six years, two-time Bassmaster Classic Champion Jordan Lee is returning. He switched back to the Bassmaster Elite Series last season and qualified for his first Bassmaster Classic since 2019, and he will be one of the favorites heading into the event. The tournament will be held on Lake Ray Roberts outside of Fort Worth, Texas, and Lee believes it has big potential for giant weights.
Thoughts on Coming Back and Ray Roberts
While he enjoyed great success on the Bass Pro Tour, Lee is excited to return to the Classic. His two wins, including one in Texas on Lake Conroe, helped him rise to bass fishing superstardom.
"I have a lot of great memories at the Classic, and I'm excited to get back down to Texas and fish one again," he said. "A lot has changed since my last Classics, but this should be a really good event because of where we are fishing."
Lee believes the fish will primarily be shallow, and with Texas as the location, he knows the potential for giant bass is there. "Being springtime in Texas, the fishing should be very good," he said. "We should have fish pulling up shallow, and there will be a mix of prespawn, spawn, and even some post-spawn fish. That will be slightly different than the last few Classics because it has always been so cold."
Lee has minimal experience with Ray Roberts but knows that it's a solid lake based on what he's seen from past tournament results. "I fished there once in a Toyota Texas Bass Classic in 2016 and remember a few things about the lake," he said. "One is how important water level will be because there's so much cover in the lake; if it drops, a lot of that stuff will be out of the water. The other thing is the wind; it gets really windy there, and that can really change the areas with muddy water. All of that will be important to watch when we start practice."
As for what it will take to win, Lee is expecting big bags. "I think the potential is there to see someone catch a 30-pound bag," he said. "The lake is full of good fish, and there should be several 20-pound bags each day. I believe someone will catch a huge bag one day and back it up with a few solid catches to win it; this won't be a low-weight event."
Tactics in Play
With some experience on the lake and an idea of how the fishery lays out, Lee believes this event will almost exclusively be a shallow-water ordeal. He's banking on most bass being shallow around cover, and he expects soft plastics to dominate.
"With it being around the spawn, I think finesse will be a big deal," he said. "That could be a drop-shot, wacky-rig, or Neko Rig, which are always good for pressured fish around the spawn, which we should see at this event."
Lee fishes these three finesse rigs on a 7-foot, medium Abu Garcia Zenon rod and 3000-sized Zenon MGX spinning reel. He chooses this rod for the balance of sensitivity and power.
"It's got their Powerlux 1000 resin system, which all that means is it is the strongest and lightest rod they make," said Lee. "It's got enough power to pull big fish in, but it's still light enough to detect light bites."
Another approach Lee plans to use is pitching a Texasr-rigged creature bait to shallow cover. "The fish should be in heavy cover, and I like a 7-foot, 2-inch heavy Abu Garcia Zenon rod and 8.3:1 Zenon MG-X reel," he said. "The Abu heavy power is very stout, and that is what you need to get those fish away from cover."
A final lure that Lee sees factoring in is a big glide bait. Admittedly, not an expert, Lee still believes it will be on display as anglers look to catch a Texas-sized bass on a 7- or 8-inch gizzard shad imitating glide bait.
"I think you'll see guys throwing them every day trying to catch a big one to boost their bag," he said. "I fish them on my signature series 7-foot, 9-inch heavy that's also a great rod for punching and A-Rigs," he said. "I know a lot of guys like a bigger reel like the Abu Garcia Toro Beast, but I fish it on a regular Revo STX. I think the glide bait will be limited in this event, but can see if making a difference if someone can catch a big one on it every day."
It's been a few years since Jordan Lee walked across the Bassmaster Classic stage, but he's always a threat to win any event he fishes. That will be the case at Ray Roberts as Lee looks to win his third Classic.
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