Smith’s patience puts him atop Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray
COLUMBIA, S.C. — One of the oldest and most revered angling axioms states: “Don’t leave fish to find fish.”
Honoring that timeless truth, Bryant Smith of Roseville, Calif., sacked up a five-bass limit of 24 pounds, 7 ounces and improved to first place at the Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a two-day total of 46-6.
Smith, who placed 13th on Day 1 with 21-15, heads into Semifinal Saturday with a lead of 1-9 over Paul Marks.
“It was just an amazing day,” Smith said. “I’ve been really fortunate to get the right bites at the right time.”
Days 1 and 2 saw Smith starting on the blueback herring spawn, which typically lasts only an hour or two past daybreak. The first day saw the dimmer lighting of cloudy, rainy conditions extending that activity longer, but with Day 2’s sunnier start, the baitfish congregations concluded as normal.
Knowing that the bass would remain in the general area and continue feeding whenever more herring crossed their radar, Smith committed his day to a focused strategy.
“I’ve been starting in the same spot both mornings and, between two points, I can usually get a limit with a couple good ones,” Smith said. “I know where they’re sitting and that’s the whole key. I’m using my Lowrance ActiveTarget to see if they’re up there.
“You have to be patient. I probably sat and Power-Poled down for an hour, then I’d rotate around, come back and sit there again.”
Smith said he’s been able to identify particular hard spots on the points where the bass sit and wait for passing meals.
“The herring fish are all over the points, but you want the ones that have a home base,” he said. “I can catch one, pull the school off and they always go back.”
Maximizing his spots, Smith said, has required diversity. He’s using an assortment of what he called traditional herring baits, but changing up his presentations has kept the deal going.
“I’m approaching them from different angles and just trying to mix it up,” Smith said. “Playing the wind is super important. We didn’t have much wind today, but it was enough to get them chasing.
“I had my weight around noon today. The bite lasts for quite a while, but they just get super finicky when the sun comes up and the wind dies.”
Notwithstanding his ongoing effort to find the right presentation for a particular time of day, Smith called patience his biggest asset. Increased fishing pressure has made this lake’s fish extremely wary, so success required him to capitalize on the brief windows of opportunity.
“You just never know, so you have to cycle through all your baits and just be there for the opportunity when it presents itself. It’s not like years past when they come up schooling a lot, but they do come up once or twice a day, so you gotta be ready to throw right at ’em.
“That’s the whole deal; you gotta be in the right place at the right time.”
Considering his Day 3 game plan, Smith said he’ll return to the key spots he’s fished since the start, but if those locations fail to produce, he has options.
“I have six or seven points where I know exactly where the fish sit,” he said. “I haven’t really milked anything else, because by the time I’ve gotten to everything else, I had a good bag yesterday and today, I felt like I had a great bag.
“I’m not gonna cull out a 4 1/4-pound fish for a 4 1/2, so I’ve saved my other spots in case I need them later in the tournament.”
Hailing from Cumming, Ga., Marks is in second place with 44-13. A noted herring expert, he placed 14th on Day 1 with 21-14 and rose a dozen spots on the strength of his second-round limit of 22-15.
As Marks explained, seasonal patterns are working in his favor. Specifically, the fish are transitioning to deeper structure — a scenario that fits squarely in his wheelhouse.
“The fish are definitely moving out to some cane piles and some longer points, and drop-offs out there in 15 to 20 feet,” he said. “I really like seeing that. I feel like I’m pretty good at fishing like that from my home waters of Lake Lanier. That’s what I’d fish nine months out of the year.
“I’m ready to get back out there tomorrow. We have some nasty weather coming and they’re gonna chew.”
Marks said he fished a Zoom Super Fluke on a 5/0 Gamakatsu offset worm hook and caught about 20 fish, with his bites spread throughout the day. His biggest was about 6 1/2 pounds.
Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., is in third place with 44-8. After placing 49th with a Day 1 limit of 18-3, the two-time Bassmaster Classic champion (2017–2018) rocketed up the leaderboard with a Day 2 limit of 26-5 — the event’s biggest catch.
Anchoring his limit with a 7-7 that bit around 10 o’clock, Lee said the day’s different weather, particularly a different wind direction, spurred his fish to change locations. Moving around and watching for fish on his Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 was his best strategy.
“Catching that 7-7 helped the cause, because this lake is full of 3- and high 4-pounders, but to trick one of those giants is hard to do,” Lee said. “I used the Anchor Lock on my Lowrance Ghost trolling motor and had my boat facing into the wind and I was blind casting to where I knew they were sitting and I caught several of my fish doing that.
“I was being stealthy and not running the trolling motor around a lot. That could have been a key to catching that big one.”
Lee said he caught most of his fish, including the big one on a jig head minnow.
Lee holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with his 7-7.
Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 448 points. Caleb Hudson of Lincolnton, Ga., is second with 410, followed by Brandon Cobb of Greenwood, S.C., with 389, Cory Johnston of Otonabee, Canada with 385 and Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., with 382.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. ET at Dreher Island State Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3 p.m.
Follow along with the morning action of Bassmaster LIVE on FS1 May 9 and 10 from 8-11:30 a.m. ET before heading to Bassmaster.com for afternoon coverage. All weigh-ins will be available live on Bassmaster.com starting at 3 p.m. ET.
This event is being hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country.
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
About Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board:
CCLMC is the official source for all things Lake Murray Country. Explore the Top Southern Destinations of Columbia, Lake Murray, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, and Saluda. To plan your next trip, find information on attractions, dining, hotels, outdoor recreation, fishing, golf, and events. For more information about CCLMC, visit LakeMurrayCountry.com or call 803-781-5940 | 1-866-SC-JEWEL. Stay up-to-date with trip ideas, events, and more by following us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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2026 Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Murray 5/7-5/10
Lake Murray, Columbia SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 10 46-06 101
Day 1: 5 21-15 Day 2: 5 24-07
2. Paul Marks Cumming, GA 10 44-13 100
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 22-15
3. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 10 44-08 99 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 26-05
4. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 10 44-07 98
Day 1: 5 24-02 Day 2: 5 20-05
5. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 44-05 97 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 23-13
6. Andrew Loberg Guntersville, AL 10 43-12 96
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 20-00
7. Sam Hanggi Knoxville, TN 10 43-00 95
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 24-00
8. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 10 42-14 94
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 19-03
9. Caleb Hudson Lincolnton, GA 10 42-12 93
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 21-08
10. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 42-11 92
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 20-00
11. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 10 42-07 91
Day 1: 5 25-00 Day 2: 5 17-07
12. Emil Wagner Marietta, GA 10 41-13 90
Day 1: 5 25-07 Day 2: 5 16-06
13. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 10 41-11 89
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 19-13
14. Evan Kung Pickering Ontario CANAD 10 41-09 88
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 22-02
15. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 10 41-08 87
Day 1: 5 20-11 Day 2: 5 20-13
16. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 41-07 86
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 21-05
17. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 41-04 85
Day 1: 5 22-15 Day 2: 5 18-05
18. Tucker Smith Birmingham, AL 10 40-15 84
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 21-09
19. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 40-13 83
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 5 16-10
20. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 40-12 82
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 23-00
21. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 40-11 81
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 22-02
22. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 40-09 80
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 5 16-06
23. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 10 40-04 79
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 5 18-00
24. Aaron Jagdfeld Rochester Hills, MI 10 40-03 78
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 19-03
25. Jacob Foutz Philadelphia, TN 10 39-14 77
Day 1: 5 25-06 Day 2: 5 14-08
26. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10 39-13 76
Day 1: 5 21-05 Day 2: 5 18-08
27. Bryan New Leesville, SC 10 39-12 75
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 19-02
28. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 10 39-09 74
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 18-06
29. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 10 39-06 73
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 18-13
30. Pake South Winnsboro, TX 10 39-04 72
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 20-07
31. Cody Meyer Eagle, ID 10 39-00 71
Day 1: 5 24-10 Day 2: 5 14-06
32. Tyler Williams Barnett, MO 10 38-15 70
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 20-07
33. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 38-07 69
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 18-09
34. Seth Feider Elko New Market, MN 10 38-04 68
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 18-10
35. Fisher Anaya Eva, AL 10 38-04 67
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 19-00
36. Brock Reinkemeyer Warsaw, MO 10 37-11 66
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 16-14
37. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 10 37-10 65
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 19-13
38. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 37-09 64
Day 1: 5 20-11 Day 2: 5 16-14
39. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 37-06 63
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 19-06
40. Dakota Ebare Brookeland, TX 10 37-06 62
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 19-02
41. Blake Capps Muskogee, OK 10 37-03 61
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 15-13
42. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 10 37-01 60
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 20-06
43. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 10 36-14 59
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 18-12
44. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 10 36-09 58
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 15-06
45. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 10 36-08 57
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 16-08
46. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 36-08 56
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 17-00
47. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 36-01 55
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 16-06
48. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 10 35-15 54
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 22-04
49. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 35-12 53
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 18-07
50. John Garrett Union City, TN 10 35-11 52
Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 15-15
51. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 35-10 51
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 16-00
52. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 10 35-09 50
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 17-08
53. Austin Cranford Oklahoma City, OK 10 35-07 49
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 19-10
54. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 35-04 48
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 18-14
55. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 35-02 47
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 15-15
56. Cole Sands Johnson City, TN 10 35-01 46
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 18-09
57. John Cox Debary, FL 9 34-15 45
Day 1: 4 13-01 Day 2: 5 21-14
58. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 10 34-14 44
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 18-11
59. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 34-09 43
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 22-11
60. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 34-03 42
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 17-08
61. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 34-01 41
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 14-06
62. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 9 33-13 40
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 23-10
63. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 10 33-12 39
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 19-01
64. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 33-11 38
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 14-08
65. Beau Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 33-08 37
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 14-05
66. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10 33-08 36
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 18-00
67. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 33-04 35
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 16-08
68. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 33-02 34
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 15-08
69. Tristan McCormick Bon Aqua, TN 10 33-02 33
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 17-08
70. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 10 32-07 32
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 17-04
71. Chris Zaldain Boyd, TX 10 32-03 31
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 19-05
72. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 32-02 30
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 17-00
73. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 10 32-02 29
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 16-08
74. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 10 31-14 28
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 15-12
75. Chris Johnston Peterborough Ontario CA 10 31-13 27
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 16-06
76. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 31-10 26
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 13-06
77. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 31-08 25
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 14-11
78. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 30-11 24
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 14-11
79. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 30-09 23
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 14-04
80. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 30-08 22
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 15-08
81. Luke Palmer Atoka, OK 10 30-07 21
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 17-02
82. Cliff Pace Ovett, MS 10 30-07 20
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 16-02
83. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 30-05 19
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 13-04
84. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 30-03 18
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 17-07
85. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 29-10 17
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 12-08
86. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 29-10 16
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 13-05
87. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 9 29-08 15
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 4 13-11
88. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 9 28-12 14
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 4 12-14
89. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 27-08 13
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 13-02
90. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 27-07 12
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 12-09
91. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 27-03 11
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 13-05
92. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 8 25-08 10
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 5 17-01
93. Matt Messer Warfield, KY 9 24-11 9
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 4 09-14
94. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 9 24-05 8
Day 1: 4 09-05 Day 2: 5 15-00
95. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 23-13 7
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 10-00
96. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 9 22-05 6
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 4 09-08
97. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 8 21-13 5
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 3 06-07
98. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 5 11-04 4
Day 1: 2 04-11 Day 2: 3 06-09
99. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 4 10-14 3
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 1 03-04
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Drew Benton Panama City, FL 07-00 $1,000.00
2 Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 07-07 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 93 485 1769-09
2 92 483 1713-08
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185 968 3483-01
