Courtesy of Alan McGuckin – Dynamic Sponsorships

The fishing is extremely good at Lake Murray. The 2023 Marathon Bassmaster Elite Series is going to be a fun one to watch. It seems everything with fins is in some phase of the spawn, and a wide variety of patterns are in play.

Local experts say that because bass behave more like hungry wolf packs as they chase down spawning baitfish, it’s not uncommon to hook two bass on one bait.

So, should we expect to see that?

“If we were allowed to use a double fluke rig, it would almost definitely happen, but after three days of practice, I’ve yet to double up,” says Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester.

B.A.S.S Elite Series rules state that anglers can only cast one rod and one lure at a time, so that makes catching two on one lure a lot more challenging.

Lester is hoping it happens on derby day, and if it does, it may be when two hungry hefty ones fight over the 8” glide bait he has tied on.

“I actually caught two keepers on one medium diving crankbait last month at the Bassmaster Open on Lake Eufaula, and I did it one other time at the 2015 Bassmaster Elite on Kentucky Lake. So yes, I never rule it out, and it could certainly happen here,” says Lester.

More importantly than catching two at a time on Murray, is simply being able to keep up with the rest of the field, as 17-pound limits are predicted to be really plentiful.

“I just want to make sure I’m not fishing the same water somebody else just got done thrashing. Everything from soft plastic jerkbaits to bed fishing is going to be in play here, but I just want to make sure that whatever I’m doing, it’s not right behind somebody else,” emphasizes Lester.

Stay tuned for what’s setting up to be a fun-to-watch “catchfest” – and maybe – just maybe – we’ll see them get caught two at a time. Lester’s totally content with that happening to him here at Murray, just like it did last month at Eufaula.