The Bassmaster Classic will visit South Carolina's Lake Hartwell for the fourth time, the third time since Brandon Card joined the Elite Series in 2012. The longtime Tennessee resident now lives in North Carolina and will be fishing his fifth Bassmaster Classic, but just his first on Lake Hartwell and he's very excited to fish it.
While he's never fished a Classic there, he does have some experience on the fishery thanks to the 2019 Elite Series stop, where he finished 49th. He believes it will be an event to remember based on this year's weather patterns.
"It's always a toss-up for spring tournaments because it all depends on the weather," said Card. "If we get a cold snap, it will be a true winter pattern and if it warms up, those fish will be right in the pre-spawn period. But, it's been a milder winter and that means those fish should be pushing up based on what I've seen in the Carolinas for the past few months."
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Crankin' with Spinning Gear
Something that Card likes to do a lot early in the year is shallow cranking and he uses spinning gear often, especially with the small baits he likes to use this time of year. He's learned that they cast exceptionally well and casting distance is everything with cranking as it allows the lure to stay down deeper for a longer period during the retrieve.
For baits like the Duel Hardcore Shad SR 60, he prefers a 7'3" medium light iRod Genesis 3, a 2500-size reel and a combo of 15-pound Yo-Zuri SuperBraid with a leader of eight or 10-pound Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon.
"I'll look for any little ditches and drains and creek channels," he said. "I'll fish them shallow into each of the pockets I find and around any little piece of cover I can find. The isolated cover is always good for finesse cranking because a lot of anglers overlook them."
Jerkbait Fishing
The jerkbait is a classic bait for this time of year and Card says both the timing of the event and lake set up great for it to be one on these lures.
"If it's not that far along and still a little cold, the jerkbait is going to be huge," he said. "The blueback herring in the lake are also very active in the morning and that will be a good bite to watch The Duel Hardcore Minnow Flat casts great and will be my choice to try to get a quick limit in the mornings."
Later in the day, Card believes the jerkbait can also be an effective tool on Hartwell because there are so many docks.
"It's a phenomenal dock lake and that's how Jordan Lee won the Classic and how Brandon Cobb caught a bunch during the Elite Series tournament," he said. "When the sun is out, those big largemouth and spotted bass will get on the sides and front of the docks. A jerkbait will be perfect for fishing those shade lines and edges."
For his jerkbait fishing, Card likes a 7' medium iRod Quercus WildCard Jerkbait and Topwater, a high speed reel and 10-pound Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon line.
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Mid-Range Cranking
According to Card, there's also a chance that middle-range crankbaits could be a factor.
"Those deeper points, humps in the creek channel, and classic staging areas could be a great place to catch them during the tournament," he shared. "I'll try shallow cranking and jerkbaits, but I'll make sure to check out a little bit deeper."
For deeper, he's talking the Duel Hardcore 3+ and 4+ that dive nine to twelve feet and twelve to fifteen feet, respectively. Card likes to fish them on a 7'6" medium-heavy iRod Quercus rod and a reel spooled with 10 or 12-pound Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon line.
Classic Predictions
The Bassmaster Classic has been held on Lake Hartwell on three occasions before this one and although they were under vastly different conditions, the winning weight has remained relatively constant.
"Looking back at all of the results, it always seems to take 16 or 17-pounds a day to win," he said. "Guys usually struggle one of those days, even if they win, but the average stays about the same. I think if the weather gets warm all of a sudden, it will take a little more, and you'll need 18-pounds a day to win it. The lake has a lot of quality fish and since we're there in March, they'll be the biggest of the whole year."
To win this year's Bassmaster Classic, Brandon Card knows that he'll have to be in tune with what the bass are doing and he's prepared to look shallow, deep, and everywhere in between. The timing of the year and lake he's fishing open up plenty of different possibilities for the winning pattern and he's prepared to be ready for anything when he arrives for practice.
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