Table of contents for Classic Preview 2018 in Bassmaster

The sports world is familiar with the concept of a championship ring. Football, baseball and basketball teams have celebrated national titles with impressive finger jewelry since 1922, when the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. Many Bassmaster fans may not realize that the Classic champion also receives a ring along with the world championship trophy. Ray Scott started the tradition around 1974 because he couldn’t afford to buy the rings for the first few championships. He retrofitted the early Classic champs with rings, though, so all 47 champions, from Bobby Murray to Jordan Lee, have one. Although the ring has evolved throughout the years, the current version features a black onyx face with the B.A.S.S. leaping lunker inset in gold. Sixteen diamonds surround the…

LAKE HARTWELL NUMBERS 2 pounds, 9 ounces Average size of bass at the 2008 Classic on Hartwell, fifth best in Classic history 9 Number of three-day limits above 40 pounds at the 2015 Classic on Hartwell 45 Length in miles of Hartwell’s Seneca River arm 49 Length in miles of Hartwell’s Tugaloo River arm 50 pounds, 1 ounce Casey Ashley’s winning weight at the 2015 Classic on Hartwell 962 Miles of shoreline 55,900 Surface acres WINNING WEIGHTS B.A.S.S. has held five previous events on Lake Hartwell. Here’s what it took to win those derbies. 36-12 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship (Oct. 19-21) 42-13 1998 Georgia Eastern Invitational (May 14-16) 49-7 2008 Bassmaster Classic (Feb. 22-24) 50-1 2015 Bassmaster Classic (Feb. 20-22) 50-6 1996 Georgia Eastern Invitational (Nov. 21-23) BASS CITY, USA…

The images below were submitted by Bassmaster readers, and our antique tackle expert, Karl White, appraises the value of each unique find. Book Of Bass Mike Way, email$200 The first edition (1881) copy of James A. Henshall’s Book of the Black Bass is a very good one that I actually have in my collection, as well. Dr. Henshall is responsible for bass fishing in America, just like Isaac Walton is for fishing in general. I would value this book at $200. Jitterbug Ron Pfau, email$0 Unfortunately, the only Jitterbugs of value are the wooden ones made before World War II; plastics are of little value. Originally these were made as a deep-diving lure that came to the surface if pulled too hard. They were able to turn the lip around…

GIVEN THE MID-MARCH timing of the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, the weather during the event could range from frigid to balmy. Whatever happens weather-wise will surely impact which lures and presentations will play. The 52 Classic contenders have been racking their brains for months regarding lure choices, but what if they were limited to a single lure for this tournament? This question was posed to six Bassmaster Elite Series pros who will be fishing the Hartwell Classic. Some of their answers may surprise you. Brandon Palaniuk, Storm Arashi Rattling Flat “The first bait that comes to mind is the Storm Arashi Rattling Flat crankbait,” says Palaniuk. He pointed out that the 2018 Hartwell Classic is three weeks later than the…

THE BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES pros will visit some of the nation’s top bass fisheries and face new challenges on the Elite Series trail in 2018. Six of the 11 destinations on the Elite Series schedule are included on the 2017 Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes list, and four of the venues will be hosting an Elite event for the first time. The schedule kicks off with a visit to Alabama’s Lake Martin, which hosted Bassmaster Top 100 tournaments in 1989, 1990 and 1993, but has never held an Elite Series event. Other destinations the Elite Series pros will compete on for the first time are the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at Lake Travis, South Dakota’s Lake Oahe, the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year…

1 [Pick The Right Rattler] Lipless crankbaits are the go-to lures for many top Bassmaster Elite Series anglers in a surprising array of conditions — everything from shallow, murky water in early spring to submerged grassbeds in the heat of summer. Their chatter and vibrations trigger savage reaction strikes, whether they’re yo-yoed off the bottom, ripped through grass or reeled straight in. Rattling Lipless Cranks RC These fast-sinking hard-plastic baits, typified by the Lewis Rat-L-Trap (from $6.99, rat-l-trap.com), have flat sides and a pointed nose that produce an extremely tight wobble and intense vibration upon retrieve. Their signature feature: a hollow “rattle chamber” containing tiny metal balls. The lure’s aggressive wobbling action causes the balls to bounce against the rattle chamber’s interior walls, creating a distinctive chattering sound that’s amplified…

This month’s questions were answered by the reigning Classic champ, Jordan Lee. When you are punching a mat or punching pads, will a 1-ounce lead sinker make it through as well as a 1-ounce tungsten sinker, or is it harder to get lead sinkers through?@Dustin_Weinberg, Instagram “I think it’s harder to get lead through. Tungsten is definitely smaller, so it fits in tight places and gives your pegged soft plastic a more streamlined appearance. Another factor is that tungsten is denser, so you have a better feel when it hits objects or a hard bottom. I can’t imagine going back to lead for my flipping or Texas-rig tactics.” How many days out of the year does a Bassmaster Classic pro stay on the water?@Jamiebostick4, Instagram “I normally spend half the…

ACTIVE ANGLER Although Hunter Shryock will be an Elite Series rookie this year, he has been fishing the Bassmaster Opens for the past five years. Before turning his attention to professional angling, he was a professional motocross racer. The latter led to reconstructive knee surgery and a broken vertebra in his back. “Although racing can be brutal on your body, fishing isn’t a whole lot better,” admits the 29-year-old. “One of the things I struggle with most is posture. And with a jacked-up back, that should be a primary concern for me. I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal for most guys, but if fishermen don’t focus on good posture, it can lead to a lot of negative health issues.” There are multiple factors that anglers need to…

AS WE CELEBRATE the 50th anniversary of B.A.S.S., it is impossible to consider where our sport would be had Ray Scott not have dreamed up the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing. It is safe to say that the sport would not have reached its current level of participation and recognition without an event that attracted the attention of the world. So, here we look back at the most memorable moments that shaped the biggest stage of professional bass angling: the Bassmaster Classic. 1971 B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott announces plans for the first “world championship” bass tournament, the Bassmaster Classic. Scheduled for late October, the Classic will be a winner-take-all event with entry limited to the Top 24 competitors in the B.A.S.S. Tournament Trail’s 1971 Angler of the Year point standings.…

Venue: Lake H, a small, remote, timbered reservoir Water: 49 to 53 degrees, clear Weather: 33 degrees, clear, cold front Pro: Luke Clausen, 39, Spokane, Wash. Clausen won the Bassmaster Classic in the Elite Series’ fledgling year (2006), moved to the FLW tour, then rejoined the Elites in 2016. Boat: Ranger Z520C with 250-horsepower Mercury outboard, MotorGuide trolling motor, Lowrance electronics with Bass Boat Technologies mounts, twin Power-Pole shallow-water anchors LONGTIME B.A.S.S. MEMBERS may remember the ruckus Clausen raised when he won the 2006 Classic, pocketed his $500,000 paycheck, then immediately exited the Elite tour to join the FLW circuit. “I caught hell from B.A.S.S. for that move, but it was strictly a career decision on my part because my sponsors at the time were all aligned with FLW,” he…

The easiest place to carry a landing net is in a gimbal-mounted rod holder behind your seat. This works fine until you pull out the net and yank a stowed rod that got tangled with it into the water. Plus, in the heat of battle, that net handle is hard to find behind you; groping for it can get tippy. You can resolve the problem by laying the hoop on the front deck and keeping the handle at the ready. This also works fine until a low-hanging tree sweeps your net into a river (ask me how I know). A simple solution is to install a paddle holder to hold the net handle. It’s easy and adjusts to keep the net handle secure and out of the way, yet easy…

THE BIG QUESTION on the minds of the 52 anglers competing in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods at Lake Hartwell is whether Mother Nature will be kind to competitors. She sure wasn’t very nice during the two previous Classic encounters held on the 56,000-acre lake, delivering steady blows of freezing and brutal winter-like weather. It was cold when Alton Jones won there in 2008, and really cold when Casey Ashley won in 2015. This year could be different. With the Classic held in mid-March, the weather — and the fishing — should be a lot better. Of course, one angler is hoping that isn’t the case. Ashley, who won under incredibly tough conditions in 2015, has a different viewpoint. “I hope it snows every day…

A tall, blue trophy stands sentinel on his mantel. At a distance, the shimmering bass at its peak reveals its significance: a Bassmaster Elite Series win. Less than a year ago, Dustin Connell was a relatively unknown rookie on B.A.S.S.’s most prestigious tour. Now, he’s an Elite Series champion who’s considered a real threat to compete for another trophy in his first Bassmaster Classic. Five hours from his central Alabama home, the 27-year-old Connell will launch into a ferocious field at the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods at Lake Hartwell. When he does, he’ll be bringing an old, experimental pattern from the waters of the Coosa River. “A lot of people don’t think about it before April or May,” Connell says. “But if it’s cold, no…

There is no telling how many old reels out there have been shelved for poor performance simply because they have never been cleaned. Here is a very basic, 10-minute process that can rejuvenate baitcasters. Remember, dust and grime will find its way inside the side cover of a reel no matter how well you baby the thing. Plus, oil will not last forever. Here’s how to get rid of the former and add the latter. 1 Remove the side cover. Each manufacturer has their own system for making this happen, but it’s super easy on 99 percent of baitcasters. Some reels require a small flat-head screwdriver to remove sideplate screws, so have one handy. 2 Remove the spool. This may take a wiggle or two, as there are teeth that…