I Spent the First Day Of The Bassmaster Classic In Aaron Martens’ Boat
Fog delayed the start of the 2011 Bassmaster Classic bass tournament, and while sitting with Aaron Martens in his new Phoenix bass boat, the talk was about family, friends, and weather. “This fog really kills me,” said Martens.” “We’re not traveling far, but it would be a lot easier if we didn’t have the fog. I wanted to get a head start.”
I have known Aaron for 12 years. He was the first professional angler I used as a cover for my magazine, Bass West. I’ve fished against him in Open tournaments all over the West, and have been in his boat at least four times in the Bassmaster Classic. But, this time, I really sensed Martens was more nervous than usual, excited almost to begin the day. What I didn’t realize was just how many fish he had located during practice on the huge and sprawling Louisiana Delta.
As the fog lifted and we left the launch ramp, we traveled a short 15 minutes southwest to an area locals call “the tank farm”, a large, shallow stump-covered flat. The fog was still thick in the area and it was tough seeing exactly where we were going. Eventually, be passed through a “wall” of tires that separated the main part of the bay from the stump field. As we knifed through the fog, we could hear a couple of other boats moving into the area. As we arrived at Martens’ first way point, we realized that Kevin Van Dam was also in the immediate area. Then, Scott Rook came into view along with three to four other Classic participants’ boats.
Aaron picked up a rod with a spinnerbait hanging from the line, and made his first cast — long, long, and accurate. He began to throw to any piece of grass, hyacinths, or wood that showed above the water. At first he reeled fairly quickly and within a couple of casts hooked his first fish, a great four-pounder that took him all the way around the boat before he landed it. “They’re eating,” he said as he closed the lid of the live well on his first bass. “This could be great. I got 35 bites here on Wednesday. I couldn’t tell the sizes because I just shook of the bites, so it’s great to know there are some big fish here.”
As he continued to fish, he switched between two different spinnerbaits, and put three fish in the live well using a swimmsenko by Yamamoto Baits. But, the most fascinating thing about my day with Martens was his willingness to share information with Scott Rook and with Kevin Van Dam, both anglers were within ear shot most of the day. “Where’s the bait today?” he asked Van Dam at one point. “They’re still here,” Van Dam Responded, “but they’re probably in the back but it’s still too shallow for us back there.”
Aaron put 20 pounds of bass in the boat before Noon and finished the day with 20.9 pounds. Not surprisingly, Scott Rook finishes just a pound and change behind, and Kevin Van Dam earned the third spot just under two pound behind Martens. The first three day-one finishers fished the entire day within a couple of hundred yards. I was able to see almost every fish caught by the trio. The bite wasn’t particularly fast, but is was consistent. Only time will tell is the area will hold up for the three days of the Classic.
Martens remained positive. “What do you know,” he commented, “I just may be leading the Bassmaster Classic again.” ” It’s been a while, but I think I could get used to this.”
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