For most of his life and career as a professional bass angler, Brandon Card called Tennessee home. He grew up in the Knoxville area before relocating to North Carolina a few years back. But, he's very familiar with Ft. Loudon and Tellico lakes, this year's Bassmaster Classic site right in Knoxville.
He likely knows the fishery better than anyone in the field and while it's not a true "home lake," he shouldn't ever run out of places to fish during the event.
Hoping for better fishing
The anglers fishing this year's Classic were dealt a terrible hand with brutal practice conditions with temperatures well below freezing. Add in the start and stop nature of the practice because of meetings and media day obligations and it's possible that practice will be a wash. This could play right into Card's hands with his years of experience here.
"It was cold in practice with cold and rainy conditions, followed by postfrontal conditions," he said. "But the first two days of the tournament are the best weather we could have asked for."
Card likes his chances but wishes the water was a tad bit higher. "It's about a foot-and-a-half low, which may not seem like a lot for some fisheries, but it's a huge deal here," he said. "A lot of those docks and juicy laydowns will be too shallow to hold a bass now. This place has a ton of flat banks and the lower water takes so many of the good targets out of play."
Between the two lakes, Card says that both Loudon and Tellico have the chance to be the winning areas. The best lake for the day depends on the conditions.
"Loudon is very fertile and full of fish and it's also got a lot more color," he said. "Tellico also has good fish, but it's a lot cleaner because the mountains feed it. It's also a lot deeper. It's not as good if it's sunny, but if we get some cloudy weather, you can catch some really big ones there."
Tactics in play
With his plans adjusted because of the conditions and water levels, Card still believes some standard prespawn lures will be a factor. These include jerkbaits and crankbaits.
"The Yo-Zuri 3DB Series Jerkbait SP 110 is going to be a big player," he said. "That's the first bait that sticks out to me because jerkbaits are always strong this time of year and that one casts great and has an excellent action that's a little different than other jerkbaits. I'm going to fish it around isolated rockpiles, brush, stumps, and anything that stands out because it's isolated. Finding those in staging areas in creeks will be the way to catch these prespawn bass."
If the water stays clear, he believes the Duel Hardcore Shad and its tight action and baitfish profile will be the best producer. If it gets dirtier, he'll be tying on a Yo-Zuri 3DB Series Squarebill Crankbait 1.5.
"A crankbait and jerkbait is going to be a great one-two punch; the water clarity will be what decides which crankbait is best," said Card. "The 3DB squarebill has a great action that deflects well off of cover. I'll use that to beat the banks, whether it's riprap or laydowns, and try to trigger bites."
Card thinks reaction baits like these will be the way to win the Classic, as he'll be searching for active fish feeding up in preparation for the spawn. On all of them, he prefers a fluorocarbon line.
"I like Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon because it casts so well and is extremely durable," he said. "I fish the jerkbait on 12-pound, the Hardcore Shad on 10-pound, and will use 14-pound test for the squarebill."
Predictions for the Classic
With plenty of experience here, Card's predictions are based on years of knowledge of past tournaments. He believes consistency will be critical here, and the angler who can post solid limits daily will have the best shot to win.
"My first thought is that 15-pound a day will be really good," he said. "Obviously, somebody can come in with a 'mega bag' and change that, but catching consistent limits in the teens will have you right there. I predict the winning weight for three days to be between 45 and 50 pounds."
The Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville is a homecoming for Brandon Card and many expect him to do well because of his experience fishing the lakes. Expect Card to do well this year because the changing conditions heavily favor someone with experience on the waters. He's off to a solid start to the 2023 season and hopes to keep the momentum going on a fishery he knows very well.
Advertising