2024 classic

[JediAmoeba]

13 hours ago, alonerankin2 said:

One poor soul is in last place with zero fish. 

I looked him up and he caught 2 shorts all day. That has to be just devastating in a classic.

[TnRiver46]

5 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

I looked him up and he caught 2 shorts all day. That has to be just devastating in a classic.

Two shorts is a good day of fishing in Knoxville 😂 

[JediAmoeba]

7 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Two shorts is a good day of fishing in Knoxville 😂 

Lies! I keep seeing advertisements for the Bill Dance signature lakes in Tennessee and to book my trip! 

[F14A-B]

How did that 4 pound fish Justin Hamner snagged with a jerk bait count? Did BASS change the hook in the mouth rule? 

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, alonerankin2 said:

How did that 4 pound fish Justin Hamner snagged with a jerk bait count? Did BASS change the hook in the mouth rule? 

Thats only for sight fishing , they weigh foul hooked jerkbait/crankbait fish all the time on any trail. Except of course in California 

[JediAmoeba]

2 minutes ago, alonerankin2 said:

How did that 4 pound fish Justin Hamner snagged with a jerk bait count? Did BASS change the hook in the mouth rule? 

About half the jerkbait fish caught are like that - I am more surprised when my jerobait is actually in their mouth 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Would love to see Hamner win, great dude and has been trending upwards big time for a cpl. years.

 

Listen to Steve Kennedy's Clear Lake win back in the early 2000s......because of that CA law he had to release the biggest Bass he's ever caught, a DD because one of the extra hooks he rigged on a big soft swimbait was hooked on the outside of the fish.   So silly.

 

I'd say 75% of my jerking stick fish are hooked on the outside.    

 

eta:  Holy smokes, Fujita just busted the top 10 after being near last place after the 1st day.     Dude is incredible.  

[Dan N]

7 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

I looked him up and he caught 2 shorts all day. That has to be just devastating in a classic.

Today he had over 16 lbs, with even a couple keepers yesterday it could have been so much better. 
At least he got to bring a limit to the stage today. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

As much as I want Hamner to win being an Alabama boy, 20-30mph winds are going to destroy his program with a jerking stick and FFS.    

 

It could get epic tomorrow, I can see 6-8 guys battling all the way until they shut down livemix.    This is kind of turning into the perfect storm for Christie.....he has literally been saying for months he needs a "major curveball" in the weather to happen in order to win it.    His thought process was that FFS has leveled home field advantage outside of a crazy weather event that ruins everybody's program.  

 

First two days have been pretty muh and you can tell that by the replies in this thread vs. the first two Elite Series stops of the year.......but this one is setting up to be an epic final day!  

 

It's a tough act to follow Lake Fork, that's one of the best derbys I've watched.   

 

Greatest pro sport in the world! 

[F14A-B]

I’m picking Hackney to win..

 

Wait….🤣

 

I’m definitely cheering for Hank or Christie. Tomorrow looks to be a brutal fishing day, especially after a long drawn out day two weigh in. 

[GReb]

Christie seemed confident at weighin or at least optimistic with the weather pattern tomorrow. He has a big deficit to make up though. Realistically I think Hamner prob wins with a 12+ pound bag. My bet is he figures that out and wins comfortably 

[bowhunter63]

Well John Cox isn’t going to win 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Hamner likely does win with a 13lb bag, but as we've seen 13lbs is far from a guarantee especially when the horse that you rode in on bolted.   

 

Last guy who almost won the Classic from Northport, AL. was Dalton Bobo in 1997 on Logan Martin.    

 

I was there for the final day weigh in at the BJCC in BHAM.....he was a HUGE hometown hero and underdog, and sans a dead fish penalty his life would have been changed epically.  It destroyed me as a kid, can't imagine what it did to him.   

 

Long story short I looked up his number in the White Pages, asked to speak with "Mr Bobo", to my surprise he gets on the phone and I precede to tell him how much of a hero of mine he is, and he's the Classic champ in my book.    

 

A week later he picks me up in a brand new Ranger Commanche at takes me fishing on Lay Lake where we proceeded to have one of the greatest days of my life, and certainly fishing.   Best 5 Spots went easily over 20lbs.    I fell in love with suspending jerkbaits that day.   I also learned that the difference b/t pros and everyone else is enormous, best angler I've ever fished with easily.  

 

What a heck of a man, and Bass fisherman.   I know he's cheering hard for Hamner to bring it home to Northport.    

 

Video: 1997 Bassmaster Classic - Bassmaster

 

[TnRiver46]

They are gonna be bouncing in some waves today ! 

[TnRiver46]

Fish are biting like crazy to start 

[scaleface]

9 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

was Dalton Bobo in 1997 on Logan Martin.    

I remember that guy.

[TnRiver46]

I saw a clip from yesterday where Cody huff was standing with one foot on a graph trying to left a fish over a dock cable 😂. 

[volzfan59]

@AlabamaSpothunter, I remember that Classic very well. Didn't Dalton have to quit his job to either fish the Classic or fish on the tour? Do you know what he's doing now?

 

Thank you for sharing your story with him. Always thought that he seemed like a good guy, now I know.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

24 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

@AlabamaSpothunter, I remember that Classic very well. Didn't Dalton have to quit his job to either fish the Classic or fish on the tour? Do you know what he's doing now?

 

Thank you for sharing your story with him. Always thought that he seemed like a good guy, now I know.

Yeah he went all in.....quit his job as a mechanic to pursue the dream.  Sadly that was his high water mark as far a professional Bass fishing goes.  

 

I don't know what's going on with him these days, I tried to find a contact a year or so ago to reach out but didn't have any luck.  I haven't given up as I'd love to talk with him again some day.   

[king fisher]

Milliken finished 50th.  Now please don't get me wrong, I am not bashing Ben.  I have great respect for his skill as an angler, his work ethic, and all that he has accomplished.  He is a top level pro and deserves everything he has achieved, but I will also say, a little humble pie now and then doesn't hurt anyone.

[TnRiver46]

He said he had a terrible practice also. This one seems to be going down a lot closer to dry land than he has been fishing lately 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Milliken is an absolute world beater on Florida strain based fisheries, on the other hand he's shown last year through the Opens that he's a middle of the pack angler outside of true Southern fisheries.    

 

He's more of a specialist rather than a jack of all trades in my book.   Hopefully over time he builds his entire game out, that's my prediction.    

 

Come on Hamner, this thing has gotten way to close.      

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Huge cull by Hamner just now, put 2.5lbs of separation over Adam.

 

 

[JediAmoeba]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Fish are biting like crazy to start 

After watching the previous 2 elite series this year, these are all baby fish. Texas is just amazing.

[F14A-B]

Trying to stream it but it’s really boring coverage ( live mix ) and a ton of commercials..time to go watch college hoops.