Brandon Palaniuk’s Approach to the 2018 Classic:
“There will be guys that catch them in 30 feet of water and there will be guys that catch them in three feet of water – and everything in between,” says Brandon Palaniuk, the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year. “So you need an arsenal of baits that allows you to target a lot of different depth zones.”
In practice for the Classic, Palaniuk says, he’ll start his search for the winning fish with shallow-running Rapala DTs and Storm Arashi crankbaits and Rapala Shadow Rap Deep jerkbaits. An Arashi Top Walker topwater bait could be his “wildcard” option.
“Those baits allow me to fish at a lot of different depth zones and a lot of different types of cover,” he explains. “You get into that time of year where it’s still early spring and you’re going to have fish spread out all across the board. It’s just going to be a matter of a guy figuring out where the little bit better fish are.”
How Ott Plans to Put Fish in the Boat:
“Right off the giddyap, I expect the Rapala DT-6 will be a player,” says DeFoe, a five-time Classic qualifier and 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year. “But my staples, the Terminator Pro Jig and the Terminator Spinnerbait, will be in play too.”
Warming, rising water – a trend underway on Hartwell today – would encourage DeFoe to target newly submerged shallow brush with Terminator jigs and spinnerbaits. Colder, stable water would likely see him slinging Shadow Rap and Shadow Rap Deep jerkbaits more. But warmer than average water temps could make a Rapala BX™ Waking Minnow a bait “that might surprise a lot of people,” he says.
Seth Feider’s Lake Hartwell Strategy:
Feider, fishing in his first Classic in his third year on the Bassmaster Elite Series, will begin practice on Hartwell with an open mind.
“I’m going to be rigged up for everything,” he says. “We could be anywhere from a pre-pre-spawn tournament to there might even be bed fish when we get there. So it’s key to have a wide arsenal of baits. With Rapala, Storm and Terminator, I’ve got that. I’ll have everything I need to tackle any depth, water temperature or cover.”
If weather and water conditions meet Feider’s expectations, his main baits are likely to be shallow-running Rapala DT crankbaits, Storm 360GT Searchbaits and Rapala Shadow Rap Deep jerkbaits. But warmer-than-usual water temps could put into play a topwater favorite like a Storm Arashi Cover Pop or a Terminator Walking Frog, he says.