Elite

Dock Talk at Seminole

Posted on
Photography by
Andy Crawford
Captions by
Craig Lamb
Welcome to the 2023 edition of Dock Talk, where we interview the anglers as they return to the boat ramp on the final practice day of each Bassmaster Elite event. Dock Talk in fishing terms has two definitions. You either get full disclosure of the truth or otherwise when we pose the questions about how fishing strategies are playing out. Like that news channel says: “We report. You decide.” We kick it off at the Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole. 
This week Dock Talk takes place on hallowed ground. This is At Ease Marina and Campground, formerly known as Wingate’s Lunker Lodge. History was made here 55 years ago on this date. The Seminole Lunker, Ray Scott’s third pre-B.A.S.S. tournament, began here on Feb. 22, 1968. Scott was befriended by Jack Wingate, the owner of the fish camp, and a friendship formed that would connect Scott with anglers eager to pay-to-play in his idea to form a national tournament organization. 
Fast forward to the present day. At Dock Talk time, the temperature was 82 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and gusty winds to 25 mph. Above all else, the lake level was dropping—3 inches a day—and that will be a key influencer in the coming tournament that begins tomorrow. The bass population is into the spawning cycle. Here’s a snapshot of what you might expect to see this week. 
Buddy Gross
“The windy conditions are pushing dirty water into the creeks, and it’s getting harder to find clearer water,” Gross said. If they stop pulling water it’s going to get dirty and hurt the sight fishing bite, but it is getting better. Bass are beginning to show up on the bars and the banks, and that will play into the hands of the shallow water anglers. 
“I was hoping we could have colder weather to slow them down. But it is going to be a great tournament. I think the weights are going to keep going up as the week goes on. For me, I wish they would keep dropping it to make it harder on the bed fishing guys.”
Austin Felix
“It’s warming up every day and there are fish showing up on beds,” Felix said. I spent the last half-day looking for them, and I spotted a few bucks here and there.” Nothing to get excited over.”
“For me, it’s hard to fish with the wind pushing your boat around. I haven’t found any big combinations of fish. I have so many different patterns that I can run.”
“I’m just trying to sort through them and determine which will be best given the time of the competition day. I’m going to fish some grass, some spawning fish and see how it goes.”
Jake Whitaker
“There is plenty of grass and I’m fishing on the bank,” Whitaker said. “there could be some that are already prespawn.” 
“It’s going to be about getting the right size, and by that, I mean a minimum of three pounds.”
“It’s going to be going through smaller fish to get to that mark. Three and up is what it’s going to be about. This should be a good tournament, and it should only get better each day. At least that’s what I hope.”
Kenta Kimura
“The water was very muddy earlier in the week,” Kimura said. “Today it is cleaner and looks completely different.”
“That was why I struggled the first few days to find fish. I’m sight fishing and it looks like the fish are moving up in a large wave.” 
John Cox
“The lake looks great and there is a lot more grass than normal for us,” Cox said. The water is clearing up; there is a lot of bait.”
“With this warming trend I think we are going to see a big push of fish. I do think we will still be fishing on top of each other.” 
Bryan New
“There are a lot of prespawn bass stacked up offshore in the grass, but I haven’t found them,” New said. “I also know there are a lot of spawners on beds, and I know that by the number of boats I’m seeing sight fishing in the ponds.” 
“There is no way that I’m going to do that, because I just don’t like fishing in a crowd. I’m going to go the opposite route and try and blind bed fish for spawners that you can’t see, and also find those prespawners out in the grass.”
“There is a magic spot out there, a key transition area where they will last stage before they make the final move in, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Drew Cook
“The Flint is muddier than we’d want it to be, but it’s still got fishable water but not for sight fishing for spawning bass,” Cook said. “That’s what every bass in this lake wants to do.” 
“I hope it doesn’t prevent all of what we can catch from coming in, because if the water continues to drop, they just won’t come in to spawn.”
“I don’t think the weights will be as good as anticipated. I do think you will see an impressive cut line weight.”

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