The last time the Bassmaster Classic was set in Fort Worth, Texas, and on Lake Ray Roberts, North Carolina, pro Matt Arey came close to winning. He finished second to fellow Tarheel angler Hank Cherry by less than two pounds in that event in 2021. Coming that close was tough, but now Arey has another shot at the Texas lake and feels confident going into this year's event.
Then and Now
Due to the pandemic, the 2021 Bassmaster Classic was held in mid-June, which is not the best time for an event in Texas. According to Arey, this event should be much cooler, and the fishing should be even better.
"That event was hot, not super hot like Texas gets, but it was still pretty warm," Arey recalled. "The other thing in that event was how high the water was; it was basically flooded, including all the willow trees and bushes. It was a 'grinder-type' tournament with mostly shallow water power fishing."
The winning weight for that event was just under 51 pounds for three days, but Arey is expecting bigger bags this time. "When we were there in June, all the locals were saying, 'You should have been here in March because it was really good,' and I think the fishing will be much better for us," said Arey. "I couldn't imagine a better time to be there than March, and this one could be a slugfest. The potential is there for the lake to kick out 30-pound bags, and I think you'll have to average somewhere in the 20s a day to have a shot to win; it could be 21 a day or 27 a day, but it should be big weights because this lake has giants in it."
Even though he's had success there, Arey looks at it like a new lake. "I think it's going to be completely different for this event, and don't think anything I did in that last one will be real beneficial for me, besides just knowing the lay of the lake and how to get around," said Arey. "Safety and navigation is a big deal because of how much timber is in the lake."
Tactics in Play
With an idea of how the lake will set up, Arey anticipates some shallow-water power fishing and says you can't count out the offshore bite with forward-facing sonar. He's ready for each approach and says both have the potential to win.
"There should be some shallow water flipping and pitching around wood," he said. "That could be with jigs, creature baits, and things like that. For that, I like 17-pound P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon, it casts really well, it's super strong, and doesn't have near as much memory as some other fluorocarbon lines."
When looking for a big bite, Arey believes a swimbait will be a factor and adds that the lake and Texas setting make it prime for the big bait. "It's got some huge bass in it," he said. "I think both soft and hard swimbaits will be a factor, 6 to 8-inch baits. For those bigger baits, I like to throw 20-pound P-Line Tactical. It's very strong and still has a thin diameter, so you can make long casts with those heavy baits."
You can hardly mention bass fishing without finesse anymore, and Arey thinks it will be a factor in this event. "You now have to throw in the spinning pole for the forward-facing sonar stuff," he said. "I'm sure the minnow is going to play in this one. Since it's Texas and a lake full of big timber, the one thing I'll do is bump up my line."
He prefers an 8-pound P-Line Spin-X braid with a Spin-X fluorocarbon leader for his forward-facing sonar fishing. "I'll go up to 13-pound leader for a lake like this," he said. "I love that braid because of how well it casts. It's also designed for spinning rod setups and has multi-colors on the braid. The blue sections of the braid pop in overcast conditions, and the bright orange is great when it's bright and sunny, so if you're a line watcher like me, it's easy to see when your line jumps when a fish grabs your bait."
With a strong track record on the lake, Arey is confident going into this year's Bassmaster Classic. Even though it's an entirely different time of year, his familiarity with the lake should only help his chances. Arey is anticipating a great event with plenty of big bass and believes flipping, pitching, and throwing a swimbait could be a way to win. Plus, he's ready if forward-facing sonar dominates as in many other recent professional bass tournaments.
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