“Under normal circumstances, I could probably narrow it down to two or three tactics, but now it is wide open,” said Wicker, who cut his tournament teeth as a member of the Clemson University Fishing Team before graduating a year ago.

Those circumstances include the rapid rise of lake levels following a scheduled winter drawdown, a return to warmer temperatures following a winter freeze brought by a blast of frigid air pushed from the Arctic down across the Southeast by what the weatherman called a “Polar Vortex,” and winter rains that have muddied some areas of the lake.

“If the tournament had been last week, I would say it would be won from Billy Dreher Island up the lake. But there are some bigger fish in the lower end of the lake and with it being warm, if they turn on that really opens it up.”

Wicker noted that when the water level was down during the last several months there were a lot of fish in deep holes for the winter. But SCE&G, the utility that manages the lake, brought the lake back up while winter rains speeded the process – and helped muddy the water.

“When the water gets color on Lake Murray the bass go to the banks. If it warms up and the lake stabilizes next week I think that will bring a lot of them to the bank.”

With all the variables having an effect, Wicker said he will spend time before the tournament on the lower lake and in the upper lake.

“If they are biting on the lower end I will fish down there, but they can be finicky down there. Sometimes they bite and sometimes they don’t. If they are finicky, I’ll fish the upper end of the lake.”

He hopes the ABA opener will continue the recent roll he has been on in tournaments on Lake Murray, he said.

“My dad and I have done pretty good on the lake in the past couple of months. We’ve been catching some pretty good fish and hopefully we can keep that rolling next week. I had my best year ever on Lake Murray in 2013,” said Wicker who plans to fish the South Carolina Division of the ABA Weekend Series and the BFL tournaments.

“We are fishing a Carolina Angler Team Trail tournament this weekend on Lake Murray and we will fish a few of the CATTS in between the ABAs and BFLs,” he said.

The ABA-SC schedule includes: March 22, Lake Russell; April 26, Santee Cooper; June 21, Lake Greenwood; and Sept. 6-7, Lake Hartwell, with the Southeast Division Regional Championship on Oct. 17-18 on Lake Tohopekaliga in Florida.

 

ABA Weekend Bass Series – South Carolina Division

Sat, Jan 18, 2014

Lake Murray

Dreher Island State Park

http://www.americanbassanglers.com/BWS/BWS_Division2014.php?DivisionNumberOnly=9