Brewer Hammers 28-5 of Smallmouth on Day 1 at Guntersville
FEBRUARY 22, 2022 • JUSTIN ONSLOW • TOYOTA SERIES
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Catching 28 pounds, 5 ounces of bass in a tournament on Lake Guntersville isn’t that unusual – except when that 28-5 of bass happens to be comprised entirely smallmouth.
Nathan Brewer jumped out to lead of 3 pounds, 9 ounces over Austin Swindle in the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Central Division opener by going off the beaten path. As soon as Brewer showed off his bag, everyone in attendance knew those fish didn’t come from Guntersville proper.
In fact, as is allowed in this event, Brewer started his day running as far south on Guntersville as he could go before hitting the dam, then he locked through and ran a little more. There, below the dam, he put on a clinic in a very short period of time, culling just once to put together a mega-bag that included a 6-pound, 11-ounce behemoth smallmouth.
“I made 20 casts,” Brewer said of his incredible day.
You know you’re in the right spot when all it takes is 20 casts to catch more than 28 pounds and call it a day.
Despite his Day 1 success, Brewer wasn’t all that confident in fishing in that area prior to the tournament. In practice, he spent limited time down there and really didn’t like what he found. He liked the alternative even less, though.
“I never really caught smallmouth in practice,” he admitted. “I didn’t go down there but a little bit (in practice). I fished around up here everywhere and I ain’t no Guntersville man. These boys whip my hind end up here.”
Still, Brewer didn’t opt for the smallmouth out of desperation. He’s a moving water man, through and through.
“I fish down there all the time,” said the Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, native. “We caught one near 9 (pounds) down there a few years ago. I’ve got some history down there.
“I like moving water. We fish Pickwick a lot. I had one right at 7 (pounds) on Pickwick the other day just fun-fishing.”
Brewer chose to not reveal much about how he caught his fish on Day 1, but he did say the initial spot he wanted to fish was blown out from wind and current and didn’t end up returning until after the water level had dropped a bit. By the time he was done culling at that spot, it was getting later in the day and his co-angler, James Little, made a selfless decision for his boater, despite not having any fish of his own.
“This man right here was mighty, mighty, mighty good,” he said, gesturing to Little. “You know smallmouth. You’ve got to nurse them. He said let’s get you in. He gave up an hour of his time to come on in and keep my fish alive.”
With 28-5 of smallmouth and the top spot on the leaderboard secured, Brewer didn’t have to think very long about what Day 2 will bring – along with a bunch of rain.
“It’ll have to be a hurricane before I don’t go down there (tomorrow),” he joked.
Fishing the conditions he’s fishing, Brewer knows there are no guarantees. He may make the run again on Day 2 and find his fish simply aren’t there. That’s just the way it works below the dam, but he’d rather give it a shot fishing the way he likes to fish than to force something back upriver on the beaten path.
Top 10 Pros
1. Nathan Brewer – 28 – 05 (5)
2. Austin Swindle – 24 – 12 (5)
3. Derik Hudson – 24 – 11 (5)
4. Dustin Evans – 23 – 13 (5)
4. Hunter Eubanks – 23 – 13 (5)
6. Bob Blackerby – 23 – 04 (5)
7. Jim Leary – 22 – 05 (5)
8. Shawn Penn – 22 – 04 (5)
9. Kyle Palmer – 21 – 04 (5)
10. Tim Arnold – 21 – 02 (5)
Hinger Tops 20 for Strike King Co-Angler Lead
The only Strike King Co-Angler to crack the 20-pound mark, Jason Hinger of Timberlake, N.C., grabbed the Day 1 lead by 1 pound, 6 ounces over Victor Cuevas by virtue of some spots that yielded multiple big keepers in quick succession. It was feast or famine for Hinger all day, but he didn’t leave the water hungry by the time he and his boater, Wendell Causey Jr., checked in.
“I got two fish in the first hour and half and then I went until probably 1 o’clock (without a keeper),” he said. “Then I got two on back-to-back casts. I sat on four keepers for about an hour and then finished up here and caught two on back-to-back casts [near takeoff].”
Those final two fish came within about 25 minutes of his check-in time, and coupled with a 5-15 he caught earlier in the day, ended up comprising a terrific bag to lead what was a pretty terrific Day 1 for a lot of co-anglers.
Hinger didn’t need a special bait or technique to do his damage – just the typical Guntersville staples around a pretty traditional Guntersville target.
“It was all just moving baits,” he said. “It was a few different baits, all reaction stuff. Nothing everyone here doesn’t know about. It was all shallow flats stuff. Staging spots and prespawn stuff around grass.”
Even so, Hinger executed his program to perfection and helped erase the sting of a horrible start to his 2021 season on the very same fishery.
“I feel a lot better than I did last year,” joked Hinger in reference to coming up empty in two days on Guntersville last season. “The only other time I’d been here before was last year and I double-zeroed. I never got a bite in practice or the tournament last year.”
Lucky for Hinger, bass fishing has a way of giving as much as it takes, and today it gave him a 20-plus-pound bag and the feeling of knowing what it takes to lead a field of 327 other competitors.
Top 10 Strike King Co-Anglers
1. Jason Hinger – 20 – 14 (5)
2. Victor Cuevas – 19 – 08 (5)
3. Greg Surratt – 19 – 00 (5)
4. Todd Mowery – 18 – 09 (5)
5. Gerald Andrews – 18 – 07 (5)
6. Barry Whitaker – 18 – 04 (5)
7. Joshua Decker – 17 – 07 (5)
8. Darren Kelly – 17 – 03 (5)
8. J.P. Sims – 17 – 03 (5)
10. Garick Robinson – 16 – 15 (5)