Roy Hawk’s First Classic
This year’s Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville will be held on waters that many anglers have never seen, but some have experience there, including Roy Hawk.
He hopes his experience there gives him a leg up on the competition when the event starts. This is his first Classic qualification and a lifelong dream come true.
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Ft. Loudoun and Tellico Lakes
While the Tennessee River is the official body of water and where the field is launching, both of these lakes are in play. In 2010, the FLW Tour visited, and Roy Hawk happened to be in the field. He fished the Tour in 2010 and 2011 and had mixed results at this event that showcased the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
“I was leading the first day of that event and ended up blanking on the second day,” laughed Hawk. He weighed 20 pounds, 14 ounces on the first day and did indeed blank on Day 2 before salvaging it with four fish for 8-pounds, 1-ounce on the third day. He ended up finishing 27th in the event.
When asked to describe the waters he said they are a river system with plenty of shallow shoals, docks, and laydowns.
“The fishing there is pretty good, but not great. I think an average of 17 or 18-pounds a day should win it,” predicted Hawk. “We will probably see some 20-pound bags, maybe one a day. That’s a rough guess; it might have gotten better since the last time. I did not go and pre-practice for the tournament.”
READ RELATED: 5 Baits Roy Hawk Took From AZ to the Elite Series
How Hawk Will Fish the Classic
With some prior experience, Hawk has a general idea of how he will fish the event. There are both largemouth and smallmouth swimming in the Classic waters, and Hawk is not committed to one or the other and feels a mixed bag will be in his future.
“The one thing about the smallmouth there is that they have to be 18” long and if you target them you might be throwing back nice fish (that don’t meet the size limit) all day. I still think they are going to be a big player though,” Hawk shared.
With both largemouth and smallmouth in waters with current, Hawk feels like he needs three types of presentations to do well.
“I am going to have something I can fish horizontally, something to flip and pitch and then a cleanup bait,” he stated. “This is a good approach anywhere time of year.”
Flip and Pitch
Hawk said there are plenty of places for flip and pitch here and he will be fishing a jig with either a Yamamoto Double Tail or Flappin’ Hog.
“I will be targeting laydowns; but, can also use this jig for dragging on the shell bars or steeper rock that they have there,” Hawk added.
READ RELATED: 4 Ways to Rig the Yamamoto Cowboy
Horizontal
Hawk feels like a swimbait or similar fast-moving soft plastic will be critical at this event.
“I always like to have something I can fish horizontally this time of year and will have a 4” Yamamoto Swimming Senko rigged up. I can use it to fish parallel to laydowns and can throw it over the bars and shoals, too,” Hawk said. “This also allows me to cover ground quickly.”
Clean Up
“Once you locate some fish and need to slow down and fish thoroughly, there is nothing better than a Yamamoto Senko,” Hawk said. “I’ll have both a weighted and weightless version and will use both based on the current and how fast I am fishing it. A weighted wacky-rigged Senko will be great for drifting in current and will catch both largemouth and smallmouth.”
Hawk added that he would be fishing this and all of his baits on Yamamoto Sugoi Fluorocarbon.
“This line is very abrasion resistant and can stand up to anything. I live in Lake Havasu, and we have quagga mussels, and that is a good gauge on how well it does,” he says. He likes the gray version for casting techniques and switches to the clear for flipping and pitching.
A Dream Come True
Hawk only fished one season on the Bassmaster Elite Series before switching to the Bass Pro Tour and was able to qualify for this year’s Classic. He’s very excited about this event.
“I’m stoked because I have thought about this forever. It always seemed so farfetched being from the west. I am going to have plenty of friends and family there and can’t wait for it to start,” Hawk added.
This year’s Classic presents an unknown for many anglers, but a handful of competitors have been there and fished parts of the playing field. Arizona’s Roy Hawk has tasted success and letdown there, but feels like his experience there could make his first Classic one to remember.
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