Kentucky bass. I
don’t think that the smallmouth will
play a big role but you might see one
or two as part of a mixed bag. I’ve
talked to a few guys who have tried
targeting the 18-inch smallmouth, but
they haven’t sniffed one that was
keeper length.
“This is a really deep lake. Even up
the river, you can find 40 to 50 feet
of water. There are a few areas that
are holding fish, but I think that
they will get beaten up pretty bad on
the first day and I’m not sure
they’ll replenish.
“Weight wise, eight to 11-pounds a day will be the norm for the guys who are in the money. It’s a super tough bite right now.”
Mike McClelland
“I really think that the lake is a good lake and has a tremendous amount of fish in it. I can see all sorts of fish on my electronics, but I’m not sure if they’re bass or not.
“I believe that this tough bite is a product of Mother Nature. The lake has been down and then came up and that created a little funk where the bass aren’t in the mood to bite. Combine that with the Dog Days of summer and water temperatures in the mid to upper 80’s, and they’re in a bad mood.
“There’s no doubt that smallmouth will play a factor. The guy who wins will get fortunate and catch two or three big smallmouth. I don’t see a limit of smallmouth being weighed in, but they’ll be a contributing factor. I don’t think it will fish that small. Right now, it’s tough enough that the guys will spread out and fish the bigger sections.
“I had some boat trouble during practice, and I really need to send a shout out to
Tom's Marine in Morristown, Tennessee. These guys have bent over backwards to get me running again and I’m ready to get this tournament started.”
Edwin Evers
“It’s a pretty tough nut to crack. The deep bite is nonexistent for me and I’ve looked in water up to 45-feet deep. I’ve seen a lot of fish on the graph, but they’re mobile and move around quite a bit. I’m not even sure if they’re bass.
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“I’m going to probably end up beating the banks trying to catch a limit even though I feel like this tournament will be won offshore. I think the tough bite is a combination of the conditions and the lake level.
“I’m primarily focusing on largemouth but I’m sure that there will be some smallmouth weighed in. I caught a few small ones during practice but nothing that came close to the 18-inch minimum length. After my practice, I think that 10-pounds a day will be great. We’ll see what happens, but I think that the lake is going to fish really small.”
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