Table of contents for Classic Preview 2023 in Bassmaster

There is no way to accurately describe the topsy-turvy week of events associated with the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic. Except maybe with this photo. Anglers fishing the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing on the Tennessee River out of Knoxville, Tenn., March 24-26 will experience a tangled, jumbled-up week of media interviews, personal appearances, sponsor obligations and parties. Oh, and there’s fishing, too — three days of it, to be exact — that will determine the winner of fishing’s most coveted trophy and a $300,000 cash prize. The week is equal parts glorious beauty and managed chaos. Those who’ve never experienced it couldn’t possibly fathom the craziness, and a few of the first-time qualifiers will no doubt feel a little bit overwhelmed. Even anglers like Arkansas super-stick Stetson Blaylock…

NEVER HAS IT been more challenging to pick the potential winner of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic. Today’s bass anglers, in general, are more skilled and knowledgeable than ever. When it comes to the Classic qualifiers — the best of the best — virtually any angler in the field has a legitimate shot at standing under a shower of confetti in the Thompson-Boling Arena. Another game-changer is the widespread use of forward-looking sonar. It tends to be more beneficial to the younger Classic qualifiers who have grown up playing video games. However, when it comes to winning the Classic, nothing trumps a strong mental constitution and the ability to remain calm and focused under immense pressure. Our pundits include Elite pros and media personnel who know the Classic…

1 The Shoalie’s rear deck has a drill pattern already molded in to easily install a Power-Pole or motor bracket. A rear deck hatch facilitates through-bolting. 2 A Ketch Board fits snugly into a molded-in space on the deck where the angler can take a fish pic without moving the board. The fish has little chance of scooting back into the water, too. 3 DeSmit installed a 24-volt Scream Power lithium battery for ample motor juice. The Shoalie’s 450-pound capacity easily accommodates the 55-pound power pack. DeSmit connects his Garmin sonar/GPS unit to a separate 12-volt lithium battery. 4 The Shoalie’s bow hatch has lots of room for gear and features two rod tubes for two extra rods. 5 The rear gear area is long enough to carry DeSmit’s converted…

Congratulations to the newest members of the Bassmaster Lunker Club™. Membership in the club is free and open to any B.A.S.S. member who catches a largemouth bass weighing 10 pounds or more, a spotted bass weighing 5 pounds or more, or a smallmouth bass weighing 6 pounds or more, from Jan. 1, 2022, to the present. New Lunker Club members will receive an official certificate with holder and a gift pack. 12-8 Cal Starling 1 Lake Glenville, North Carolina 1/8-ounce Googan Krackin’ Craw (Alabama craw) 16-5 Jack Crisler 2 Kimberlin Ranch, Texas Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper 11-12 Tyler Mimbs 3 Private pond, Georgia Googan Crawdad (watermelon) 10-4 John Barksdale Sr. 4 Rodman Reservoir, Florida Live bait (wild shiner) 5-13 Bruce Spain 5 Cottage Grove Lake, Oregon 5-inch Senko, wacky…

Crankbaits will be a big player in this year’s Bassmaster Classic and throughout the country during prespawn. What selection process should an angler use for crankbaits prior to the bass getting on beds? Ricky Robinson, Kansas City, Mo. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brad Whatley I base my crankbait selection off the water temperature. I generally use a lipless crankbait, especially around grass, when the water is 48 degrees or colder because it’s probably going to be more of a reaction bite than a feeding bite. I will rip it out of the grass, and those bites occur when it falls. I will use sizes 1/4 to 3/4 ounce, depending upon the depth of the grass. Also, the biggest bass are likely going to be staging in that 6- to 8-foot…

WHEN THE BASSMASTER Classic returns to the Tennessee River at Knoxville one thing will be different. Familiarity. When the first event was held there in 2019, it was basically an unknown by the Classic field. That won’t be the case this year. Several of this year’s contenders competed in that Classic or the 2021 regular-season Elite Series event held on the same body of water. Furthermore, the Elite event was a month earlier than this year’s Classic, and the 2019 Classic was held a week earlier. So, there shouldn’t be a stark difference from the seasonal patterns contenders saw during previous visits to the area. They’ll be fishing the same waters, some 30,000 acres that includes the upper Tennessee River, portions of the Holston and French Broad rivers, Loudoun and…

[Early Spring] DOTL Challenge: Put a Bassmaster Elite Series pro on a small lake he’s never seen before. Give him seven hours to locate and catch bass while we log his every move Date: March 8, 2022 Venue: Lake T, a flatland reservoir Water: 53 degrees, muddy Weather: Cold front, cloudy to clearing, north wind, high of 45 degrees Pro: Josh Stracner, 36, Vandiver, Ala. A lifelong tournament angler, Stracner fished various Bassmaster Opens events in 2012 and 2017, then qualified for the Elite Series by placing second in the 2020 Eastern Opens. He qualified for the 2022 Bassmaster Classic. Boat: Phoenix 921 Elite with 250-horsepower Mercury outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics and twin Minn Kota Raptor shallow-water anchors IT’S EARLY MARCH: for many B.A.S.S. members, the unofficial…

Drew Cook remembers a chilly February day on Lake Seminole when he reaped the rewards of a pattern often overlooked by other anglers. Faced with overnight lows in the 30s, he took to the water with a buzzbait and a frog. There he proceeded to boat 26 pounds of bass in a few hours by targeting fish spawning earlier than most. “It was really a lot of fun,” says the four-time Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic qualifier. “We hammered them for hours off of stumps.” The surprise winter pattern that paid off for Cook is one that anglers across the country can replicate — even if they’re not perched on the Florida/Georgia line — if they take Cook’s advice and know where to look. Under the right conditions, it’s…

Water type: Prespawn staging on a TVA reservoir Water temp: Mid- to upper 50s Clarity: 2 to 3 feet Depth: 6 to 12 feet Structure: Points, bars, rock Cover: Laydowns, grass, docks Forage: Shad, crawfish Weather: Postfrontal conditions Wind/current: Calm, sunny, high pressure 1 THE EARLY BIRD … John Crews Salem, Va. First move: Even though he expects the afternoon hours to offer the greatest opportunity, Crews wants to jump-start his day by capitalizing on the daybreak flurry. “There’s always a low-light bite that time of year on the Tennessee River,” Crews said. “So, you’re looking at places where bass might be actively feeding. You’re looking at funnel points, like secondary points, bridges and marina docks.” Baits/tackle to use: For open water, Crews goes with a Spro McStick 110 in…

When North Carolina pro Hank Cherry won the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, he did what all anglers do with the most coveted trophy in the sport. He stood amongst the confetti and raised it high above his head. Then he got downright stingy with it. By scoring a second Classic victory the following year on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas, Cherry earned another 50-pound trinket for his trophy case and held onto the title of “Classic champion” twice as long as most people who’ve raised that trophy. It wasn’t until 2022 at Lake Hartwell that he finally handed the hardware to someone else on the Classic stage — this time Oklahoma pro Jason Christie, who finally reached the winner’s circle after numerous near…

Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Noreen Clough Memorial Scholarship for Females in Fisheries. In memory of the late Noreen Clough, the long-time U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service administrator and former National Conservation Director for B.A.S.S, her friends and colleagues established a scholarship honoring her contributions to the field of fisheries management and conservation, as well as her trailblazing role as a female leader in the American conservation community. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded this summer to deserving students. The application can be found on Bassmaster.com, with the deadline for entry set for April 15, 2023.…

AS RECORDS GO, the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic on the Tennessee River in Knoxville will be the 53rd edition of bass fishing’s world championship, but in truth, it will be the 106th Classic. That’s because every year two Classics take place simultaneously in the same location and among the same competitors. The main event is the one the fans, television cameras and media representatives see and record. The second Classic is the one that takes place in the heads of the fishermen. It’s the mental marathon of controlling and managing runaway adrenaline, too little time, fan adoration, sleep deprivation, sponsor demands, weather changes, tackle maintenance and yes, even real, on-the-water fishing decisions, and it’s nonstop for a week or longer. The schedule is so crammed there isn’t…

WHEN EVERY BREATH is foggy and clothing layers like holiday bills, a jumbo bass may be only a cast away. Of course, that has to be the right cast to the right place with the right bait. Five Bassmaster Elite Series anglers shared their insights into how they locate giants during the year’s first two months. SCOTT CANTERBURY — Coosa River Explaining that the year’s early goings — particularly February — offer tremendous opportunities to bag a super-sized spotted bass, Canterbury said he’ll look for a nice, flat point with proximity to a channel swing. Here, the fish find the feeding stations they like, while suspending over deep water requires only a few tail kicks. “In January and February, they’re all wanting to concentrate around rock on those points,” Canterbury…

1 [Cover Water For The Big Bite] As the bass transition from their wintering holes toward spawning flats and pockets, they feed up during the prespawn period to get ready for the spawn. Despite the still-cold water temperatures, this can provide some of the best fishing of the entire year and the opportunity to catch the fish of a lifetime. As the bass are feeding up, a crankbait can be a deadly tool to target these big-belly beasts. Steady Weather, Steady Bites As a bass fisherman, paying attention to the weather and potential weather trends is a must 365 days a year, but the prespawn period may be the most important time do so. Early spring provides crazy weather fluctuation, so having an idea of which direction the fish will be…

[Clip of the Month] 2022 Bassmaster Classic champion Jason Christie breaks down his strategy with forward-facing sonar and how he uses the Yum FF Sonar Minnow for suspended bass. While fishing for suspended bass, Christie stresses the importance of keeping the bait hovering above the fish and how far to keep it above them, depending on the water clarity. Christie points out that fishing the Yum FF Sonar Minnow with forward-facing sonar is a visual bite and that having clearer water conditions is going to be more fitting when using this technique. [Quick Tips] Downsizing your baits during months when the water temperature is going to be at its lowest is a pretty popular concept. However, in this Tackle Tip Tuesday brought to you by Mercury Marine, Bassmaster Elite Series…