COLUMBUS, Miss. — The last time B.A.S.S. held a tournament on the Tenn-Tom Waterway, many anglers fishing in this week’s St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River presented by SEVIIN weren’t yet in grade school.
That was way back in October 2004 when B.A.S.S. held a Southern Open on this 234-mile man-made waterway connecting the Tennessee River with the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers.
Longtime pro Russ Lane, of Prattville, Ala., had just turned 32 when that Open was held. He didn’t finish near the money, bowing instead to tournament winner and future Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Paul Elias.
Fast forward 21 years and Lane, now 52-years-old, is the sage old hand in the derby. He’s also in the pole position after Day 1 of this Open tournament with a Day 1 limit of five bass totaling 17 pounds, 10 ounces.
That’s nearly 1 1/2 pounds more than Missouri’s Trey Schroeder, who’s in second place with his 16-9 limit after Day 1 of the three-day event.
Tenn-Tom was stingy Wednesday, with only 43 of 155 competitors weighing double-digit bags. Temperatures stayed in the low 70s throughout the day and bright skies prevailed, with more of the same predicted for the remainder of the tournament. The conditions have Tenn-Tom bass in a variety of stages, from post-spawn cruisers to fatter females still seeking to bed along the banks of the river.
Lane played the conditions best on Wednesday, saying he saw signs in practice that made him think he could put together three solid bags this week.
“Practice was productive,” he said. “I found a place that I liked. It wasn’t fishing great then, but I figured it would get better with this water getting more stable, things warming up. I rolled the dice that some females would move in, and they did today.”
Lane said he covered a lot of water Wednesday, but shared few specifics. He said he’s fishing shallow, though, and feels dialed in.
“It’s a specific deal and it seemed to hold up throughout the day,” he said. “Four or five were pre-spawn fish, I think. My area is fishing small, but there are maybe a dozen key little spots around there that I’m keying on. Other guys are fishing it. I just figured something a tad bit different today.”
Lane bagged his first bass on only his third cast Wednesday morning. It was a 3-pounder, which might seem average in many tournaments, but if multiplied by five, would have been a Top 5 total on Day 1 at Tenn-Tom.
Lane said fishing on “new water” is invigorating. He’s fished Tenn-Tom before, of course, but Bill Clinton was in the Oval Office then. In other words, there’s been some time between this tournament and his last on the waterway.
“Sometimes, you look forward to going someplace you’re not very familiar with,” he said. “It reminds me a lot of the Alabama River and some of the Coosa River lakes I grew up on. So, I feel comfortable here. But there’s other guys who fish the Coosa who are comfortable here, too. I’ll need to keep on (the fish) to stay on top.”
Schroeder, 25, caught 16-9 on Wednesday, with a 6-4 largemouth anchoring his limit. Both were a pleasant surprise, he said, after a particularly tough practice session. Schroeder said he’s running north from East Bank Landing and blind-casting to largemouth bass on the banks in as little as 1 to 2 feet of water.
“I just tried to stay positive today and keep the bait wet,” Schroeder said. “I honestly got super lucky. Late in the day, I pushed into a pond I hadn’t been in yet and caught two of my nicest fish. Hopefully there are a couple more swimming around in there tomorrow. After I caught those two, I just left.”
Schroeder suspects he may have covered too much water during practice, making it a struggle to get bites. He narrowed his focus on Day 1 of competition, and it paid off.
“I was trying to fish for (spotted bass in practice) but didn’t have any luck,” he said. “It was just too blown out, so I just resorted back to fishing shallow again and looking for some heads. There’s definitely fish that are spawning and some that are post-spawn. Some are just now getting up there and starting to make beds, too. The fish seem to be in all stages right now after the big flood we had recently.”
As for tomorrow’s strategy?
“I’m going to run north again and burn everything I’ve got to the ground,” Schroeder said.
Rounding out the Top 5 after Day 1 are third, Pennsylvania’s Grae Buck, 15-6; fourth, South Carolina’s Cole Drummond, 15-3; and fifth, Florida’s Bryson Osteen, 14-15.
Of the 155 competing anglers, only the Top 10 will compete for the tournament title on Friday. The Wednesday start is unique to this Open on Tenn-Tom with B.A.S.S. officials wanting to wrap the three-day event on a Friday, allowing angers time to return home for Easter Sunday.
Day 2 take-off of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River presented by SEVIIN is scheduled to begin at 6:15 a.m. CT, with weigh-in set for 2:15 p.m., both from East Bank Landing.
Visit Columbus, Mississippi is hosting this week’s event.