After a slow start to the 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series season, Minnesota pro Seth Feider is looking to rebound and the Bassmaster Classic would be the perfect place to do it. The 2021 Angler of the Year has the skills to win the event and hopes to add a Classic trophy to his mantle this year. He's fished the site of this year's tournament twice, with two good finishes and hopes to use his experience there to contend for a win.
Thoughts on the Fishing the Tennessee River in Knoxville
The venue of the 2023 Bassmaster Classic is the Tennessee River out of Knoxville, but there's a lot more water than that is accessible. The tournament boundaries include two lakes, Fort Loudon and Tellico, which Feider says are vastly different.
"You have one with deep and clear water and the other is also shallower with stained water," he said. "I plan to fish both of them in practice to see what's the best, but a lot of it will have to do with the rain we get and how much the water clarity changes. Tellico is much clearer, and I could see that one being the better lake if the mud starts to roll in; it should handle it better than Fort Loudon, which is already pretty dirty."
While he's been there twice, Feider is looking to have a great finish there after finishing 29th in the 2021 Elite Series stop and 15th in the 2019 Classic. "They were mediocre finishes, but it could be a lot different this time," he said. "The last time we were there, it was a full-blown winter tournament and they should be a lot further along this time. Plus, I think fish live shallow there all the time and all of them should be up there and starting to think about spawning."
Known for his smallmouth prowess, Feider says he will fish for both species instead of targeting one or the other.
"I'll more so be after the largemouth, but they live in many of the same places," he said. "I can see a lot of mixed bags in this one."
Cranking plan
Like many others in the field, Feider is pegging crankbaits as the best way to attack the lakes. The fishery sets up well for cranking with plenty of shallow cover and the time of year, right before the spawn, is tailor-made for a crankbait.
Which one he ties on first will primarily have to do with the water temperature.
"I'm not quite sure that the water is warm enough to get the square bill bite going, but it could be as the event goes on," said Feider. "I really like the Rapala OG Rocco for those situations because it has great buoyancy and deflects well off of cover."
If the water is still chilly, he's leaning toward it being a flat-side crankbait bite. The region is known for this, and Feider will have a few tied up.
"You have to have a Rapala DT-6 tied on anywhere this time of year; it's a classic and an old-school bait at this point," he said. "The other one I could see doing really well is the OG Slim. It's got a great all-around action and does well when the water is cold."
Jerkbaits, swimbaits, and more
Two other things that Feider plans to fish are swimbaits and jerkbaits. On the last trip here, Feider got on a solid jerkbait pattern and feels this year could be more of the same.
"We have a new Rapala jerkbait coming out that's excellent," he said. "It's a modern bait with a great weight transfer system, so it casts extremely well. It also has great action and comes in cool, unique colors. I'll definitely be fishing that this week."
Feider plans to mix in a swimbait for the kicker bite, either a soft version or a glide bait. "Those are two ways to catch better fish here and it's been proven the past few times we've been here," said Feider. "Catching a bigger fish each day will be critical to help you move up the standings."
Feider is excellent with a spinning rod and one of the best at the "Damiki Rig" or "moping" techniques, but surprisingly, he doesn't think it will be part of his plan.
"That's how it was won last time, but I think it's going to get too much attention this year," he said. "There are not a lot of places to do it, and I'm not sure there will be enough fish to go around for the guys fishing that way out deep."
Seth Feider has become one of the biggest stars on the Bassmaster Elite Series and has the skills to compete anywhere they go. He is one of the favorites to win this event. If he does, it won't surprise anyone.
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