Photo: FLW/Robert Matsuura
The 2019 Bassmaster Classic will be held on the Tennessee River, and the playing field for the anglers includes Ft. Loudon and Tellico lakes. Many fishermen in the field have never fished here as only a handful of tour level events have visited the area.
One angler who has been there on three different occasions is P-Line pro Bryan Thrift an FLW angler.
He’s never fished the Bassmaster Classic, but he has a long and storied career with FLW Outdoors and offers a preview of what the anglers should expect in Knoxville.
Three Trips, Three Checks
Thrift fished three FLW Tour events here and cashed a check in each event. His finishes got progressively better each time. He finished 57th in 2007, 20th in 2008 and 3rd in 2010 which shows that he has a pretty good understanding of the fishery.
During the 2010 event, he weighed over 20-pounds on the first day, and they were all smallmouth.
“I had five smallmouths on beds and caught them all. To this day, the 6-3 I caught there is still my personal best smallmouth,” recalls Thrift. “I think the smallmouth are bigger than the largemouth there, but it might be hard for someone to catch five each day during the Classic because the size limit is 18-inches for smallmouth.”
With his experience here and success each time, he would no doubt like to have a chance at this event, but he shared what he would do if he were fishing.
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How Thrift Would Attack the Classic
Having tasted success at the venue, Thrift knows the waters and feels like it is going to set up well for four main patterns. Crankbaits, jerkbaits, small swimbaits and flipping and pitching jigs should all play into this event according to Thrift.
Based on recent weather in the area and large amounts of rain, Thrift said crankbaits should be a significant factor.
“They have had a lot of water in the past few weeks, and that is going to make the water stained, and you will have more current than normal,” he says.
Craw Pattern Cranks
“The red and crawfish cranks are notorious for catching fish this time of year, and that would be my main pattern if I were fishing this Classic,” he says.
“I’d fish them on 10- to 12-pound P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon around all of the cover they have there. Rocks, laydowns and anywhere else I came across,” Thrift says. “One of my favorite aspects of that line is how it lays on the reel smooth, and the knot strength is incredible no matter what pound test you are using.”
Jerkbaits and Swimbaits
These two approaches would be highly dependent on the water clarity, and Thrift feels they have potential, but only if the water looks right.
“I’d have to see when I got there, but these are two of the best ways to catch big pre-spawn smallmouth. I’d fish both of them on light 8- to 10-pound P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon, and even with that light of line, I do not have any fear of breaking off fish. It has great strength, and it is such a good casting line.”
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Flippin’ and Pitchin’
Thrift’s final predicted pattern would be targeting shallow cover with a jig.
“There is so much good stuff to pitch to there. There are boat docks, laydowns, and even the bluff walls could play for someone pitching a jig,” says Thrift. “I’d be doing this with 20-pound Tactical and just covering water and hitting everything I see.”
Predictions
When asked how much weight it is going to take to hoist the trophy at the end of the day, Thrift felt like the weights will be pretty good.
“My guess is 17 to 18 ½ pounds a day is going to win it.”
As he mentioned, smallmouth seem to be bigger here, but there may not be enough to last for three days.
“Those smallmouths are going to be big and fat this time of year, and if someone catches a limit of them each day, I think they will be a strong contender, but I expect it will take a mixed bag to win the tournament,” he says.
There are many anglers capable of winning this event, but Thrift predicted his buddy and local fisherman, Ott DeFoe will be hard to beat.
“Ott is a strong favorite, and I think he is going to do very good in this one,” adds Thrift.
This year’s Classic venue is an unknown for many in the field as Bassmaster has never held a Classic or Elite Series event there. That should make it a reasonably level playing field for the anglers, and it could turn into one of the best events ever if the fish cooperate.
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