Lee Recalls His Co-Angler Days for Magical Big Fish Spot
EUFAULA, Ala. – A day of fishing has to be pretty darn special to leave Jordan Lee at a loss for words. After back-to-back Bassmaster Classic wins and 2019 Bass Pro Tour win to his record, Lee has seen some great days of fishing in his life. But this day on Lake Eufaula was just bigger in every sense of the word.
“It was the best day of fishing for big fish in my entire life,” Lee said after he pulled his Ranger out of the water.
Lee is moving on to the Championship Round of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole after catching six bass for an astounding 36 pounds. The Alabama pro put five stud largemouth on SCORETRACKER® to start his day a 4-13, 6-0, 8-0, 7-14, and 6-4. Oh, and to wrap it all up, add in a 3-1 at the end of his day for some icing on the cake.
Making the Run Upriver
After barely squeaking into the Knockout Round after Qualifying Day 3, Lee knew he had exhausted all of his spots on the south end of the lake. He needed a new plan, so he took a long run up the Chattahoochee River to a place called Uchee Creek.
“I went to an area that I had fished as a co-angler on an FLW circuit about eight or nine years ago,” Lee explained. “It’s this pond that I have been thinking about all week because the water is up. It’s silted in to get up there, so I don’t think you can get in there when the water is at a normal level. When I was back there years ago it wasn’t a winning hole or anything. I went there just hoping I could get in there and once I got there, I wasn’t even sure if it would produce.”
The Big Bite Trailer for his Vibrating Jig
Lee quickly learned that this spot had a plethora of productive bass. After catching his first bass, a 4-13, on a spinnerbait, Lee made the decision to switch up baits. The Berkley pro grabbed an orange vibrating jig with a green pumpkin Berkley PowerBait Chigger Craw as a trailer. He added his own little twist by dipping the tails of the trailer in orange dye.
In just a 30-minute span in the second period, Lee hooked into the 6-0 followed by his biggest of the day, the 8-pounder. The Carhartt pro was quickly convinced that this spot called for a vibrating jig for the rest of the day.
“There’s lily pads and stems back there so it gave it a little different look than a lot of what I was fishing the past few days,” Lee detailed about the area of Uchee Creek. “The water is still really dirty and there’s some depth so I thought a vibrating jig would work well. Luckily, I was right and caught those four big ones on it.”
Less Pressure = Time to Grow
Lee mentioned that after catching his first five fish for 32-15 that the particular area of Uchee Creek he was fishing in looked near impossible to get to unless the water was high. Thanks to the rain that swamped the area late last week, Lee says that’s how it became accessible.
Because of the sheer size of the fish he caught, Lee suspects that they probably haven’t received a ton of pressure.
“I think those fish were so big back there because they really don’t get disturbed,” Lee said. “Since you can’t get back there unless the river is high, those fish probably haven’t been pressured in a long time. I could barely get back there now as it is with only a few feet of water.”
Back-to-Back Stage One Titles?
Lee will compete in tomorrow’s Championship Round with a chance at yet another big-time victory to add to his resume. With $100,000 on the line, he said he’s willing to go all-in on that spot again.
“I’m going back up there tomorrow,” Lee said with a big grin. “Even if I don’t get a bite for three hours I’m going to stay there. I’ve fished I don’t know how many tournaments in my life and that was the best five fish I have ever caught.”
The 2019 Bass Pro Tour Stage One Champion: Jordan Lee. Could he make it two years in a row winning the first event of the season?
“You never know,” Lee said through a chuckle. “The spot has the quality fish, I just need to catch them.”