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Day 1 Take Off from Cherokee Lake 2017 Elite Series
The 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series is underway! Cherokee Lake greeted the field with changing conditions, here are a few videos from this mornings take off.
Mullins and The Lee Brothers Make Predictions for Cherokee Lake
Thursday begins a brand new season for the Bassmaster Elite Series, and few know more about the reservoir B.A.S.S. hasn’t hosted a tournament on since 1981 than David Mullins, who enters his fourth season as a pro, lives just 70 miles away, and recently won a Bassmaster Open on Douglas Lake, which is much like Cherokee’s twin sister.
Carhartt pros Matt and Jordan Lee weren’t even born the last time B.A.S.S. had a tournament on Cherokee Lake, but Mullins has befriended the youngsters, and they tend to do quite well even when nobody is mentoring them.
The three graciously offered their opinions on what to expect during this first tournament of the new season, as well as a little about what they learned in the off-season.
What percentage of the fish weighed-in this week do you think will be smallmouth?
Jordan Lee: 70%
David Mullins: 75%
Matt Lee: 68%
If you were only permitted to have 5 rods and reels during this tournament – how many of them would be spinning, versus baitcasting?
Jordan Lee: 3 out of 5 would be spinning
David Mullins: 4 out of 5 would be spinning
Matt Lee: 3 out of 5 would be spinning
Name two fellow competitors that you would put on your Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing Team presented by Toyota for this event?
Jordan Lee: David Mullins and Ott DeFoe
David Mullins: Aaron Martens and David Walker
Matt Lee: David Mullins and Ott DeFoe
Average weight of a 5-bass limit you think it will take to make it into the Top 12 cut on the final day:
Jordan Lee: 13 to 14 pounds
Mullins: 14 to 15 pounds
Matt Lee: 15 pounds 12 ounces per day
Name the single biggest thing you learned in the off-season about fishing or life:
Jordan Lee: Never take the good times for granted, whether that’s fishing with your friends or having dinner with your family.
David Mullins: That it never got cold enough around here to make the whitetails move or the ducks migrate.
Matt Lee: Don’t get in too big of a hurry. Slow down. Enjoy life.
VanDam Calls Cherokee Lake a Stress Sandwich
A cold 50-degree drizzle couldn’t chill Kevin VanDam’s attitude as he launched for the final day of practice at the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament at Cherokee Lake in East Tennessee, but stress levels are heating up like a bowl of white sausage gravy in the foggy East Tennessee air.
For starters, this is the first Elite Series event of the 2017 season. Naturally, nobody wants to dig himself a hole capable of burying the season’s goodness right out of the gates.
Secondly, the weather here has been like a roller coaster ride you might find 30 minutes from the boat ramp down at Dollywood.
The one consistency is thick fog, but while high temps have been in the 60s so far – the bottom drops out for Day 1 of competition. Most of Thursday will be near freezing or below with strong bone chilling north winds.
And then, there’s the fish. Mostly smallmouth, with a well-earned reputation for changing their minds like … well … the weather.
Tennessee Is Not Michigan
“Great Lakes smallmouth behave way different than these Tennessee fish,” says VanDam. “The smallmouth I grew up catching eat a ton of crawfish and gobies, they find a reef that’s got food on it, and stay fairly local, but these fish down here live primarily on shad, and every time that school of shad moves, the Smallmouth move too.”
Current and Angling Pressure
Cherokee is no small pond at 28,000+ surface acres, but it’s not exactly Lake Michigan either. And while wind is the main weather factor for angling natives of The Wolverine State, it’s largely Holston River current controlled by the Tennessee Valley Authority that stirs the pot here.
“You definitely have to contend with changing current here, and while this place is not exactly small, there’s no doubt fishing pressure affects these fish,” says the Team Toyota angler with seven Bassmaster Angler of the Year Titles to his credit.
He’s a Part Time Meteorologist
Not really. But as he pulled his rain jacket hood over his head and strapped down a pile of Smoke HD reels, you’d have sworn he was Reynolds Wolf of The Weather Channel.
“It’s foggy and chilly today, but tomorrow is the one you’ve gotta be ready for – 24 degrees in the morning, with a high of only 40 – and the worst part will be the sustained 15 to 25 mph North winds,” warns VanDam.
“I’ll layer-up, and trade this ball cap for a beanie, but the bottom line is, this one is gonna be a grind – a real stress sandwich.”
Cherokee Lake Preview
The first event of the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series kicks off on Thursday at Cherokee Lake. Weather seems to be the common theme. Here is a quick preview of what’s to come.
Legendary Bass Angler Roland Martin Comes To Columbus Feb 11-12 For The Bass University’s 2-Day Fishing Program
Feb xx, 2017, Philadelphia, PA — Roland Martin, a nine-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and winner of 19 B.A.S.S. tournaments, will join five other top-ranked professional bass anglers at The Bass University’s world-class fishing program in Columbus on February 11 – 12.
For three decades, legendary tournament angler Roland Martin has taught fellow anglers how to outsmart fish on his Fishing with Roland Martin TV show, currently broadcast on the Versus network. Martin, who still competes in selected events, earned nine B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year titles, 19 tournament wins, 19 second-place finishes, and 24 appearances in the BASS Master Classic (the Super Bowl of bass fishing). He is a member of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), the National Fishing Hall of Fame, and the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
Along with Martin, the dynamic lineup of superstars slated to present a total of 12 seminars during the two-day event includes:
- Scott Suggs, Bryant, AR: Suggs won the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup and has with 15 top-ten finishes.
- JT Kenney, Frostburg, MD: Kenney, a former motocross racer, has four FLW Tour victories and nearly 50 top-ten finishes.
- Wesley Strader, Spring City, TN: Strader has one FLW Tour win and 40 top-ten finishes.
- Pete Gluszek, Mount Laurel, NJ: Gluszek is the co-founder, with Mike Iaconelli, of The Bass University program. He has two Bassmaster wins and two FLW tournament wins to his credit, along with numerous other top-level tournament honors. Gluszek is an expert in tidal water fishing and a much sought after on-the-water instructor
- Charlie Hartley, Grove City, OH: Hartley is a former professional skateboarder, two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, and won the 2016 Bassmaster Northern Open on Virginia’s James River. He has nine top-ten Bassmaster finishes.
During the seminars, anglers of all skill levels will learn new tactics directly from the pros and gain confidence in their own skills and techniques. Attendees can ask questions during the roundtable discussion and rub elbows with the pros during breakout sessions. They will also receive special discount offers from sponsors of The Bass University and have a chance to win great prizes.
Interested anglers can register online at TheBassUniversity.com/class-training to guarantee one of the remaining spots in the class. Walk-in registrants are welcome if space allows, starting at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. Special rates are available for students and youths under age 18.
For those who are unable to attend class in Columbus, The Bass University’s website offers an online video library of over 200 classes covering a wide range of bass fishing topics, conditions, techniques, etc. Preview videos and information about monthly and annual subscriptions are available at BassU.tv.
2017 Bass University Classroom Speakers and Topics
Saturday Instructors
JT Kenney
- The Grass Wizard’s Flipping System
- Selecting the Right Jig
Wesley Strader
- Buzzbaits
- River Fishing All Year Long
Scott Suggs
- Suspended Bass Tactics
- Chatterbaits
Sunday Instructors
Roland Martin (9-time BASS Angler-of-the-Year)
- Pattern Fishing
- Fishing the Moment: Reading the Conditions to Catch More Fish
Pete Gluszek
- Simple Swimbait Fishing
- Finesse Crankbaits
Charlie Hartley
- Fishing Heavily Pressured Lakes
- Finesse Flipping
ABOUT THE BASS UNIVERSITY
Founded in 2010 by Mike Iaconelli and Pete Gluszek, The Bass University (BU) offers acclaimed bass fishing education programs in three formats: online, in the classroom, and on the water. Their motto is “Never Stop Learning,” and The Bass University strives to build effective programs that help anglers of all skill levels gain confidence in new tactics and techniques to catch big bass consistently.
Each year during the professional tournament fishing off-season, The Bass University offers four two-day classroom training programs taught by today’s top bass anglers. During warm weather, BU offers personalized on-the-water instruction with top pro anglers in one-on-one or small group sessions. Anglers around the world—from Japan to Australia, South Africa and beyond—subscribe to BassU.tv, an extensive, online library of instructional videos.
The Bass University has students of all skill levels, including the top tournament anglers! Similar to other professional sports where athletes study their competitors, several pro anglers have won big by participating in Bass University classes and watching The Bass University TV instructions. Always look to The Bass University for your fishing instruction.