As the qualifying anglers gear up for South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell, Hunter Shryock will be among them as they make their game plans and last-minute adjustments for the tournament. Shryock has been here before, both as a competitor fishing a Bassmaster Classic and fishing the tournament site for an Elite Series stop in 2019. He has an idea of what to expect during the tournament, but’s he’s preparing for any possible scenario.
Switching Gears
The Elite Series started the season with two events in a row in sunny Florida and now will move to the clear waters of Lake Hartwell in a colder climate. Shryock was getting his tackle ready as he spoke about the upcoming event.
“It’s a big switch from Florida, and I’m taking off most of the braided line and putting on light line for spotted bass,” he said. “I’m ready for spotted bass and largemouth and Hartwell is unique because they live together in a lot of the same places. I think this should be a good event with some nice fish and we’ll probably see a couple of bags over 20-pounds.”
His game plan is to mix it up with both species and also to be ready for both shallow and deep water. This is what he thinks will be the winning formula.
“I’ll try to cover both shallow and deep and both species,” he said. “My goal each day will be to try to get a decent limit of spotted bass in deeper water, hopefully quickly, and then switch to shallow stuff for largemouth. I fish better with a limit in the livewell and then can hunt for a couple of bigger bites, or five, and cull out the spotted bass with largemouth.”
Techniques in Play
Shryock plans to fish several finesse techniques for the spotted bass and will also include a small swimbait on a jighead. For the largemouth, jigs, ChatterBaits, and spinnerbaits are part of his plans.
Shryock believes a moving bait could be an excellent way to catch a big largemouth when fishing shallow docks.
“I’ll be fishing docks and secondary points with a ChatterBait or swimbait,” he said. “It all depends on the water levels and weather, but it looks like we’ll be there on a warming trend and that could be good for both of those baits and they could get ultra-shallow if that’s the case.”
Shryock fishes both on a 7’ medium-heavy Abu Garcia “IKE” rod in the Delay Series with a 6.4:1 REVO MGX reel and 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon.
“The shorter rod is great for casting accuracy and fishing those baits around docks,” he said.
Fishing a jig is another option for Shryock and he’s going to be using 3/8 and ½-ounce Berkley PowerBait skippin’ and flippin’ jigs on a 7’3 medium heavy Fantasista X rod, 8.1:1 REVO AL-F reel and 15 to 20-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line.
“The Fantasista Premier was my all-time favorite Abu rod and the new version is even better,” he said. “They have the same great actions as the previous version. Somehow they made them lighter, stronger, and more sensitive.”
For finesse fishing, Shryock is looking to a drop-shot with a Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Flatnose Minnow or Flatworm and a Ned Rig with a Lil’ General on a 1/8 or ¼-ounce jighead.
“I’ll fish those on a 7’ medium Fantasista X rod and Abu Garcia Zenon spooled wit 10-pound Berkley X5 braid with a leader of 8-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon,” he added. “The new Zenon is a phenomenal reel and crazy light and has the best drag system I have ever seen in a spinning reel. It allows you to make micro-adjustments to the drag and dial into the right drag pressure, so you don’t lose fish; the drag system in that reel makes a huge difference.”
Another option for the spotted bass on Lake Hartwell is a small swimbait and Shryock will be fishing a 2.8” Berkley Power Swimmer on a ¼-ounce jighead. He likes the same reel and line set up as he does for the drop-shot and Ned Rig but goes with a longer rod for the swimbaits.
“I really like the 7’6” medium Fantasista X rod to get longer casts,” he said. “I’ll be fishing the swimbait in the drains and places the bass chase herring. It will also be good for fishing around long points and for trying to catch the suspended bass that I see on my electronics.”
The Bassmaster Classic gets underway on March 4th and Hunter Shryock will be gunning for his first win in his third appearance. He’s prepared to target both largemouth and smallmouth, shallow and deep water, and is ready to make the adjustments he needs to have a great finish on Lake Hartwell.
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