Five bass fishermen from the Carolinas will be fishing for a half-million dollars and the unofficial title of “world’s champion” this week on the Louisiana Delta when the Bassmasters Classic returns to the “Sportsman’s Paradise” for the fourth time.
Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro, N.C., Dave Wolak of Wake Forest, N.C., Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., Jason Williamson of Aiken, S.C., and Ryan McMurtury of Abbeville, S.C., are in the 50-man field that will take to the waters Friday through Sunday.
Wolak will be fishing his fifth Classic; the other four fishermen are Classic rookies, but two of them recently received a nod from one of the nation’s best fishermen.
Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., the Angler of the Year in 2010 on the FLW Tour, feels like Adams and Montgomery could shake up the standings.
“I think they’ve got a real good chance,” said Thrift. “I don’t think everybody knows about Andy, but he’s one of the best flippers there is. He can beat them flipping if they’ve got to punch a bait through a mat (of vegetation).
“And Tracy, he’s used to fishing in cold water, and he can catch them flipping or on a small crankbait.”
In addition, Adams was described as a “dark horse” by a website that follows the sport closely.
“You never know,” Adams said. “It’s definitely my style of fishing; I’ve always been about making long runs and flipping. Most likely, it will be a flipping bite.”
Montgomery and Adams qualified for the Classic by finishing first in the BASS Southern Opens and second in the BASS Northern Opens, respectively. Wolak and Williamson qualified through the BASS Elite Series, and McMurtury was the Bassmasters Weekend Series champion.
Full coverage of the 2011 Classic can be found on our sister site, LouisianaSportsman.com. The dedicated Bassmaster Classic Updates page contains all the news leading up to the event, expert predictions, a list of the full field, video and photo galleries, and complete standings (once competition begins).
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