Lake Murray ready for 5th stop of season for Bassmaster Elite Series

COLUMBIA - We often hear that the early bird gets the worm, but morphing this timeless idiom into "the early bass gets the baitfish" aptly describes Brandon Cobb's general expectation for the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray.

Like all of his Elite competitors, Cobb understands the basic premise that bass typically feed best during daybreak's low-light conditions. However, he stresses the seasonal specifics of a Lake Murray favorite.

"I think you'll see a lot of shad spawn and blueback herring spawn fishing," Cobb said of this 48,000-acre Saluda River reservoir. "That's where the majority of the weight will come from. There are very few other ways to compete when that happens, so 100% the predominant pattern will be the shad and herring spawn."

Competition days will be Thursday, May 9, to Sunday, May 12, with daily takeoffs from Dreher Island State Park at 7 a.m. and weigh-ins each day back at the park at 3 p.m.

Complementing naturally occurring threadfin shad, bluebacks are a diadromous species which migrates between fresh and saltwater in its native range. After accidental introductions, the species has thrived in Murray.

Typically a nomadic species that favors deep offshore waters, the herring become more easily targeted during their spring spawns. For herring and threadfin shad, the early morning hours see the tail end of what was largely an overnight spawn.

For this reason, many of the Elite anglers will rush to their best shorelines with docks, seawalls and other hard cover to capitalize on a rapidly closing window of daybreak opportunity. Intense sunlight pushes the baitfish low, but cloudy mornings may extend the shad/blueback spawns a little longer.

"Murray is one of the most prevalent blueback lakes in our area," Cobb noted. "A lot of times, the shad and the herring will spawn in the same areas, so you may not know if you're fishing for bass that are eating shad or herring."

While spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and swim jigs see a lot of pure shad spawn action, herring lakes tend to find topwaters delivering the best results. Herring are fast movers, so bass respond best to a peppy cadence.

Cobb, who hails from Greenwood, about an hour west of Murray, calls Lake Greenwood (the next lake upstream) his home waters. While he hasn't fished Murray since last year's Elite, seasonal weather patterns provide relevant insight.

"We've had the muddiest winter and spring on Lake Greenwood that I can ever remember," Cobb said. "We had a winter where we got so much rain that it pushed the mud all the way to the (Buzzard's Roost Dam), and from there, it goes to Murray.

"As soon as Greenwood would try to clear, we'd have another rain, so it basically stayed muddy all winter."

The Elite tournament will be significantly removed from the muddiest period, but Cobb said there could be some level of remnant turbidity lingering in the main-river section. Elsewhere, he's looking for typical spring clarity.

A week before the tournament, Murray's water level stood about 2 feet below full pool. The 2023 Elite event at Lake Murray saw the lake rising from a scheduled drawdown, but this year will offer stability.

"Unless they're working on the dam or something, Murray stays pretty stable," Cobb said. "When they drew it down (in the fall of 2022 through the winter of 2023), that was because they were trying to eliminate the pondweed that was growing in Murray."

In terms of bass life cycle, this year's event will likely see a different complexion. Taking place in the fourth week of April, the 2023 Elite saw a significant amount of bed fishing - including that of Florida's Drew Benton, who won with a four-day total of 87 pounds.

This time around Cobb's not completely counting out the bed fishing game, but his local experience tells him it's unlikely to be the main deal. This, he said, will probably pull the overall weights down a little from the 2023 levels.

"I'm not going to say it's going to be tough, but last time, it was pretty crazy," he said. "I think this year, you'll need about 18 pounds a day to make the Top 10, and I would say 21 to 22 a day to win."

Noting that he expects all of Murray to be in play, Cobb said he thinks the field will spread out to search for those early shad/herring spawns. After the early morning activity subsides, many will transition to dock fishing as the bass that had been capitalizing on shad spawns move to the nearest cover.

Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com all four days, and coverage will also be available on FS1 on Saturday at 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray is free and open to the public.

The event is being hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country.

WHO

The tournament pits 103 of the top bass anglers in the world - including Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year leader Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois, and South Carolina pros Todd Auten, Brandon Cobb, Bryan New, JT Thompkins, Patrick Walters and Jason Williamson against big bass and one another as they battle for the coveted championship trophy, $100,000 first-place prize and a total purse of more than $766,000.

WHERE

Dreher Island State Park, 3677 State Park Road, Prosperity, S.C.

Parking on Dreher Island is $3 (per adult), $1.50 (adults 65 years and older) and $1 (ages 6-15).

WHEN

Thursday and Friday, May 9-10

7 a.m. - The full field of 103 anglers launch on Lake Murray from Dreher Island State Park.

3 p.m. - Official weigh-in takes place at Dreher Island State Park. Coverage on Bassmaster.com.

Saturday, May 11

7 a.m. - The Top 50 anglers launch for semifinals.

Noon - Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo opens.

- Fun for everyone with Kids' Corner, merchandise vendors and food trucks from Big Boys BBQ to Cinnamon Hill Kitchen and Sarah's Rockin' Kitchen.

- Fishing brands, including the Bass University, the Toyota experience, Power-Pole, Garmin and Yamaha

- Free demo boat rides from Nitro/Ranger/Mercury and Skeeter/Yamaha

1-2:45 p.m. - Free live country music concert from Ridge Spring local Cody Webb. Webb co-wrote "Memories Are Made Of" on Luke Combs' debut album in 2018.

3 p.m. - Official weigh-in takes place at Dreher Island State Park. Coverage on Bassmaster.com.

Sunday, May 12

7 a.m. - Top 10 anglers launch for the final day from Dreher Island State Park.

Noon - Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo opens.

3 p.m. - Championship Sunday official weigh-in. Coverage on Bassmaster.com.

About B.A.S.S.

B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization's fully integrated media platforms include the industry's leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series scored by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors.