Cobb brought five bass to the scales today that weighed 19 pounds, 9 ounces and took the Day 1 lead at the third Elite Series event of the season. He has a 2-pound advantage over North Carolina pro Hank Cherry and Georgia pro Micah Frazier, who each caught 17-9.
“There are a lot of fish on bed out here right now,” Cobb said. “But I know what this lake looks like when there’s an all-out spawn going on, and it’s just not happening.
“There have been some fish caught on beds, and there will be some more caught off the beds. But judging from today and from what I saw in practice, the spawn is not in full swing.”
Cobb said he caught a couple of bass on spawning nests himself today, but he also caught prespawn and postspawn fish. His experience on the lake played a big role in his first-round success — just as he’d hoped it would.
“I didn’t really have a specific pattern today,” said Cobb, a former member of the Clemson University bass fishing team who holds a degree in wildlife and fisheries biology. “I basically just ran a lot of stuff where I’ve caught them in the past. Since practice was so bad, I just fished a lot of stuff I was familiar with.”
Just as Cobb wouldn’t offer specific details about how he caught his bass, Cherry was vague about how he ended up in second place. The seventh-year Elite Series pro weighed in four solid largemouth and one impressive shoal bass that weighed just over 3 pounds.
“I sight fished a little bit,” Cherry said. “I threw a wacky worm around a little bit. Then I did some damage later on in the day, doing what I do best.”
He wouldn’t elaborate on his final point, but he was obviously pleased with his results.
“That shoal bass was one of the biggest ones I’ve ever caught,” Cherry said. “I caught three of those today. It was just a good day all the way around.”
After what he described as “terrible practice,” Frazier said he tried some new areas today and found what he believed to be prespawn bass. He used the popular term “junk fishing” to describe the conglomeration of tactics he used.
“I caught some sight fishing, some on topwater and one or two on a dock,” Frazier said. “It was just ‘Junk Fishing 101,’ but that’s what you do here sometimes because there are a lot of ways to catch them on this lake.”
The tournament could take an interesting turn during Friday’s second round with a strong band of storms expected to hit the Lake Hartwell area around sunrise. Winds and heavy rains could make it nearly impossible for anglers to fish for the few bass that are spawning in shallow water. A steadily falling lake level could take the spawning element even further out of the equation.
“The weather is not going to let us do any sight fishing tomorrow, and I kind of threw that out the window today already,” said North Carolina pro Matt Arey, who placed fourth with 16-15. “We’ll just change it up tomorrow. I was slow and methodical today, and I’ll probably pick up a few more moving baits tomorrow.”
Mississippi pro Brock Mosley took the early lead for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with a largemouth that weighed 5-9. The tournament will resume Friday with takeoff at 7 a.m. ET from Green Pond Landing and Event Center and weigh-in back at the same site at 3:15 p.m. Only the Top 35 anglers will advance after Friday’s round.
2019 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell 4/4-4/7
Lake Hartwell, Anderson SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 19-09 100
Day 1: 5 19-09
2. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 17-09 99
Day 1: 5 17-09
2. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 17-09 99
Day 1: 5 17-09
4. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 16-15 97
Day 1: 5 16-15
5. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 16-14 96
Day 1: 5 16-14
6. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 16-13 95
Day 1: 5 16-13
7. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 16-09 94
Day 1: 5 16-09
8. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 16-00 93
Day 1: 5 16-00
9. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 15-14 92
Day 1: 5 15-14
10. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 15-10 91
Day 1: 5 15-10
11. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 15-07 90
Day 1: 5 15-07
12. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 15-06 89
Day 1: 5 15-06
13. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 15-05 88
Day 1: 5 15-05
13. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 15-05 88
Day 1: 5 15-05
15. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 15-04 86
Day 1: 5 15-04
15. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 15-04 86
Day 1: 5 15-04
17. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 15-00 84
Day 1: 5 15-00
18. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 14-15 83
Day 1: 5 14-15
19. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 14-12 82
Day 1: 5 14-12
20. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 14-10 81
Day 1: 5 14-10
20. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 14-10 81
Day 1: 5 14-10
22. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 14-09 79
Day 1: 5 14-09
23. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 14-08 78
Day 1: 5 14-08
24. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 14-06 77
Day 1: 5 14-06
25. Drew Cook Midway, FL 5 14-04 76
Day 1: 5 14-04
26. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 14-03 75
Day 1: 5 14-03
27. Chris Johnston Peterborough Ontario CA 5 14-02 74
Day 1: 5 14-02
28. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 14-01 73
Day 1: 5 14-01
29. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 14-00 72
Day 1: 5 14-00
29. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 5 14-00 72
Day 1: 5 14-00
31. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 13-15 70
Day 1: 5 13-15
32. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 5 13-11 69
Day 1: 5 13-11
33. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 13-10 68
Day 1: 5 13-10
34. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 13-08 67
Day 1: 5 13-08
35. Jesse Tacoronte Kissimmee, FL 5 13-07 66
Day 1: 5 13-07
36. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 13-04 65
Day 1: 5 13-04
36. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 13-04 65
Day 1: 5 13-04
38. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 13-03 63
Day 1: 5 13-03
38. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 13-03 63
Day 1: 5 13-03
40. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 13-01 61
Day 1: 5 13-01
40. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 13-01 61
Day 1: 5 13-01
40. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 5 13-01 61
Day 1: 5 13-01
43. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 12-13 58
Day 1: 5 12-13
44. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 12-11 57
Day 1: 5 12-11
45. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 12-08 56
Day 1: 5 12-08
45. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 5 12-08 56
Day 1: 5 12-08
47. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 12-07 54
Day 1: 5 12-07
48. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 12-06 53
Day 1: 5 12-06
49. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 12-05 52
Day 1: 5 12-05
50. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 12-00 51
Day 1: 5 12-00
50. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 12-00 51
Day 1: 5 12-00
52. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 5 11-13 49
Day 1: 5 11-13
53. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 11-11 48
Day 1: 5 11-11
54. Rob Digh Denver, NC 5 11-07 47
Day 1: 5 11-07
55. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 5 11-04 46
Day 1: 5 11-04
56. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 11-03 45
Day 1: 5 11-03
57. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 5 11-02 44
Day 1: 5 11-02
57. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 5 11-02 44
Day 1: 5 11-02
57. Lee Livesay Gladewater, TX 5 11-02 44
Day 1: 5 11-02
60. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 11-00 41
Day 1: 5 11-00
61. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 5 10-14 40
Day 1: 5 10-14
62. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 10-13 39
Day 1: 5 10-13
63. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 10-12 38
Day 1: 5 10-12
64. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 10-09 37
Day 1: 5 10-09
65. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 10-06 36
Day 1: 5 10-06
66. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 10-03 35
Day 1: 5 10-03
67. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 10-02 34
Day 1: 5 10-02
68. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 10-00 33
Day 1: 5 10-00
69. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 09-12 32
Day 1: 5 09-12
70. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 09-08 31
Day 1: 5 09-08
71. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 09-05 30
Day 1: 5 09-05
72. Greg DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 08-03 29
Day 1: 5 08-03
73. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 4 06-12 28
Day 1: 4 06-12
74. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 3 06-11 27
Day 1: 3 06-11
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 367 970-13
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72 367 970-13