Aaron Martens began to pull himself out of his season slump Thursday by leading the Douglas Lake Challenge with 23 pounds, 14 ounces, an even 2 pounds ahead of Texan Matt Reed, his nearest challenger in the four-day Bassmaster Elite Series event.
“I’m out there catching nice fish for once,” said Martens, a five-time Bassmaster champion who this year sits in 79th place in points after three 2012 Elite events. “It’s been an awful four tournaments in a row for me (three Elite events plus an Open tournament). My wife said last night, ‘Just go out and have fun.'”
His fun began about 7 a.m. Thursday, when he had 19 pounds of largemouth bass in the boat less than a half hour after the day’s start. He began to cull to improve on 19 pounds. By the end of the day, the largest of his five biggest bass was a 5-pounder.
Reed held down second place with 21 pounds, 14 ounces. Third place was a tie at 21-1 between two South Carolinians: Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, and Britt Myers of Lake Wylie. Fifth was Jeff Kriet of Ardmore, Okla., with 17-15.
Martens credited his first-day success with breaking his own rule to never pre-practice. He managed two sessions on Douglas Lake before the off-limits period. On his first trip to the lake, it was in winter pool of 30 or more feet below full pool. He noticed dozens of potential spots he felt would produce during the Bassmaster Elite Series event, even though it wouldn’t happen until months later when the water level was higher.
“I can’t believe how much pre-practice helped me,” he said. “I knew if I was going to study any lake, this was the one, this was the one I could win on.”
Martens, like many in the 99-angler Elite field, targeted schooling largemouth in deeper water. The trick was not only finding the massive schools, but triggering a first bite to set off a feeding spree. It was all in the timing, but the exact formula was elusive.
“The schools wander around. They relate to an area, they don’t relate to any certain thing about the area ? which I like. It’s like Castaic, where I grew up,” said Martens, a native Californian who moved several years ago to Leeds, Ala.
Reed of Madisonville, Texas, said he panicked early Thursday when the fish weren’t biting in the same way they had for him in practice earlier in the week. He ditched his deep-water pattern and fled to the bank, but then thought better of the hasty adjustment.
“I was there (on the bank) for 30 minutes, then thought, ‘No, this isn’t going to get it done, and turned around and put all my eggs in one basket,” he said.
Timing was everything for Reed, once he was back in deep water.
“I’m seeing a ton of fish, but rarely do you get them to bite,” he said. “If you don’t get bit in the first 10 or 15 minutes, you might as well pack up and go look for another school. But you may come back to the same school later, and it will bite.”
The 10 to 12 bites he did get were quality, he added.
Reed noted that most of the Elite field were keying on the same offshore schools.
“It’s hard to find a place to park,” he said, a comment on the shared water. “You have to run and look for a place you can get on.”
The Elite action continues Friday with the full field of 99 pros. Fans are invited to watch the 3:15 p.m. ET weigh-in at The Point Resort and Marina in Dandridge, or online at Bassmaster.com, which will feature live video of the weigh-ins and a real-time leaderboard beginning at 3:15 p.m. ET. Bassmaster.com also will continue to offer photo galleries, daily results and BASSCam videos.
Immediately following the weigh-in Saturday, fans will be treated to a free concert by Bush Hawg on the Bassmaster stage.
Sunday’s finale will pit the Top 12 anglers after three days for the first place prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, MinnKota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsor: BOOYAH, Carhartt, Lowrance, Luck “E” Strike, Power-Pole, Ramada
2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Proud Partner: Mustang Survival
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications ? Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times ? comprehensive Bassmaster website and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series,Cabela’s B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.By: Cara Clark / B.A.S.S.
