CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. – After a canceled day due to wind, the actual Day 1 of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech event on Santee Cooper lived up to the billing in some ways, and was also one of the stranger tournament days in recent memory.
Launching in a steady rain, the pros waited for hours to actually start Stop 2 Presented by Star brite, as a dense blanket of fog made navigation on the main lake unsafe. The field finally took off at nearly 11 o’clock, with check-in times extended by an hour. Consequently, the pros had a majority of their fishing day to use forward-facing sonar, and not much time to waste regardless – it turns out that three hours of ‘Scope and five hours of fishing goes fast.
Leading the way, Aaron Yavorsky hammered out 35 pounds, 4 ounces. Austin Pemberton tallied an even 35 pounds in second, and Matteo Turano slipped into third place with 31-9. The Top 10 all caught more than 25 pounds (Cal Lane did it on just four bass!), and TJ McKenzie popped 27-15 with a 10-pounder for Berkley Big Bass. Still, the day was far off the pace that was hoped for after practice, as the shortened day, bad luck and fish movement definitely hurt the overall weights. That said, MLFNOW! produced a boatload of highlights, and when the full field shoots it out for the win tomorrow, it’s sure to be appointment viewing again.
Yavorsky off to another hot start
The self-styled “’Scope GOAT,” Yavorsky led on Day 1 at the Harris Chain but weighed in only four fish the rest of the tournament, slipping to third. Today on Santee Cooper, he was culling 6-pounders.
“I made a long run down to Moultrie – I started on some fish I had on stumps, and they left,” he said. “So, I ran to the other end of the lake, and was fishing stumps – just prespawn around stumps. It happened in like 45 minutes. I caught a 6 1/2 first thing, and as soon as I caught that one, I knew I was going to catch them, because there were four or five others with it. My next cast I caught another 6 1/2. I weighed them once I got five, and two casts later I caught a 7. I was throwing 6-pounders back before my ‘Scope ended.”
A lot of anglers had good practices in this event, which was part of why today was so hotly anticipated. But Yavorsky definitely knocked the three hours of forward-facing sonar out of the park.
“It’s kind of like home, running and gunning isolated structure – that’s what I like doing at the Harris Chain,” he said. “It’s a little bit different because it is deeper, but I feel pretty comfortable. I think there’s a morning bite, hopefully that fires tomorrow. But, I’ve got a lot of stuff I didn’t check that was good in practice.”
Yavorsky has also tightened up his approach between events, and it paid off today.
“I didn’t really practice for the no ‘Scope, after that first Harris Chain event, I figured out you have to be dialed in that three hours,” he said. “So, I dialed-in the ‘Scope, and I figure I’ll go fishing wherever looks good.”
Texas savvy serves Pemberton well
Both Yavorsky and Pemberton are no strangers to big bass, and Pemberton had this event circled on the calendar, despite never having been to the lakes before. Like Yavorsky, he didn’t start on the money, but he adapted quickly and correctly.
“I only had one good day of practice, and the rest of the two, I think I only had three fish a day,” said Pemberton, who neglected to mention that his “good day” produced 43 pounds. “I ran around today and went to the areas I had from practice – I burned like three spots that didn’t have any on them. I went to another spot and caught two 7s; about 30 minutes later I went to another spot and caught two big ones, and then caught my last big one kind of in the middle of nowhere, where I’d never fished before.”
His three hours of modern sonar gone, Pemberton then hit the bank with a lipless.
“I went up in the dirt and caught three or four over 6,” he said. “I did not expect that – I didn’t catch a bass without ‘Scope in practice.”
A guide on O.H. Ivie, Pemberton was itching to get to a lake with timber and that was famous for giants. After the last few days, this likely won’t be his last time at Santee.
“It sets up just like my home lake,” he said. “Giants roam around, and if you can figure out how to trick ‘em you’ll have a mega bag. I hope we get to go out for a full day tomorrow – I think I could have caught them a little quicker if we had got out earlier.”
Turano snipes singles on Day 1
The reigning All-American champ, Turano started out on a school of fish, but quickly adjusted.
“This morning didn’t start off that great – I pulled up to my first group of fish, and they really didn’t react well,” he said. “They looked at my minnow and followed it all the way to the boat – it drew the whole group to me. So, I went through the rest of my waypoints and caught a 6-pounder, and then I got to an area with a lot of individual fish, and those ones just wanted to eat a lot more.”
In short order, he built a 29-pound bag and culled his way past 30.
“I feel good about tomorrow – there’s still some stuff I haven’t checked yet,” he said. “But, these fish are really smart, it’s just about getting five bites in the area I’m in. If I can get five bites tomorrow, I think I’ll have a good day.”
Top 10 pros
1. Aaron Yavorsky – 35 – 4 (5)
2. Austin Pemberton – 35 – 0 (5)
3. Matteo Turano – 31 – 9 (5)
4. Hayden O’Barr – 29 – 0 (5)
5. Dylan Nutt – 28 – 2 (5)
6. TJ McKenzie – 27 – 15 (5)
7. Brody Campbell – 27 – 6 (5)
8. Matt Baty – 26 – 8 (5)
9. Cal Lane – 26 – 0 (4)
10. Britt Myers Jr. – 25 – 12 (5)