Pundits’ Picks: Lake Murray

FLW Tour pundits present their picks for the Lake Murray FLW Outdoors Fishing Challenge and tell you why they picked them

Welcome to round three of the 2003 Picks, bass-fishing fans. I’m proud to say that round two, at the Atchafalaya Basin, went to the pundits:

Pundits: 3,064
Pros: 2,939

The pros still maintain a slight lead in the yearly total, however, with 5,876 points to the pundits’ 5,818.

While Clark Wendlandt stayed strong for the second tournament in a row, leading the pros with 793 points at Atchafalaya, I humbly submit that I beat the two-time FLW Angler of the Year and led the overall with 798 points. And I loved every minute of it, especially since it was such a rebound from my admittedly dreadful performance at Lake Okeechobee. Never again will a last-place finish on my part hold back the pundits against the almighty pros in this seven-tournament war of attrition.

So while I raise my victory glass with my fellow pundits, let’s take a look at the upcoming FLW Outdoors Fishing Challenge at Lake Murray.

The biggest question heading into South Carolina is whether the bass will be on the spawning beds of Lake Murray for the tournament. The debate is whether this will be sight-fishing spectacle like we saw here in 2000 or another prespawn-pattern event. The water temperature is creeping up toward the 50-degree mark just a week in front of the tournament, which could bode well for the spawn. But weather conditions, especially as they make spring changes, will be critical as anglers try to zero in on the moving bass. If it warms up enough to send a few bass up on the beds, look for the sight-fishermen to have a field day. Otherwise, the tournament could favor anglers working a deeper, prespawn pattern.

Whatever happens, rest assured that the pros who best adapt to the transitional conditions will come out ahead, whether they’re sight-fishing gurus or prespawn-pattern pros.

Hot picks

Not surprisingly, the pros and pundits like defending FLW Lake Murray champ Clark Wendlandt, who made seven out of eight Picks lists. Gary Klein received a lot of votes, as did David Dudley. Others receiving two or more votes included Todd Auten, Mickey Bruce, Pat Fisher and Davy Hite.

– Jeff
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Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop No. 3
Lake Murray, Columbia, S.C.
March 12-15

Jeff Schroeder
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Previous tournament score (Atchafalaya Basin): 798
Yearly total: 1,361

1) Davy Hite. Hite hasn’t fished an entire FLW season in the last three years, but he still has over $337,000 in tour earnings to his credit. Why? Because he’s good when he does compete, having won the FLW Championship in 1998 as well as the Bassmaster Classic in 1999. Give me any tourney at Lake Murray where Hite’s fishing, and he’s going to be on my list. It’s his home lake, he knows its secrets, and he’s overdue for another strong FLW showing.
2) Gary Klein. Seemingly unstoppable right now, the top-ranked pro has shown little weakness on tour despite very little practice time before the events. It goes against karma to avoid Klein here: At Murray in 1999 he finished 111th, but rebounded in 2000 with a runner-up performance there. I’m betting the difference between those two tournaments was one of timing for the flipping-happy Klein. The 1999 tourney was held in the early prespawn stages at the end of February while the 2000 tourney was held at the height of the spawn the second week of March. This year, the tourney returns to Murray in mid-March.
3) Clark Wendlandt. I love making this pick because it really puts the screws to Clark. See, when I pick him at any given tournament and he does well, he is actually helping me to defeat him in our little Picks contest. And don’t think that doesn’t gall Wendlandt, who’s a consummate competitor in everything he does. That said, I’d pick him anyway since he is the returning Lake Murray champion (2000). Plus, if the fish start heading to the shallows, that’s where he likes them.
4) David Dudley. Because he’s steady, steady, steady. And he finished seventh at Murray in 2000. He might not always top-10, but he almost never hurts you in your Challenge picks.
5) Todd Auten. Another local pro, Lake Wylie, South Carolina’s Auten finished second in the BASS tourney at Murray in September. His FLW career has been brief but profitable. After just three tournaments fished, he’s already earned over $38,000 and has yet to finish out of the money. Like Hite, look for him to mine a few Lake Murray brush piles about which only he knows.

Gary Mortenson
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Previous tournament score: 784
Yearly total: 1,515

1) Jimmy Millsaps. Not only has the Canton, Ga., native had widespread success on Lake Murray in the past, having won there in a 2002 BASS event and finishing 18th there on the 2000 FLW Tour, he’s also coming off a strong, fourth-place finish at Atchafalaya. Millsaps is on a hot streak, has excellent knowledge of the water and has had as much success on Lake Murray as anyone on the tour today.
2) David Dudley. The “Manteo Machine” is quickly becoming this year’s pundit stud reincarnation of Aaron Martens circa 2002. Like Martens last year, Dudley is so far proving this year that he is incapable of having a bad tournament, having yet to finish worse than 21st place. The fact that Dudley hails from North Carolina, is very familiar with the waters in South Carolina and finished in seventh place on Lake Murray in 2000 makes him a very tempting play this week.
3) Gary Klein. Klein loves to fish here and that will be more than apparent during this tournament. Plus, another strong showing will give the native of Weatherford, Texas, a chance to reinforce the notion that he is the frontrunner for the 2003 FLW Angler-of-the-Year title.
4) Clark Wendlandt. Wendlandt, Wendlandt, Wendlandt. I know the pundits all start to sound like a broken record with this pick, but right now there is just no way you can keep the sight-fishing guru off your list. Sure it’s annoying to have to keep picking the native of Cedar Park, Texas – especially when he picks himself every tournament as well – but why change something that ain’t broke? He’s fished extremely well this year and he already has that 2000 FLW Lake Murray title under his belt. In short, Wendlandt is a no-brainer pick for the third month in a row.
5) Todd Faircloth. Although Faircloth has yet to fish a full season on the FLW Tour, the native of Jasper, Texas, has been a consistent threat on the Bassmaster trail for years. This year, he has a chance to prove that he can compete with anyone on the FLW Tour. And, so far, he’s making the most of that opportunity, having already compiled a fifth-place performance at the Big O to kick off the start of the 2003 season. And like the other Texans on this list, Faircloth also did remarkably well on Lake Murray in 2000.

Dave Washburn
Executive editor, FLW Outdoors
Previous tournament score: 741
Yearly total: 1,526

1) Clark Wendlandt. When it comes to sight-fishing, Wendlandt is the master. Plus, he’s won on Lake Murray before. Besides being a dominating angler, he has also proven himself to be quite a proficient pundit, and my guess is that he picked himself to win this one. I’m going to follow suit.
2) Gary Klein. Klein is the quintessential veteran, and he is on a roll as of late. I look for him to finish in the runner-up position on Lake Murray again this year.
3) Dan Morehead. This Paducah, Ky., native is my pick to win Angler of the Year. In fact, Morehead told me earlier this season that he would do just that. With two tournaments down, he is well positioned to fulfill his prophecy. Currently ranked No. 2 in the FLW Tour standings, Morehead is bound to add significant points on Lake Murray and Kentucky Lake, where he is the closest thing there is to a sure bet.
4) Darrel Robertson. Robertson finished 16th and 15th, respectively, the last two times the Wal-Mart FLW Tour visited Lake Murray. And while he prefers fishing in the fall, this spring has been exceptionally good to him. Watch for him to turn in another solid performance here.
5) David Dudley. This Castrol pro will likely leave his chain saw at home for this one, but he will still find an isolated area to fish and crack the top 10. He finished seventh during the last FLW Tour visit to Lake Murray, and he is rapidly gaining a reputation as a force to be reckoned with. He has the bank balance to prove it: Since 2000 he has earned more than $1 million fishing FLW Outdoors tournaments.

Rob Newell
Contributing editor, FLW Outdoors
Previous tournament score: 741
Yearly total: 1,416

1) Clark Wendlandt. Because I have a feeling that his introduction to tomorrow’s Pros’ Picks will be right on.
2) Pat Fisher. Momentum, momentum, momentum.
3) Mickey Bruce. The guy is dangerous on deep grass lakes in the prespawn.
4) Andre Moore. Lots of Murray experience.
5) Todd Auten. South Carolina angler who is hungry for success.

Check out the pros as they weigh in with their picks for FLW Lake Murray.

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